Positive Aspects of Conflict, lesson one. Let's take a moment to review our objectives. Discover the positive aspects of conflict, identify appropriate management of conflict, and differentiate the causes of conflict. Positive aspects of conflict have certain ingredients that ensure that we embrace the idea that conflict can be a healthy situation. Main ingredients include the issues at hand. And we each bring a different paradigm to the environment that reviews this, which will stimulate different thoughts and objectives, and different points of view. The emotions that are involved. Go back to a healthy management of your emotion, and look at and allow people to be passionate about positions. And it also presents an opportunity. This particular idea of positive aspects of conflict. Embrace all of these ideas and thoughts of the issues, the emotions, and the opportunity that each of us bring to the table with our own set of objectives, ideals, and visions on what needs to be accomplished. Conflict can be very supportive with diverse ideas. It can stimulate different thought processes when everybody involved embraces individual's perspectives and points of view. I'm sure you've been in healthy situations where you've been able to brainstorm a concept and play off of each other, because not one idea is the right idea. It's usually an accumulation of ideas that are brought together and supported that come out to the best one to present. When conflict is approached positively, you can have higher performing teams, because individuals feel that they are respected and that their ideas are listened to. What's most important in order to support a conflict situation in a positive way, is that individuals feel that when they speak, they're not only being heard, but they are listened to. So listening to an individual is also provides you the opportunity to repeat their comments, and support their ideas to a positive resolution. It also supports a sense of empowerment and an ability for people to not fear of speaking of what their positions are, which of course, also indicates a collaboration. When I was talking about listening and reporting back to what somebody is speaking to, it's an exercise of active listening skills. So when an individual speaks and you're able to repeat what they said in a supportive and healthy way, basically you're bringing to the table the idea that I've heard you, I've listened to you and let's see what actions we can take from here. That's an exercise in active listening skill, which of course supports a very positive environment which allows collaboration even in conflict situations. When we talk about supporting different ideas and promoting different ways of thinking, the empowerment word is often used, and the offset of that is the harmony that is produced within the team, within the division, and even within the company. That shows that a collaborative work environment does take place, even when conflict is there. Positive conflict inspires individuals to behave differently. It also pushes the envelope of their performance. It doesn't cocoon them into feeling secure in that, if I do anything other than what my current projects are, I will be at risk. No, supporting positive conflict allows people to push those risks to the next level to be higher performer as an individual, which then of course supports higher performing teams. When the environment supports positive, constructive conflict situations as well as resolutions, the collaboration is at its highest level, as along with the cohesiveness of the individuals.
