Re: [Coworking] Work Conflict

[Alex Hillman]

Turns out this never made it out of my drafts folder - better late than never :)

Here are some common causes for conflict that I've seen at our coworking space as well as others:

People are messy. 

Common areas, especially kitchens, are the first to go. Individual workspaces can easily get out of hand too, and spill over into adjacent areas.

People are noisy.

Some people don't know how to control the volume of their voices. Others have loud, klackety keyboards. Others spend a lot time on the phone. Some just don't know when to shut up or leave people alone. 

People have different senses of humor.

"Political correctness" is a wide range. Some people are easier to offend than others. 

People work together and the project explodes or goes belly-up.

Collaboration isn't inevitable, but when it does happen there's an inherent risk: if the project collapses, can the relationship between those people endure or will someone end up losing their coworking community in the divorce?

People feel like they got taken advantage of. 

Same as above, or worse: somebody actually did take advantage of them. 

People drop the ball on their commitments.

People make promises that aren't kept. Everyone makes mistakes, but be on the look out for patterns.

People's belongings are moved, go missing, or are damaged.

From "sorry I just borrowed your iPhone charger" to actual theft & vandalism. 

People aren't able to honor their financial commitments.

My policy on membership problems due to financial issues has always been "life happens, but don't make me chase you." 

People feel entitled to something they're not getting.

Sometimes people expect more than you're prepared to offer. Other times people just want to believe that they're special. 

The #1 conflict creator in communities and sharing is the tragedy of the commons. In its simplest form, you can think of "tragedy of the commons"-type conflicts as what happens when there is an imbalance in taking and giving in the community. 

We experience this most commonly during periods of growth: a lot of new members join, and if we're not working extra hard to help them understand they can contribute instead of just view Indy Hall as a resource to take from, overall cultural norms can shift noticeably and the entire community can begin to feel the effects. 

Similarly, if the community begins to get too comfortable, even the smallest changes can be perceived as a personal disruption rather than part of the goal of ongoing improvement for everyone. 

While these scenarios are general, they have one major theme in common: a breakdown in trust and communication.

The worst thing you can do is pretend that there isn't a problem. I see this FAR too often - usually because peoples fears are far worse than reality.

The second worst thing you can do is attempt to mend the problem yourself. Healthy communities are remarkably self-healing, and in fact communities can become stronger in the face of a challenge...but you have to give them a chance (and sometimes some guidance) to work things out themselves. A community's immune system is like a muscle - it needs to be worked in order to get strong. A healthy community can deal with conflict on its own far more effectively than you can on its behalf.

Remind members of core values and the purpose of the community, and help them find common ground rather than a "win/lose" outcome. Very few problems can't be resolved with this kind of communication.

In all cases, remember that humans are fragile, but remarkably resilient in groups. You have to give people some room to grow together in order for them to be able to work together to solve their own problems, even when your "fixer" instincts are their strongest.

-Alex

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/ah
indyhall.org
coworking in philadelphia

On Sat, May 4, 2013 at 10:17 PM, AlexandriaC <alexandri...@gmail.com> wrote:

What are some of the conflicts you have faced at work and how did you handle them?  I would love to hear the different experiences people have had.  Would you try to avoid a conflict or would you face it head on?

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[Nicolas Bergé]

+1 Alex

Nicolas Bergé

Les Satellites

[Will Bennis, Locus Workspace]

Thanks, Alex! I was needing this post at just this time. First because it reminds me I'm not the only one who has struggled / is struggling with various items on your list, and second because it reminds me of solutions that help make the community stronger.

[Alex Hillman]

Glad it helped :)

I'm sharing this (modified for context) on my blog as well, in case you want to add any more of your ideas for conflict-resolving in the comments:

http://dangerouslyawesome.com/2013/06/9-causes-for-conflict-in-coworking-communities-where-they-come-from-and-how-to-resolve-them/ 

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/ah
indyhall.org
coworking in philadelphia

[Jerome Chang]

Very well said Alex.

Everyone's got different ways to operate their coworking space, and build their communities, but your below list really helps everyone.  I for one totally agree with your points below.  

Jerome
______________
BLANKSPACES
"work FOR yourself, not BY yourself"

www.blankspaces.com
5405 Wilshire Blvd (2 blocks west of La Brea) Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.330.9505 (office)

[Dina Lynch Eisenberg]

Thanks Alex for the insights and overview. I'm Dina,an Ombudsman. I agree that communities can be self-managed. However they need guidance on how to interact and collaborate well. Not everyone who agrees with the concepts of coworking posesses the communication and EQ skills to be a good community member, so it's a good idea to include what you expect in your on boarding process. Training community managers or curators in mediation is a great start to ensuring the peace.