Summary: Conflict is inevitable in collaborative workplaces, but it doesn’t have to be destructive. In this guide, you’ll learn practical conflict resolution strategies that help managers turn tension into innovation and stronger team performance. Explore common collaboration hotspots, actionable habits, and science-backed tools to help your team navigate conflict with confidence.
Collaboration is the name of the game in today’s digital-driven and hybrid workplace. But, where there’s collaboration, there’s bound to be conflict. In fact, 85% of employees report experiencing conflict at work. Team members often clash over communication styles, priorities, and perspectives. And this friction isn’t just a headache. It’s a productivity killer! Managers spend nearly 2 hours each week dealing with conflict, draining time, focus, and team energy.
However, when handled skillfully, workplace conflict becomes a catalyst, not a constraint. Teams that embrace productive conflict strengthen collaboration, boost performance by 25% or more, and cut attrition by as much as 50%.
| Fast Facts: – 85% of employees experience conflict at work – Managers spend ~2 hours a week navigating workplace conflict – Companies with high conflict competency experience 50% less attrition and 25% higher productivity. |
The Cost of Conflict at Work
Unmanaged workplace conflict costs U.S. companies over $3,200 per employee, per year in lost productivity. Knowing the difference between productive and unproductive conflict is key to managing conflict effectively.
What is productive vs. unproductive conflict?
So, what exactly is productive conflict? While conflict comes from opposing needs, drives, wishes, or demands, productive conflict happens when you disagree on the process but share the same goals. It sparks healthy debate, improves decision-making, and strengthens collaboration, without damaging relationships.
On the flip side, unproductive conflict happens when you don’t agree on the goals or purpose, leading to strained relationships and project failures. 86% of workplace failures are blamed on a lack of collaboration, and 23% of employees have left a job due to unresolved conflict.
How Managers Can Handle Conflict At Work: Proven Strategies
At LifeLabs Learning, we teach skillful conflict and collaboration, allowing managers to spot when conflict is productive so they can build on it, and when it’s not, so they can step in and steer it back into productive territory.
The first step to managing conflict at work is knowing where collaboration hotspots are in your org. These are places where teamwork is essential but often falters. We’ll look at some common hotspots, and give you some key habits to keep things on track when conflict flares up.
Habit 1: Resolve conflict at work by focusing on interests, not just positions
| Hotspot – Turfing Turfing is when individuals or teams act to protect their domain, responsibilities, or resources, often at the expense of collaboration. It typically shows up as territorial behavior, resistance to shared ownership, or tension between departments (“That’s not our job” or “Why are they getting involved in this?”). |
The turfing mindset is so natural, you have to deliberately get curious about the other side’s POV to avoid it. Develop a position vs. interest habit to help.
Position = What a party says they want
Interest = Why they want it.
For example, both parties might say they want the same resource, but their reasons (interests) for wanting it differ.
To resolve conflict at work, help team members differentiate between positions and interests. Focus on the why behind the what. Here’s how to break it down:
- First, distinguish between your own position and interest in the conflict to help you communicate more effectively.
- Then, ask the other person open-ended questions like, “What led you to that thought?” and “What is important to you about that?” to help you better understand their needs.
Habit 2: Reframe workplace conflict as “us vs. the problem,” not “us vs. them”
| Hotspot – Competing Priorities Competing priorities are one of the most common sources of workplace conflict, especially in cross-functional work or resource-constrained environments. Tension builds when different individuals or teams feel like they’re being forced to choose between their goals and someone else’s. |
Encourage team members to stop viewing a conflict as one side versus the other, and instead think of it as us vs. the problem. Have them zoom out and consider, “What are we BOTH trying to solve?” This helps people:
- Identify the shared problem beneath differing positions.
- Recognize that both sides are motivated to solve a common issue.
Habit 3: Clarify roles to prevent workplace conflict
| Hotspot – Role Confusion Even the best strategy can break down when roles and responsibilities are unclear. Conflict often emerges when people are unsure who owns what, feel left out of decisions, or are overloaded without support. |
When you sense confusion about responsibilities or what owning them means, it’s time for a DACI check. It’s a simple framework to reduce role confusion and prevent conflict by defining each person’s function in a project or decision.
Simply asking, “Are we clear on our DACI roles here?” can surface friction points and improve collaboration by defining the roles in a group effort.
