The CEO is frustrated, two of his executive team members are in conflict. This negative relationship has been going on for some time with no resolution in sight. It has now escalated to the point where the people who work for these executives are being forced to choose sides. The CEO has tried every approach he can think of without any positive change.

I'm sure you have observed similar situations in your career. It is often not surprising to us when we consider the drive, ambition, and competitiveness necessary to succeed at top levels. CEOs are faced with the dilemma of how to manage these conflicts without dampening creativity. In his book, Power and Influence - Beyond Formal Authority, John Kotter states, "Strong leadership means creating an environment where built-in conflicts can potentially lead to creative decisions through effective teamwork, and where destructive power struggles, bureaucratic infighting, and parochial politics are absolutely minimized."

Conflict between two members of an executive team can affect all team members. In such tense situations, it is difficult to have free-flowing team discussions and take necessary risks. When these circumstances arise, CEOs soon discover that attempts at problem solving and consensus building can take an eternity. In extreme cases, individuals reporting to the executives in conflict, begin to line up like warring factions. In addition, others within the organization often become aware of these problems. They question why the CEO hasn't taken steps to resolve the conflict. The reputation of the CEO can become eroded and detract from his or her power to lead. The ultimate tragedy is that careers are damaged when conflicts become protracted. Many years ago, I worked for a company where both the President and CFO were fired because of their conflict-filled relationship. As a young professional, I was mystified that these individuals could not resolve their differences. In retrospect, maybe they needed help from a third party.

You may be thinking, "Mark, forget about the executive team, we have these types of struggles on my project team." The recommendations listed below apply not only to executive teams, but also to teams throughout the organization. They can be used in any situation where the CEO, manager, supervisor, or team leader is concerned about unhealthy conflict.

• Examine your own comfort level in dealing with conflict. What are you doing or not doing that might contribute to this situation? Have you been hoping that the problem would go away?

• Talk with each of the parties in conflict individually about their behavior and then together.

• Plan on listening more than talking in these meetings. Have a list of questions ready.

• Always have a "lessons learned" discussion immediately following team conflicts that are particularly troublesome.

• Facilitate the team in establishing ground rules for dealing with conflict. These guidelines will help keep dialog civilized and productive.

• Don't expect that one meeting with the individuals will solve the problem. On-going coaching, in most cases, will be required by you as the CEO or team leader.

Recommended Reading:
Executive Teams, D. Nadler, J. Spencer & Assoc., Jossey Bass,
Available on Amazon.com

Copyright 2006, Mark J. Campbell. All rights reserved.
Permission to reprint this article is granted, provided you let me know where it is being printed, the copyright is not removed, and the following text accompanies each article:

"Mark Campbell partners with organizations for leadership development. For a complimentary subscription to his newsletter, "Management Challenges," go to www.mjcampbellassoc.com."

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