Last week I shared with you tips for dealing with conflict in virtual teams by using employee relationship management. This week I will cover common reactions to it in the workplace. As you know, conflict is an important issue that can divide or integrate a team. In the virtual workplace, it is even more prevalent, and that is why I dedicated an entire chapter to managing team conflict in my latest book, A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams.
The Potential Price of Conflict in Virtual Teams
Conflict can take its toll emotionally, physically and financially, especially when it is left unresolved. The key to managing conflict in virtual teams is to immediately and purposefully using the tips that we covered last week. However, we must first understand our individual response before we can deal with the effect conflict has on our teams.
Common Reactions To Conflict in Virtual Teams
Common reactions include feelings of betrayal and missed expectations or a simple avoidance of dealing with the issue—any of which may lead to decreased productivity. Virtual employees might avoid a conflict because they do not know how to constructively handle it or they may be afraid of what confronting conflict would do to their reputation.
While conflict avoidance seems like the easier choice, I’ve seen many negative consequences in the long-term when that happens. Sometimes employees become disengaged and don’t speak up, or they wait until things escalate to the boiling point. Subtle examples of conflict avoidance include hitting the mute button and multitasking while on a conference call; not paying attention when a question is asked; and, finally, total disengagement. These actions often result in loss of work quality and indifference; however, the greatest cost is the human cost.
Morale and energy suffer because employees are angry and frustrated. Still other reactions can come highly disguised and, like water, seep into team dynamics before anyone realizes it, corroding hard-earned bonds and destroying trust.
As a manager, it is critical to understand all levels of conflict and to identify the warning signs in individuals. This way you can respond quickly to restore balance. For more information, I recommend two books: “Business Ethics” by Richard De George and “Hot Buttons – How To Resolve Conflict And Cool Everyone Down” by Sybil Evans and Sherry Suib Cohen.
For more tips on resolving conflict in virtual teams, hear Yael speak on the topic or visit Amazon to purchase a copy of her book, A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams.
