“Team Conflict: Four Ways to Deflate the Discord that’s Killing Your Team” by Jessica Hall published on A List Apart

Jessica Hall, Director of Product Consulting at 3Pillar Global, had an article titled “ Team Conflict: Four Ways to Deflate the Discord that’s Killing Your Team” published on A List Apart on June 27, 2017.

In the article, Jessica explains how “the conflicts probably started small. One bad interaction, then another, then people don’t like each other, then teams don’t work together well.” Such conflicts invariably have a negative impact on the team’s performance, limit creativity, and lower morale.

A team conflict is never easy to tackle, and Jessica provides us with four ways to approach this problem:

1. Start talking to people in your teams. Talking can drastically reduce tension between team members, and makes it very easy to get a grip on the real issues and figure out ways to solve them.
2. Have a clear purpose, priorities, and direction for the team. A successful team acts as one unit and believes in collective responsibility.
3. Plan your conversations and provide perspective and context. Show your team how their actions can be misunderstood by others.
4. Listen to people when they come to you with a problem, work with them in alleviating it, and make sure to check back.

In the end, it’s not about team members liking each other. What they have to do is find common ground, a measure of respect for one another, and a willingness to work together to benefit the project. As Jessica puts it, “It’s messy, awkward and hard for team leaders to resolve conflict but the results are absolutely worth it.”

You can read the full article on A List Apart.

About A List Apart

A List Apart explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices. A List Apart was started in 1997 as a mailing list and launched its website in 1998. It has more than 200,000 members and more than 200,000 weekly page views today.

About Jessica Hall

Jessica Hall is the Senior Director of Product Strategy and Design at 3Pillar Global. She helps clients from startups to established enterprises build great products and more customer-focused teams. She likes riding bikes, being a mom and painting.