Head: (4.5 of 5)
Heart: (4 of 5)
Leadership Applicability: (4.5 of 5)

Building Conflict Competent Teams, the second book by Craig Runde and Tim Flanagan, is described by Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, as "...a comprehensive, thoroughly researched guide to the crucial and inevitable role conflicts play on a team."

As a follow-up to their first book, Becoming a Conflict Competent Leader, this new edition closely examines the ways conflict emerges within teams and how teams can respond in ways that will leverage conflicts to their advantage. The authors explore three primary areas that are paramount for developing a conflict competent team: 1) Creating an effective climate for dealing with conflict by addressing issues of safety, trust, and openness; 2) Agreeing on processes to guide the team's interactions; and 3) Using constructive communication skills.

One chapter is dedicated to specific techniques to use for particularly tough challenges. These techniques can help teams get things back on track when conflicts have stalled productivity, damaged relationships, or stifled creativity. Another chapter addresses the unique situations of virtual teams and global (cross-cultural) teams.

Stories, interviews, and examples provide entertaining and thought provoking insights throughout the book, but the book also includes many useful tips and practical tools to help teams work through conflict more effectively, including an assessment of a team's current state of conflict competence. Overall, the book helps team discover how to get the best out of conflict while navigating through the obstacles, discomfort, and challenges it can bring. Buy it.