Wouldn’t it be great if everyone got on? If projects had no points of conflict? Well, if you have ever worked on a project where everything was perfect all the time and no conflict arose, give us a call. We want to know how you did it.
Conflict on projects, like in other areas of work and life, is inevitable. It is not always huge tantrums or personality clashes. Conflict can also manifest in small ways, like grumbling about having to work overtime, or during discussions about why project milestone dates should change.
It may be impossible to avoid, but you can plan for it. And you can actively manage it when it arises. Here are some tips for handling conflict on projects.
1. Don’t Put Off Dealing With It
Sort it out early. We’ve seen project team members squabbling over email, and copying in suppliers and senior managers. That doesn’t do anyone any favours. If you notice this happening on your team, step in and sort it out.
It takes courage to bring up a point of conflict when it could be easier to let the whole thing blow over or fizzle out, but the risks of conflict damaging your project later are far worse than the potential embarrassment of dealing with an issue early.
2. Stay Positive
Assume positive intent and keep a positive attitude when dealing with conflict in the team. Assume that everyone is trying their best and has a valid point. You will need to listen to all the concerns and make an assessment, but start from a positive place. Your team will appreciate this and the positivity will influence the behavior of others.
3. Check The Policy
Dealing with conflict can be awkward, so it is useful to have the back up of a corporate policy. This gives you the opportunity to say that there are guidelines that have to be adhered to. This can be helpful with issues around timekeeping, dress code, use of social media and sickness absence.
You can also refer to policies from your Project Management Office. The PMO will have guidelines around keeping plans up to date, project team meetings, use of enterprise project management tools or collaboration software and others. Draw on these to set the standards for the team.
4. Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep
A big source of conflict comes from people feeling let down. If you say you are going to do something, then do it. Act professionally and follow up on any actions you take to ensure that your behavior is never the cause of someone feeling disgruntled or unable to trust you.
5. Set Expectations
Conflict can also arise when people don’t know what is expected of them. In the absence of clear direction, project team members tend to make up the next steps for themselves. This may work with an experienced project team, who have worked together before and who know exactly what the end goal is. But in large teams and on complex projects, people need to know what you want them to do.
Be clear with instructions and set expectations around behavior as well as tasks. This can be done by using an exercise like making a project shield or via a project initiation session early on in the project to clarify how the team is going to work. You could also work together to draw up a set of ground rules for the team, such as turning up to meetings on time, listening respectfully and responding to emails within one working day.
When it comes to tasks, make sure that everyone knows what they are accountable for on the project plan and how this fits into the bigger picture. Continually reinforce expectations as the project progresses and discuss any transgressions with the individuals concerned.
Project managers will never avoid conflict on projects, and we would argue that a degree of conflict is healthy for a project team. No conflict at all generally means that the project team doesn’t care enough about the outcome to debate problems, challenge decisions or dispute priorities. It also means that the team members don’t feel comfortable discussing their issues, and that can lead to greater problems later on.
Don’t shy away from conflict: embrace it and manage it. Your team will thank you for it!