I received the following regarding a comment I made on Conflict. Seems we should have a face-to-face …. I think we are saying the same thing! Here is his response, and you can decide:
Your take was that some people like conflict while others avoid conflict, both behaviors being identified as “bad.” I will allow that conflict avoidance is typically not positive because someone generally suppresses thoughts or desires to avoid conflict. But, again, inciting conflict is not inherently bad. The reason for the conflict, the way conflict resolution is managed, and the conflict resolution itself are the key points.
My transition team is writing a Statement of Work (SOW) that will lay the foundation for how the Project Management Office (PMO) team will manage the client’s operations going forward. The PMO director does not want to be involved with crafting the SOW, saying that the transition team should do it. I told the account executive to repeat these words to the director: “You will be held accountable for your performance against the SOW. Do you want the opportunity to write the guidelines against which you will be judged?”
Now by doing that, I have just introduced conflict into our team dynamic. I could have let it slide, tossed the SOW to him at the end of transition, and walked away without a care in the world because it is not my job to run the PMO. But I intentionally incited the conflict so that the PMO director will begin to think about how to manage this client effectively post-transition, and to put that vision into the SOW that is still being developed.
Granted, there are people who argue just to argue. My point was that conflict is neutral, even for people who thrive on it, but conflict management is where “good” and “bad” labels can be applied.
It’s not what he said; it’s what I think I heard!
