Conducive conflict is vital for enabling innovative teams

There might be a misconception that innovative teams do not argue and think alike. In reality, innovative and disruptive teams debate about many aspects. This article will explore why conducive conflict is vital to enable disruptive and creative thinking in a team. 

 

What is conducive conflict? 

In normal day-to-day operations, being on the same page and working upon established ideas is sufficient to produce results. However, some problems require a team to come together, think laterally, and debate with one another until they come to a well-considered conclusion. In order for a team to find innovative solutions, they need to explore various perspectives and consider different points of view. An effective leader recognizes this, and instead of attempting to immediately reduce the conflict, they let it happen. They conduct the discussion in an open and mutually respectful manner to bring it to the most optimal outcomes. If done correctly, this type of conflict can spring up ideas and solutions that would otherwise take too much time and effort in the normal course and flow of work. Therefore, even though nobody likes the term ‘conflict’, it can be a valuable tool for creative thinking.  

 

Enabling diversity in teams  

Whether or not a conducive conflict will be successful largely depends on how well your team is composed. A diverse team dedicated to problem-solving gains a lot from conducive conflict. Whereas a narrow-minded & single viewpoint team that presents the same ideas over and over again stands to be frustrated from such an experience of conflicting ideas and points of view. So, the first step is ensuring that you have smart people on your team. Team members with a narrow mindset, will not bring much value to this type of discussion. You need to have people on your team who think differently and are open to exploring differing POVs and opinions. For instance, if you need to relocate, then companies like Zippy Shell NV can help, at the same time, you need to consider all aspects and take a wholistic decision.  

 

Set the stage for conducive conflict  

Explain the goal of the discussion, help them welcome the conflict, and make sure that they understand what it will be like. It is paramount that your team does not take criticism personally and team members don’t grow spiteful towards their co-workers. The key point is to exchange ideas and explore different approaches and viewpoints. Any conflict that arises from that must be with the sole intention to spur further development. Make sure that they understand this and that the dispute that occurs in the meeting room stays in the meeting room. Gradually as your team members start exchanging ideas, some form of disputes and debates will get sparked. As a leader, your job is to conduct the conflict in a constructive manner without insults or insinuating comments.  

 

Maintain the right environment 

During the meeting, you want people to be energetic and to push their ideas forward. If some members are less willing to present their views, encourage them. Similarly, if some are unwilling to give their opinion about others’ ideas, ensure that they do. Make sure everyone gets in the appropriate frame of mind to share ideas and be open to taking some divergent thoughts about their ideas. You don't want people to either agree blindly or stay silent. 

 

Understand where the conflict stems from 

Sometimes people will argue not because they don't agree with an idea but because they don't agree with the person presenting it. If this is the case, you need to spot this contradiction and prevent them from going overboard and causing the meeting to go out of hand. This will require a lot of emotional intelligence. If you do not control it, it will cause a rift between your team members. So, while conductive conflict is vital for a disruptive-thinking team, it is mandatory for the leader to conduct it appropriately. 

 

Debriefing  

Once the meeting is over, ensure that you go over what has been discussed and explored. Doing so puts things into perspective and allows everyone to gather the key takeaways. As you facilitate more such sessions, your team members start becoming accustomed to this approach. You need to ensure that your team members stick with what has been agreed upon and not slack off the decision in case it’s not as per their expectations. 

 

Concluding thoughts  

Conflicts can be a powerful tool that can stimulate the energy needed to outline critical issues and challenges in order to find the best matching solutions in an effective manner.