Conflict Resolution in Project Management: Complete Guide for IT Managers

ITExpert team20.09.2023

According to a study by coaching company BetterUp, 26% of employees say conflicts are common at work. The IT sector is no exception where each project is a maneuver between the interests and desires of the team, the personal development vectors of each member, requests from clients, and deadlines. That’s why conflicts are inevitable.

Why do conflicts arise at work, what are the approaches to managing conflicts in the project team, and how to turn a crisis into positive changes? Let’s explore the answers to these questions and conflict resolution in project management with Taras Fedoruk, Technical Program Manager at Booking.com.

Taras has passed more than 10 professional certifications including PMP (Project Management Professional) and PSM II (Professional Scrum Master II) and also was awarded as PMI Rising Leader in 2022.

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Common Causes of Conflict in IT Project Teams

Nowadays, differences of opinion are the most common source of conflict in IT teams. There are many points of view, ways of writing code, design, or project architecture. This does not mean that some are right and some are wrong, they are just different. However, in the IT field, there are other causes of conflicts at work:

Human factor. Stress, workload, fatigue, and different levels of stress resistance affect the general condition of employees. It can make them more aggressive and conflict.

Mistakes in the process of information and tasks accepting/transmitting. This is a common situation when someone misunderstands a colleague, does the wrong thing, there are mutual claims, etc.

Lack of communication skills and ability to provide feedback. It is necessary to develop communication skills, the ability to criticize, and perceive constructive feedback.

Role confusion. Employees are part of the team, but not serfs or family members. Colleagues are united by common goals, however, they are not required to perform other roles, except for those prescribed in the job offer.

Conflicts due to different work styles. Each person has their approach to doing work. Some people work fast and try to move on to another task quickly, while others need more time for thoughtful work. Some people work on their own and need little or no direction from management, while others are constantly consulted by more senior colleagues.

All that makes conflict management in projects highly important. Forbes even published an article with 16 reasons that lead to conflicts in their tech department most often.

How Positive Conflict in the Workplace can be Beneficial?

Most of us are accustomed to perceiving conflicts at work rather as a negative phenomenon. However, they can be helpful. According to psychologist Louise Douce, a conflict situation is useful if it:

helps to see and accept different points of view;
leads to the emergence of new ideas;
contributes to problem explanation or reassessment;
leads to increased individual or team performance.

Conflict can be helpful and even essential to a team/project’s success. It stimulates creativity and innovation, makes decision-making more informed, increases team cohesion, and shows when to pay attention to a particular problem.

Conflict also stimulates growth and learning. Working with conflict situations requires the improvement of soft skills in IT such as active listening, empathy, and understanding of different points of view. By overcoming conflict, team members can develop communication skills and boost emotional intelligence. Taras Fedoruk

How to Uncover Hidden Workplace Conflicts

According to Taras Fedoruk, there are several signs and red flags that may indicate problems in the team:

Deterioration of communication: Are team members starting to communicate less or avoid discussions? This may be a sign of internal tension or even conflict. In turn, the weakening of communication can hinder cooperation and problem-solving.

Increased tension or hostility: Watch team interactions and look for signs of tension, hostility, or passive-aggressive behavior. Frequent arguments, sarcasm, or negative comments may indicate unresolved conflicts.

Factions/exclusive groups formation: When team members begin to form exclusive groups or factions, this can lead to a “US vs THEM” mentality, facilitating potential conflicts and hindering effective teamwork.

Missed deadlines: Conflicts can be distracting and affect team focus, leading to missed deadlines and reduced overall productivity.

Regular complaints: Pay attention to the increase in the number of negative feedback. This may highlight issues that require attention.

5 Conflict Resolution Strategies in IT Teams (Thomas-Kilmann Model)

How to resolve conflict at work? American psychologist Kenneth Thomas identifies five typical ways that people use to handle conflict. There are no right or wrong ones among them, but some might work more effectively under various circumstances. Here are the conflict resolution techniques in project management you can use.

Avoiding

Pretending that nothing happened is avoidance. On an ongoing basis, this strategy is bad to use because it doesn’t solve the problem. However, it can help when you need to take a break, calm down, and think about your options.

Avoidance at its core is not even a strategy, but a way to survive in a company. This approach indicates a lack of desire for cooperation. When you see a colleague who chooses not to voice his ideas to avoid having to defend them, it is worth considering the current state of team interaction. Taras Fedoruk

Competing

Let’s imagine that Team Lead and Senior conflict with each other. They fail to reach an agreement and the manager insists on his decision. This is a competing strategy. It is effective to use when a decision needs to be made quickly. However, the frequent use of this strategy can harm the relationship in the team.

This strategy rarely works, you need to have significant organizational capital (in other words, reputation) to implement it. Every time you get other people to act your way, you pay out of that capital. And it must be replenished before you continue with this approach again. Taras Fedoruk

Accommodating

This is a strategy when employees voluntarily or involuntarily yield to their interests. It is also characteristic of conflicts between managers and subordinates. In the long run, this way of resolving conflicts can worsen relationships.

This strategy is used by employees who put their comfort above the interests of the team or project. It works as a tool to save time, but not to extract the best results. Taras Fedoruk

Compromising

With this strategy, the interests of everyone are studied. Those that bring the most positive impact are prioritized, and those that are less significant for achieving the goal are ignored. The approach should be applied when the most important thing is the result.

