Teams & Conflict I Direct Application with Matt Harrington

Conflict in teams isn’t something to fear—it’s a sign of growth.

In this episode, Matt Harrington unpacks Bruce Tuckman’s famous storming stage of team development and explains why conflict is not only natural but necessary. Healthy disagreement signals that a team is maturing, moving beyond surface-level cooperation, and learning to navigate real challenges together.

Matt also explores how innovation depends on conflict. True creativity comes from diverse perspectives, differing opinions, and even controversial ideas clashing to spark new solutions. Without conflict, teams risk settling into groupthink and missing opportunities for breakthrough innovation.

Whether you lead a workplace team, manage volunteers, or collaborate across sectors, this episode will help you reframe conflict as a catalyst for trust, growth, and high performance.