November 23, 2009
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One of the de facto assumptions about good teamwork tends to be that it means creating an environment in which everyone plays well together – and conflict is kept to a minimum. But a necessary part of playing and working together is being able to foster and sustain healthy debate. In other words, it’s essential that team members feel comfortable enough to pick a fight, because the greatest breakthroughs often spring from dissent.
A recent Harvard Business Review article cites an eePulse survey indicating that complacency is “the single greatest predictor of poor company performance.” It makes sense. When team members are apathetic or unwilling to engage in healthy debate, a mediocre outcome is significantly more likely. The first (and most obvious) solution proposed is selected, or the solution that’s advocated by the most senior team member, as everyone just “goes along.”
Conversely, conflict can drive us to explore new territory:
“Within an acceptable range of competition and tension, science shows, dissent will fire up more of an individual’s brain, stimulating more pathways and engaging more creative centers. In short, more of what makes people unique, innovative, and passionate is available for use.”
But while the HBR article goes on to tie this research to the success of companies with highly stressful, competitive work environments such as Microsoft (in the early days), Sysco, and Goldman Sachs, condoning fighting does not have to be about creating a cutthroat competitive environment. If a team’s relations are built on mutual respect, teamwork and fighting can be seen as two sides of the same coin – rather than opposing approaches.
If we create teams that have the strength raise challenges and push through conflict, we ensure that all possible solutions will always be explored. As Eileen Gittins, CEO of Blurb, said of her approach to team building in a past interview with Behance, “We want a difference of opinion.”
When passionate people come together sparks can fly. However, that passion – and those clashing opinions – is also what drives a team to explore new possibilities and ignites truly creative solutions.
***This post by J.K. Glei is based on research by the Behance team. Behance runs the Behance Creative Network, the 99% productivity think thank, the Action Method project management application, and the Creative Jobs List.
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Jill Fehrenbacher 2 years 6 months and 1 days ago
This is really well said, thanks for a great post. It truly echoes one of the central pillars of Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. One of his main points is that healthy conflict must exist in order to drive team members and innovation, but it's clear that there's a fine line between business debate and personal attack. http://www.amazon.com/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Lencioni/dp/0787960756