Inter Personal conflics in projects
Current Issues in
Technology Management
SUMMER 2004
ISSUE 3, VOLUME 8
SATM
STEVENS ALLIANCE FOR TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
Conflict In Project Teams:
Gaining The Benefits,
Avoiding The Costs
Pat Holahan and Ann Mooney
The management of project teams is a critical competency in today’s hi-tech organizations. Though the nature of projects varies greatly, one thing they all have in common is the importance of effective decision making. Researchers have found that central to a project team’s ability to make effective decisions and achieve its goals is its ability to manage conflict. The problem is, however, that conflict is difficult to manage because it comes in two forms – constructive and destructive. In some instances, conflict enables teams to generate higher quality decisions, and a deeper understanding and commitment to the decisions reached. In other instances, conflict confers few of these benefits, and has been shown to degrade decision making and thwart the attainment of project goals. This article examines the paradoxical nature of conflict on team decision making and project team performance and provides guidance on how project teams can manage conflict to enhance decision outcomes and project performance.
The Paradoxical Effects of Conflict
Conflict can have paradoxical effects on decision making and project outcomes. Conflict can improve teams’ decision quality, as well as their understanding of, and commitment to, decisions reached, which aids implementation.
However, conflict can also degrade decision making when it distracts team members from the essential issues of the project. This paradox exists because of the nature of the conflict the team experiences. Specifically, conflict is multi-dimensional, and exists in both constructive and destructive forms. Constructive conflict occurs when team members debate differing perspectives about the tasks at hand. Such exchanges improve decision making because they help team members better understand
issues
Technology Management
SUMMER 2004
ISSUE 3, VOLUME 8
SATM
STEVENS ALLIANCE FOR TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
Conflict In Project Teams:
Gaining The Benefits,
Avoiding The Costs
Pat Holahan and Ann Mooney
The management of project teams is a critical competency in today’s hi-tech organizations. Though the nature of projects varies greatly, one thing they all have in common is the importance of effective decision making. Researchers have found that central to a project team’s ability to make effective decisions and achieve its goals is its ability to manage conflict. The problem is, however, that conflict is difficult to manage because it comes in two forms – constructive and destructive. In some instances, conflict enables teams to generate higher quality decisions, and a deeper understanding and commitment to the decisions reached. In other instances, conflict confers few of these benefits, and has been shown to degrade decision making and thwart the attainment of project goals. This article examines the paradoxical nature of conflict on team decision making and project team performance and provides guidance on how project teams can manage conflict to enhance decision outcomes and project performance.
The Paradoxical Effects of Conflict
Conflict can have paradoxical effects on decision making and project outcomes. Conflict can improve teams’ decision quality, as well as their understanding of, and commitment to, decisions reached, which aids implementation.
However, conflict can also degrade decision making when it distracts team members from the essential issues of the project. This paradox exists because of the nature of the conflict the team experiences. Specifically, conflict is multi-dimensional, and exists in both constructive and destructive forms. Constructive conflict occurs when team members debate differing perspectives about the tasks at hand. Such exchanges improve decision making because they help team members better understand
issues