Have you ever felt like your team’s continuous improvement is stalling, and all the best attempts of running effective retros don't get them to a higher performing state? Teams that avoid conflict at all costs or even just feel uncomfortable embracing conflict have a big problem. They will sweep things under the carpet to not rock the boat. And often it doesn’t even matter if the boat is smoothly sailing or in trouble already. Hence, even game changing ideas end up under, instead of on the carpet, and can hence prevent amazing technical, product, and process improvements. The reason for this behaviour is that people and whole teams fear conflict, as they don’t know how to deal with it. A team in harmony is a good thing after all, right? Wrong! In this session we will address why you want conflict in your teams, healthy conflict of course, but conflict nevertheless. We’ll present useful strategies and tools on how teams and individuals can get in touch with conflict. You will learn how to utilise these strategies and tools for better outcomes and a much better team culture, too (even if the latter sounds counterintuitive). So come along to be slightly pushed out of your theoretical comfort zone and learn to make (healthy) wars, not (only) love!

1. Teams! Make War, Not (Only) Love!
(Victoria|Bernd) Schiffer - @Erdbeervogel | @berndschiffer
SEEK | Bold Mover - LAST Conf 2016 Melbourne

2. Don’t let your Teams down by avoiding
conflicts. Having conflicts is tough, but
dealing with them is your only way to high-
performance.

3. Conflict?

4. Who?

5. Why?

6. What?

7. What?

8. During planning one day...

9. So, what now?

10. DON’T
Jump in and decide as the manager

11. DON’T
Joke about the situation
and put it off

12. DON’T
Change the
subject

13. DON’T
Ignore the situation or make no decision

14. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Where you want to be
Conflict
By Abraham Maslow in 1943

15. By Bruce Tuckman in 1965
Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development
Where you want to be
Conflict

16. Five Dysfunctions of a Team
By Patrick Lencioni in 2002
Where you want to be
Conflict

17. Do you see a pattern?

18. DO
Share the
Observed &
Acknowledge

19. DO
Separate
People from
Problem

20. DO
Focus on Interests, not Positions
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/78749146@N06/10651107403

21. DO
Invent options for mutual gain

22. DO
Win/Win or No Deal!

23. Tools
Listen & Understand

24. “20 Minute Rule”
If Emotions are Too High
Tools

25. Tools
Get Support
from a
Mediator,
Facilitator,
Coach

26. Getting to Yes
by Roger Fisher and
William Ury

27. The 7 Habits
of Highly
Effective People
by Stephen R. Covey

28. The Five
Dysfunctions
of a Team
by Patrick Lencioni

29. Don’t let your Teams down by avoiding conflicts.
Having conflicts is tough, but dealing with them
is your only way to high-performance.

30. But I can only show you
the door. You're the one
that has to walk through
it.
-- Morpheus in “Matrix”

31. Victoria Schiffer, Agile Coach
➢ @Erdbeervogel
➢ @seekjobs
➢ http://slideshare.net/erdbeervogel
➢ http://linkedin.com/in/victoriaschiffer
➢ http://seek.com.au
Bernd Schiffer, Agile Coach, Trainer,
Consultant
➢ @berndschiffer
➢ @bold_mover
➢ bernd.schiffer@boldmover.com
➢ http://slideshare.net/berndschiffer
➢ http://berndschiffer.com
➢ http://boldmover.com
➢ http://agiletrail.com
Teams! Make War, Not (Only) Love!
LAST Conf Melbourne 2016

32. “Sometimes the tightest teams are the most
reluctant to do this, even when the feedback is
clearly constructive, because they don’t want to
risk the positive emotional environment that
exists, which they probably value greatly. […] I’ve
found that the most effective way to overcome this
hesitance is to help people realize that when they
fail to provide peers with constructive feedback
they are letting them down personally.” (Patrick
Lencioni, 5 Dysfunctions of a Team)