Managing Conflict within Project Teams: Strategies for Smooth Collaboration
Conflict is like that annoying pop-up in your browser; it just keeps showing up, and no project teams are immune to it. If you've ever been part of a project team, you know that conflicts can pop up often, especially when you least expect them or at the most inconvenient times. These conflicts, if left unchecked, can take a toll on your project, wreck team dynamics, and leave you with missed deadlines and a collective headache.
But here's the flip side: when you deal with conflicts the right way, they can actually be a turbocharge for creativity and personal and team development. This article will dig into some strategies for handling conflicts within project teams to give you a solid game plan for resolving issues when they do arise. In fact, research in the Harvard Business Review suggests that teams that manage conflicts effectively tend to be more innovative and productive. Conflict can be a spark for creativity and growth if handled the right way (Harvard Business Review, "How to Manage Conflict on Your Teams," 2019).
Before we dive into the "how-to" of managing conflict, let's take a quick tour of where team disputes tend to come from. Download your complimentary eBook below.
