INTHEBLACK June 2026 - Magazine - Page 55
How do professionals learn to put personal
differences with colleagues aside to establish
productive relationships at work?
Words Nicola Heath
WHILE COLLABORATION IS A CRITICAL AND UNAVOIDABLE
aspect of the modern workplace, differences in personality,
communication style, hierarchy, cultural background and pace
can make working with others challenging — particularly
in high-pressure finance and corporate environments.
However, it is possible to have a productive professional
relationship when there is personal dislike.
Paula Brough, a professor of organisational psychology
and director of the Centre for Work, Organisation and
Wellbeing at Griffith University, says adopting a
professional approach at work enables individuals
to put personal differences aside and operate as part
of well-functioning teams.
“You do not have to like everyone you work with, but
if you focus on the task at hand — whether that is finding
a solution to a problem or completing a project — it is easier
to understand that some differences are beneficial.”
The challenge for finance leaders and professionals is not
to eliminate friction, but to manage it productively and
transform difference into a source of insight rather than division.
CONFLICT AT WORK
Friction within a team can be a strength.
“Tension is healthy,” says leadership and workplace culture
consultant Tammy Tansley. “It can create diversity of opinion,
different solutions or show where there is a problem in a plan,
which can be a useful source of data.”
But conflict can become destructive when it is managed poorly.
“When it becomes personal, rather than a difference
of opinion on the issue, it can become hurtful,” Tansley says.
“In the worst-case scenarios, it can constitute bullying
or harassment.”
Unchecked, conflict comes with a high cost.
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