When Goliaths Clash

WHEN GOLIATHS CLASH

Managing Executive Conflict to Build a More Dynamic Organization

“When conflict is ignored - especially at the top - the result will be an enterprise that competes more passionately with itself than with its competitors.”

-Howard M. Guttman

"By some estimates, managers spend 20% of their time in conflict or managing it. A manager who earns $150,000 will be wasting, in profitability terms, $30,000 of that salary on conflict. If your company has 10 managers, that's a $300,000 hit to your bottom line."

"Managing Executive Conflict" - Unlock High Performance Teams

About When Goliaths Clash

"Conflict in the executive ranks often snakes its way down to the trenches, polarizing entire organizations and undermining morale, productivity, and corporate goals. But managed correctly, the passion that powers these conflicts can be turned into a high-performance fuel that transforms not just executive relationships but the mechanics of the whole company.

When Goliaths Clash shows how to treat conflict as a business issue, achieve positive outcomes from divisive relationships, and identify the different sources of conflict, from assumptions, values, and wants, to stylistic clashes and organizational conditions.

The book combines real-world strategies drawn from the author's consulting experience with the results of a 10-year survey of more than 300 executive teams. Packed with examples from companies like Johnson & Johnson, L'Oreal, Motorola, Phillip Morris, and more, this constructive book will help unlock horns -- and open the door to more productive relationships throughout entire organizations."

The Praise for When Goliaths Clash

"One of the greatest challenges facing today’s organization is to ensure that its top management team is a cohesive, strategically aligned force for change. When Goliaths Clash should be read by all executives intent on turning dysfunctional conflict into honest, open debate; defining clear roles and accountabilities; and growing business relationships that produce results and success."

— Robert A. Lutz, Vice Chairman, Product Development and Chairman, General Motors North America, l Corporation

"You will come away from this book with a proven process—but not a cookie-cutter solution—for building high-performance organizations and harnessing the creative forces of hard-charging leaders at every level."

— Carol J. Hamilton, President and General Manager, L’Oréal Paris Division, a division of L’Oréal USA, Inc.

"When Goliaths Clash will help many top management teams and their organizations move from lackluster to top performance. Guttman captures the insights, processes, and techniques that have transformed clashing Goliaths into goal-directed, productive contributors."

— Chuck Nesbit, President & CEO, Sara Lee Intimate Apparel and Hosiery, and Vice President, Sara Lee Corporation

"When Goliaths Clash is a book written from the trenches. It is practical, hard-hitting, and provides lessons in leadership and conflict management that are applicable to leaders in a variety of business situations."

— Marc Robinson, President, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Pfizer Inc.

"Too many organizations are consumed fighting internal battles rather than marketplace competitors. When Goliaths Clash shows executives how to bear down on business results, keep organizational energy directed at winning in the marketplace, and lift the fog surrounding the goal of creating high-performance teams."

— Carol Zilm, Worldwide President, Cordis Endovascular, a Johnson & Johnson company

The Book

At a California-based information services provider, the new president faced a stiff challenge. There was no communication between East and West Coast operations and enough sabotaging and clawing to qualify for U.N. intervention. Decision making stalled and sales plummeted.

Left unchecked, power struggles, animosity, triangulation, and subterfuge in the executive ranks can be devastating for an entire organization. But when confronted and channeled, conflict can actually be transformed into a dynamic force for achieving business results.

This powerful, original book shows senior managers how to effectively manage conflict. Based on Howard M. Guttman’s impressive consulting career and a 10-year survey of more than 300 executive teams—and packed with dozens of real-life examples from behind the doors of Johnson & Johnson, Coach, Campbell Soup, Motorola, Pfizer, and more.

When Goliaths Clash unveils how to Manage Executive Conflict to Build a More Dynamic Organization, combined with insights into organizational dynamics with a wealth of practical advice, including how to:

Get your team strategically aligned on business goals, clarify individual roles, and establish protocols for resolving conflict.
Build high-performance teams—from the senior management team on down the line—where conflict is depersonalized and treated as a business issue.
Understand the roots of conflict in individual perceptual differences and organizational conditions.
Communicate effectively in the newest, ripest sphere for dysfunctional conflict—e-mail—and minimize the damage caused by recklessly hitting the “send” button.

There are numerous books on managing conflicts in the workplace. But few have addressed the debilitating conflicts that erupt in executive suites—and that can trigger division and rivalry throughout the organization. When Goliaths Clash shows you how to move from dysfunctional conflict to competitive success.

The Author

Howard M. Guttman is principal of Guttman Development Strategies, Inc. (GDS), a Mount Arlington, NJ-based management consulting firm founded in 1989 and specializing in executive coaching; building horizontal, high-performance teams; strategic and organizational alignment; and management development training.

GDS has been ranked as a top Leadership Development consulting firm by Leadership Excellence magazine, which also named Howard to its list of "Excellence 100 Top Thought Leaders."

Speaking Engagements

Howard is a sought-after speaker on topics such as:

“Great Business Teams: What Does It Take?”
“Conflict Management as a Core Leadership Competency”
“Putting Performance into High-Performance Teams”
“Executive Coaching: Lessons from the Firing Line”
“Alignment: Creating High-Performance Teams from the Top Down”
“Developing Tomorrow’s Leaders Through Self-Coaching”

More about the Author

Core Takeaways

When Goliaths Clash by Howard Guttman offers practical strategies for managing conflict, fostering collaboration, and enhancing decision-making in high-stakes business environments. Here are the key points:

1. High-Performance Teams Require Conflict Management

Conflict is inevitable in high-stakes business settings, particularly when large organizations or "Goliaths" interact.
The book emphasizes that managing conflict constructively is key to creating high-performing teams.
Leaders should encourage open dialogue and healthy debates while avoiding personal attacks.

