Conflict-The Key to Innovation

M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled, wrote, "The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers."

At first glance, this statement seems counterintuitive. How can we have our finest moments when we are uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled? Aren't these the times when we batten down the hatches and prepare for battle? Who among us equates the word conflict with collaboration and innovation?

Yet, as Peck points out, it is only when we are uncomfortable that we are forced to abandon complacency and seek new ways of dealing with old problems. After all, if we keep doing things in the old ways, we'll keep getting the same results.

In fact, conflict often arises from one person, or a small group of people, becoming so frustrated with the current results that they challenge the commonly accepted principles and practices of the organization. Are these challenges welcome? Of course not! They're usually met with mild rebukes that eventually can become outright resistance or even war. Indeed, the willingness to create conflict-in the interest of creating change-is not for the faint-hearted.

It's also not for "know-it-alls." Those who challenge the status quo often have a solution in mind, and they can be very forceful about advocating for their ideas. Although they serve an invaluable role in identifying the need for change, effective change agents understand that all affected parties must work together to craft the solution. In other words, change agents need the willingness to throw their solutions into the pot to be combined with other ideas and reconstituted into something more innovative than any individual could conceive.

We all know the story of the naked emperor. Everyone in town new he needed to get dressed, but no one had the courage to confront him with reality. Only a young lad, who probably didn't understand the order of authority in the kingdom, described the problem. But, even he didn't tell the emperor what robes he should wear to fix the problem.

This summer issue of The Journal for Quality and Participation delves into principles and tools associated with conflict resolution, emphasizing that conflict is an inseparable component of the change process. You can learn a bit about your approach to conflict by conducting a simple self-assessment and evaluating your communication styles. You'll learn how to change the way you exercise power so that you can encourage team members to express and shape diverse ideas. You'll be introduced to a simple model for identifying the sources of conflict and addressing them as soon as they're noticed (when they're "pinches") instead of waiting for them to erupt into regrettable behaviors ("crunches").

Also, we'd like to give special thanks to Laura Gregg, who conducted the research for and drafted portions of several articles in this issue.

In the land where all of us are entitled to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," it's somewhat uncomfortable to embrace discomfort. Hopefully, this issue will provide new insights into how short-term discomfort can lead to innovation and successful results that make us happier over the long term.

Deborah Hopen

Editor

Copyright Association for Quality and Participation Summer 2004
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