In today’s interconnected world, team diversity has become the norm rather than the exception. This rich tapestry of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences can be a powerhouse for innovation and creativity. However, it can also lead to inevitable disagreements.
As a leader, navigating these differences is crucial, as is mediating any conflicts that may arise among your team. Below, 20 members of Forbes Business Council offer some effective strategies for resolving differing opinions and arriving at the best solution.
1. Foster Respectful Open Dialogue
It is important to foster open dialogue among your team members where each person is respected and they feel mutually heard. Conflict can bring about open discussion, but only if it is approached from a nonemotional standpoint. Sometimes that takes a leader being in a mediation position to ensure that conflict does not turn into animosity or prejudice. – Seth Lederman, Frannexus
2. Promote Empathy
Team members must appreciate each other’s perspectives. While diversity is an asset, it can also lead to conflict. To manage conflict, leaders should promote empathy by encouraging open and respectful communication, creating a safe space where team members can express their thoughts without fear of judgment and encouraging active listening where team members acknowledge differing viewpoints. – Whitney A. White, Afara Global
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3. Assume The Best Intentions
Conflicts that arise from differences of opinion usually mean that there are parts of the story you don’t understand or haven’t unearthed yet. Approach each situation ready to listen and to serve, and assume the best intentions from each person involved. Any conflict can be resolved if you start with a groundwork of service leadership and human kindness. – Pace Morby, SubTo
4. Talk Through Challenges With Your Management Team
There are things you can do to prevent conflict. As CEO, that means making the space for your people to speak their truth and ensuring they’re not afraid to do so. We bring management together in regular touchpoints and use that time not just to share updates, but to also talk through challenges. Without a comfortable, open environment where people know they’re being heard, frustration arises. – Christophe Garnier, Upflex Inc.
5. Differentiate Between Facts And Observations
Encourage your team to use the words “assessment” and “assertion.” Using these words allows for clear communication on what information is being offered, presenting it as an assertion (fact) or assessment (observation). – Elizabeth Ross, Shift Paradigm
6. Unpack Your Team’s Unmet Needs
Conflicts and differences of opinion are often driven by information gaps and different experiences. Different worldviews drive different standards, which leads to conflict. Unmet needs bubble up as concerns. Bring the group together to unpack unmet needs, air competing standards and share different worldviews. The friction in diverse thinking then leads to greater, more creative solutions. – Gavin McMahon, fassforward
7. Stay Focused On Data And Facts
Learn to be a better listener. Embrace the diversity and understand that differing opinions reflect past learnings and experience that when combined provide a powerful opportunity to create exceptional solutions. Courageous confrontation based on data and facts is necessary. Unfortunately in today’s world, conflicts often arise over what is really fact versus opinions that are perceived as facts. – Michael Schultz, Infuse Hospitality
8. Serve As A Sounding Board
Lead with emotional intelligence and empathy as your North Star. Viewed from the right lens, conflict is an opportunity for the growth of your team. More often than not, people just want to feel heard, understood and valued. As a leader, it’s your role to be that sounding board for different viewpoints and find new ways to collaborate. – Olivia Ludington, Ludington Media
9. Distinguish Style From Substance
Conflict can be good when those in conflict are challenging each other for the best outcome or solution to a problem situation. We should also make the distinction between style and substance. Speaking with conviction does not necessarily mean that the person speaking is correct. – Ibrahim Jackson, Ubiquitous Preferred Services Inc.
10. Make It Safe To Speak Up
In any diverse team, disagreements are bound to happen. Don’t avoid the disagreements. See them as chances to learn and grow. When conflicts come up, make sure everyone feels safe enough to speak up. Listen to all sides and work together to find the best solution. It’s about what’s best for the team, not who’s right or wrong. – Vikram Jangam, Lynba Ventures
11. Challenge Everyone To Look Beyond Personal Experience
A diverse set of opinions is healthy, and a leader needs to challenge everyone in the organization to look beyond their personal experiences. Diversity becomes conflict if leaders have not created an environment where diverse experiences and opinions are recognized and processed productively. – Jason Leung, Avvento Consulting, Inc.
12. Tie It Back To Shared Goals And Values
In addressing conflicts, particularly about strategy or approach, elevate your conversation to identify the common goals and shared values. This will reduce the tension and lead to more productive discussions. – Michelle Vitus, Slate
13. See The ‘High-Resolution Picture’ In The Conflict
Conflicts and differences of opinion are really a byproduct of mindset. Coming from the consulting world, I always advise people to view conflicts as listening opportunities. Perhaps folks have different contexts, different experiences, different agendas and so on. When differences of opinion arise, it’s an opportunity to get a more “high-resolution picture” of what’s really going on. – Ginger Zumaeta, Motive3
14. Consider The Motivations Behind Conflicts
Conflict arises whether the group is diverse or not. It can be good, indicating that team members care about something enough to cause friction. My advice is to celebrate conflict when the motivations are for the company’s success and have a zero-tolerance policy when it is motivated by corporate politics. I tell my team members to not suffer in silence. That includes speaking up about conflicts. – Nadine ElAshkar, Lilo Shop
15. Respect And Listen To Everyone’s Viewpoint
Differences of opinion shouldn’t be considered an issue. It’s actually a great opportunity to calibrate and collaborate. As a leader working in a role where I am constantly interacting across the globe with a strong and diverse team, what has helped me is respecting and listening to everyone’s viewpoint. It’s very important to lead by example. – Dishant Bhojwani, IntouchCX
16. Create Safe Spaces
By fostering a safe space for honest conversations, conflicts can be addressed in a healthy and constructive manner. Active listening is paramount in conflict resolution. By practicing empathy and seeking to understand the underlying motivations and emotions, you can uncover common ground and bridge any gaps that may exist. Encourage collaboration and seek solutions that benefit the entire team. – Emily Hartstone, From The Hart Management, LLC
17. Make Healthy Conflict Part Of Your Culture
It begins with creating a culture where conflict and disagreements can be safely surfaced. Toxic teams persist when conflict remains unspoken. Encourage all team members toward having healthy debate and even disagreements in all aspects of the business. Not only does this provide an environment of innovation, but it also helps conflict becomes less personal and easier to address one-on-one. – Christine Pilkington, Crisp Media Inc.
18. Address The Root Cause
The lasting solution to addressing conflicts amongst humans is to first understand the individuality of these adults and where they all align and differ. Make them aware of this. More often than not, conflict reflects individuality and how that is projected. Remember that the behavior of humans is a reflection of what is happening within us. Addressing the root cause is my highest recommendation. – Jennifer Orode, Ingenium Concepts Limited
19. Foster Constructive Disagreement
In diverse teams, conflicts are inevitable. My advice is to foster constructive disagreement. Encourage team members to view conflicts as growth opportunities. Host open dialogues for everyone to express their views without judgment. The goal isn’t consensus but to understand different perspectives. This approach enriches the team’s collective wisdom and positively impacts business outcomes. – Jeff Pedowitz, The Pedowitz Group
20. Appoint A Mediator
Something I learned about handling conflict amongst team members when I was in the Marine Corps is that it is best to have a conversation with someone who is able to mediate. This allows tensions to go down between two or more team members and allows everyone to see a different perspective. – Joseph Kimbrough, Apex Real Estate Investments
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