I know I am referring a lot to Inc magazine today, but its good stuff…
The last page had a short piece on conflict in the workplace, and a consultant that goes beyond conflict “management” and “resolution” to conflict transformation. Read the full article here.
“In the workplace, our primary impulse is to turn down the tension thermostat. We paper over real and meaningful disputes in an anxious rush to create consensus—even if that consensus is largely artificial. Simply put, we are uncomfortable with conflict… It’s nice to pretend that we work in a no-conflict zone. But that’s a myth—an unhealthy, even disastrous, one. Unresolved conflict stirs up anxiety, fear, and frustration. Elaborate defense mechanisms arise, which hamper an organization’s ability to operate effectively.”
A lot of conflict is suppressed because we don’t feel confident enough in our relationships to actually test them with a good fight. I don’t think any team can be called a team until they’ve recovered from a good fight. Working through conflict to the excellence on the other side is always helpful. I like the idea of “conflict transformation”, and I think that TomorrowToday.biz could play well in this space.

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