1. 🧘 Stay Neutral and Calm
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Avoid taking sides.
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Keep your tone calm and non-defensive.
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Set a tone of respect and professionalism.
“Let’s take a moment to understand each other’s perspectives without judgment.”
2. 🎧 Listen Actively to All Parties
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Give each person a chance to speak without interruption.
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Show that you're listening: summarize, clarify, and ask open questions.
“What I’m hearing is that you’re concerned about deadlines, while your teammate is focused on quality. Is that correct?”
3. 🔍 Identify the Root Cause
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Conflicts often stem from:
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Miscommunication
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Conflicting priorities
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Ambiguous roles
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Personality clashes
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Try to dig beneath the surface to find the real issue.
4. 🤝 Encourage Open Communication
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Create a safe space for everyone to express concerns.
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Reinforce psychological safety—no one should fear backlash for speaking up.
“Let’s use ‘I’ statements and focus on behaviors, not personal attacks.”
5. 📄 Clarify Roles and Expectations
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Often, conflict arises from unclear ownership.
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Clarify responsibilities, deliverables, and expectations.
“Let’s define who owns what so that we can avoid overlap or misunderstandings.”
6. 🛠️ Facilitate a Resolution Together
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Encourage the team to propose solutions.
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Aim for win-win compromises.
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If needed, involve a Scrum Master, HR, or mediator.
“What solution would work for both of you and help us move forward?”
7. 📅 Follow Up
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Don’t assume it's resolved forever.
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Check in later to ensure things have improved and trust is being rebuilt.
“How are things going now? Anything lingering that we need to address?”
8. Use Agile Ceremonies:
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Retrospectives are a great way to surface tensions safely.
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Use techniques like:
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Start/Stop/Continue
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Sailboat method
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ROTI (Return on Time Invested)
🗂️ Team Conflict Resolution Template
💬 Goal: Facilitate a respectful discussion and guide the team to a resolution.
🧘 1. Set the Stage (5 mins)
Say:
“Thanks for joining. I know there’s been some tension, and I want us to resolve this constructively. This is a safe space to speak openly. Let’s stick to facts, not assumptions, and focus on solutions.”
Tips:
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Establish ground rules: one person speaks at a time, no interrupting, stay respectful.
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Offer a neutral tone and setting (not in front of the whole team).
🎧 2. Listen to Each Party (10–15 mins)
Take turns asking each person:
Prompt:
“Can you help me understand your perspective on the issue?”
Use active listening:
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Reflect back: “So you’re feeling [emotion] because [reason]—is that right?”
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Clarify misunderstandings.
🔍 3. Identify the Root Cause (5–10 mins)
Ask:
“What do you think is the underlying issue here?”
Common causes:
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Role ambiguity
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Communication gaps
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Differences in values (speed vs. quality, etc.)
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Workload imbalances
Summarize what you’ve heard:
“It seems like the main issues are [X] and [Y]. Do we all agree on that?”
⚖️ 4. Co-Create Solutions (10–15 mins)
Ask:
“What changes would help us work better together moving forward?”
Encourage them to suggest:
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Role clarifications
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New communication norms
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Adjustments to workload or process
Then agree on concrete actions:
“Let’s agree on [solution]. Who will do what, and by when?”
📅 5. Follow Up and Monitor (After 1–2 weeks)
Say:
“Let’s check in next week to make sure things are improving. Feel free to reach out before then if needed.”