Inter-group conflicts are common in large organizations. They are not often serious
(Stage 1), but occasionally the conflict becomes entrenched and begins to affect
performance (Stage 2). Outsiders can observe the following behaviors.
Stage 1 conflict, has the following symptoms:
- people in both groups of a conflict start to focus on the differences between their respective goals, rather than on the common ground
- communication starts to deteriorate each group begins to consult the other less frequently, the number of meetings between the two groups decreases, the atmosphere in meetings becomes more strained
- people in each group start to be openly critical of the other group (“Those people in … are useless”)
Stage 1 conflict, has the following symptoms:
- members of each team are openly – and unanimously – critical of the others
- a negative attitude towards the other team becomes compulsory
- any suggestion for resolving the conflict will be squashed with “That won’t work”
- any helpful behaviour is filtered out and ignored
- such as a suggestion from the operations group that the two teams should get together
- each team bonds more closely in the face of the “common enemy”
- each team starts to assemble perceived evidence of negligent behaviour from the other team
- the emphasis turns to ‘covering one’s back’ and rallying defenses in the face of a possible disaster
A conflict can escalate so insidiously from Stage 1 to Stage 2 that insiders fail to notice
the deterioration in working relations. To solve such conflicts both the facts and the
feelings need to be addressed. It will be necessary to deal with the emotional resistance as
well as the demands of the project. A participative, ‘build’ approach will therefore tend
to work best. Some suggestions are as follows:
- have meetings with the team. Avoid criticism of the conflict, (although this may be tempting);
- predecessors should not be criticised. Criticism could trigger old loyalties and increase the team’s reluctance to move forward. If necessary, listen to their complaints about the group, but avoid becoming drawn into agreeing with their stereotypes.
The project manager must stay outside the conflict if the relationship is to improve.
Once the team agrees with the need to move on, engage their help in planning the
meeting. What are the priorities in the handover? What are the possible concessions?
Ensure the team does as much preparatory work as possible, so they become used to
thinking and working more cooperatively.
Summary of conflict handling.
Stage 1
Conflicts can be solved by stressing common goals and sorting out minor irritations.
Stage 2
Conflicts are much more serious, because negative stereotypes and emotional resistance block progress. Deal with the feelings and the facts.
- Listen – but do not become drawn into agreeing with the perceptions.
- Avoid criticism of the previous regime – it can cause a group to attack a manager personally.
- Express an understanding of how the conflict arose, but that now the group must look to the future.
- Have all parties involved in the conflict participate actively in preparations for the way forward, so they quickly become used to working cooperatively.
- Conflicts are common, so be attentive to the language used in the team about colleagues in other parts of the organisation. A bit of humour is fine – hostility is bad for business.