Task Conflict vs. Relationship Conflict 

This blog post originally published at ProjectManagement.com

As program managers, we have to deal with various conflicts in the workplace. The book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant calls out valuable insights into distinguishing between task conflicts and relationship conflicts—and this proves useful in reaching effective resolutions.

According to Grant, task conflict refers to disagreements or differences of opinion that arise between team members regarding the tasks they are working on. On the other hand, relationship conflict refers to personal disagreements or clashes between team members that are not related to the tasks they are working on. Relationship conflict could be due to power struggles, personality conflicts or prior conflicts leading to mistrust.

Task Conflict
Task conflict is encouraged as it promotes creativity, critical thinking and innovation. Some examples of task conflicts are: differing opinions on how to design the user experience for a particular product, or the technical architecture for implementing a system.

By having diverse opinions and having team members debate various options, we get an exploration of ideas and solutions. Task conflict often stimulates healthy debate and increases team motivation, as team members feel that their input is valued. Grant states that some organizations build challenge networks (groups of thoughtful critics) into their cultures to stir up task conflict. If your team does not have task conflicts, it might be a sign of lack of trust or other underlying issues.

While task conflict is beneficial, it is important to manage it properly. As program managers, we can play a crucial role in resolving task conflict by implementing the following strategies:

• Clearly define roles and responsibilities of program members. Use tools like RACI.
• Encourage open communication and active listening amongst your team members.
• Maintain focus on the task. Clearly identify the outcome that you are expecting. Team members should focus on finding the best possible solution, and it should not be about winning arguments or proving others wrong.
• Identify points of agreement and points of contention. This will help team members gain consensus easily.
• Use one of the three facilitating techniques (or any technique that you already have in your repertoire) mentioned in my prior blog post, ‘How to Foster Effective Group Decision Making,’ to gain consensus on points of contention.

Relationship Conflict
While task conflict can be beneficial to team dynamics, relationship conflict is detrimental. According to Grant, if task conflict is not managed properly, it can easily escalate into relationship conflict.  Relationship conflicts at work will lead to negative emotions and decreased productivity.

Occasionally, relationship conflict can manifest as task conflict. If you notice that the same individuals have recurring task conflicts even when it is not necessary, it should signal that there are some underlying relationship issues.

I have noticed this a few times with a few of my team members—and upon further investigation, I was able to find that the individuals in question had relationship conflict.

Here are a few tips for dealing with relationship conflicts:

• Set ground rules on how team members should conduct themselves, which includes acceptable behavior and procedures for handling conflict. You can add them as part of your program charter.
• Similar to how open communication and active listening is important for resolving task conflicts, it is important to resolve relationship conflicts as well.
• Identify the root cause of the conflict by talking to the team members involved in the conflict in a one-on-one setting. Avoid taking sides or showing favoritism.
• Resolving relationship conflicts requires handling people’s emotions. Sometimes this results in heated arguments and personal attacks. If you are comfortable facilitating discussions to resolve relationship conflict, go for it. I personally do not try to get into solving team member’s relationship conflicts, as these need to be handled sensitively and might require manager or HR intervention.

While it is not possible to avoid relationship conflict completely at work, you can minimize them. One way to keep relationship conflicts to a minimum is by creating professional boundaries at work and not oversharing your personal information. Getting too involved in others’ personal issues or oversharing your personal information can create unnecessary emotional investment and conflict.

I have had my share of conflicts as well—and wondered why I felt uncomfortable dealing with some conflicts versus others. This insight about task versus relationship conflict helped me figure out the reason why. 

In conclusion, I can attest to the importance of understanding the differences between task and relationship conflict. While task conflict can be constructive if managed properly, relationship conflict is often detrimental. By understanding these differences, we can better manage conflicts and create a more positive, productive environment for everyone involved.

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