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This page relates to interpersonal conflict related to work disagreements. Anyone who feels harassed, discriminated against, or has a question or concern about a violation of our Code of Conduct should report the incident following the raising concerns section of our code of conduct.

I disagree with the decision to…

I disagree with the idea that…

Disagreements about decisions are a healthy part of team collaboration. By challenging each other individually, our team collectively discovers the best solution.

Disagreeing with a decision

When you are challenging a decision, it is important to do so in a constructive way. Failure to do so may lead to Interpersonal conflict.

Here is a process that you can follow to disagree with a decision productively.

1. Proactively try to understand the decision by reviewing available information (Slack conversations, RFCs).
2. Start a conversation with the decision maker. In this conversation:
   • Communicate what information you reviewed in (1) and ask the decision maker to share any information or context that is missing from what you reviewed.
   • State clearly that you disagree with the decision and your top 3 reasons for disagreeing. Share why you think these concerns are important or impactful.
   • Ask the decision maker how they are thinking about tradeoffs and what they are optimizing for.
   • Listen actively.
3. Choose a course of action:
   • Agree and commit to the decision.
   • Disagree and propose an alternative solution. If your proposal is not accepted, choose a different option.
   • Disagree and commit to the decision. Document in an appropriate location (e.g., comment in the relevant Slack thread or relevant RFC) your disagreement, reasons for disagreeing, and the fact that you are committing to the decision.
   • Disagree and perform a clean escalation.

Interpersonal conflict

I don’t like working with $NAME because…

Interpersonal conflict is normal and natural; however, if left unresolved, it can be harmful to the health and productivity of our team. If you are having difficulties working with a teammate (or suspect a teammate is having difficulties working with you), then you should proactively work to resolve the situation by having a direct conversation with the person you are in conflict with. Nonviolent communication1, 2 is a useful tool for having productive conversations.

If you are unable to resolve the conflict directly with the other person, then perform a Clean escalation.

Building a shared understanding

Building a shared understanding is a useful way to prevent and resolve conflicts. It is also a prerequisite for a Clean escalation.

You have a shared understanding with another person if:

1. They can describe your point of view accurately.
2. You can describe their point of view accurately.