Teams are formed to capitalize on the strengths of different individuals and to meld those strengths into a unit that is greater than the sum of its parts. Teams that successfully deal with these inevitable conflicts end up designing more creatively and communicating with one another more productively. As discussed in the section on shared goals , successful teamwork requires that all members agree on long range goals. They also need to reach consensus on major decisions so that everyone is committed to the steps towards reaching those goals. Not uncommonly, however, team members disagree on goals or major decisions.
Some teams try to ignore the disagreement.
Neither of those strategies works in the long run because the person whose viewpoint is ignored or voted down becomes less committed to the project and to the team. The team suffers because it loses the voice, creative thinking, and energy of one of its members. A more productive method for dealing with conflicts over goals and major decisions is to shift the focus of discussion from what the members want to why they want it. One of the secrets to resolving conflict is to find out what people need. It's very possible to satisfy a person's or a group's needs without necessarily giving them what they claim they want.