Engineering Management Institute

healthy conflict

Healthy Conflict: How Disagreements Spur Innovation

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This is a guest post by Patrick Sweet, P.Eng., MBA, PMP, CSEP

Healthy ConflictFor most engineers, conflict at work is something to be avoided. It’s about as desirable as spilling coffee on your pants before a big presentation or dealing with (yet another) paper jam. There’s an important difference, however, between conflict and most other office challenges: conflict is incredibly important. In fact, almost all innovative products and processes are the result of conflicts at work.

This leads us to two questions. Why is it that conflict is so important for innovation, and how can you approach conflict in a healthy way? In today’s article, I’ll tackle both important questions.

Why Is Conflict Important for Innovation?

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Is Conflict Always Bad? The Answer May Surprise You

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This is a blog by Jeff Perry, MBA

conflictMost of us, when we think about conflict, consider it a bad thing we should avoid. That’s not exactly true.

The right kind of conflict can actually build trust and increase performance in teams! In fact, I would say that one of the best indicators of a team that trusts each other is the amount of conflict in the team.

Positive, healthy conflict happens when we can challenge each other in real ways, be open and honest, and collaborate more effectively.

conflict

Disagreements Are Normal and Should Be Encouraged

There is no situation or team that is going to sail through all projects and tasks without ever disagreeing with each other. Yet one of the things that can build divisions and trouble in a teams faster than anything is when people don’t feel heard and able to express disagreements, especially with leaders.

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