A lot of conflict is bad. If Alisha gets so frustrated that she picks up the apple and throws it at the board chair’s head, that’s the bad kind of conflict – no matter if she’s right or wrong about the whole cake thing. A lot of boards are afraid to disagree openly with each other because the directors are worried that they might spark the bad kind of conflict. Of course, bad conflict doesn’t always mean people are throwing things at each other – it’s basically just when disagreements become personal. If a director doesn’t understand why Alisha could possibly think the apple is a cake, they might just get annoyed and treat Alisha poorly or dismiss her point of view – that’s bad conflict, even without the food fight.
52. Constructive Conflict (definition)
52. Constructive Conflict (definition)
52. Constructive Conflict (definition)
A lot of conflict is bad. If Alisha gets so frustrated that she picks up the apple and throws it at the board chair’s head, that’s the bad kind of conflict – no matter if she’s right or wrong about the whole cake thing. A lot of boards are afraid to disagree openly with each other because the directors are worried that they might spark the bad kind of conflict. Of course, bad conflict doesn’t always mean people are throwing things at each other – it’s basically just when disagreements become personal. If a director doesn’t understand why Alisha could possibly think the apple is a cake, they might just get annoyed and treat Alisha poorly or dismiss her point of view – that’s bad conflict, even without the food fight.