Conflict

I recently engaged in a conflict with colleagues in regards to the way communication was occurring within the team, in the absence of staff meetings. The team leader insisted team meetings were a waste of time because all issues could be discussed in a timelier manner if individuals simply e-mailed the group and people responded within 24 hours. If the team waited until staff meetings to address issues, then by the time the team got together, we could miss deadlines or fall behind on timelines. Furthermore, the team leader claimed there were too many personal conversations the occurred among members in the group setting, cutting into the group’s productivity.

The rest of the management team and I, however, feel that colleagues needed the opportunity to meet face-to-face whenever possible, for regularly scheduled staff meetings. Whether it was once a week, or once a month. Talking with colleagues in a verbal, conversational format allows for more brainstorming and therefore, more productivity. Urgent issues can be discussed in between meetings, but staff meetings could be a time when updates occurred and new policies, procedures, or plans were put into place.

In order to bring this up to the leader we used cooperative strategies. If we had used an escapist strategy, then we might have just ignored the conflict. If we had used challenging strategies, we might have met regardless of the leader’s preference.

Our cooperative strategies included focusing on the issues. Although some of the team felt like the leader had many undesirable qualities, it was important for this discussion to only talk about staff meeting and communication.

Probing was another technique we used. We asked her more specifically about her concerns, her successes without meetings in the past, and her comfort with other styles of communication (i.e. paper, digital, one-on-one verbal).

We then considered alternatives. Perhaps if we used a combination of several techniques we could be most effective. We could set very strict time frames for meetings and make sure we begin and end on time.

Ultimately, this group compromised and on email as the most common form of communication, and staff meetings to be held monthly. If the issue that was to be discussed was complex, supervisors would further reinforce it during one on one meetings with team members.

How do you handle matters with directors or those in authority? What have you found works best?