This Common Conflict Resolution Tactic Is A Sign Of Bad Management
Leaders who resort to this solution may fancy themselves peace brokers, when they’ve really just papered over differences that haven’t been resolved
Source | www.fastcompany.com | AJAY SHRIVASTAVA
Companies frequently suffer from problems on the inside more than from problems with the competition. And the most common reason internal issues typically arise is because of a lack of aligned execution. It’s leaders’ jobs to get everyone pulling in the same direction, but many resort to a “compromise” that does anything but: They simply “agree to disagree” and then just plow ahead. Here’s why this strategy so often fails, and what savvy managers should do instead.
DISAGREEMENT IS GOOD, AND INEVITABLE
Effective leaders need their teams to work toward unfamiliar and unachieved goals, rather than just executing the same familiar things they’ve done a million times before. In these cases, it’s likely that no one knows the sure-shot way to succeed.
When many smart people are trying to figure that out together, it’s normal for divergent and strong opinions to crop up. This risks prolonging the decision-making process–since, after all, teams can rarely wait for consensus in order to take action. Yet if leaders force a decision too quickly, the execution can suffer due to foot dragging from those who disagree with it.
For managers, this dilemma tends to lead to one of two outcomes:
