Hello!
2-3 hours per week. That’s how much time employees spend dealing with conflict. If my math is correct, that’s up to 12 hours per month and 144 hours per year. Assuming an 8h working day, that’s 18 days per year. I wish I was making this up, but sadly I’m not.
This does not take into account the emotional and psychological toll it has on a person and the time it takes to process it, during which their effectiveness and productivity will surely be lower. For argument’s sake, let’s say it’s equivalent. 36 days per year are spent dealing with and the aftermath of conflict.
Did I get your attention? Great!
Not all conflict is bad. I’m not saying you should encourage it, but you should not avoid it either because conflict is a natural part of collaboration. In fact, both Tuckman’s and IMGD models of team development talk about it.
It’s this accumulated energy which, if you learn how to harness it, you can turn into fuel to accelerate your teams and products to a whole new level.
Before I share with you this week’s micro-practice, I want to introduce you to the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI). It’s a tool which helps individuals understand their own conflict-handling style and the styles of their colleagues It consists of five conflict-handling modes:
- Competing: A competing response is when an individual prioritises their own interests and concerns over those of others. They may use force or assertiveness to achieve their goals.
- Collaborating: A collaborating response is when an individual works with others to find a mutually beneficial solution. They may use problem-solving and active listening to achieve this.
- Compromising: A compromising response is when an individual finds a middle ground between their own interests and those of others. They may use negotiation and trade-offs to achieve this.
- Avoiding: An avoiding response is when an individual chooses not to engage in the conflict at all. They may use withdrawal or procrastination to achieve this.
- Accommodating: An accommodating response is when an individual sacrifices their own interests for the sake of others. They may use cooperation and selflessness to achieve this.
I recommend reading more about the tool before trying the CMP.
In the we got this neck of the woods, together with Wim Focquet I recently challenged the concept of work-life ‘balance’, which we both wholeheartedly disagree with, and discussed the ideas of work-life enrichment or energy balancing.
Have at it!
|