The Power of Productive Conflict

Article by Kelsey Donnellan, MPH, Founder of Little Pineapple Collaborative

Most people instinctively avoid conflict. We've been conditioned to see disagreement as inherently negative, something to smooth over or sidestep entirely. But this aversion comes at a cost. We've all seen product launches that make us question, "Why didn't anyone catch that?" These products typically flop and cost companies significant resources. Consider Bic's "Bic for Her" campaign, which marketed pens designed to be slim with pastel colors specifically for women—a move the market ultimately saw as patronizing and unnecessary. Or the repeated instances of fashion brands releasing offensive and racist products that should never have made it past the design phase. These failures signal a broader issue with trust and collaboration. The uncomfortable truth? People did catch it. They just didn't say anything.

For small businesses especially, this silence is deadly. Unaddressed conflict doesn't simply disappear—it festers, manifesting as avoidance, unhealthy competition, accommodation that breeds resentment, and plummeting morale.

Let’s reframe and rethink how we understand conflict. Conflict exists on a spectrum, ranging from minor differences in perspective to simmering tensions to major disputes. What determines whether conflict destroys or strengthens a team isn't its presence, but how we choose to engage with it. When harnessed well, conflict across this entire spectrum becomes a catalyst for meaningful collaboration and transformative change.

Productive conflict looks fundamentally different from its destructive counterpart. Instead of avoidance and competition, it generates trust and respect. Rather than demanding accommodation, it invites iteration and shared power. In organizations that embrace productive conflict, disagreements become opportunities to challenge assumptions, refine ideas, and discover solutions that no single person could have envisioned alone. The friction that might have divided a team instead forges stronger connections and sharper thinking.

So how do we shift from avoiding conflict to embracing conflict? The answer lies in three complementary approaches: being proactive, reactive, and responsive.

Being proactive means examining how you show up before conflict even arises. Are you creating psychological safety where people feel comfortable voicing dissent? Are you modeling vulnerability by admitting uncertainty? Your daily behaviors set the tone for conflict to be seen as productive and generative. Proactive leaders don't wait for tensions to surface—they cultivate environments where honest disagreement is expected and valued.

Being reactive requires a different kind of courage: the willingness to call others in when conflict emerges, and to be called in yourself. This isn't about calling people out or assigning blame. It's about creating reciprocal accountability where everyone has permission to name tensions, ask hard questions, and challenge each other's thinking. When someone calls you in, resist defensiveness. When you need to call someone else in, lead with curiosity rather than judgment.

Finally, being responsive means developing discernment about what requires your immediate attention versus your long-term commitment. Not every minor difference needs to be resolved right now, and not every major dispute can be fixed with a single conversation. Responsive leaders assess which conflicts need urgent intervention and which require sustained, patient effort. They understand that some tensions are symptoms of deeper systemic issues that demand structural change and (re)building psychological safety.

For business leaders, productive conflict isn't optional—it's essential. The ability to turn conflict into your superpower determines whether your team stagnates or evolves, whether innovation flourishes or withers, whether your culture attracts talent or repels it. But these skills extend far beyond the office. In our personal relationships and communities, learning to embrace conflict as a tool for growth rather than a threat to harmony enriches every aspect of our lives.

Conflict, when harnessed well, is where real progress happens.