Redefine Conflict as Generative
Embed generative conflict into the DNA of your organization to improve decision-making, strengthen team relationships, and produce better outcomes
I want you to have conflict.
Yes, you read that right.
Far from being the disruptor conflict is often made out to be, healthy, productive debate is actually a catalyst for driving company growth and success.
It enhances decision-making, fosters innovation and accountability, strengthens trust and relationships, and leads to better outcomes.
Yet, if your first instinct is to recoil at the thought of conflict, you’re not alone.
Many view it through a lens shaped by negative familial or cultural experiences, where conflict was anything but constructive.
Shifting this perspective isn’t just beneficial; it’s necessary if you’ve never been shown how to navigate conflict in a healthy way.
This month I aim to reframe your understanding of conflict and provide you with the insights and tools needed to harness its generative power for your organization.
Reflection: Recognize Your Relationship to Conflict
There’s a saying attributed to Richard Moon that goes:
“You can’t get there from not here.”
Meaning, you can’t reach your goal or make a change if you’re unaware or in denial about where you’re starting from. This is why self-reflection is a critical first step.
To better understand your relationship to conflict, consider the following questions:
What is your history related to conflict? Reflect on the role conflict played in your household growing up. Was it viewed positively, as a means to resolve differences and reach a deeper understanding, or was it something to be avoided at all costs? This can help you understand why you react to conflict the way you do in your leadership role.
How do you currently show up when conflict is present? Explore how your early experiences with conflict have influenced your current approach. Do you lean into it, seeing it as an opportunity for solutions and growth, or do you tend to steer clear of it? This introspection can help you identify patterns and areas for growth.
What role does conflict play in your organization? Does it occur? If so, what norms are in place around it? Understanding the existing culture around conflict in your organization can help identify areas for improvement. Is conflict leveraged as a tool for growth, or is it seen as a disruption to be minimized?
If you’re conflict-averse, the process of redefining conflict as generative will challenge you and push you out of your comfort zone.
On the other hand, if you thrive on conflict, the challenge for you might be to cultivate patience and empathy for others who don’t share your perspective, recognizing that growth often occurs in the space between differing viewpoints.
Framework: 4 Steps to Redefine Conflict as Generative
Given how often conflict challenges the leaders I work with, I designed a framework to help you approach conflict constructively and confidently.
These steps redefine conflict, shifting it from a source of tension to a catalyst for improved decision-making, stronger team relationships, and ultimately better outcomes.
1. Foundation First
Constructive conflict is made possible by a strong foundation of values, goals, and operational principles, creating a shared understanding that informs how ideas are evaluated, decisions are made, and disputes are resolved.
Organizational Values: Emphasize values that support generative conflict, such as embracing diverse perspectives and surfacing hidden assumptions. These values foster a culture where conflict and debate are not just tolerated but seen as vital for innovation and problem-solving.
Goals: Clear, well-defined goals serve as the North Star to evaluate different paths, priorities, and resolutions, ensuring that even amid disagreement, the focus remains on collective success.
Operationalizing Principles: Bring your values and goals to life in everyday actions and interactions. Establish operational principles that explicitly support and encourage generative conflict. This means setting clear norms for how disagreements are surfaced and managed, with an emphasis on openness, respect, and a commitment to finding mutual ground.
2. Recognize the Root
In order for conflict to be generative, you have to focus on the right area. Fred Kofman’s “It, We, and I” framework from Conscious Business helps guide debates to the appropriate domain of conflict.
“It” (Task-Oriented Conflict): Direct group discussions towards the task, idea, or project at hand, allowing diverse perspectives to enhance decision-making and lead to innovation.
“We” and “I” (Relational and Personal Dynamics): Address interpersonal and individual concerns offline. This keeps group discussions on track and respectful, focusing solely on task-based issues.
Applying this framework helps you surface issues effectively and keeps the team’s efforts on resolving the “It,” making discord into a catalyst for growth and steering clear of unproductive personal conflicts.
3. Ensure Psychological Safety
Conflict can be intimidating for people. To offer a unique perspective or counter opinion requires more than safety — it demands active support.
Cultivate an environment where every team member feels empowered to voice their thoughts and go against the grain.
