When undertaking projects, organizations often develop teams. The members of these teams are expected to work together in harmony. As they collaborate, team members often encounter conflicts. If they are not addressed effectively, these conflicts could fester and compromise the project implementation process. The conflicts that are encountered in project planning are classified in two broad categories. These categories are functional and dysfunctional (Pinto & Kharbanda, 1995). As the name suggests, the functional conflicts are beneficial as they facilitate progress. For example, team members could have conflicting views on how to approach a particular problem. By combining their effort, these employees are able to develop novel approaches which allow for the successful accomplishment of tasks. Given the critical role that they play in enhancing team dynamics and project completion, functional conflicts should be encouraged. On the other hand, dysfunctional conflicts are those that have a damaging effect (Pinto & Kharbanda, 1995). For example, when team members trade insults and engage in violent confrontations, the performance of the team suffers. Firms should take all necessary steps to prevent dysfunctional conflicts.
One of the essential roles of a project manager is to intervene in conflicts and eliminate forces that could cause dysfunctional conflicts. For the successful resolution of conflicts, effective and clear communication is needed (Normore, 2016). One of the causes of conflicts is the failure to communicate roles and expectations. When stakeholders do not understand the functions that they are expected to perform, conflicts could arise. For example, when a project manager fails to assign roles to team members, the members may trade blame over who was supposed to perform a particular task. When project managers adopt effective communication strategies, they are able to avert conflicts. For instance, a project manager who recognizes the effort of team members inspires these members to remain committed to the task at hand. This way, the project manager creates an environment that eliminates the threat of conflict while facilitating teamwork. Overall, project managers who use clear language to communicate expectations and to acknowledge the dedication of stakeholders help to promote cohesion and prevent conflicts.
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References
Normore, A. (2016). Handbook of research on effective communication, leadership and
Conflict resolution. IGI Global.
Pinto, J. K., & Kharbanda, O. P. (1995). Project management and conflict resolution.
Project Management Journal, 26 (4), 45-54.
