Much has been written on different personality or behavioral styles. A very positive way to deal with conflicts is to gain an understanding of four different behavioral styles.

For example, some people are no-nonsense, get-the-job-done type. To them, most important thing is task. They like to take decisive action and take pride in a job well done.

Other people are more focused on people relationships. They see work more from a team viewpoint. They want people to get along with one another and support each other.

When a no-nonsense type of person supervises a relationship type person, there is potential for conflict. The get-the-job-done supervisor will get more work accomplished from relationship type person if supervisor allows for freedom to interact with others. By actively listening to employee’s concerns, get-the-job-done supervisor will obtain greater productivity and respect.

That question was put to me by a reader who works in big, frantically-paced telecommunications company. Many projects operate at same time, and many connections exist among project teams.

In this environment, teams work independently, but at same time depend on each other for critical information. Without that information, time is wasted and progress slowed.

In a broader sense, challenge is to create communication systems that gather, process, and disseminate critical information. With this information, teams can work more efficiently and effectively.

The reader reports that one solution emerged out of a technical forum organized around a very large project. He says that while participants exchanged technical information, a lot of value came from process, as well as content.

Specifically, many participants got to know each other, sharing their experiences and insight. This opened up person-to-person channels that had not existed before. New, informal networks developed and participants found alternative ways to get information.

Therefore, he suggested that quarterly conferences might be a good idea, because they provide a mechanism for further developing and extending these networks.