Recognize Your Influence: Understand the profound impact your presence and voice has as a leader — how you communicate sets the tone for the entire organization. Don’t share your perspective first or folks often won’t offer an alternative opinion.
Normalize Conflict: Re-frame conflict as a positive, integral aspect of growth and innovation. Encouraging this shift in perspective makes it easier for individuals to engage in debate.
Encourage Diversity and Dialogue: Actively seek out and value diverse perspectives. Open, honest dialogue is key to unearthing the best solutions.
Foster Integration of Solutions: Prioritize collaborative problem-solving and the integration of diverse solutions to improve outcomes and team cohesion.
4. Reflect and Repair
Be introspective and take corrective action to mend and strengthen relationships post-conflict. And remember, leaders set the precedent.
Lead by Example: Model the desired approach to conflict resolution, demonstrating commitment to constructive engagement and problem-solving.
Engage in Feedback & Reflection: Regularly review conflict outcomes and processes to identify successes and areas for improvement.
Invest in Repair: Dedicate effort to rebuilding trust and relationships following disputes, recognizing this as essential for team cohesion.
Case Study
In working with a people-pleasing, conflict-averse CEO, I got to put my generative conflict framework into action. The leadership team at their startup was struggling with decision-making, a symptom of a deeper issue: a team culture that stifled open discussions and the exchange of diverse perspectives.
The Situation:
The CEO acknowledged their discomfort with conflict, having never seen healthy, generative ways of handling it, as well as their tendency to people-please. Critical discussions were being avoided in leadership team meetings, with challenging perspectives left unvoiced and important decisions frequently made outside of these gatherings. This avoidance culture not only slowed the organization’s momentum but also led to a significant miss in achieving their key performance indicators.
The Challenge:
The real hurdle was shifting the leadership team’s culture from one of conflict avoidance to one that actively embraced conflict as a mechanism for generating new ideas, clarifying direction, and making decisive choices. The goal was to create an environment where conflicting viewpoints surfaced and assumptions were openly challenged, ultimately leading to a more dynamic and effective decision-making process.
Resolution:
We directly applied the four-step process to nurture a setting where generative conflict was not only accepted but encouraged.
Recognizing the need for change, the CEO publicly spoke to the need for generative conflict as an essential value during leadership meetings, starting with an admission that the shift must begin with their leadership style.
The CEO pinpointed three upcoming critical decision points as opportunities to practice this new approach, signifying a commitment to transforming how conflicts are managed and resolved.
During these sessions, the CEO established clear norms and expectations, promoted the expression of diverse viewpoints, and ensured that discussions remained focused on tasks rather than personal differences. Acting as a neutral facilitator, the CEO guided the team towards constructive debate until it was time to decide.
After each meeting, the group engaged in a reflective process to assess the effectiveness of their approach, fostering a culture of continuous improvements and embedding the practice of generative conflict into the team’s DNA.
Impact:
This shift in approach had a positive effect on the company’s dynamics. By changing their relationship to conflict, the CEO cultivated an environment where clarity, speed, and the quality of decisions improved markedly. Team members developed a deeper understanding of how to evaluate opportunities and set priorities, enhancing their leadership skills. The culture became one where healthy debate was not only welcomed but seen as integral to the organization’s success and growth.
Recommendation
A book I often recommend to clients is Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building by Claire Hughes Johnson.
It provides practical advice on building scalable systems and fostering effective management practices. It’s especially useful for creating an environment where generative conflict can thrive, supporting sustainable company growth.
Challenge
For this month’s challenge, I encourage you to embrace generative conflict by applying my 4-step process. Implement these steps as a means to cultivate a culture where open, constructive debate is viewed not as a hindrance, but as a crucial component of healthy growth and innovation.
Final Note
In reflecting on your relationship to conflict, I hope it’s clear that viewing it as generative can lead to profound shifts in your leadership and organization.
I’d love to learn about your experience with conflict. Have you found ways to turn it into a tool for positive change? Share your insights and discoveries in the comments or by replying to this email.
Together, let’s make conflict work for us, not against us.
If you’d like to learn more about how I can help you redefine your relationship to conflict and harness its generative power for your organization, I invite you to reach out. Visit www.AmandaBreckenridge.com for more.