This has the drawback of everyone getting less than they had hoped for, according to Lloyd (1996) in his book, Leading Teams: The Skills For Success. Finally, there is collaboration. This is the most effective style for dealing with conflict. Collaboration is where everyone works together to accomplish the task, to strengthen relationships, and to meet everyone's needs. Lloyd (1996). .
Negative conflict or destructive conflict occurs when conflict creates hostility within the work groups. Destructive conflict occurs when there is a threat to the whole group, the goals of the group are being subverted by the conflict, one member is attacked repeatedly, or the conflict goes on too long. Too much energy is expended in this type of situation, according to I. Bens (1999), in his article, keeping your team out of trouble. During this time, communication becomes ineffective resulting in the stalling of work, less accomplishment to task, and maybe even the destruction of the working group. Some characteristics of destructive conflict are personal attacks, insults, defensiveness, inflexibility, competition, and avoidance of conflict. Engleberg et al (2001). It may seem that once a group descends into this pattern of conflict, they might as well call it quits, but not all is lost. Later in this paper, we will discuss different strategies to avoid and resolve negative conflict. Let us now look at how conflict can be used to improve team performance. .
Not all conflict is destructive. Quite the contrary, positive or constructive conflict can be a valuable tool for a working team. How is this so? Positive conflict allows employees to be themselves. By fostering an atmosphere of freedom, employees are encouraged to voice their objections, concerns, and dissenting opinions. Reese & Sontag (2001). This freedom of expression, in turn, creates an environment where creativity can flourish. When employees are encouraged to speak their minds resentment does not have a chance to fester.