Disagreements in teams are not the problem; disagreements that result in unresolved micro-conflicts and misalignment are. A disagreement is often just two people modelling reality differently. It can be useful. It can surface risks, sharpen thinking, and improve decisions. Many high-performing teams disagree frequently, and still collaborate well, by addressing—quickly—any behaviors that create friction or micro-conflicts....
Maybe Psychological Safety Isn’t a Feeling, But a Process to Be Measured
It seems to me that I see psychological safety a lot differently than most.. Team members often don’t stay silent because they have nothing to say, but because they’re concerned they won’t receive the respect they deserve for contributing. Not because they are weak, but because they don’t know how to address objectionable behavior without exasperating the situation.
Why the Future of Dynamic Collaboration Could Lie in Micro-Conflict Intelligence (MI)
In Design Studies (2017), Joel Chan and his colleagues observed that teams that failed to resolve their micro-conflicts often failed to achieve their project goals. Conversely, those that successfully navigated these everyday tensions didn’t just avoid breakdown, they reduced uncertainty, built trust, and ultimately delivered stronger outcomes.
Why My SpatzAI Pitch Was Rejected by Atlassian Ventures
Two years ago, when I pitched SpatzAI fair play for teams to an investor from Atlassian Investment, he listened carefully, smiled, and said something that stuck: “Managers might start getting honest pushback from their teams.”
Baking Psychological Safety With SpatzAI
We all know the story of the Little Red Hen. She wanted to bake bread and asked for help at every stage: planting, harvesting, grinding, kneading, baking. Each time, the cat, the dog, and the duck declined. But when the bread came out of the oven, they all wanted a slice.
Why SpatzAI Might Be the Best Supervised Fine-Tuner on the Planet
Everyone’s racing to fine-tune LLMs. But here's a thought: what if the real breakthrough isn’t just in model weights, but in the way we shape behavioral context and output formatting in real-time?
A Novel Way to Resolve Workplace Feedback and Conflict: Address it in Real-Time
There seem to be three known ways to address workplace feedback and to resolve conflicts: 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Real-time Deterrent
When a PIP Isn’t What It Seems: How SpatzAI Can Help You Push Back Fairly
If you've ever been put on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), you might have felt the ground shift under you. Suddenly, your value is in question, your targets are unclear, and your future feels pre-written. A recent viral post by employment lawyer Katherine Kleyman lays bare what many already suspect: PIPs are often not about helping employees improve, but about laying the groundwork for dismissal.
The Consciousness Cue: Why “Caution” Might Be the Most Powerful Word in Team Culture
In a recent exchange with the AI I work closely with, who I sometimes call Melissa, but usually doll, we explored a deceptively simple question: Are humans conscious?
The Obvious Hole in Achieving Psychological Safety
Amy Edmondson’s model of psychological safety has transformed how we think about team dynamics. Her work shows that teams thrive when members feel safe to speak up, make mistakes, and challenge one another without fear of punishment. It’s a brilliant and necessary foundation. However....
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