Probably one of the biggest mistakes leaders make at work is managing for harmony. When confronted with personnel conflicts, mistakes in judgment, differences of opinion or straight on failure, too often we try to manage the situation by bringing about agreement, order and "peacefulness." At first glance that seems to be appropriate--even obvious. Who wouldn't want some calmness instead of frustration and agreement instead of discord? But more often than not, what is really needed when managing workplace conflict is courage, not harmony.
Managerial Courage
In his defining book Managerial Courage, Harvey Hornstein, PhD. concluded in his research that seeking harmony in organizations, while worthy at times, often is a primary killer of innovation, initiative, and creativity:
"What often emerges under the pressure to get along, be nice and work and play well together is an uncontroversial package of rules about how to act and what to think, distinguished only by their blandness . . . Courageous initiatives frequently spark conflict, disrupting organizational harmony. Such conflict is one of the principal organizational benefits of managerial courage. When properly managed, conflict focuses choices, aids commitment, elevates thinking and sharpens issues. Productive conflict, by continually juxtaposing organizational options, can be an enormous aid to organizational growth and progress."*
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