What's LiveThink?

Dear Friend

LiveThink does just what it says on the tin - it's what we think. It is the LiveChange team's thoughts on topical, sometimes provocative, behaviour change and leadership issues. LiveChange enables employee behaviour change to create winning Brands and organisations. We hope you find it useful and interesting. Either way, we would love to know what you think!

In this first LiveThink I'll reflect on why constructive conflict is so important in leadership teams. 

Best wishes,

 Ian Windle, MD LiveChange

Avoid conflict? What's your problem!

Why I like conflict in Leadership teams

How often do you find leaders talking in the corridor after a Board meeting about how a member of their top team ‘should have done this’, or ‘why did they say that’? This can be so destructive and such an unproductive waste of time. Leadership teams need to indulge in productive conflict to thrive and survive! They need to have a level of trust and understanding that will allow people to challenge each other, not in a personal way, but in an objective way that will be accepted and respected by all.

The Conflict Continuum
Teams that don’t have a level of productive conflict can live in a state of artificial harmony, where the really tough issues are skirted over and aren’t addressed openly.
In Patrick Lencioni’s excellent book, ‘Five Dysfunctions of a team’, Lencioni says the best teams aim for a point just to the left of the mid-way point on the Productive to Destructive Conflict Continuum (please see graph above). That way they don’t stray over to the destructive side where it can seem like personal attacks, but at the same time the conversations are challenging enough to keep everyone on their toes.

Keeping productive conflict alive
This constant challenge for the right level of conflict in team meetings keeps people focused, holds people to account and means that real commitments are made to do things and act behind agreed goals. As with all good teams, the role model needs to be the leader of the team, who will set the standard.
Leaders must show the way by constantly challenging the management team to deliver on their promises, set clear goals and involve and engage their people to deliver the business plan. This way the role model is clear for others to follow.

I'd love to know any of your own thoughts on productive conflict, and do let's talk if you've any leadership challenges of your own.