Psychological Workplace Conflict: Secrets to Sharing Purposes and Changing Teams

Aren't you tired of disagreements at work? The discussion heats up and the team atmosphere deteriorates... Everyone must have that experience. However, in a simple way of "sharing goals" using psychological knowledge, confrontation turns into cooperation. If you read this article, you will want to take the first step to change your team. Now, let's unravel the secret together!

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In the workplace, it is common for opinions to clash over how to proceed and ideas. Have you ever tried to push your opinion through meetings or felt frustrated by the other person's stubbornness? In such cases, a psychological-based approach to "sharing goals" brings the team together and dramatically resolves conflicts. In this article, we will explain the psychological effects of purpose sharing in an easy-to-understand manner and tell you specific ways you can practice from today.

Why do disagreements occur?

The causes of disagreements can be summarized into three main categories:

Attention and pride: People who are very particular about their own ways tend to lack flexibility. By believing that 'I am right', we reject the other person's proposal.

Stick to means: If the discussion is all about "how to do it" and you lose sight of "what you do it for", the difference in means becomes a spark of conflict.

Emotional escalation: Being stubborn or trying to communicate your opinions can lead to high emotions and make it difficult to have a calm conversation. As a result, the workplace atmosphere deteriorates.

According to a survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review (2023), approximately 60% of conflicts in the workplace are due to "miscommunication" or "purpose disagreements." In other words, there is a lack of shared purpose at the root of the collision.

Psychology sharing purpose: Why is it effective?

From a psychological perspective, sharing goals is a powerful tool that appeals to human instinctive needs. The mechanism is explained in an easy-to-understand manner below.

Social Identity Theory: Strengthening Camaraderie

People feel "members of the same group" and feel secure by sharing common goals and values (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). For example, if you share the goal of "increasing customer satisfaction by 10%" as a team, you will feel a sense of unity that "we are colleagues aiming for the same goal". This camaraderie softens conflict and brings out a cooperative attitude. At the meeting, you said, 'Would you like to confirm the purpose of this project together?' Just by proposing that, the psychological distance between the team will be shortened.

Elimination of cognitive dissonance: Clear mental cloud

The conflict of opinion causes psychological 'cognitive dissonance' (Festinger, 1957). When one's thoughts contradict the other person's, stress occurs in the mind and emotional conflict escalates. Sharing the purpose is key to resolving this dissonance. By reconfirming 'what we do it for', differences in means feel like 'small problems', enabling calm discussions. For example, what do you want to achieve in this job? If you ask, the focus of the entire team will shift to the goal, and the cloud in your heart will be cleared.

Intrinsic motivation: the ability to see it as your own business

According to psychologists Desi and Ryan (1985), self-determination theory motivates people when they work on "goals that mean something to them." By sharing the purpose, work changes from "what is being forced" to "my own affairs". For example, if you share the purpose of not only "increasing sales" but also "enriching customers' lives", team members will feel that "my work is useful to someone" and actively come up with ideas. Have you ever experienced this feeling yourself? Sharing your goals makes your work more meaningful.

Benefits of sharing goals: What will you and your team do?

By sharing the purpose, you can expect the following three effects:

Building Security and Trust: According to a study by the Journal of Organizational Behavior (2022), a common goal is to increase team trust and reduce conflict by 25%. By clarifying your goals, your teammates will feel 'it's okay to work with this person'.

Switching perspectives: Focusing on purpose rather than means makes the discussion more constructive. It makes it easier to find flexible solutions without being bound by stubbornness or emotions.

Improved team unity and motivation: By sharing goals, all members feel that they are "facing in the same direction". Your team's productivity will increase and your own job will be more rewarding.

Three steps to share goals: Practice from today

So, how exactly should we share our goals? Try practicing the following three steps based on psychological knowledge:

Taking a step back, I ask: 'What is the purpose of this project anyway?' Let's throw it at everyone. This question resolves cognitive dissonance and resets the team's focus to its purpose. When you play the role of facilitator, you also build trust.

Listen to everyone: Ask each person to talk about what they want to achieve in this job and find common ground. Based on social identity theory, camaraderie is strengthened when everyone feels that their opinions are respected.

Clearly verbalize objectives: Write specific and acceptable objectives, such as "increasing customer satisfaction by 10%" or "increasing team efficiency". It's effective to add 'why it's important to me' to increase intrinsic motivation. If you post your purpose on the whiteboard or chat, you can always turn around.

Example: Success story of a team

In one marketing team I know, there was constant conflict over the direction of the campaign. Mr. A insisted on "making it go viral on social media" and Mr. B insisted on "emphasizing brand reliability", and the discussion was parallel. The leader attempted to share goals using psychology. We all reconfirmed that our goal is to increase our customers' brand loyalty by 20% with this campaign, and discussed why it is important to us. Then, Mr. A and Mr. B realized that "buzz and trust can be balanced" and proposed a compromise plan. An agreement was reached in two weeks, and the campaign was a great success. This case is a typical example of how sharing goals turned conflict into cooperation and allowed the entire team to tackle it as their own business.

The moment of "my own affairs" that resonates with you

Here, pause for a moment and think. You've been saying 'This is important to me!' at work lately. When did you feel that way? For example, words of gratitude from customers, moments of celebrating the success of the team, or when your ideas are adopted. That feeling is what can be brought out by sharing the purpose. Psychologically, the purpose has the power to change your work from "what you have to do" to "what you want to do". If you share goals as a team, all members will experience that feeling, making work more enjoyable and meaningful.

Action starting today: Your step will change the team

Try the following actions right now:

At the next meeting: When the discussion heated up, 'Wait a minute, what was the purpose of this job again?' Let's ask them. Your words change the atmosphere of the team.

Team: Give us five minutes to reconfirm the project objectives with everyone at the meeting early in the week. Sharing why it's important to us motivates us.

Individual: Write down the purpose of your work in a notebook and add "Why does this mean something to you?" in one sentence. If you put it on your desk, you can go back to the basics when your perspective is about to blur.

Finally: your actions will create the future.

Clashes of opinion are stressful, but sharing goals using psychology can turn conflict into cooperation and confusion into a clear direction. Would you like to share your purpose? If you take that first step, the team's trust will increase and the results of your work will increase. Furthermore, your own work will begin to shine as your own. Why don't you say that word at the beginning of the meeting today? Your actions will be the first step towards carving out your team's future and your own career.

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