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How to make workplace conflicts more productive

4 min read ·January 24, 2025

Getting into a conflict is likely the last thing you’d want on your workplace BINGO card.

As humans, we’re hardwired for likeability. It’s how we survive in communities and groups. When people like us, they treat us better. Avoiding conflict, therefore, improves our quality of life.

But avoiding conflict in a workplace setting can have the opposite effect. It can lead to stalled projects, stagnating careers, and hold your company back from doing its best work. According to Amy Gallo, bestselling author and workplace expert, when organizations don’t build the psychological safety to support healthy disagreements in the workplace, they create an artificial harmony.

“We like to work in positive, friendly workplaces. But if we default to that, we're missing out on so much,” says Amy in a Culture First Podcast episode. “When we work in places where there's no disagreement, there are ideas, opinions, insights, perspectives, and feedback that don't get voiced … One of the lowest hanging fruits for a leader, and one of the most important things, is to set norms around conflict.”

Why psychological safety is crucial to conflict resolution

Conflict itself is natural – it’s conflict resolution that takes effort for most of us. Resolving conflicts requires soft skills, like patience, empathy, and emotional intelligence, that we can all develop and strengthen. Conflict resolution also requires relational intelligence to understand what’s not working and determine how to fix it.

Managers can mediate conflicts by catching them early on, being active listeners, and developing a plan with the affected parties to help improve communication and foster a harmonious work environment.

“If the manager can lend themselves as a facilitator of reconciliation or a clarification process between the others, they should do it. They hold the space for people to duke it out,” shared Esther Perel, renowned psychotherapist and Culture Amp’s external advisor, on our Culture First Podcast.

Additionally, for conflict resolution to work, managers must create an environment where employees feel safe having disagreements. To put it simply, when a team has psychological safety, its members feel comfortable voicing their big ideas, sharing criticisms, and taking risks – without the fear of embarrassment, judgment, or reprimands.

Adds Esther: “Psychological safety that doesn't involve risk is not psychological safety. It [should be that you can] take risks to such an extent that if it works out, great. And if it doesn't work, you won't be scorned for it.”

3 ways to make workplace conflict more productive

Once managers establish psychological safety, they can help their teams disagree in ways that lead to more productive conversations and work. Here are a few ways.

  • Define the rules: Establish ground rules that promote healthy conflict resolution on your team, such as “Keep language respectful” and “Come to the table with facts and data.” Amy encourages leaders to ask themselves, “When is it okay to say, I don't see it the same way? When do we disagree, but then decide we have to commit and move forward?” Once you’ve defined these expectations, communicate them clearly to your team.
  • Frame disagreements as a positive: Remind everyone that disagreements are an opportunity to listen to others’ perspectives, overcome differences in working styles, and improve collaboration for the future. When you sit down with your team members, don’t make them feel like they did anything “wrong.” Instead, approach the conversation as a chance for self-improvement and to hear ideas you may not have considered.
  • Build check-ins into team meetings: Helping team members build relationships with one another can often be the difference between a heated argument and a productive debate. When team members know and care about one another, they’re more likely to resolve differences calmly and respectfully.

Esther suggests taking a few minutes at the start of meetings to ask personal questions that encourage connection like, “What's going on in your life?” or “When was the last time you were really generous?”

“Don't be so afraid to lose 20 minutes,” she adds. “That time is going to gel your team in a way that's going to make them work faster. Think about how I'm much more likely to respond to your email if I like you and I care about you. The only way to achieve this, though, is by getting to know you.”

Conflict resolution is a team sport

When managers promote healthy conflict resolution practices, the result is a more productive, stronger, and happier team. In fact, reminding everyone to keep the team’s shared goals in mind can help to settle disagreements fast. When everyone is working towards the same outcome, everyone benefits from its success.

Illustration of three team members holding the same flag

Hear the full conversation

Amy Gallo, an esteemed author and workplace expert, shares her thoughts on conflict resolution, feedback, and workplace culture.

What’s next

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