1. A Guide To…
Constructively Managing Conflict

2. 2
Constructively Manage Conflict
Four Strategies
Collaboration can be broadly
defined as:
“
People with different skills
and perspectives co-creating
‘something’ that none of the
individual members could
have created alone.
”
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3. 3
Constructively Manage Conflict
Given the growing
competitive importance of
collaboration, many
organizations are seeking to
minimize hierarchies, tear
down silo walls, hire team
players and develop more
collaborative leaders and
cultures.
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4. 4
Constructively Manage Conflict
These are much needed
initiatives, but they don’t
really get to the root of why
collaboration can be so
hard to embed in an
organization:
Self-interest.
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5. 5
Constructively Manage Conflict
Would you collaborate if you felt it
wasn’t in your best interests to do
so?
If you want your people to
collaborate more, show them how it
connects to their wants and needs.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
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6. 6
Constructively Manage Conflict
1
2
3
4
Identify real
collaboration
opportunities
Find and
communicate
successes
Reward and
recognition
Learning and
Development
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7. 7
Constructively Manage Conflict
1
Identify real
collaboration
opportunities
 Sometimes we behave as though collaboration is
a moral crusade, but collaboration in the
workplace is a means to an end, not an end in
itself. Don’t just wave a collaboration banner
around the organization. It’s too vague, not
action specific and can easily be ignored.
 Look for opportunities where collaboration really
makes sense, e.g. where the problem is difficult
to define or where creativity and improvisation
are needed.
 Show people where collaboration makes their
jobs and lives easier and more satisfying.
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8. 8
Constructively Manage Conflict
2
Find and
communicate
successes
 We can revise value statements to promote
collaboration, but the impact is likely to be
minimal and may even breed cynicism.
Find collaborative successes – particularly in
your organization – and show how it works,
don’t just say it works.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

9. 9
Constructively Manage Conflict
2
Find and
communicate
successes
 People need concrete examples of shared
accomplishment, not just PR for the collaboration
cause.
A real story, in which the people involved in a
collaborative effort speak authentically of their
shared and personal challenges and of how they
worked through them to a successful outcome, is
worth a thousand balloons.
 Let the story demonstrate how self-interests and
shared interests morphed into our interests.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

10. 10
Constructively Manage Conflict
3
Reward and
recognition
 Reworking the reward and recognition system to
encourage collaboration behaviours can help.
If 20 percent of my salary is based on how well I
collaborate with others on my team – or with
those outside of my team – I will most likely
look at collaboration through a different set of
eyes.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

11. 11
Constructively Manage Conflict
3
Reward and
recognition
 We should, however, look at self- interest more
broadly than just financial rewards.
Self-interest comes in many forms. Many people
want to collaborate because of intrinsic rewards
like the positive feeling of belonging to a
community, or the increased job satisfaction
from working with supportive and highly
competent colleagues.
Some also see the personal benefits to their
longer-term careers of learning to work
collaboratively. The benefits of financial rewards
are often short-lived.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

12. 12
Constructively Manage Conflict
3
Reward and
recognition
 Many people are starved of meaning in their
work, and cash doesn’t satisfy that self-interest
(at least beyond a certain level of income).
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

13. 13
Constructively Manage Conflict
4
Learning and
Development
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
 Reward and recognition don’t equip you with the
mindsets, behaviours and skills to collaborate
effectively with others.
Sometimes we simply ask people to collaborate
better without answering the ‘how’ questions.
The ‘why’ questions are important, but the how
questions and answers pack the most power in
the workplace.

14. 14
Constructively Manage Conflict
4
Learning and
Development
 A lack of understanding of the collaborative
process, skills and tools can quickly bring a wellintended effort to its knees.
I’m not going to be interested in collaborating
with others if I feel unprepared and in danger of
appearing incompetent.
Human beings can collaborate. We wouldn’t
have survived as a relatively successful
species if we couldn’t find the means to work
together and create that ‘something’ that
wasn’t there before.
© Transnational Management Associates Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

15. About Us
15
Webinar
Constructively Manage Conflict
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Viewpoints
and articles
Visit
www.tmaworld.com/insights
to discover the latest
Publications
Written by Terence Brake, Director of Learning &
Innovation at TMA World.
thinking from our experts on
global, collaborative, crosscultural and
virtual working.
There you’ll find links
to our:
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Our new Borderless Working e-book series

16. 16
About Us
Constructively Manage Conflict
Visit
www.tmaworld.com/insights
to discover the latest
thinking from our experts
on global, collaborative,
cross-cultural and
Above all we’d like to hear from you
directly, so please don’t hesitate to send
any comments, questions or feedback
to us at: enquiries@tmaworld.com
virtual working.
Or visit our website:
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