{"id":7131,"date":"2025-11-26T11:56:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T10:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web-dev-weissblau.de\/microconsult\/?p=7131"},"modified":"2026-02-14T19:34:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T18:34:20","slug":"how-differences-enrich-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/wie-unterschiede-projekte-bereichern\/","title":{"rendered":"How differences enrich projects"},"content":{"rendered":"

When people work together for a while, eventually what most people fear arises: conflict. The crazy thing is that they fear something as certain as the difference between two people, even if they are twins.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Everyone perceives their environment and other people differently. Likewise, we ourselves are perceived differently by others. This is because everyone gathers their own unique experiences throughout their life, thereby developing their own personal feelings, needs, expectations, and worldviews.<\/p>\n

"Yes, of course," you might say, sounding a bit bored, "we all know that." True, but unfortunately, the necessary conclusions are often not drawn consistently: these perfectly natural differences are the seed of conflict. This makes conflict a normal occurrence that we can openly confront. But what happens instead in many families, communities, companies, and, of course, projects? Conflicts are seen as taboo. They are therefore often swept under the rug. But this has disastrous consequences.<\/p>\n

Conflicts are like mushrooms.<\/h3>\n

Conflicts are like mushrooms \u2013 they grow best in the dark. Eventually, they grow so large that the carpet has a big bulge, and more and more people trip over it. Those who try to sweep it under the rug bravely continue to ignore this hazard. But eventually, there are nasty falls and injuries, often with irreparable consequences. Now that it's obvious, a desperate attempt begins to somehow get the already highly escalated conflict under control. The problem is, no one really knows how. Those who fear conflicts even in their harmless early stages will panic even more when faced with a full-blown conflict. And that's precisely the crux of the matter: The problem isn't that conflicts arise in relationships of any kind; as already mentioned, that's a natural phenomenon.<\/p>\n

The crux of the matter is that many people have not learned, and certainly not practiced, three essential things:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. How can I recognize conflicts at an early stage?<\/li>\n
  2. How do I address her appropriately?<\/li>\n
  3. How can I resolve them in such a way that all parties to the conflict can continue to live or work together well with the result?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I will now briefly outline the solution. The first step is to see conflicts for what they are: a NATURAL phenomenon of interpersonal coexistence. So let's simply address the obvious. Okay, it's not that easy at first. It requires a bit of effort, but that will subside with time \u2013 just be brave!<\/p>\n

    We do this with the awareness that we are expressing our own view of the situation and that others may see the same situation differently. We formulate it accordingly: "I believe that\u2026", "From my point of view\u2026", "I feel it this way\u2026". Thus, we base our solution on acknowledging differences.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Image: The professional handling of differences makes the difference in project work.
    \n(Image: foto art Elisabeth Wiesner)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    Explore the gap that the difference reveals.<\/h3>\n

    We now try to make differences visible and understandable through mutual questioning and listening. These differences might include, for example, differing expectations, needs, or opinions. Together, we explore the gap between our own perspective and others' viewpoints. There is much to discover. Instead of trying to prove to each other that we are right, we embark on a quest for new insights, and everyone can benefit from this. Often, we uncover misunderstandings, reveal blind spots, discover new aspects, and discard prejudices.<\/p>\n

    Fortunately, not every difference leads to conflict that complicates our relationships with other project partners. Whether it's a difference or a conflict, jointly exploring the gap it reveals offers great opportunities. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n

    When we don't understand something, this gap between our knowledge and that of another person offers opportunities for both of us. We ourselves can learn something by asking questions and listening, and overcome our uncertainty. The other person is able to adjust to our level of knowledge or perhaps even identify a weakness in their explanation.<\/p>\n

    Project team members, business professionals, and sales representatives often view the same project very differently. The project team member tends to want the most ingenious, high-end solution, the business professional prioritizes the most cost-effective option, and the sales team wants it done yesterday. In this case, they represent the corners of our project triangle: cost, time, and quality. Constructively addressing these differing priorities offers the opportunity to achieve the optimal price-performance ratio while considering time-to-market. This is surely far more productive than accusing each other of ignoring one another.<\/p>\n

    When an expert works on multiple projects, some project teams usually feel disadvantaged because they have to wait longer for results than they would like. The expert is then often unfairly criticized as a procrastinator or a hindrance. Here, too, it's more productive to discuss the different priorities and the resulting need for resource availability. Naturally, everyone's own project is their top priority.<\/p>\n

    But it's no use; we can hardly tear the expert to pieces. In this case, discussing differing priorities leads to a deeper business understanding at a project-spanning level.<\/p>\n

    I'm sure you can think of even more examples from your own experience that demonstrate how dealing with differences makes a significant difference. As the link between stakeholders, the project manager has a special responsibility to identify and leverage the opportunities presented by these differences.<\/p>\n

    By engaging with differences in a knowledge-oriented way, we gain a deeper, shared understanding of people and situations. This depth, both factual and emotional, provides the basis for good solutions.<\/p>\n

    Even more importantly: If we have the courage to occasionally ask others why they do things the way they do, instead of complaining or angrily gritting our teeth, we gain a deeper, shared understanding of people and situations. This creates emotional and practical depth. Differences, and their somewhat more exciting variant, conflicts, then become a source of insight, personal growth, and lasting, enriching relationships. And that can't hurt in projects either. If you disagree \u2013 great, we can certainly explore the reasons for this difference.<\/p>\n

    There are many basic principles for developing a common solution from a difference. I'd be happy to send you a few tips. Just send me an email with the subject "Difference" to\u00a0denkanstoss@microconsult.de<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Further information<\/h3>\n

    Training & coaching<\/strong>
    \nMicroConsult Training & Coaching on project management<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

    MicroConsult training and coaching - overview<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Food for thought:<\/strong>
    \nColumn by Peter Siwon about the human side of project work<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

    Peter Siwon: Systemic project management<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Wenn Menschen eine Weile zusammenarbeiten, tritt irgendwann das auf, was die meisten f\u00fcrchten: Konflikte. Das Verr\u00fcckte ist, dass sie damit vor etwas Angst haben, was so sicher ist wie der Unterschied zwischen zwei Menschen, selbst wenn sie Zwillinge sind. Jeder Mensch nimmt seine Umwelt und seine Mitmenschen unterschiedlich wahr. Ebenso werden wir selbst von unseren […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[31],"class_list":["post-7131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-projektmanagement","tag-projektmanagement"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWie Unterschiede Projekte bereichern - MicroConsult Academy GmbH<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.microconsult.de\/en\/how-differences-enrich-projects\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wie Unterschiede Projekte bereichern - MicroConsult Academy GmbH\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Wenn Menschen eine Weile zusammenarbeiten, tritt irgendwann das auf, was die meisten f\u00fcrchten: Konflikte. 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