A fascinating 2017 study by Paletz, Chan, and Schunn explored why some design teams succeed while others stumble. Their key finding? It’s not the absence of conflict, but how teams handle brief disagreements, or “micro-conflicts”, that makes the difference.
Successful teams were found to harness these small disagreements or minor spats to reduce uncertainty, clarifying doubts and aligning understanding quickly. In contrast, less successful teams let their disagreements amplify uncertainty, causing confusion to linger and slow progress. This dynamic applies well beyond design teams, we believe.
In any field, whether healthcare, software, education, or business, the quicker we can identify and resolve our micro-conflicts, the more efficiently we can move forward. Why? Because lingering uncertainty drains energy. It creates hesitation, misalignment, and the need to rework solutions. But when teams have a structured way to flag and address micro-conflicts early, they transform friction and tension into clarity.
Importantly, the paper shows that disagreement itself isn’t the problem. It’s when disagreements go unresolved, along with the behaviors they trigger, that dysfunction sets in. A culture that encourages open, constructive challenges, paired with tools or methods such as using SpatzAI to guide real-time resolution, can turn potential friction into momentum.
Imagine a workplace where every micro-conflict is seen as an opportunity to remove a speed bump rather than add one. That’s not just wishful thinking; it’s a tested pathway to higher team efficiency, creativity, and shared understanding.
The quicker we resolve our spats, the sooner we clear the fog of uncertainty, and the better we perform, together.
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