144. Communicating Through Conflict: How to Get Along with Anyone
May 28, 2024
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Amy Gallo, workplace expert and author, discusses the importance of embracing conflict for productive relationships. She highlights the need to reframe disagreements, understand root causes, and approach conflicts with a collaborative mindset. The podcast explores effective communication techniques in conflict resolution and the benefits of normalizing healthy disagreements in the workplace.
Conflicts are necessary for better outcomes and stronger relationships at work.
Normalizing conflict based on ideas fosters productive conflict environments and better decision-making processes.
Deep dives
Conflict as a Catalyst for Growth
Conflicts are not situations solely to be avoided but are vital for better work outcomes, stronger relationships, and improved organizational performance. Despite the tendency to steer clear of conflict due to concerns about rupturing relationships or harming reputations, well-handled conflicts lead to numerous positive outcomes. Research supports the idea that navigating conflict with compassion and care results in improved work dynamics, fostering better outcomes in various settings.
Fostering Productive Conflict
Normalizing conflict by encouraging disagreements based on ideas rather than individuals is crucial for fostering a productive conflict environment. Acknowledging the inevitability of conflicts in teams and organizations and focusing on constructive tensions allows for better decision-making processes. Creating psychological safety within teams enables individuals to speak up without fear of reprisal or negative consequences, thereby setting up a conducive environment for productive conflict resolution.
Navigating Unhealthy Conflicts
Transforming unhealthy conflicts into productive conversations involves a structured approach before engaging in difficult discussions. Prioritizing understanding the other party's motivations, clarifying the core disagreement, identifying long-term goals, and thoughtfully planning the conversation setting are essential steps in resolving conflicts effectively. This framework not only assists in preparing for challenging conversations but also promotes a collaborative approach to conflict resolution, enhancing overall communication and relationship dynamics.
Many of us would rank getting along with colleagues as an important aspect of work, but, as Amy Gallo explains, relationships devoid of disagreement can actually be less productive.
“While our natural human instinct is to avoid conflict, I believe that conflicts are not only an inevitable part of interacting with other humans, but they're a necessary part.”
Gallo is a workplace expert, host of HBR’s Women at Workpodcast, and the author of Getting Along: How to Work With Anyone. Across her work, Gallotouts that the key to transforming conflicts into something productive is to understand its root cause and learn how to reframe them.
“Even at the base of those unhealthy conflicts or those unproductive conflicts is something that needs to be resolved,” she says.
In her conversation with host and strategic communications lecturer Matt Abrahams, Gallo provides useful frameworks and new concepts on how we can approach conflicts at work.