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Managing Conflict in Meetings

Handling disagreements on the spot

"But that's ridiculous, Bob! We can't possibly have the new product ready in time for the Autumn Expo! What do the rest of you think? Is anyone else stupid enough to think we'll be ready?"

"Well, I can see your arguments for appointing Alison. But I just think James would be better, and you're not going to convince me otherwise."

Many of us have experienced tension and conflict in meetings. This can be exciting and energizing, but it can also hurt the team's progress and morale. If you're in charge of a meeting and conflict occurs, what is your role? How do you restore peace? How can you assure that these conflicts don't harm your work?

While you can't always prevent conflict in meetings, there are many things you can do to stop disagreements from damaging your team's wider goals. Consider the following:

• Can you set up your meeting to reduce the risk of conflict?
  
• How do you turn the conflict and tension into a positive force, and one that generates better solutions and results?
  
• Can you reduce the negative impact of conflict?
  
• How can you help those involved accept the situation when consensus isn't possible?

We'll look at each of these. As we do so, remember that there are two separate underlying reasons for conflict in ...

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