Larry Wenger writes:

Subject: Conflict

I work with non-profits every day. I see them trying to avoid conflict at all costs. So in that respect, your article is very helpful. Do you really think that conflict is any tougher to deal with in a non-profit environment than it is in the traditional business community. If so, why?

Larry Wenger Workforce Performance Group

Greg McRay writes:

Subject: Conflict in a nonprofit

I do not think it is necessarily tougher in all situations, but I can tell you that it often is. The sheer need to make a profit can often foster resolution of disagreements in the for-profit world. In the nonprofit world, I have too often witnessed OPMS, other people's money syndrome, cause otherwise smart business people to check their experience at the door and proceed to plant their flags in the most bizarre ways.

Also, you often have truly shared power in a nonprofit, whereas in a similarly-sized for-profit, you typically have a president or CEO as the final arbiter. Shared, equitable power, while certainly democratic, is more prone to territorial entrenchment with fewer avenues to resolution.