Essence of Conflict in Team Building

Conflict is a natural part of any relationship, including the relationship between engineering leaders and their teams. Engineers are trained to be critical thinkers and problem solvers, which can lead to disagreements and debates. However, many leaders are hesitant to allow conflict to happen, fearing that it will damage morale and productivity. But, from my experience at Hiver, I have learnt that conflict can bring out a lot of missing pieces very early in a project and lead to better decision-making and innovation.

As an introvert (I even fast-forward conflicting scenes in Movies 😅), conflict comes more unnaturally to me than it does to others. So it took a steep learning curve for me to include conflict as a valuable asset for my day-to-day activities as an engineering leader. In this blog post, I’ll share the why, do’s, and don’ts of conflict from my learning experience, hoping it may help others make use of this unexpected but helpful tool.

Benefits of conflict in engineering teams:

• Earlier problem identification. Conflict can expose deeper problems that need to be addressed. For example, if two engineers disagree on how to solve a problem, it may signal a lack of clarity about the problem itself. Addressing the conflict can help to identify and solve the underlying problem
• Better problem-solving. Diverse perspectives lead to better problem-solving. When people with different perspectives come together to discuss a problem, they are more likely to find a creative and effective solution as each person will bring their own unique knowledge and experience to the table.
• Healthy relationships, morale, and commitment. When people feel comfortable expressing their differences, it creates a more open and trusting environment. This can lead to healthier relationships, higher morale, and greater commitment to the team’s goals.
• Improved productivity. Engaged and motivated people are more productive. Conflict can help to keep people engaged by giving them a chance to share their ideas and feel heard. It can also motivate people by challenging them to think critically and come up with new solutions.
• Personal growth and insight. Conflict can help people to grow and learn. When people have to defend their ideas, they are forced to think more deeply about them. This can lead to new insights and understanding.

Some potential side effects of conflict to keep an eye out for:

• Decreased morale and motivation. Employees may feel like their opinions are not being heard or that they are not being treated fairly if equal voice is not given in a conflict.
• Increased stress and anxiety. Conflict can create a sense of uncertainty and anxiety for everyone involved, which can lead to increased stress and anxiety levels both for the people and team.
• Loss of productivity. People may be too focused on the conflict to focus on their work, which can lead to a loss of productivity.
• Relationship damage. Conflict in nature is critical, which can make people take offence or rescind in a shell if intentions are not made clear. Unresolved conflict can damage relationships between employees and their managers making it difficult to work together effectively and can lead to a hostile work environment.
• High turnover. Constant stress and anxiety due to conflict can cause employees to leave the company, which can lead to high turnover rates.

Tips for managing conflict and avoid negative consequences:

• Set clear goals and objectives, and agree on them across the board. This will give you a clear direction to follow in the event of conflict, and it will help you to identify the most important factor to focus on when resolving the conflict.
• Making everyone understand that the purpose of conflict is to grow, make better decisions, and learn from past mistakes, rather than to point fingers. This will create a more positive and productive environment for resolving conflict.
• Open and honest communication. Create an environment where people feel comfortable expressing their disagreements. This means being open to hearing different perspectives and being willing to challenge your own beliefs.
• Listen actively when someone is expressing their disagreement. Pay attention to what they are saying, ask clarifying questions, and avoid interrupting.
• Compromise and seek common ground. Even if you don’t agree on everything, there is usually some common ground that you can find. By focusing on the areas where you agree, you can build trust and start to move towards a resolution.

Hiver encourages constructive conflict as a desirable trait for engineering leadership. The goal of engineering leadership is to create a high-performing team that delivers results. By understanding the benefits of conflict and how to manage it effectively, engineering leaders can create a culture where conflict is seen as a positive force for improvement. I thank my managers and peers at Hiver for helping me to speak up when I disagree, challenge people and designs to improve, and embrace healthy conflict.