successful project management - Commonwealth of Learning

Now, add any three of your own.
Your words, together with those I gave, lead us towards a better understanding of
what is meant by conflict. It is important to remember that most conflicts involve
differences in information, opinion, beliefs, and ideas held by individual members of
the team. Conflicts arise during problem solving when team members try to define a
given problem and arrive at solutions. When members disagree, it is likely that
arguments will occur, tensions will rise, and this might pull the team apart until an
acceptable decision is reached. To come up with your own ideas, work on this
activity.
?? Activity
Put a tick to show whether you agree or disagree with each of these views.
1. Conflict is a normal fact of working life agree disagree
2. Conflict will not occur when communication is good agree disagree
3. Conflict can be constructive agree disagree
4. Conflict can be destructive agree disagree
When you have ticked, spend some time discussing each point with team members.
Research shows that conflict is inevitable, and can be either positive or negative. The
good thing is that conflict can be managed provided the project manager is aware
what type of conflict is being dealt with. Here are four types of conflict I want you to
work on as an activity.
?? Activity
Below each conflict type, briefly write an example from your experience as an
illustration.
a. Conflict within the individual
The individual is in conflict with the self about an issue at work. This is referred to as
inner conflict.
b. Conflict between two members of the team
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