Story 26: Conflict
The story: She said let us not waste energy on conflict. He agreed: only when it is worth it. Then she dropped a disagreement entirely. Do whatever you want, she said, you do not depend on me. But our positions are opposite, he said. To her, avoiding conflict meant not engaging. To him, it meant picking the ones that mattered.
What it means for organisations: Agreeing to have less conflict does not say which conflict. Some of it is friction with no argument underneath. Some of it is the disagreement doing its job. Both feel the same from inside a tense meeting, so a team that resolves to reduce conflict has left each person to decide which kind they were having. The disagreements do not go anywhere. They stop being visible, which reads as alignment and is the opposite.
Where next?
Read the comic as text
The Alignment Gap, Story 26
by Stavros Stavru, Ph.D. (weallagreed.com)
Scene 1: The chat
An office with Ally and Axel at separate desks, each at a laptop. Ally types, and Axel replies from his phone, both smiling. Their chat floats above them. Ally's message gets three heart reactions.
Ally: Let's not waste energy on conflict.
Axel: Agreed! Only when it's worth it.
Banner between scenes: “What could go wrong?”
Scene 2: At the door
The same office, by the door. Ally stands with her hands on her hips, dismissive. Axel, briefcase in hand, gestures toward her, looking unsure.
Ally: Why argue? Do whatever you want, you don't depend on me.
Axel: …But our opinions are opposite.
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