Conflict management can be seen as a process that begins when two or more parties have a different viewpoint on the same topic, hindering or improving the project performance.

Most projects involve conflict, created by resource availability and by different priorities on costs, time, scope and quality. Global projects add the differences in country and organisational cultures to this list, which increases the probability of having stakeholders with diverse views on customer satisfaction, different reactions to change and various approaches to risk management.

The reduced amount of face-to-face interactions increases the likelihood of negative conflict and aggravates the conflict resolution process. The deployment of solid communication techniques (described in the chapters 6–10 of the book) and collaborative tools (explained in the chapters 16–25 of the book) can reduce the occurrence of conflict due to misunderstandings and facilitate the resolution process.

On the other hand, conflicts are a ‘necessary evil’ that foster creativity, increase innovation and avoid a climate of apathy and stagnation. The optimal level of conflicts allows a positive movement towards the project goals, a good problem-solving environment and quicker adaptation to project changes. The main task for the program and project managers is to avoid conflict from degenerating into a breakdown in communication and collaboration, and to stimulate conflicts that can bring benefits to the project.

In the chapter 4 of the book, I discuss the types and sources of conflicts specific to global projects, and provide some ideas on how to identify conflicts during risk analysis, how to foster functional conflicts (which support the project goals and improves its performance) and how to identify and resolve dysfunctional conflicts (which can hinder project performance).

Download a mindmap that can help you to define your own strategies to resolve conflicts among cross-cultural and distant team members.