How to Settle a Team Dispute


An email chain doesn’t allow for productive dialogue and employees can read a sentence the wrong way and become offended or turned off.
That’s why, to settle a dispute, email should be used to plan a face-to-face conversation. And a leader should take pains to ensure the discussion does not unfold in peoples’ inboxes.
Subject line: Meeting to discuss [issue at hand; “new office layout”]
Hi Samantha, Jon and Reed,
I know there’s been a lot of chatter about our new office layout and where your desks will be located.
Rather than hold the conversation over email, I want us to meet face to face and find compromise on the office layout. I’m confident we can do so as a group.
Let’s meet in the conference room at 2 p.m. today.
Thanks,
– Leader’s first name
Deeper insight
DO NOT try to hold a dialogue among multiple parties over email. It’s an effective way to solve problems and won’t reflect well on your leadership style.
Put the necessary parties in a room together and make everyone agree to a plan that’s fair. Bottom line: don’t let problems fester. Deal with them as they arise and move on.
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