Last updated on Jul 24, 2024

You're managing team members on various client projects. How do you resolve conflicts effectively?

When you're at the helm of managing team members across various client projects, conflicts can arise. They may stem from different perspectives, work styles, or misunderstandings. As an account manager, your role isn't just to oversee project completion but also to navigate these choppy waters. Effective conflict resolution is key to maintaining a productive team and ensuring client satisfaction. Recognizing the importance of this skill, let's delve into strategies that can help you resolve team conflicts with finesse.

1 Identify Issues

The first step in conflict resolution is to identify the root causes of the disagreement. Listen to all parties involved without bias and ask open-ended questions to understand their perspectives. It's crucial to differentiate between personal and professional issues. By pinpointing the exact problem, whether it's a miscommunication, a clash of ideas, or a workflow bottleneck, you can address the matter directly and prevent it from escalating further.

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Akshay Singh

Senior Manager at Bandhan Mutual Fund
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Conflict management is very important part of healthy business and healthy team management. Before coming to conclusion always try to dig into root cause of problems and for that you have to ve very good listener . Try to talk every party involve if there is situations of conflict. Always try to understand without being bias for long term solution.

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2 Open Dialogue

Establishing an open dialogue is essential for resolving conflicts. Encourage team members to express their concerns and feelings openly, but constructively. This communication should happen in a controlled environment where each person can speak without interruption. As a mediator, your role is to facilitate this conversation and ensure that it remains respectful and solution-focused. This process can lead to mutual understanding and a collaborative approach to problem-solving.

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Akshay Singh

Senior Manager at Bandhan Mutual Fund
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Expressing can make heart and mind both work effectively and to run a healthy team built confidence among the team to have a constructive opinion. Try to conduct team huddle where you have opinions of different team members and value there opinions with small gestures if thanks or incentives.

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3 Set Expectations

Clear expectations are vital for preventing and managing conflicts. As an account manager, you should set ground rules for how team members interact, make decisions, and handle disagreements. These expectations should be communicated clearly and reinforced regularly. By establishing a framework for professional behavior and decision-making processes, team members have a guide to reference when conflicts arise, which can lead to quicker resolutions.

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Akshay Singh

Senior Manager at Bandhan Mutual Fund
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Don’t make your team just run without goals. Set a standard operating practice for each and every resource and make them work to achieve it. Set accountability so that there is lesser chance of conflict between members of the team and vendors of the company. Review it regularly to achieve the goal with empowering team as well!

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4 Seek Solutions

Once the problem is understood and expectations are set, focus on finding solutions. This involves brainstorming with the team to come up with ideas that address the conflict. Encourage creativity and compromise, and remind everyone that the goal is a solution that benefits the project and the client. It's important to keep the team's dynamic and the project's objectives in mind when considering these solutions.

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Akshay Singh

Senior Manager at Bandhan Mutual Fund
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Once there clear pictures of the actual problem try to figure out solutions as soon as possible. Have a open debate session with the team. As a leader talk with individual members and take decisions of the best solution as per discussion with members. Try to implement view which is best for team rather then taking decisions for your individual benefits

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5 Implement Changes

After identifying a viable solution, it's time to implement changes. This might involve adjusting roles, revising processes, or establishing new communication protocols. It's crucial to act decisively and follow through on the agreed-upon changes to show your team that you are committed to resolving the issue and improving the work environment. Monitoring the impact of these changes is also important to ensure that the conflict doesn't recur.

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6 Reflect and Learn

Finally, use conflicts as learning opportunities. After resolution, take time to reflect on what caused the conflict and how it was handled. Discuss with your team what worked well and what could be improved for future situations. This reflection helps in building a stronger, more cohesive team that can handle challenges more effectively, leading to better project outcomes and client relationships.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Anton V.

Healthy Teamwork from 🌱 to 🌳 | Founder | Researcher | Methodologist
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1. Preventing diseases is better than treating them. However, often an account manager finds himself in a situation where the team is sick, which is a source of conflict, and tries to solve the problem alone - this rarely leads to good consequences; a collaborative approach to preventing systemic conflict is like a fire safety system that is constantly improving. 2. Remember the importance of abstraction and neutrality; do not give in to emotions and possible provocations of the parties to the conflict. 3. Look for solutions, don't blame anyone. 4. Improve your processes regularly. Good luck!

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You're managing team members on various client projects. How do you resolve conflicts effectively?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify Issues

2 Open Dialogue

3 Set Expectations

4 Seek Solutions

5 Implement Changes

6 Reflect and Learn

7 Here’s what else to consider

Account Management

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You're managing team members on various client projects. How do you resolve conflicts effectively?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify Issues

2 Open Dialogue

3 Set Expectations

4 Seek Solutions

5 Implement Changes

6 Reflect and Learn

7 Here’s what else to consider

Account Management

Rate this article

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