6 Ways a Working or Personal Relationship Benefits From Conflict

By Malini Bhatia, founder and CEO of Marriage.com.

I’ve found from building a community of marriage experts that no relationship is conflict-free, whether it’s personal or professional. The spectrum of intensity ranges from casual (a personal acquaintance or a rarely-seen coworker) to intimate (a marriage or a business partner), yet inevitably there will be issues to negotiate and resolutions to achieve. Each interaction is an opportunity to engage in healthy problem solving.

Just like a marriage, a business partnership puts the visions of two people at stake. Similarly, they both require honesty and compromise to move forward. Conflict resolution in these instances may be difficult at the moment, but in the end, the relationship can grow to be stronger.

Consider these six ways a working or personal relationship actually benefits from conflict:

Strengthens Collaborative Skills

When conflict is approached from a healthy perspective of trust, it puts two unified people in the position of working against a problem, not each other. They can collaborate on ideas and quickly adapt for the benefit of the end goal. This may convince one person of the other’s point of view, or create an option that benefits both people in new ways. Sometimes, it takes adverse circumstances and extreme situations to help creativity flow.

Builds Morale

When two people enter into the gauntlet of conflict, things can go one of two ways. They can let the conflict drive a wedge between them, or they can cite the shared experience and communication techniques as evidence that there’s a greater goal, they’re equally valued, and their opinion matters. This makes both partners feel more comfortable and increases individual and group morale.

Expedites Problem Identification

Practice makes perfect, particularly when it comes to conflict resolution. Healthy problem solving helps people understand both sides of a problem and uncover the fastest paths to preferred outcomes.

Through practice, you’ll know what your communication strengths and weaknesses are, so everyone can trust in the process and properly identify issues — perhaps even before they start. That level of proactive awareness makes things inevitably smoother and may be the best long-term outcome from any conflict.

Solidifies Relationships

One of the easiest litmus tests for a relationship’s strength is the ability to be honest with each other. At first, two people may hide some of their true feelings to be polite. Over time, the truth comes out, but its reveal is an indicator of the relationship’s strength.

Is the discussion sarcastic and defensive? If so, things have gone toxic. If it’s constructive and compassionate, both parties can move forward. The more they overcome conflict, the more people will feel comfortable enough to express respectful disagreement when it arises.

Fills the Gaps

The longer you maintain a relationship with someone, be it professional or personal, the more you understand their triggers and blind spots. Conflicts are a prime opportunity to dig deeper into this, establishing a thorough understanding of your partner’s raw spots.

This is beneficial in multiple ways: First, it’s possible to deal with them in an open and sympathetic way by understanding each other’s deficiencies. Second, through this understanding, you’re able to anticipate potential issues for a smoother, more proactive path to success.

Enacts Positive Change

When something is important to someone, they’re willing to bat for it. Do you know what’s important to your business partner? Perhaps you even surprise yourself when discovering what’s most important to you. Conflicts are an opportunity to learn these core values that help define the foundation of a relationship.

Once a healthy conflict resolution process begins, it can also lead each party to challenge their old assumptions, bringing about positive change for everyone. In business and in life, conflicts are a regular part of any relationship.

They bring out the extremes of our emotions, but if partners can internalize those extremes and communicate their desires, fears and goals in a healthy way, the path to a mutually beneficial resolution may be easier than you think. Best of all, the more partners successfully navigate conflicts, the closer they grow and the stronger their bond becomes. The lesson? Embrace conflict for close relationships, because it can potentially bring out the best in both of you.

Malini Bhatia is founder and CEO of Marriage.com, a community of trusted experts that provide information and support on all things marriage.