Know, Do, Deal: Differentiating Between Healthy & Unhealthy Conflict
Conflict. Just seeing the word might trigger anxiety, fear, and discomfort. At work, most of us have been conditioned to avoid conflict at all costs. It’s scary! It’s destructive! It’s inappropriate and unprofessional!
Scrap that. It’s time to reframe our relationship with conflict: Workplace tension can be an incredibly productive, positive force.
The key to doing it successfully? Understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy conflict, then equip yourself with the tools to facilitate healthy conflict and deal with unhealthy conflict when it arises.
Healthy conflict is a vital part of a productive, engaged workplace. It leads to more creative solutions, collaboration, innovation, and progress for your entire organization.
For healthy conflict to flourish, it’s absolutely crucial that there’s an environment of psychological safety. That is, people need to feel like it’s safe to disagree, admit to mistakes, and offer honest feedback. Trust and respect are the bedrocks of psychological safety and therefore healthy conflict. Download and learn more.
