In this article, we will show you a very specific, operationally applicable method for successfully resolving open or hidden conflicts in a team.
Imagine you hear the following sentences in your team, or these sentences are unspoken in the room:
- “We have different opinions, but we don’t talk about them. It’s easier to leave things as they are.”
- “I don’t know what the others think. We don’t talk openly about our problems.”
- “There is so much frustration in the team. Nobody really listens.”
- “We have different goals and priorities, but we can’t find a common denominator.”
- “I don’t feel heard. My ideas are ignored.”
Such open or hidden conflicts (elephants in the room) are not uncommon. Differing opinions, unspoken issues and personal disappointments, anger, resentment or fear can significantly affect the efficiency and satisfaction of your team and employees and undermine your leadership.
It is important that you as a manager recognize and address these issues early on. Otherwise, you will jeopardize the cooperation and success of your team.
How can you do this? How can you ensure that your team works together harmoniously and effectively? In this blog post, we will show you how the so-called clarification aid can help you to address and deal with open and hidden conflicts in your team and strengthen cohesion, motivation, fun and cooperation.
Clarification support: The basics
Clarification support is a structured process from mediation that helps you to systematically clarify conflicts within the team. The focus is on understanding all perspectives and developing solutions together – without apportioning blame, but with a clear focus on the essentials.
The process is clearly structured: from the self-explanation of each individual to the dialog within the team to finding solutions together. Each step is designed to remove blockages and build trust.
What makes it special? Clarification support not only creates clarity in contentious issues, but also strengthens cooperation in the long term. It gives your team the tools to deal with future conflicts independently and constructively.
Clarification support: The way
In clarification support, you and your team work with a so-called clarification helper – an external team coach – in the following steps:
- Preliminary discussion, goal setting, alignment: Here we clarify the goals and expectations before the actual workshop in order to create a common basis for the workshop itself. These discussions are always held exclusively with the most senior manager – presumably you.
- Initial phase: Arrival on the workshop day, role clarification and clarification of the next steps. Explain the background to the procedure, establish a clear framework and rules.
- Self-clarification: We work in dialog between the clarification assistant and each individual in your team to understand all individual perspectives. It is completely irrelevant whether the clarification issues are at the factual level or the relationship level. Finally, the clarification facilitator brings together all the clarification topics with you in a visual overall presentation and a list.
- Dialogue phase: The next step involves individual clarifications. We take up each topic and work on it in a structured but open process in dialog with your team. Priority is given to blocking, deeper clarification issues, especially at the relationship level. It is initially about clarification and not about an immediate solution. However, clarification and discussion, mutual understanding, is often almost the solution.
- Explanation: If necessary, our clarification assistant then explains the overall situation in a separate step using known tools from leadership, group theory or psychology (e.g. rank dynamics models, making vicious circles transparent, uncovering psychological aspects or other group dynamic observations).
- Planning and solution phase: In this phase, we discuss the respective solutions and next steps in detail. Typically, the pressure of the emotional issues has already been reduced. There are often clear directions for the factual issues and concrete measures to resolve them – a joint plan is created.
- Conclusion: You and your team look to the future together.
- Follow-up discussion: A few weeks after the clarification support, a joint follow-up discussion typically takes place to ensure the sustainability of the results.
This process brings about clarification for your team in a protected, structured space and creates a basis for you and your team to move into the future together. You clarify the blocking issues first – and then have fun working on the content-related issues together.
Success factors for successful conflict resolution
1. The right attitude: openness and willingness to change
Without the willingness to engage in the process, clarification support remains an empty tool. Every team member must be prepared to listen – really listen – and question their own perspective. It sounds simple, but it is not. It requires courage to engage with unpleasant topics and to take responsibility for your own role in the conflict.
“I always thought I was right – until I realized that it’s not about right or wrong, but about the fact that we all have different truths.” (Quote from a participant)
2. the clarification helper: neutral, structured, empathetic
A good mediator is not an arbitrator, but a facilitator. They ensure that everyone has their say, that issues are not swept under the carpet but are dealt with constructively. It is important that he:
- remains neutral and does not take sides.
- brings structure to the process without stifling the dynamics.
- shows empathy without getting caught up in emotional discussions.
3. set priorities: Relationship level first
Many teams fail because they try to solve factual problems while emotional blockages remain untouched. Clarification support turns this around:
- First clarify the relationship level (e.g. mistrust, unspoken accusations).
- Then tackle the factual level (e.g. roles, processes, goals).
Why? Because objective solutions only last if the team can once again deal with each other in a spirit of trust.
4. sustainability: the process does not end with the workshop
A common mistake: teams believe that everything is done after one clarification day. But real change takes time. That’s why the following steps are crucial:
- Make concrete agreements (e.g. “From now on, we will address conflicts directly instead of ignoring them”).
- Incorporate regular reflection (e.g. a short retrospective every 4 weeks: What is going better? Where is there still a problem? ).
- Follow-up meeting after 6-8 weeks to check whether the solutions are working.
5. tools and methods: Don’t just talk, visualize.
Clarification support uses tools that make abstract conflicts tangible:
- Overall visual representations (e.g. mind maps of the conflict topics).
- Group dynamic models (e.g. rank dynamics or the “vicious circle” of communication).
- Psychological approaches to recognize unconscious patterns.
These tools help to break through patterns that would otherwise remain invisible.
Conclusion: Clarification support does not work through magic, but through clear structure, courageous openness and consistent implementation. If you pay attention to these success factors, your team will not only resolve conflicts – it will emerge stronger and more resilient.
Act now: Use clarification help for your team!
The first step: Recognize that there is a need for action. If you find yourself in the conflict situations described, now is the right time to take action. Don’t wait until the mood changes or valuable employees leave your team. Clarification support is not an emergency kit, but a tool for sustainable team development to successfully resolve open or hidden conflicts in the team. The earlier you act, the easier and more effective the process will be.
“We should have done this much earlier – now that we have finally addressed the conflicts, I wonder why we waited so long.” (Feedback from a manager)
How to get started: Practical steps
- Contact a clarification helper: An experienced companion is crucial. We have experts who can guide you through the process.
- Arrange a preliminary meeting: clarify goals, expectations and the framework. This is the moment to ensure that everyone involved is pulling in the same direction.
- Plan the workshop: A whole day is ideal to really go into depth. Block the date bindingly – half solutions bring half-hearted results.
What you can expect
- Clarity instead of fog: you will understand what is really behind the conflicts – and what is not.
- A team that acts again: After clarification, it’s not just about harmony, but about productive energy and focus.
- Tools for the future: Your team learns to recognize conflicts at an early stage and resolve them independently.
And if you’re unsure?
Clarification support is not a panacea, but it is a proven way of leading teams out of deadlock and successfully resolving open or hidden conflicts within the team. If you have doubts as to whether it is the right thing for you, ask yourself:
- Are the current conflicts costing us more time and energy than resolving them would?
- What will we gain if we finally tackle these issues?
- What do we risk if we do nothing?
The answers will show you that action is the better choice.
Your next step: Get in touch here and arrange a no-obligation consultation. Your team – and your results – will thank you.