This strategy involves a lose-lose situation. Hence, everyone needs to give up something. The approach can be effective in many situations. However, if applied too early, you will deprive the team of a plurality of opinions and the opportunity to find the best possible solution. Taras Fedoruk

Collaborating

The main feature of this approach is to take into account the interests of all parties. This allows you to maintain relationships in the team and find the best solutions possible. A collaborating strategy is one of the most effective, however, it requires advanced communication skills and time for discussion.

This strategy requires time, effort, and the general interest of the parties in the search for truth. However, it contributes to creating an atmosphere of sincerity and openness, necessary for the success of the individual and the company as a whole. Studies show that high-performing companies use this style of project management conflict resolution more often than low-performing ones.

5 Conflict Resolution Strategies in IT Teams

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Communication Tips for Conflict Resolution in the Workspace

Tip: you need to prepare for difficult conversations. If the simple misunderstanding can be resolved immediately, the conflict should be resolved by a separate conversation, especially if it is serious and its degree is rising. Conflict in project management is one of the issues that need your attention.

Step 1. Choose a Good Emotional State

Your interlocutor must be emotionally available for the conversation. If you know that colleagues are very busy or have problems in personal life that may affect their condition, it’s better to postpone the conversation. If you feel that you aren’t yet ready to communicate, let your colleague or manager know that you need more time.

Step 2. Let the Colleague Know What Exactly You Want To Discuss

Describe the conversation neutrally, as a separate meeting. For example, “Can we discuss this separately, in a more relaxed atmosphere, say, this afternoon?”. Avoid dry phrases like “We need to talk”, they can cause anxiety. Also, outline how long the conversation will last. Your colleague will feel more comfortable if he/she knows that you will discuss something serious, for example, for up to 15 minutes.

Step 3. Describe the Situation So That the Person Sees It Through Your Eyes

For example, “It so happened that …” or “From my side, it looks like …”. Choose the I-message strategy formulated by the American psychologist Marshall Rosenberg. For example: “I think you misunderstood me.” At the same time, avoid phrases like “You are wrong” or “You have a prejudice against me.” It is perceived as an attack or an insult.

Be careful with the word “why”. It often looks like an accusation. For example, replace the wording “Why did you do this?” with the question “What prompted you to do this?”. Open-ended questions that do not create tension (especially those that start with “Who”, “What”, “When”, “Where”, and “How”) are also useful. For instance: “What is important to you?” or “How do you think I should act in this situation?” They give the interlocutor the illusion of control and hint that you are asking for help and ready for a discussion.

Step 4: Voice Your Need or Goal

For example: “We need to solve this situation because it affects …” Be sure to support your position with arguments and explanations such as “We need 2–3 months for this project so that we can complete everything successfully.”

Step 5. Express Your Opinion and Offer Colleagues to Share Their Point of View

You can use the phrase “I can start and offer ideas, and then, you will share your vision, okay?”. This is how you show that you are focused on finding the best solution ever possible.

Do not hurry your contradictor otherwise, they may think that you do not care about his opinion. In that case, you risk undermining his trust. And vice versa: when a person feels that he is being listened to, he/she is less defensive and opposing, more willing to listen to another point of view.

Step 6. Clarify the Point of View of Each of the Parties

Ignoring the point of view of even one of the employees can exacerbate the conflict or make it difficult to find an effective solution. To avoid this, each team member should express their opinion. According to the Deloitte 2020 Global Human Capital Trends, 25% of respondents find it important that they are free to express themselves and feel fair at work.

Step 7. Consider the Rule “7–38–55%”

According to it, only 7% of the content comes from the speech itself, while 38% from intonation, and 55% from gestures and facial expressions.

Communication Tips for Conflict Resolution in the Workspace

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Extra Tip: Don’t Let Your Emotions Control You

According to Daniel Kahneman’s theory (US psychologist), a person has two systems of thinking. Fast one, or instinctive, emotional system; and slow one, also called consistent, rational system of thinking. First, we are led by the emotional system, then, the rational one. The main thing is not to let your emotions control you. Otherwise, you may turn a potentially constructive dialogue into a typical fight.

How to Handle a Project Management Conflicts

The team consists of individuals with different life and professional backgrounds, as well as views on things. Given these differences, conflicts often arise. Therefore, it is important to hire people who are compatible in values and also take into account cultural fit.

What else helps to avoid new conflicts at work, and also creates the basis for quickly overcoming current ones?

Encourage open communication: Help create an environment where team members feel comfortable expressing their concerns and ideas openly and without fear of judgment.

Hold regular team meetings: this will allow you to discuss any emerging problems, clarify expectations, as well as quickly resolve misunderstandings and conflict situations.

Provide training and development: Offer training in communication skills, emotional intelligence, and team conflict management.

Conflict management skills are among those that can be developed throughout a lifetime. There will always be new non-typical situations, toxic colleagues, and the need for non-standard solutions. Here are the books that help me with conflict management in IT:

Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone, Mark Goulston & Keith Ferrazzi

Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, Sheila Heen, Douglas Stone & Bruce Patton
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It, Chris Voss. Taras Fedoruk

There are no ready-to-use conflict resolution practices since each case is unique. However, you always need to look for the causes of conflict and eliminate them. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and make contact with colleagues or management.