conflict-resolution

One of the reasons I got into Project Management in the first place is that I’ve always been interested in people – their personalities, where they are from, what makes them tick.
Growing up overseas in Japan, I attended an international school for foreigners, and there were kids from all over the world – kids whose [...]

B. W. Tuckman discovered that teams go through development stages beginning with the forming stage and ending with the adjourning stage. Just after a new team is formed it usually migrates into the “storming” stage where conflict develops over how it is going to reach its team goal, how its members are going to work together efficiently, and [...]

One of the more difficult team dynamics project managers must face from time-to-time is conflict. The ‘conflict’ can be project-related or interpersonal, but either way, strong feelings are often involved, making rational resolutions difficult. For virtual teams where face-to-face time is rare or non-existent, conflict resolution can be especially challenging, even for the highly skilled [...]

Here’s another question about “Stepping into Emotional Pressure.”
Q. In your story, you never mentioned specifics on the issues that you and Don were in disagreement about. Why not?
A. Have you ever faced a situation where the issues came up one after another, and seemed to never end? Just as you solve the current “high pain” [...]

The following question came from a thoughtful viewer of the “Stepping into Emotional Pressure” video:
Q. Alright, so you got clear on how YOU wanted to work, and communicated that to Don. How is that different from giving him an ultimatum?
A. At the broadest level I agree that yes I presented an ultimatum, albeit one having special [...]

Don was surprised. He seemed to be expecting me to say something different. My guess is that he thought I’d go to any lengths to keep him on the team. For a while he said nothing.
Finally he responded: “It’s true, you can’t change what happened with the old manager. It’s not like I’m about to [...]

Does your team seem to be allergic to process?  Have you been trying to implement project management best practices and meeting resistance? 
If so, have you addressed your team’s inherent questions, like “How will this make my life better?” and “Is that improvement enough to merit the hassle of changing?”  Have you explained how this will [...]

One of my issues with the PM Network magazine distributed by the Project Management Institute to all its members is that the stories provide only high level soundbites, failing to provide enough meaningful content about why, what, and how to implement project management.  Let me tell you the rest of the story behind quotes attributed [...]

Do you recognize that your current project is late, but you haven’t taken steps necessary to rescue it, except for saying “we’ll work harder to bring it back on schedule?” If you admit that you should do more to handle your project lateness, then the next question is what steps you should take? Actually, the [...]

In business school I took a class where we worked in a team of four to do a strategy project for a local company. I partnered with a friend and two other classmates who I knew less well.
We worked hard work and met frequently throughout the semester, resulting in a successful presentation for our client. [...]

To me, a key ingredient for a productive meeting is connection. Otherwise, why meet at all? But how many meetings have you been with someone who was physically there, but mentally: elsewhere? Or perhaps you’ve been that person who isn’t really present?
Thus I wonder, “How can I establish connection upfront, to set the stage [...]

A short while ago, our fearless leader, Kimberly, wrote about the six hats.  I thought I’d add a little to her suggestions.  The technique, called “Six Thinking Hats”  comes from a book by the same name written by E. deBono. (Boston, Little, Brown & Company, 1985)
The beauty of the technique is that it helps participatns [...]

Mordred – the ultimate betrayer – like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, Mordred turned people against each other.  We were talking about Mordred, betrayal, and Camelot at a meeting tonight of the Silicon Valley Innovative Institute’s Society.  During the discussion, I realized that the two people I’ve caused to be fired in all [...]

Why are we so afraid of disagreement?  Do we always have to “go along to get along” even if we think our team is making a bad decision?  How can we constructively disagree without being labeled “a bad-a..”?   I believe, as did Andy Grove, in constructive criticism.

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