Every team has some degree of conflict within it, and that is not always necessarily a bad thing, but a manager needs to be aware of the difference between conflict that is constructive and conflict that is destructive, and he or she must be capable of directly addressing it. Destructive conflict such as scapegoating and personal attacks can undermine the trust that is essential in working relationships.
Managers need to be able to acknowledge the problem and persuade their employees to stop. This may include reminding the people involved of the long-term perspective or otherwise deploying their power as a leader. On the other hand, constructive conflict, such as team members who simply have different perspectives on the company’s most vital tasks or priorities, needs to be handled in a different way. The issue can be drawn out with the use of pointed questions and an insistence that employees discuss solutions openly in a manner which can be integrated into the overall vision of the team.