2. Aligning Teams and Goals

Guttman highlights the importance of aligning individual and team goals with the organization’s objectives.
Misaligned goals often result in inefficiencies and internal conflict.
Leaders should ensure that team members understand their roles and how their contributions fit into the bigger picture.

3. The Role of Leadership in Conflict Resolution

Effective leaders proactively manage conflicts by setting clear expectations and fostering a collaborative culture.
Guttman advocates for "horizontal leadership," where power and decision-making are distributed across the team, promoting accountability and engagement.

4. Decision-Making Models

Guttman provides tools and frameworks for improving decision-making, focusing on collaborative approaches that involve all stakeholders.
Teams should prioritize data-driven decisions and avoid being paralyzed by analysis.

5. Organizational Culture as a Competitive Advantage

The book stresses the need to build a strong, adaptable culture to navigate the challenges of large-scale operations and competitive markets.
A culture of transparency and mutual respect can transform conflict into an opportunity for innovation.

6. Strategies for Handling Large-Scale Disputes

The book offers case studies and strategies for resolving disputes between large organizations, such as partners, competitors, or divisions within a company.
Key approaches include mediation, joint problem-solving, and focusing on shared objectives.

7. Continuous Improvement

Guttman emphasizes that conflict resolution and team alignment are ongoing processes.
Organizations should regularly assess team dynamics, communication effectiveness, and strategic alignment.

Practical Tools and Frameworks

The book is rich with actionable advice, including conflict resolution techniques, decision-making frameworks, and team alignment exercises.
Leaders are encouraged to adopt these tools to create a sustainable, high-performing organizational environment.

In summary, "When Goliaths Clash" is a guide for leaders navigating complex interpersonal and organizational dynamics, offering insights to turn conflicts into opportunities for collaboration and growth.

Buy the Book

Hardcopy and digital formats available:

Preface xi
Acknowledgments xv

CHAPTER ONE: ANATOMY OF CONFLICT............................... 1

The Two Faces of Conflict....................................................................................... 3
Transforming Destructive Conflict........................................................................ 5
The Roots of Conflict................................................................................................. 8
What Causes Conflict?.............................................................................................. 10
Conflict: Red-Hot or Cool?........................................................................................ 20
Conflict and the Fear Factor.....................................................................................21
Options for Coping with Conflict............................................................................ 21
Outing Conflict.............................................................................................................. 25
Testing Your Conflict-Management I.Q................................................................26

CHAPTER TWO: WHY GOLIATHS CLASH............................... 28

Directional Discord...................................................................................................... 29
It’s About Strategy, Stupid......................................................................................... 31
Resolving Strategic Conflict..................................................................................... 32
From Alignment to Action......................................................................................... 56

CHAPTER THREE: HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT........................................................... 58

High Performers to the Rescue...............................................................................59
The Way We Were....................................................................................................... 61
The Changing Face of Organizations....................................................................62
The Need for Speed.................................................................................................... 63
Smashing Silos............................................................................................................. 64
It Doesn’t Stop at the Top.......................................................................................... 66
Reaching High Performance: Evolution, Not Revolution................................ 69
High Performance Means Delivering..................................................................... 89
Where Are You on the Team-Development Wheel?......................................... 90

CHAPTER FOUR: THE ROAD TO HIGH PERFORMANCE... 93

Creating a High-Performance Team.....................................................................96
Holding Up the Mirror................................................................................................ 97
Looking Inward............................................................................................................ 99
Forgetting Finger-Pointing...................................................................................... 101
Depersonalizing the Data........................................................................................ 102
Reframing Business Relationships.......................................................................105
Embedding Protocols............................................................................................... 108
Assigning Responsibilities/Accountability..........................................................111
Clarifying Goals........................................................................................................... 112
Moving to Stage Four................................................................................................ 113
Becoming a High-Performance Organization...................................................113

CHAPTER FIVE:
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT AS ART AND SKILL............... 129

Skills Training: The Need for Self-Reflection.....................................................130
The Primacy of Influence....................................................................................... 131
Baseline Capabilities................................................................................................ 133
Assessing Where Others Stand............................................................................133
Assessing Where You Stand................................................................................. 135
Which Skills, When?.................................................................................................. 138
The Importance of Conflict-Management Skills.............................................165

CHAPTER SIX: E-CONFLICT.................................................... 168

E-Mail as a Lethal Weapon.................................................................................... 170
Toward E-Conflict Rules of Engagement..........................................................181
Check Before You Send.......................................................................................... 191
End Note..................................................................................................................... 193

CHAPTER SEVEN: LEADERSHIP IN CONFLICT MANAGEMENT............................................................................ 196

Leaders as Role Models......................................................................................... 205
Changing the Leader’s Style.................................................................................. 207
Making Change Stick............................................................................................... 210
The New Leadership Imperative: Letting Go....................................................212
One Style Does Not Fit All...................................................................................... 213
The Challenge of Changing Your Style...............................................................222
Giving Feedback: Ground Rules for Leaders....................................................223
Feedback: A Front-Line Perspective....................................................................225
The Leader as “Dealer”............................................................................................ 228
Honest Leadership................................................................................................... 230
Litmus Test for Leaders......................................................................................... 232

End Note...................................................................................................................... 233

Index.............................................................................................................................. 235

About the Author....................................................................................................... 249

Read the Preface

Chapter 1