Leadership During Conflict Resolution - Be A Guiding Light

When two departments are trying to work through conflict, the heads of each department play a critical role. This is because conflict between leaders of the departments has an impact on other people. While some leaders fool themselves into thinking that the people in their organization don’t know how they feel about the leader of another department, that is almost never the case. Though some leaders may be more politically correct than others and don’t directly bad-mouth their peers, the subtle message is just as damaging.

Before the actual departments come together, the two leaders should meet to make sure they really want this session to be a success. How they kick off the session - not only their words, but the passion with which they speak them - will oftentimes set the stage for what will happen the rest of the day. Of course, the actions that follow their words had better be in sync, or they run the risk of losing not only the trust of the other department, but their credibility within their own team.

One other thing: these sessions need not be a one-time activity. Before the session ends, everyone should agree that they will come back together again in 60 days to check progress. This is a great way to hold everyone accountable for sticking to their commitments to each other, and it also clearly communicates to everyone that folks aren’t expecting quick fixes from one 8-hour meeting. It is hard to get everyone in the same room at the same time to deal with issues that cross departments. Putting a date on everyone’s calendar for a follow-up sets the expectation that there will still be things to work through.

If collaboration between these two departments is mission critical - and if there is still significant room for improvement at the check-up meeting - then regular gatherings should be held between these departments, at least quarterly, and perhaps monthly or bimonthly. Make sure these meetings have a positive focus and that the agenda is filled with important topics.

Go for some quick wins: Interdepartmental relations can improve dramatically through something as simple as an easy-to-use, up-to-date contact list that clarifies who is accountable for what, so that you clearly know whom to call when an issue arises. The frustration and wasted time that this prevents is well worth the small investment of someone’s time to create it. Find opportunities for members of each of the departments to form ad hoc teams and work on critical business priorities of mutual interest. The more opportunities for them to collaborate successfully, the better.

In our next post, we’ll discuss creating norms for how the group can work together effectively. Until then, let's talk! Reach me by email or phone: 770-989-7030.