Projects involve people with different knowledge and experience, opinions, expectations, values and ways of working, working towards a common project goal. Therefore, at some point, conflicts are bound to arise. If these are not resolved, they can affect the life of the project and jeopardise its success. In this article, we will present the most important things to know about conflict management and the effective strategies that can resolve disputes.
What is conflict management in project management?
Conflict management in a project environment requires the ability to problem-solve, compromise, resolve personality differences and resolve conflicts.
The concept of conflict management therefore covers the practice of recognising and managing disputes in a rational, balanced and effective way.
As project managers are typically responsible for defusing disputes, it is essential that they become as much as possible masters of dispute resolution.
What types of conflicts may arise during the project?
Conflicts take many forms and can throw a project off balance in a matter of moments. Disagreements can arise from practically anything: they can be emotional, related to communication style, personalities, working methods.
Now let's look at the types of problems we may encounter!
1. Lack of communication
Often, team members focus solely on their own work and are unaware of where others are with their tasks. Lack of communication can stall the progress of projects.
To really get everyone on the same page and moving in the same direction, regular communication is essential.
2. Personality conflicts
A project team has members with different personalities. Some may be introverted while others are extroverted. People from different cultures, people who speak different languages, people who understand things quickly and people who find it harder to learn may be involved. At some point, these differences can lead to misunderstandings, misconceptions and conflicts.
For example, a team member may find a comment made by a teammate disrespectful or arrogant. They may feel uncomfortable in conversations with the person concerned. This can make daily work difficult, lead to constant confrontation and loss of efficiency.
3. Differences in work style
During projects, team members have different tasks and different working styles. Some work quickly and take individual responsibility, while others need more guidance, move more slowly and do not take responsibility for any mistakes. Different working styles can hinder the progress of a project. If the project does not go as planned and the road seems endless, conflicts inevitably arise. It creates recriminations, misunderstandings and confusion.
4. Conflicts due to unclear task implementation
There are often situations where team members are not clear about what they need to do on a project. Since there is no exact plan to follow, tasks are managed randomly. This can cause difficulties because some teams may be moving in a certain direction while others are moving in the opposite direction. This creates conflicts and affects the effectiveness of the project.
5. Conflicts caused by poor management
Team leaders are responsible for steering project participants in the right direction by setting measurable goals, allocating tasks and monitoring progress. To get the most out of your team, you need to keep encouraging and motivating them. This ensures that project tasks are completed on time and without any problems. However, this may not be recognised by the manager, in which case the project cannot be successful.
6. Conflicts over the budget
Every project has its defined resources, such as manpower, tools, software, etc. These require a clear budget allocation during the project implementation phase. However, many organisations resort to cost-cutting, thus hindering the project process.
Equipment procurement is delayed, new people are not hired, etc. Furthermore, some teams are given more budget, while others have a small share of the total budget, leading to conflicts between project leaders.
Methods of conflict management
Everyone has different preferred conflict management methods. According to psychologists Kenneth L. Thomas and Ralph H. Kilmann, there are five conflict management strategies that can help move a project or team forward when conflict arises.
Strategy 1 - Avoidance
People then try to withdraw from the conflict or ignore it. Usually because the discomfort of confrontation outweighs the potential benefits of resolving the conflict. The problem is that this strategy does not really resolve the dispute because it creates a barrier to communication.
Strategy 2 - Competition
People who are overly assertive rather than cooperative go into conflict resolution with the intention of winning. They assume that one person wins and the other loses, thus eliminating any chance of seeing a different perspective. For this reason, this is generally not a good strategy for resolving intra-group conflicts.
Strategy 3 - Adaptation
If we give in to the other's wishes, expectations or demands, we are cooperative, but not assertive. While this may seem positive from the outside, giving in just to keep the peace is not necessarily helpful. It doesn't always lead to a satisfactory solution to the problem and leaves the door open for more assertive members of the group to take over.
Strategy 4 - Cooperation
Most project managers use this strategy. It is both collaborative and assertive, allowing all members of the group to contribute and then solving problems by finding a common solution that everyone can support.
Strategy 5 - Willingness to compromise
The last strategy is similar to the previous one, but in this case the person is only semi-assertive and cooperative. The concept is that all members of the group give up something, so that no one member gets everything. This is seen as the best outcome, seeking a compromise that is fair, although often no one is completely satisfied with the final solution.
How to take advantage of conflicts?
Conflicts are inevitable when working in a diverse team. Whilst they test the dynamics of the team as a whole, they also provide an opportunity to clarify contentious issues and develop innovative solutions.
Conflicts can arise from factors such as unclear project requirements, non-adaptive management style, ego battles, lack of communication, among others.
However, in project management, in addition to the 5 main strategic methods, a wide range of conflict management techniques can be used. Plus, if done well, at the end of the day, we can stand up again as a stronger team, having learned from our disagreements.
Let's look at some of the ways that can help!
Laying down guidelines
Team members should be given clear guidelines on the ideal behaviour and tasks expected of them. If everyone is clear about the rules, there is much less chance of disputes breaking out.
It is important, for example, that everyone is aware of the hierarchy, who they can turn to and who can help them. See exactly what the organisational goals are. If all guidelines are clear from the start, there is less chance of miscommunication. This reduces the likelihood of conflict.
Attention
With the right attention, the views of all parties involved in a conflict can be known and understood. Each team member faces different challenges and fears, so their behaviour is different. Therefore, it is important to get to the root of emotions, as only then is it possible to solve problems impartially.
Avoid violence and intimidation
Intimidation means using our authority as leaders to force people to follow orders. But in most cases this does not produce the desired results. Team members may temporarily comply out of fear, but in the long run this leads to disruption in the teamwork. Unspoken emotions, anger and frustration may surface with even greater force over time. So it is important to remain calm when resolving conflicts. Listen patiently to all members of the team. Never blame or shift responsibility, and never take sides. Instead, see this as an opportunity to make communication at team level even more effective.
Pragmatic decision-making
Pragmatic leaders adapt their decisions to the changing needs of their team. They make sure that their solutions are emotionally and argumentatively balanced. In doing so, they take an empathetic approach to resolving team conflicts.
For example, when a disagreement arises, both sides are clearly analysed. All parties to the conflict are given a chance to express their views. A pragmatic leader is able to take an unbiased view of the situation based on feedback. The process not only involves solving the problem at hand, but also developing effective preventive measures.
Using the power of compromise
In a compromise approach, both parties sacrifice certain beliefs and principles for the benefit of the team. This requires the parties involved to work together towards a common team goal, rather than focusing on individual problems. The compromise technique usually leads to peaceful conflict resolution as the parties sit down to discuss, negotiate and exchange ideas.
Constructive criticism
Constructive criticism is a technique of giving encouraging feedback to those involved in a conflict. The aim here is to give an honest and straightforward opinion in order to solve the problem. It is important to be supportive and to point out the good work done by team members. They should not feel resentful and walk out of the conflict resolution process. We may have to continue working with the same people on different projects, so we cannot afford to leave a bad taste in anyone's mouth.
Use of a mediator
An effective conflict management technique is to involve a third party. The mediator acts as a bridge between the two people in conflict, listening carefully to the concerns of each. He or she ensures that team members do not get bogged down in disputes and helps them reach a mutual agreement.
How can we help?
Good communication and successful conflict management are essential for the successful coordination of projects. Choose from our training courses to broaden your knowledge, develop your skills and get international certification in our training courses for project managers.
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