Conflict in a Partnership

Managing conflict within a business partnership is essential forpreserving the partnership's integrity and ensuring its longevity while minimisingdisruptions to business operations. It protects the company's reputation,fosters a positive work environment, and enhances employee morale, leading tobetter decision-making and consensus-building.

Conflict is one of the Seven Partnership Success Predictors that we proactively monitor with the PartnerScore platform. So, if for any reason there appears to be conflict in a partnership, users of the platform are made aware, so that steps can be taken to remedy the situation and get the partnership back on track.

But what steps should be taken if there is conflict in a partnership?

Recommendations to Vendors

Review the operational metrics directly affected by poor decision making. Identify PartnerScore trends by geography, channels, account manager. Review Partner comments. Try to establish trends and patterns.

Schedule regular check-ins with Partners to discuss any concerns or potential conflicts. Proactive communication can help identify and resolve issues before they become major problems. Be aware of any comments made via the PartnerScore platform and take action to address any possible areas of conflict.

Recommendations to Partners

Review Partner internal and vendor supplied dashboards (including Health Report and operational data). Look at deviation to service levels, to establish if deviations are driven by organisational design, process disconnects and/or misaligned service level expectations.

Frame your concerns using “I” or “we” statements to avoid sounding accusatory. For example, say “I feel” or “We feel” rather than “You always” to express your feelings without assigning blame.

Refer to any relevant agreements or contracts that outline conflict resolution processes if not being followed.

Other Success Factors

Find out what actions to take if any of our other Partnership Success Predictor scores are low or indeed what to do to maintain Conflict scores of Acceptable or Good in our guide to Navigating Your Partner Ecosystems.