Syllabus Topics

Here’s Why Conflict Is Actually Good For Business

Jacquelyn Smith – Apr. 1, 2014, 9:23 AM

Very few people embrace conflict. It makes us uncomfortable — so we dodge it whenever possible.

But, as it turns out, conflict can be a good thing for your business. “It can even be great,” says Joel Peterson, chairman of JetBlue Airways,

in a recent LinkedIn post Peterson says workplace conflict is inevitable; it arises in every office. Employees argue over creative differences; squabble over project ownership; butt heads over political issues; and disagree about budgets.

“It’s just a fact of life – and work. But the difference between conflict in a dysfunctional company and in a high-trust organization is how people deal with it,” Peterson explains.

He says healthy organizations are often the noisiest. “To outsiders, they may appear conflict-ridden and unable to find a perfect harmony. But inside, leaders are harnessing the different viewpoints and ideas to power progress, to […]

All of the cartoons below were downloaded from https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/w/workplace_conflicts.asp on 22 June 2017

A Little Debate & Disagreement Among Team Members Can Actually Lead to Better Results

Generates New Insights

If everyone agreed all the time, there would be no reason to consider different perspectives or look for new ways to handle situations. The best ideas often rise from the ashes of conflict and the creative problem-solving process that has to occur so to reach a satisfactory agreement.

While conflict is often viewed as something to be avoided at all costs, that is not necessarily the case. It’s a fact that conflict is, at some times, inevitable in every relationship. Fortunately, however, conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. Managed effectively, conflict — even in the working world — can actually have positive outcomes.

As team members work through conflicts, they are able to make progress toward accomplishing goals that need to be reached. This is true in […]