How teams can capitalize on conflict

Purpose – Teams inevitably face conflict. Their challenge is to take advantage of the opportunities inherent within conflict while at the same time lessening its potentially harmful effects. Learning how to create a climate that fosters open, candid communications and that uses constructive communications techniques enables teams to meet this challenge. This paper aims to look at these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses the nature of team conflict and address specific areas where teams need to develop norms for handling conflict. Findings – The paper finds that teams usually focus on the substantive tasks for which they are formed but often fail to develop norms and processes for addressing the inevitable conflicts that can derail their progress. Originality/value – The paper shows how teams can get the best out of conflict by: starting early to develop norms for how they will address conflicts that arise; creating a climate of trust, collaboration, and emotions to foster open communications about issues; and using constructive communication techniques to keep their focus on creatively resolving problems.