Why your team needs to be disagreeing more at work
Conflict is commonly seen as a bad thing, especially in the workplace.
After all, how can you create a harmonious working environment if people are always disagreeing, having arguments or even throwing insults about in the office? And that’s true… to a point.
You don’t want your team at each other’s throats and arguing about every little thing, but sometimes embracing disagreements and encouraging healthy debates is actually a good thing.
When done right, conflict is one of the most effective ways to foster innovation, creativity, and growth within your team.
Picture this: a team meeting where everyone is nodding in agreement, nobody is challenging any ideas, and it seems like everyone is on the same page. Sounds ideal, right? However, you’re probably missing out on some valuable opportunities for innovation, growth and improvement.
The truth is, conflict and differences in opinion open the door to fresh perspectives, diverse viewpoints, and innovative solutions that wouldn’t have been thought of otherwise. Although you may think you want a team of nodding yes-people, the reality is that this can actually get in the way of progress.
How to use conflict as a catalyst for growth
The best teams regularly disagree and have conflict. The thing that sets them apart is that they have created the right environment to do it. So how do you do this? Here’s a few places to start…
1. Create a culture of psychological safety
You can’t have healthy conflict without psychological safety. You need team members to feel safe to be their true selves and express their opinions and ideas without fear of ridicule or retribution.
When people feel safe to speak up, they are more likely to share diverse perspectives, challenge assumptions, and engage in healthy debates that lead to better decision-making and innovative solutions. It creates an environment of trust, respect and support… all the things you need to take your team to the next level.
2. Give everyone a voice
Teams aren’t just about listening to the loudest voice, you need to make sure everyone has a platform to speak up and be listened to. It doesn’t matter their role or position, for a team to reach its full potential you need active participation from everybody.
Create space for both the introverts and the extroverts to speak, and while not every idea will be a good one, even seemingly bad ideas can spark creativity that results in new suggestions that will work.
Although not everyone will agree, by encouraging diverse voices and promoting equal participation you will gain deeper insights, encourage discussions, and ultimately arrive at better outcomes.
3. Adopt a growth mindset
Healthy conflict is not about personal attacks or pointing fingers; it’s about challenging ideas and engaging in thoughtful discussions to find the best path forward. This means it’s not about a power play, winning vs. losing, or someone’s ego. Instead it’s all about collaborating and challenging each other’s ideas to come to the best solution — together.
If you want to use conflict as a catalyst for growth, you need to be focused on continuous learning and improvement. Conflict isn’t something to be feared or avoided and by embracing a growth mindset, you understand that there’s always room for improvement. It’s not a criticism or threat to your ego, and instead allows you to view the difference in opinion or perspective as a lesson to be learnt.
One last thing…
High performing teams aren’t the default and Braver Leaders Team Coaching focuses on providing you with the tools you need to be the cohesive unit you have the potential to be.
Book in a chat with me here to find out about the different workshops and coaching programmes available.