An independent article on the benefits of positive conflict.
May 2003
To agree or disagree.. that is the question!
Conflict has been getting a lot of bad press lately. The common voice is praising “peace” as the ultimate state and defining a world without conflict the definitive goal.
Over time, the word conflict has become synonymous with negative connotations. When asked what conflict means, people choose words such as “violence” and “war”; in general they choose words without positive meaning. People have come to believe that a conflict free environment is a positive environment.
According to an article in the Harvard Business Review[1], conflict is one of the four primary indicators of the health and vitality of any company (the other three being power, identity and learning). Employees within a small, newly founded company are more likely to handle their problems out in the open; they believe they have the power to make a difference in what they do and actively garner ideas from all sources, encouraging discussion and debate. When people are no longer prepared to invest the energy to disagree, or voice their opinion, they either no longer care about the outcome, the project or the company, or feel they disempowered and believe their views are either unimportant or will not be heard.
There are primarily two kinds of conflict - constructive and destructive. Constructive conflict takes place when the parties involved are working towards a common goal, or at least in a situation where they can understand and/or appreciate the other’s goal. Destructive conflict arises when the people involved are only interested in meeting their own needs and/or winning. Human ego can be a blindfold to what is revealed during positive conflict; the desire to win – to be right – often overrules the need to get the best outcome for all involved.
Conflict, defined as a disagreement, can produce positive outcomes and bring multiple ideas to the surface; when defined as an argument, it often involves hostility. A difference of opinion on any subject can be productive, but a conflict on the same subject involving a person who has either an emotional attachment to the topic, or an emotional response to the other party, can lead to unnaturally aggressive results. Negative conflict usually becomes manifest when one party perceives that another is opposing them or having a negative affect on their best interests. Many conflicts arise over a small part of a much bigger picture and the drive for people to “win”, on this one point of focus, can prevent them from searching for solutions for the project as a whole.
There is a sub-type of negative conflict, known as non-realistic conflict[2], which is an end in itself, as opposed to a means to an end. This type of conflict is often created subconsciously in a quest for attention or disruption and is not oriented towards the attainment of specific results. This type of conflict is purely destructive, and offers no benefits to the team, the project or the creative endeavour.
Conflict is inevitable, there are different types of conflict and different drivers for people engaging in conflict, so how do we deal with it? There is evidence to support the notion that conflict can be a powerful force that can be harnessed to engage the collective intellect and, further, that it can be a health check in a team. If there is no conflict there is the possibility of no interest and/or no feeling of power.
Recognising the benefits of positive conflict rather than avoiding all conflict because some is negative, is a management balancing act that, when done well, enhances productivity, team satisfaction and staff retention.