The value of team work comes from the diverse viewpoints of its various members. However, differences of opinion often cause conflict. How to combine this diversity constructively?
01
Establish the basis for team cohesion
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Provide a clear idea of the collective vision, to create a sense of shared responsibility.
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Develop complicity between team members, e.g. Create opportunities to get to better know each other.
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Define clear operating rules, to avoid misunderstandings, e.g. Information sharing practices.
02
Adapt to different personalities
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Capitalize on complementary profiles, e.g. Some people can see the big picture, while others are more concerned with the détails and still others have excellent interpersonal skills, etc.
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Ensure that conflicts center around ideas without allowing quarrels to become personal.
03
Encourage constructive discussion
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Sensitize people to the fact that disagreements are normal as there are several ways to tackle a single problem.
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Focus discussions on « why » rather than « for or against ».
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Encourage people to build on the ideas suggested by other participants.
Take action
Underline the disagreements during your next team meeting (15 min)
Expressing disagreements is a normal step towards a trust relationship.
Be attentive to disagreement signals from either of your team members during your next meeting. E.g.: frowning, glancing sideways, stepping back, criticizing in a more or less obvious manner, etc.
Don’t rush to sort out these disagreements. On the contrary, invite the stakeholders to further their point of view. E.g.: “You look skeptical, do you have any doubt? How do you view the situation? What are you all thinking about it?” You must nonetheless remind everyone of the respect rules, and ensure they are applied.
Reformulate every party’s opinion, yet avoid polarizing them. Show the similarities in mindsets, and underline the progress made during the meeting. E.g.: identifying the obstacles, exploring new paths, etc.
Evaluate the level of maturity of the team (20 min)
An effective team knows how to confront different points of view in a constructive manner.
Observe the interactions within your team – between team members and with you – in different circumstances. E.g. a formal meeting, one-on-one meetings, around the coffee machine…
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Are you all in sync on the objectives and the key success factors?
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Do the team members know each other well? Do they like each other? Can they anticipate the others’ reactions?
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Are disagreements easily voiced? Can the dissident voices express themselves and are they listened to?
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How does the team proceed to reach agreement? Is a consensus easily found?
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Are decisions put into effect?
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Is the team seeking to progress?
Using this diagnostic, identify the priority areas for improvement.
Create a complementary tandem (15 min)
Enjoying a trusting working relationship with people that are very different from you is never easy.
Seek an occasion to have two really different team members work together. E.g.: one very meticulous and organized person with a more spontaneous and creative one; an introvert and an extrovert; etc.
Tell them that beyond their assignment, you expect from them that they develop, thanks to this experience, their ability to work in a diversified team. Plan a debrief with each of them at the end of the assignment.
Encourage them to keep a “discovery diary”: what are their preconceived ideas before starting this relationship? Then at each interaction, what surprised them in their partner’s approach? What worried them or irritated them? How did they manage to discuss the disagreements? In what aspect did their differences bring a “Plus” to the project?
Practical Tips
> Keys to the success of high-performance teams
> Four steps to instill real team momentum
Find out more
> Disciplined collaboration: 4 steps to collaborative success
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