Retaining the best talent

Conflicts within teams

Managers often find themselves amidst conflicts between their employees, and effectively resolving them and ensuring an uninterrupted workflow within teams and achievement of collective and individual goals. When conflicts are openly talked about and voiced, managers often happen to be in the difficult position of a “judge” in the situation, and the outcome of the dispute relies on their discretion and considerate decision-making.

However, there are also cases when the conflicts aren’t that obvious, but still take a toll on the productivity of the team’s work and the relationships between teammates. These “latent” conflicts, sensed by everyone but not openly spoken about, can have consequences as serious as decrease in revenue and even loss of a client.

One way around this issue is maintaining clear communication with the employees at all times, regardless of other responsibilities a manager might have. Managers must make employees feel comfortable and motivated to openly share their feelings and thoughts before they turn into conflicts, so that the team can avoid potential problems instead of dealing with their consequences after they surface.