Making conflict management a strategic advantage Conflict has key effects on productivity, decision making, and retention. Most organizational conflicts involve disagreements over task-related matters, with people bringing diverse perspectives, information, and expertise to bear on an issue. Too often, some key input is suppressed or ignored, or the conflict leads to deadlock and inaction. When conflicts are handled constructively, in contrast, these diverse inputs are likely to be considered on their merits and incorporated into better, more innovative decisions. Also, decision makers are likely to get accurate feedback on the results of decisions—in time to take corrective action. These decision-making benefits can be important for any organization on important, non-routine issues. They are especially vital for organizations that aspire to be learning organizations or to compete on the basis of rapid adaptation and innovation. In such cases, it may take only one good decision on an important issue to justify the cost of a conflict management program. To download the full whitepaper “Making Conflict Management a Strategic Advantage”, please fill out the form below.
