In a traditional team structure, conflicts can be escalated to the boss to resolve. Can’t agree on how to prioritize projects, or on which deadlines need to shift? Ask the team leader to step in and make a call. Think a coworker is acting snarky, or that their work is too sloppy? Advise the manager to give them some feedback. But for flat or self-managed teams, that’s not an option. Self-managed teams must identify different ways to find and address day-to-day conflicts.
How Self-Managed Teams Can Resolve Conflict
When you don’t have a boss, you need a different approach.
April 17, 2017
Summary.
In a traditional team structure, conflicts can be escalated to the boss to resolve. But for flat or self-managed teams, that’s not an option. Self-managed teams can focus on three things to help them successfully resolve conflicts. First, encourage openness to productive conflict, and come to a common understanding about which conflicts can be resolved without the involvement of others. Second, prioritize accountability over blame. Focus less on finding a culprit and more on making sure problems don’t recur. Finally, quantify the impact of the problem to help motivate the team to solve it.