Habit 4: Prevent workplace conflict from miscommunication with a norms check
| Hotspot – Communication Logistics Sometimes, conflict isn’t what we say, but rather how, when, or where we say it. Misaligned communication habits can cause frustration, delay decisions, and erode trust. |
Even if you’re 100% aligned on goals, poor communication can spark conflict. If communication feels off, pause and get curious about why.
“Sometimes, even harder than escalated conflict is that energy drain where people don’t know where to begin. Communication norms really hit home with teams that have varying tenure, and when they’re not sure why working with each other is hard.” – Nora Fallon, LifeLabs Learning Facilitator
Use a norm check to identify ways of working that might not be obvious, especially in cross-functional collaborations. This might look like clarifying when to use email vs. chat, naming the source of truth for a decision, or standardizing when to schedule meetings across time zones.
Ask questions and share preferences to align on the “how” of communication. This simple habit prevents unproductive assumptions and makes for much smoother collaboration.
Here are some norms to consider:
- Action items: How and where will action items be communicated?
- Response time: What’s the expected turnaround time for communication?
- Dark time: When should we NOT expect communication?
- Source of truth: Where’s the definitive source for projects, info, and decisions?
- Channels: What’s the best way to reach each other for different tasks?
Habit 5: Normalize conflict at work to create psychological safety
| Hotspot – Conflict Avoidance Avoiding conflict might feel like keeping the peace—but in reality, it often makes things worse. Unspoken tension can slow progress, fuel resentment, and damage team trust. |
Make the goal with your team not to prevent conflict but instead to reframe it into productive conflict. Start by normalizing it! Here are two ways how:
1. Name it to tame it
Addressing the “elephant in the room” means talking about the obvious issue everyone’s ignoring. For example, folks may have concerns about an idea but stay silent to avoid seeming negative. Ignoring such issues can quickly harm performance. Name, or label, them instead.
Helping team members name the tension or emotions they’re feeling helps them shift from experiencing to analyzing them. It activates critical thinking, opening the door for curiosity and problem-solving. Once they’ve named the “elephant,” have them ask:
- How important is this issue to me?
- Is this my issue to solve?
- What do I want to happen?
- What do I think is realistic?
- When should I bring it up?
2. Red teaming
Sometimes, there’s no apparent conflict because everyone agrees, or too many “yes people” are involved. While comfortable, this stifles creativity and innovation. When you sense the group isn’t challenging ideas enough, consider inviting productive conflict through red teaming.
| What is red teaming in conflict management? Red teaming is a technique where someone is assigned to intentionally challenge ideas, surface blind spots, and test assumptions in a constructive way. It helps teams invite healthy dissent, reduce groupthink, and turn potential conflict into better decisions. |
This role-based critique surfaces alternative perspectives and fosters psychological safety, the belief that people can speak up and take risks without fear of judgment. You can systematically do this by having a red team round-robin where everyone takes a turn critiquing an idea.
See how one company brought leaders together to strengthen collaboration and unlock their shared potential. Read:
How ALCAL Built Stronger Leaders & a Scalable Culture with LifeLabs Learning
Conflict Mindset: Focus On What You Can Control
Even in the most skillful workplaces, conflict will arise. What separates strong managers is their ability to stay grounded, model constructive behaviors, and encourage self-reflection over blame.
The best way to handle conflict at work is to encourage collaborators to focus on what they can control, their reactions and behaviors, rather than trying to change others. Even if someone handles everything perfectly, conflict can still be unproductive due to factors beyond their control.
The bottom line: how we behave in conflict situations matters. By consistently modeling positive behaviors, we can inspire others to adopt similar approaches.
TRY IT: Conflict Reflection Exercise
Reflect on your strengths and challenges in managing conflict at work. Identify one hotspot you’d like to improve or a habit you’d like to develop. By fine-tuning your skills, you can better navigate conflicts and encourage productive collaboration.
Want more insights on managing conflict at work? Explore our Skillful Conflict & Collaboration workshop.
FAQs:
What’s the most common cause of workplace conflict?
Miscommunication and unclear roles top the list, followed by personality clashes and competing priorities.
How can I tell if conflict is productive or harmful?
Productive conflict focuses on ideas and shared goals. Harmful conflict is personal, unclear, and often avoided
How do I help my team build conflict skills?
Normalize conflict, model curiosity, and teach habits like “us vs. the problem” and role clarity frameworks like DACI.
What if someone refuses to engage in conflict resolution?
Focus on shared goals, reinforce norms around feedback, and escalate constructively when needed, utilizing support systems such as HR or coaching.
