Manage Intrateam Conflict Through Collaboration

Intrateam conflict occurs when team members hold discrepant views or have interpersonal incompatibilities. This is especially likely in organizational teams comprised of members from different functional areas, disciplines, or diverse backgrounds. This chapter illustrates the three fundamental steps in leveraging team conflict via collaboration. The first step is to identify the type of intrateam conflict. The second is to engage a productive collaboration strategy using effective approaches to conflict expression and conflict management. The third step is to cultivate conditions that promote collaboration strategies. Collaboration within teams must be fostered by putting the right conditions in place – creating a team‐oriented environment and selecting team members who have the propensity to collaborate. The chapter also presents two case examples of team conflict to illustrate the use of collaboration in teams.