Managers fear conflict in the teams they manage. Conflicts are a cause for concern, intervention, and action. But there’s evidence to suggest that not only are conflicts inevitable in teams, but they can actually have a positive impact on performance and productivity.

“What few people seem to realise is that even the most effective teams will feel conflict-prone at times,” writes Mark de Rond, a business academic at the University of Cambridge in the UK, at Harvard Business Review blog. “And there are good reasons for this. Teams composed of high-performing individuals are naturally subject to contradictory tensions, like cooperation and rivalry, trust and vigilance. These tensions should not be managed away — they are productive and can help teams perform better.”

How conflict impacts on performance depends on how it evolves and how it is managed. According to Amy Edmondson of Fast Company, “Task conflict — a difference of opinion about the product design — is useful. Relationship conflict — personal friction or emotionality — is counterproductive and should be avoided. Task conflict improves the quality of decisions by engaging different points of view, while relationship conflict harms group dynamics and working relations.”

Adapted from “Why a good argument might be the basis for better performance at work”, AMA Shift, American Management Association

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