The Fire of Team Conflict

by Andrew Brown, LLP
Antalya is a beautiful place. It can also be very hot and dry place—sometimes going months without rain. This makes the surrounding forests highly vulnerable to fire. Occasionally we’ll see an airplane or helicopter loaded with water on its way to extinguish a blaze. Fire is a pretty good analogy for conflict on a team. Fire is a natural and normal occurrence in the life of a forest, just as conflict is a normal part of team life. At lower levels of intensity, both can be very helpful as they clear out “debris” that would otherwise inhibit growth and productivity. At the same time, they both have the potential at higher levels of intensity to be very destructive. What makes the difference?