Raising and resolving conflicts in the team

In short: Conflicts arise wherever people work together; raising them early, understanding viewpoints, clarifying interests and seeking shared solutions prevents escalation.

In more detail: Conflicts are normal and can advance teams if handled factually. Unspoken anger, by contrast, grows, harms results and mood and can lead to bullying or resignation.

In Depth

Types and causes

• Factual conflicts: different opinions on solutions, priorities, technology.
• Relationship conflicts: sympathy, respect, tone, misunderstandings.
• Distribution conflicts: tasks, resources, time.
• Role and expectation problems: who decides, who is responsible?
• Triggers: unclear agreements, stress, missing information, different ways of working.

Raising it: a conversation pattern

1. Time and place: calm, in private, not in the heat of the moment: “Do you have a moment? I would like to discuss something.”
2. Describe the situation concretely and factually, I-messages: “I noticed that … That makes it hard for me because …”
3. Listen: understand the other person’s view; summarise (“Did I understand correctly that …?”).
4. Clarify interests instead of positions: what is it really about?
5. Collect solutions, make a joint agreement (who does what by when?), follow up later. Avoid reproaches, generalisations (“always”, “never”), sarcasm, onlookers.

Typical IT conflicts

Code disputes (style, architecture): rules (formatter, review guidelines), arguments with data, decision rules (tech lead, ADRs). Deadlines and overtime: clarify priorities, estimate effort. Knowledge gap: explain, pair programming, patience. Communication style (direct vs. cautious) and remote work (misunderstandings in text): ask back, video call when tensions arise.

If it does not work alone

Get neutral help: trainer/team lead, works council/youth representation, mediation, person of trust. Document incidents of bullying, discrimination, harassment (date, what, witnesses) and use complaint offices (under the AGG), the chamber’s training advice. Mind self-care: breaks, talking with friends, with heavy strain counselling/doctor. You may set limits. Conflicts can be resolved or accepted; what matters is staying professional.

See also: Giving and receiving feedback, Works council and JAV, Cyberbullying, Pair programming