CHAPTER 9
Managing Conflict through Communication
Projects are, in their very nature, major sources of emotion.1
—Nicholas Clarke, management researcher, and Ranse Howell, conflict resolution expert
Projects are done by people. When there are people involved, there are emotions. Emotions readily lead to conflict. This means that conflict is likely to occur in almost every project, especially when stakes are high, resources are thin, budgets are tight, and time is limited. As your stakeholder analysis should reveal, everyone involved in the project has something at stake (see Chapter 3). When those interests contradict one another or are put in jeopardy (either in a real or perceived way), conflict occurs.
Unresolved conflict can be one of the ...
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