·
Although people, in general, do not like conflict, practically all work teams encounter it one time or another.
- That is, team members might disagree about how to solve a specific problem.
- Or one team member is frustrated because she believes that she works harder than her team mates.
- Or two team members just do not like each other...
Because engineers are trained to solve problems –using their analytical mindset –they commonly try to solve social conflicts.
However, this approach might not always be the most effective. In some cases it might be better to not interfere in a conflict.
Or it might be better to just listen to the fighting parties without coming up with a solution.
Conflict can sometimes be good and should be stimulated!