
Resolve Conflict In a Team
Read time: 3.5 minutes
Last week, a client wanted my advice on a conflict situation in one of her teams.
The team is working on a critical project. Deadlines are approaching, and tensions are building.
One of the team members, Sarah (not her real name), feels like she’s doing more than her fair share of the work but doesn’t bring it up.
Mark feels ignored during meetings and has started to check out.
Emily, the team leader, knows there’s a problem but doesn’t address it. She hopes it will go away on its own.
Over time, the issues grow. Deadlines slip.
Tasks that should take hours take days because team members don’t want to work together.
The team starts to avoid tough conversations. Relationships suffer. Sarah becomes resentful. Mark withdraws further. Emily feels stuck and unsure how to fix the situation.
This is what happens when conflict is ignored.
It slows work, lowers quality, and damages relationships.
People feel stressed, frustrated, and undervalued.
The team becomes less effective. These issues often start small but grow because people avoid addressing them.
Conflict happens when teams miscommunicate, have unclear goals, or struggle with personality differences.
Leaders may avoid stepping in because they don’t know how or worry about making things worse.
Over time, these patterns create a cycle of frustration and disengagement.
But conflict doesn’t have to harm a team.
When addressed directly, it can lead to growth and stronger relationships.
A team that learns to handle disagreements can improve trust and work together more effectively.
Now, imagine Sarah sharing her concerns about workload, and Mark feeling comfortable to voice his ideas.
Emily leads a discussion to clarify roles and address issues early.
The team finds ways to work together more smoothly.
Trust grows. Tasks get done faster, and the work improves.
Fixing conflict is about building a team that communicates well and works through challenges together.
When you do this, you don’t just fix problems—you build a team that is stronger and better prepared for the future.
This workshop is designed to help any team overcome and work past conflict situations.
It’s part of a new pack of workshops we’re releasing next week to help fix common problems within a single team and between different teams.
Let’s get into it…
Title
"Turning Conflict into Collaboration”
Duration
90 mins
Objectives
1. Welcome and Icebreaker (10 minutes)
Activity: Conflict Word Association
2. Exploring Conflict Styles (20 minutes)
Activity: Conflict Styles Quiz
3. Identifying Team Conflict Triggers (15 minutes)
Activity: Silent Brainstorm
4. Conflict Resolution Role Play (25 minutes)
Activity: Reframe the Conflict
5. Building a Team Conflict Charter (15 minutes)
Activity: Guidelines for Constructive Conflict
6. Closing and Reflection (5 minutes)
Activity: Conflict Resolution Commitment
Materials Needed:
Follow-Up:
Schedule a follow-up session in 2-4 weeks to evaluate how the team is implementing the Team Conflict Charter and discuss any remaining challenges.
Conclusion
By using this workshop, you’ll never have to watch unresolved conflict derail your team’s progress or strain relationships.
Instead, it becomes a simple process of addressing issues directly, building trust, and fostering open communication to create a more effective and unified team.
Well, that’s it for today.
I hope you find it useful.
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