My son is in middle school and decided to play on the footbal team this year.  When I picked him up from school today, he was upset.  He explained to me that some boys left the gym and locker room a mess during the morning athletic period.  For punishment, the boys had to do a "snake" drill and run the length and width of the football field in 5-yard increments.  My son was upset because his schedule had not been changed yet, so he didn't have the morning athletic period and was not responsible for the mess that was made, yet he had to suffer the consequences.   I explained to him that a team is a team through good and bad.  You win as a team and you lose as a team.  Maybe his teammates would keep that in mind before they decided to trash the gym again.

When we work in teams, it feels good to share the praise and accolades that the team receives when it does well.  But, as leaders, we have to remember that the desire to share also must apply to team losses.  When teams suffer a loss, it's a knee-jerk reaction to try to point fingers and shift the blame to an individual person or department.  Finding a scapegoat on the team to explain poor performance undermines the spirit of teamwork and chips away at positive organizational culture.  Leaders can set the example by praising teams as a whole for successes and addressing poor performance with the entire team rather than just a team leader or a weak link.  

Here are some ways to build capacity in work teams so that they are willing and able to share both wins and losses:

1. Embed team-building activities into the work schedule
2. Support relationship building among team members (this can include social actitivies outside of work hours)
3. Require that teams set team goals and hold them accountable
4. Recognize the accomplishments of functional teams
5. Identify dysfunctional teams and address their needs
6. Set an example of being a team player by aligning leaderhip goals with those of upper management and the organization as a whole
7. Use "we" instead of "I" 

Sports teams are excellent examples of teamwork and sharing wins and losses.  Translating these same principles to a business organization can foster unity and productivity.  I'm grateful that my son is learning this lesson sooner rather than later.

I don't know of any leader who enjoys playing mommy or daddy to tattle-telling employees.  The goal should be to build capacity in employees to be effective in conflict resolution, but in the mean time, how do you address employee conflict?

Once you have become aware of conflict between employees, address it immediately.  Don't allow the conflict to fester and taint the spirit of the rest of the team.  Here are some steps for dealing with the conflict:

1. Speak to the employees individually so you can hear each side of the story.  Take notes and be an effective listener.  Don't say or do anything that would give the impression that you are in support of one employee over another before all stories are heard.
2. Determine if there is any policy or procedure that addresses the conflict.  
3. Speak to the employees involved in the conflict collectively and inform them of your decision.  During this meeting, do not allow employees to speak negatively about one another or bully one another.  Ensure that everyone fully understands your decision.
4. If there is any employee disciplinary action to be taken, do so privately and respectfully.
5. If there was no policy to govern the conflict or the policy was inadequate or unclear, consider revising the policy or creating new policy to prevent the conflict in the future.  If policy did not apply in this situation, examine the organization culture or procedures to determine how this conflict happened and what you can do to prevent it in the future.
6. Monitor the employees and the situation to make sure that it's truly been resolved.

Employee conflict is frustrating because it prevents work from being done.  That's why it must be addressed swiftly and effectively.  Even good leaders experience conflict on their teams every once in a while, but what separates them from ineffective leaders is how they handle it!