www.projectmanagerplanet.com/leadership/article.php/3761451
By Michelle LaBrosse July 25, 2008 It’s easy to get sucked into the madness that surrounds most office arguments. Part fact, part fiction and part personality clash, there are many ingredients that can contribute to an explosive situation. If you are a project manager, this can be a frustrating experience to live through, especially if the conflict is taking place within your own team. Take a deep breath because there are some tips and techniques that can help you manage conflict within your organization or on your team: Conflict Assessment - Arguments between team members can slow a project down if they are having a difficult time resolving the issue. But when should you step in? If it’s an enthusiastic conversation about the assignment and the dialog challenges everyone to find the best outcome, let it run its course to reach a final solution. If, however, the team is visibly upset and individuals are resorting to mean-spirited remarks, it’s time to stop the madness and get to the root of the conflict. Get Everyone on the Same Page - One of the biggest culprits of hostile conversations are opposing expectations. Teams may get different marching orders from their higher-ups or miscommunication can break out between teammates. Whatever the reason is, reviewing the Project Agreement can help smooth things over and clarify goals and objectives. Roles and Responsibilities - Don’t forget to outline the roles and responsibilities for every project. This documents who is handling what and is color-coded so anyone reading through an updated status reports can easily locate what they need to know. Communication Breakdown - Is there a set time to meet and go over project status, share information and work together or is everybody in their own corner, doing their own thing? If the conflict seems to be brewing over miscommunication, it’s time to rally the troops to set up a collaborative culture that is performance-driven. If members are working in a silo and not sharing (or receiving) valuable information such as orders to switch gears or changes in plans, then more time and energy is wasted. Here are a few ideas to boost your communication and ultimately reduce conflict: • Modeling the Leader Check your own behavior and make sure that you have created an environment with trust and open communication. If people don’t trust the leader or see the leader respectfully listening and working with others, they won’t either. • History Repeats Itself We all know that history repeats itself so it’s smart to keep track of what has worked well and what’s been a disaster. Industry standard PM practices require a critical project closeout phase that collects lessons learned and gives your organization powerful historical knowledge. A company will move faster if it can learn from mistakes and grow rather than repeat them over and over. • Is That Thing Contagious? A victory, regardless of whether it’s big or small, has a big impact on people’s morale. A happy office is a well-functioning business. Take the time to acknowledge and celebrate the successes. Choose home-runs that you can hit early in the process so you’ll have some steam and support when you tackle the most difficult aspects of a project. You’ll find the excitement contagious and it may spread to other groups as well. |
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