When Crisis Management Becomes Conflict Management

The Big Split is a multi-layered mental conflict. Behind it lies a complex psychological cocktail: delayed gratification, feelings of injustice, and a race to fill the emotional vacuum created by years of living with restrictions.

For leaders, the point is to recognize that this phase is not a collective sigh of relief and a joyous reunion, but rather one filled with conflict and confrontation

• In March 2020, when the pandemic emergency became clear, many of us felt an energy rush.
• Leaders became the best version of themselves.
• Then, a regression phase hit: people got tired, lost their sense of purpose, started fighting about the small stuff, and started to neglect their relationships.
• Next came the recovery phase, where we started to move out of the lull.
• This phase was filled with lots of new ideas, and we saw friends, family, and colleagues embracing the new future.
• However, the slow recovery tested our resilience.

Realizing when you are falling prey to splitting, whether a little or a lot and taking note of what triggers you to react in out-of-character ways is a good first step.

A few instances of "bad behaviour" is not the same as deeming someone a "bad agent." The key is to reject absolutes and categorical thinking.

Call out splitting behaviour as soon as you notice it playing out.

In order to resolve differences of opinion, instead of letting them fester, leaders can scale up the frequency of team meetings but shorten their duration drastically.

• Leaders must emphasize that it isn’t shameful to experience splitting and that it’s okay to direct time and resources to resolve the fundamental conflicts.
• To offer perspective, leaders should fully understand colleagues, employees, and peers by letting them talk about the turmoil they’re going through, and then search for long-term and constructive ways to move forward
• Building mutual support, remember that a strong emotional connection between teammates, teams, and stakeholders last a long time.