Between scheduling conflicts, technological hiccups, and the varied modes of professional communication being utilized, many offices already struggle to get everyone on their team in the same room at the same time. This is why, when all the stars do align, and everyone is available for an in-depth discussion/check-in, the last thing anyone wants is for there to be conflict. 

Why then, would anyone want to foster disagreement you might ask. Well, because when managed properly, workplace conflict can lead to innovation and positive changes. Challenging the status quo and addressing issues head-on are good professional instincts and can absolutely lead to more productive meetings. 

The goal then is to foster healthy disagreements in meetings. 

The problem, however, is that this task isn’t always straightforward, and unmitigated workplace conflict can have serious effects on employee morale and lead to higher turnover and project failure. 

That’s why we’ve put together a guide to help you navigate workplace disagreements more successfully, therefore leading to better conflict resolution and positive change.

Workplace Disagreements vs. Personal Arguments 

The first step in addressing a conflict in the workplace is recognizing what kind of disagreement you’re dealing with. There is no way to foster healthy disagreements in a work setting if what your coworkers are arguing about is personal in nature. Here are a couple examples to help you spot the difference between situations that encourage constructive debates and those that are best left out of the office entirely. 

Example One: Two coworkers disagree on the best marketing strategy for a new product launch, and are arguing over whose strategy will be more effective while asking for feedback from the group. 

Example Two: One coworker is accusing another of always showing up late to work and wants that coworker to be punished for tardiness, thus they bring this issue up in front of the entire group. 

Can you spot the difference? 

In one of these scenarios, there is a workplace disagreement that, through the use of effective meeting strategies and communication, could result in a unique and successful solution for all involved. 

The other scenario depicts a personal issue between two employees that should be addressed in a completely different setting. While this might seem obvious, the reason we are spelling it out so clearly is because personal disagreements, and the escalation of them, is unfortunately not uncommon. One survey found that 55% of people reported experiencing personal attacks at work, while 48% have endured outright bullying. 

Tips to Foster and Navigate Healthy Disagreements at Work

Now that you’ve established that this conflict falls in the category of a ‘healthy disagreement’, what should be done about it?

Start by following these steps and soon you’ll be on your way to not only meeting conflict resolution, but having more productive meetings in general.

1. Build Trust in the Workplace 

Ideally, this step should be taken both before and outside of the meeting itself. By the time your team all sits down in the room together, you want them to feel safe, comfortable, and to trust one another. Without a basis of trust, conflicts are more likely to go in two equally bad directions—either they will escalate into full-blown arguments, or they will be swept under the rug to fester. In fact, research shows that 73% of workplace conflicts are primarily driven by a lack of trust.

That’s why, as either a group leader or fellow group member, you want to make sure you’re treating all employees with respect, dignity, and equity. According to the experts, those in leadership positions have an ethical responsibility to: Uphold employees' well-being and rights, meet all job expectations as a leader, always engage in best practices, and tolerate nothing but fair and impartial treatment for everyone in the workplace.

2. Determine the Cause of the Conflict 

In order to best manage disagreements in meetings, it’s important that leaders and mediators try to determine what the root cause of the conflict is. If it’s a simple matter of differing opinions on something small/inconsequential, then as long as everyone speaks respectfully and keeps their emotions in check, conflict management should be fairly easy. 

On the other hand, aside from a lack of trust, the other major drivers of workplace conflict are personality clashes (49%), workplace stress (34%), and heavy workloads (33). 

Thus, it’s important to ascertain what is causing the conflict in the first place. Having two strong, clashing personalities in the room can be an asset if everyone remains civil and feels their voice is being heard. That said, if you suspect members of the team are arguing simply because the project is causing them a lot of stress or they feel overworked, managing the disagreement might take the form of letting everyone leave the meeting early. 

3. Encourage Open Communication Amongst All Parties 

The next important step in fostering healthy disagreements in your meetings, is to ensure that everyone’s voice is being heard. Did you know that “83% of employees feel they are not heard ‘fairly or equally’ while just under half (46%) believe underrepresented voices are not effectively listened to?” (AON) 

These statistics, as well as a fundamental understanding in workplace inequality and the prevalence of microaggressions in the office, is imperative to keep in mind when addressing disagreements at work. Solutions that are met without the input of the entire team, or which are achieved through silencing voices, are not actually solutions—they are examples of professional bulldozing. 

4. Put Together the Right Team 

If the solution you’ve come to involves any major pivots or changes to the existing plan, then you’ll want to assign the right people to move forward with those changes. For instance, if those who initially disagreed are not going to be able to work together on the agreed-upon solution, then perhaps they should be given different tasks. Poorly organized teams are not only less effective, but they are known to actually be the cause of up to 16% of workplace conflicts. 

5. Follow Up Individually 

Lastly, managers, team leaders, and those involved in the conflict, should follow up with one another individually. This will give everyone a chance to express any thoughts or concerns that they maybe didn’t feel comfortable bringing up in front of the entire group. In turn, this will help to build even more trust amongst the team as a whole. 

Final Thoughts

Fostering healthy disagreements isn’t just good for morale and productivity, it’s also financially responsible. It’s estimated that “employees in United States companies spend approximately 2.1 hours each week involved in conflict. This amounts to around $359 billion in hours paid…”

In other words, conflict management and encouraging constructive debates, can save time and money. If you’re working on a team that doesn’t understand the difference between healthy disagreements and workplace toxicity, however, then conflict resolution and the subsequent innovation that can come from it, may not be achievable. 
Don’t continue to waste your time in a workplace that doesn’t foster growth, creativity, or which refuses to challenge the status quo. There are plenty of better opportunities out there for you, and at CyberCoders, we can help you match with one. To learn more about our services, and how our expert recruiters go above and beyond when it comes to landing you a great new position, check out our website today!