Conflict is not a bad thing. "Conflict is the gadfly of thought. It stirs us to observation and memory. It instigates to invention. It shocks us out of sheep like passivity, and sets us at noting and contriving." Said john Dewey. After all, isn't it true that when all people think alike, nobody ever thinks at all? And all we human beings pride ourselves on our ability to think. "I think, therefore I am"!

Yes. Conflict is not a bad thing. If managed well it is actually a very productive, progressive and path-breaking tool for overall progress.

"If managed well" is the catch. Conflict is great as long as it does not turn into combat. And there is only one difference between the two: Attitude. The attitude of the individual team members.

To manage conflict constructively and turn it into something that will make everybody and everything stronger, one has to introspect on the following three questions:
1. What are the causes of conflict?
2. What does an ideal "conflict-managed" situation look like?
3. How does one recreate the ideal conditions to achieve the state of healthy conflict?

Let us seek answers to each of these three questions.

CAUSES OF CONFLICT:

Attitude is the fundamental cause of conflict. Rather bad attitude is. Here are the five primary attitudinal deviations that steer a healthy conflict into the stalemates of combat.

1. An absence of trust among team members, stemming from misplaced ego. The attitude that prevents them from being vulnerable within the group.
2. The fear of conflict, stemming from the lack of trust. This prevents the team from engaging in unfiltered and passionate debates.
3. The lack of commitment, stemming from the fear of conflict. When there is fear, team members do not voice their opinions. There cannot be a strong buy-in' when members haven't voiced their views.
4. The avoidance of accountability, stemming from the lack of commitment. How would anybody be accountable for things they do not have a passion about?
5. The inattention to results, stemming from the lack of accountability. Lack of accountability leads to slip-shod work.

If you look at these five causes closely, it is easy to see that these five attitudes are a sort of a snowball effect. Trust or the lack of it, is at the fountainhead.

SO WHAT DOES AN IDEAL SITUATION LOOK LIKE:

In an ideal cohesive team, members are open to admitting weaknesses and mistakes; they ask for help; they invite questions and feedback about

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