How to manage conflict?

The purpose of conflict management is to nourish the positive working relationships among the team members that result in increased productivity. Common sources for conflicts include the following:

• Scarce resources resulting in unsatisfied needs

• Scheduling priorities

• Personal work styles

• Perceptions, values, feelings, and emotions

• Power struggles

You can reduce the number of conflicts by setting ground rules, clearly defining roles and goals, and implementing solid project management practices.

Different project managers normally use various styles or methods under different situations. The choice of the conflict resolution style or technique may be influenced by the following factors:

• Whether the conflict needs to be resolved for the long term or a short-term resolution is fine

• The intensity of the conflict and the relative importance of resolution in the context of the project

• The urgency of resolving the conflict

• The positions taken by the parties involved in the conflict