Recognize Constructive Conflict

Conflict isn’t fun for most people. Emotions are high and substantial outcomes could be at risk for both business and stakeholder relationships. Constructive conflict can be beneficial and should be used, instead of being suppressed. Here’s how to recognize constructive stakeholder conflict. 

• The issue and intended outcome are clear. Conflicts that improve project outcomes have a common characteristic: the issue and desired outcome that are the source of the conflict are well-defined and understood by all parties. Only in that case can discussion lead to an agreeable and lasting resolution. I’ve seen a conflict where a marketing director was arguing for more money to boost sales and the CFO was arguing to reduce costs. When the discussion started, neither senior leader was focused on what was better for the business. When they finally agreed on the best outcome for the business (overall profit), they were able to make constructive progress on resolving their conflict. 
• People share and respect truths. The best outcomes come when people involved in a conflict recognize and respect the viewpoints of all parties. Constructive conflicts are an opportunity for people to share their experiences in an open and non-judgemental way. If anyone in the discussion ignores others’ opinions or experiences, conflict resolution isn’t likely. Make sure that everyone can share their specific experiences and explain how they relate to the issue under discussion. Provide time for questions to ensure that everyone understands the context of others’ experiences and viewpoints. The best outcomes come about when stakeholders spend time collecting experiences and viewpoints to consider and then use that combined experience to make a decision .
• Emotions are recognized but aren’t the focus of the conflict. It’s important to recognize that stakeholders’ emotions could be triggered during the discussion. Recognizing and acknowledging those emotions (without making them the central theme of the discussion) leads to the best outcomes. It also ensures the discussion focuses on the appropriate issues, not personalities. Here’s an example of a statement that recognizes emotion while guiding the discussion toward the central issue. “I sense that this situation is making you nervous, and that’s understandable. What is the business situation that concerns you the most so we can focus our discussion on a solution that addresses that situation?”
• The conflict resolution has no strings attached. Constructive conflicts produce a resolution that is agreeable to everyone without anyone owing anything to anyone else. Everyone can walk away satisfied, knowing that the next time an issue arises, a level playing field exists for all stakeholders involved. Here’s an example of an attached string: “Ok, I’ll agree to this, but next time we discuss something I want more funding for my budget.” That doesn’t close the conflict, is not really constructive, and will lead to less than ideal outcomes.
• A process to measure success considers all viewpoints and is agreed to by everyone. Constructive conflicts end with an agreed-to resolution and a method for measuring whether the resolution was successful. The metrics should be focused on the issues or concerns stakeholders brought to the conflict. For example, a stakeholder agrees to a resolution but is concerned that it might increase costs for a part of the project. You should include separate cost tracking measures to focus on those expenditures. This demonstrates support for the stakeholders and confirmation that their concerns are valid.

Extra credit if you realize that this article includes hints for ways to turn an unconstructive conflict into a constructive one. Share your examples of the constructive conflicts you’re experienced – or tips for making discussions more constructive.

For more about dealing with conflict, check out the Develop Conflict Management Skills learning path.

Coming Up

I finished recording the update to my Advanced Microsoft Project course and I’m really excited about it. The videos are more to the point, and the course has a new, more substantial example project. It should be out in a few months!

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