As I am enjoying the beautiful late summer weather here in Ohio, I hope you are also enjoying your local season!
Today I'd like to share a client case study on team conflict resolution. I hope this can stimulate some valuable ideas as you lead your team!
Part 1: Situation
I was recently facilitating a strategy deployment workshop for a division of a big company that's driving massive growth. A big conflict came up between 2 members of the team during team discussions.
Team member A, younger and newer to the business, quickly proposed an idea for cost efficiency that was not previously socialized with the team.
Team member B, who is long-tenured and has close relationships with customers, found the idea inconsiderate of disruption to customer onboarding at a critical time. He reacted with dismissive body language and tone of voice while verbally brushing off team member A's idea.
Both members went into their defensive mode. With their bodies tense and facial muscles frozen, the room became super silent for a few seconds before their debates continued.
We are in the final hour of our multi-day workshop. Much still needs to be finalized as the next steps.
But the team conflict tension is real. This global team only gets together physically once a quarter or less, and they are all leaving in an hour to get on their planes.
Intentional Pause: If you were the division team leader, what are some potential ways to handle the situation?
Part 2: Intervention
The division leader was not in the room that morning.
I needed to make a decision quickly, to intervene or not intervene, to take it offline or to address it head-on in front of the team...
Check out this short video of what I decided to do at the moment. I also included 2 suggestions on team conflict resolution.
Part 3: Result
After the session, several team members shared their appreciation for how I facilitated the team conflict resolution that led to important team alignment. They said otherwise it would take at least another 3 months to get alignment.
My takeaway is that while it's common and helpful to address 1-on-1 conflicts offline, it can be far more impactful to address them in a team setting, with proper framing and facilitation. It helps to build the team's capacity to handle similar situations in the future, collectively.
Don't just coach the individuals on your team. Coach your entire team - collectively.
Part 4: Reflections
(1) What's your takeaway? (2) What suggestions would you add? (3) How might you be able to use a team coaching approach to develop your team's capacity?
I'd love to hear your thoughts or questions. Happy September!
