What Triple Zero operators taught us about team conflict
In the world of high-performing teams, there’s a delicate balance to strike. On one hand, the best teams thrive on diverse perspectives and the robust debates they spark. On the other, conflict can make people feel unsafe, leading them to avoid it altogether. So, how can organisations create an environment where a shared purpose is actively pursued and contested by a diverse workforce?
From our experience, the key ingredients revolve around clarity—clarity of purpose, roles, and processes.
The Bedrock of Shared Purpose
We’ve often emphasised the importance of a clear, shared purpose. Without it, everything is up for grabs, and conflict becomes undirected and unproductive. When a team’s purpose is well-defined, it provides common ground, allowing any contest to be shaped towards promoting that purpose.
The Importance of Role Clarity
This emphasises the importance of role clarity, particularly in the context of team conflict. Understanding one’s responsibility when drawn into the gravitational force of team conflict is crucial.
Lessons from Triple Zero Operators
Among the professionals we’ve interacted with, few have more intense roles than Triple Zero operators. Their daily routine involves interacting with people experiencing their worst moments—terrified individuals in need of emergency help. It’s not a place for the emotionally fragile.
What struck us was the clarity of the Triple Zero call-takers’ responsibilities. They know their job, its limitations, and the process they must follow to fulfill their role. Their responsibility isn’t to solve the problem but to connect the person in need with the appropriate emergency service—police, fire, or ambulance—as quickly and efficiently as possible. The operator stays on the line until the caller is connected with the responder. Once that connection is made, the operator exits the call and moves on to the next one. They don’t participate further in delivering help and rarely find out the outcome, yet their role is undeniably crucial.
Applying This to Workplace Conflict
The Triple Zero operator provides a useful metaphor for the productive role everyone can play in team conflict. Workplace conflict takes many forms, often fitting the archetype human story where the hero has an objective, and the villain stands in the way. The hero enlists others to help defeat the villain and achieve their goal.
- A parent calls the PA to the Principal to complain about a teacher.
- A department head vents to a colleague about budget cuts imposed by the CFO.
- A salesperson feels humiliated by their manager in a team meeting.
In each story, there are competing versions of the hero and villain.
Role Clarity in Team Conflict
Team conflict affects all members, and everyone can play a part in addressing it, but roles need boundaries. The challenge for those nearby is to avoid becoming players in the drama. Both the hero and the villain seek allies, which is usually unhelpful. Only a few people have the authority to address the problem. Those directly involved in the conflict must actively participate in its resolution, and there’s usually a designated person to whom complaints or grievances are elevated. For the rest, they can play the role of the Triple Zero operator:
- Listen carefully.
- Clarify whether the person wants help with their problem.
- If so, help them connect with the person who has accountability. This is where clarity of processes and procedures comes in, identifying who has the relevant responsibility to take the next step.
- Stay with them empathetically until they are connected.
- Exit the conversation promptly and move on to your next responsibility.
Those with accountability for addressing the complaint or grievance will need a different definition around their role, which is a longer conversation.
By adopting the clarity and focus of Triple Zero operators, we can navigate team conflict more effectively, ensuring that diverse perspectives lead to productive outcomes rather than unproductive drama.