It is easier to solve a problem in a traditional team structure by escalating it to a boss, however this is not the case in self-managed teams.
An article in hbr.org suggests a few things that can help them to successfully resolve conflicts.
* First on the list is open discussions that should be carried out in the office. A conflict should be seen as an opportunity for growth and strong work relationships.
To create this culture of open communication, try turning conflict resolution into an organised group activity.
A technique called Planning Poker has opened many teams' eyes to just how productive having dissenting viewpoints can be. Using a point-based system, the technique encourages all team members to raise their opinions, weigh every option, and collectively vote on the best plan. Planning Poker is predominantly used by software developers, but it can facilitate virtually any business decision.
Come to a common understanding about which conflicts can be resolved without the involvement of others.
* The team should learn to win and lose as a group. When there is a problem, instead of looking who should be held responsible, investigations should be carried on why the issue occurred.
People should be ready to open up on how the problem occurred. As Etsy CTO John Allspaw says, people are 'the most expert in their own error. They ought to be heavily involved in coming up with remediation items.'
Punishing them for contributing to conflict discourages this productive dialogue.
To get more insight about the problem it can be discussed with other teams in the group as to how the problem can be addressed.
* Teams should learn to adapt to the need of its members. Quantifying the impact of conflict provides several benefits. It encourages productive conversations, creates alignment around the gravity of the issue, and unlocks creative solutions as people identify both the source and the impact of their conflicts. Assigning a numeric value to waste helps teams find better ways to reduce it.
