Effectively Managing
Team Conflict
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www.globalknowledge.com
Expert Reference Series of White Papers
Dealing with Conflict
Successful managers can effectively manage conflict. This ability is considered a core competency and is
required of managers who want to grow and advance. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most difficult skills a
manager can develop.
The objective of this white paper is to illustrate team conflict symptoms and causes; to determine how to
address team conflict using specific tools, skills, and processes; and to improve the ability of managers to build
teams that can deal effectively with both healthy and unhealthy conflict.
This paper is written from the point of view of a manager, supervisor, or team leader. Although written from
this perspective, team members or individual contributors can certainly benefit from reading this paper as well.
When dealing with conflict, there are four major questions that should be asked:
1. What are the symptoms of team conflict?
2. What causes team conflict?
3. How do I address team conflict?
4. What tools and aids can I use to help my team deal with conflict quickly and effectively?
1.What Are the Symptoms of Team Conflict?
Conflict can be defined as a serious disagreement over needs or goals. For the purpose of this paper, team con-
flict is defined as serious disagreements over needs or goals among team members. Conflict behaviors, or
symptoms of conflict, include:
• Not completing work on-time or to quality goals
• Gossip
• Not returning phone calls or e-mails
• Passive/aggressive behavior
• Not responding to requests for information
• Hostility
• Hoarding information that should be shared
• Complaining
• Finger pointing
• Verbal abuse
• Not attending required meetings
• Filing grievances or lawsuits
• Absenteeism
• Physical violence
The last two items, filing grievances or lawsuits and physical violence, require specialized and/or legal help
beyond the scope of this paper.
Each behavior, by itself, does not necessarily indicate confl