Conflict zones are for losers…

…and the award for the most spectacularly overlooked and misunderstood Project Team irony goes to…

“To avoid conflict, you have to confront issues ( with unbending rigour).”

 

Conflict is a function of the formula:
Contentious issues not handled + elongated time = conflict zone.

Whereas,
Conflict free zone = contentious issue expediently surfaced + mature team joint handling of issue.

Who has been trained in the skill and art of managing contention? Contention is an inevitable part of any evolving human relationship and therefore is an opportunity for relationship development. Except that statement is so much BS… as in the hands of the low skilled and untrained individual or team, contention kills relationships.

What really helps is to remember that contention is never the problem, it’s how it is handled that decides whether it will enhance or diminish the relationship.