Conflict management is one of the biggest fears of new managers. Conflict is not always destructive. It prevents complacency and groupthink. But it can cause havoc on your team if not managed well. Managing conflict is a skill that few leaders are taught. However, as a new leader, you can mitigate most conflict before it gets out of hand.

Managing conflict in a team

Digital communication can cause more misunderstanding as clear communication often relies on non-verbal cues. Picking the wrong communication tool can create confusion and hurt feelings. <ul><li>Use email if you're sharing non-sensitive information that doesn't require a response.</li><li>Use Slack or a phone call if you're looking for a response in real-time.</li><li>A video call or in-person meeting is best for a situation that can lead to misinformation, discussing a sensitive topic, or delivering bad news.</li></ul>

Establish clear channels of communication

First-time managers often quantify and track everything their team members do to measure performance. It is confusing as team members don't know which tasks to prioritise and which ones are not measured. Managers may leave standards open to interpretation, which can negatively impact relationships on their team. <ul><li>With the company's larger mission in mind, what skills, goals, and outcomes are most important for your team?</li><li>Use a tool like Trello or Asana to help your team members track their tasks.</li><li>Set clear, non-ambiguous standards around how each person's performance is measured.</li></ul>

Be transparent about performance expectations

Misalignment of timing or deadlines may cause conflict between team members. For example, when peers collaborate on a project and one person misinterprets how long it will take their partner to complete a task. <ul><li>A helpful strategy is to encourage your team members to track their hours so that they know how long each task will take rather than making assumptions.</li><li>Review your team's trackers weekly and identify opportunities for improvement.</li></ul>

Manage time expectations

Assuming that someone else is responsible for completing a task may lead to missed deadlines and finger-pointing. <ul><li>Create a guide that lays out the expectations you have of your team members, their roles, and assigned tasks. </li><li>Your guide could include how tasks are assigned, how you communicate with each other, and how customer feedback gets logged and where.</li><li>Keep it simple. Ask your team what they expect of themselves and you and use that feedback as a starting point.</li></ul>

Clarify task and role expectations

When not managed well, conflict can wreak havoc on your team and even harm your managerial reputation. As a new leader, how can you mitigate conflict before it gets out of hand, or deal with it when it does? Establish clear channels of communication. Remote teams that rely mostly on emails and chats are more susceptible to conflict, as clear communication often relies on non-verbal cues, most of which can’t be translated succinctly into words. And remember to use the right channels of communication, such as delivering nuanced messages in-person or on a video call as opposed to email or Slack. Be transparent about performance expectations. Don’t leave standards, such as what “good” versus “just okay” looks like, entirely open to interpretation. Take some time to identify your most important performance standards and clearly communicate them to your team. Manage time expectations. Conflict can happen when you are misaligned on timing or deadlines. Encourage your team members to track their hours and how they spend their day at work. Have them share it among each other, too, if they’re agreeable. Build time into your weekly schedule to review your team’s trackers and identify opportunities for improvement. Clarify task and role expectations. When everyone assumes that someone else is responsible for completing a task, balls are inevitably dropped, leading to finger-pointing, blame, and missed deadlines. With your teams input, create a short guide that lays out the expectations you have of your team members, their roles, and assigned tasks.

Managing conflict in a team

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