What is conflict? According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary conflict is defined as "a: competitive or opposing action of incompatibles: antagonistic state or action (as of divergent ideas, interests, or persons) b: mental struggle resulting from incompatible or opposing needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands." Mostly conflict has negative connotations because it evokes images of war, battles, and shouting matches. But conflict has also a positive potential. Constructive arguments can create new and innovative ideas because it forces team members to challenge ideas and not take them by rote. But constructive arguments take a lot of practice, patience, and good communication skills.
"Conflict is inevitable; fortunately the negative consequences are not. If we learn
conflict resolution skills, we can work more productively with people we disagree with, and we can even use that disagreement to foster innovation." (Landau, 1997, pg1) "Conflict is not the problem; rather, it is our reaction to conflict that generates positive or negative feelings."(Porter, 2003, p.1) A great working relationship is not always the most peaceful, however conflict resolution in work teams is more easily managed when using these three basic skills; communication skills, problem solving and use of feedback to resolve conflict.
"Effective communication can only happen when there is a free exchange of information. While you might not be able to share all of the details about business decisions or activities, you should strive to keep accounting staff updated on critical matters." (Messmer, pg15) Communication skills are the basis for progress within a work team and for our day-to-day life. Activ ...