Chapter 5: Integrating Conflict and Releasing Creative Energy: A Case for Mary Parker Follett

Isabel Rubio was re-energized from her sabbatical, marking her 15th year as Founder and Executive Director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA), a 501(c) 3 with a statewide mission of serving and advocating for immigrants. In the last four years, HICA had grown from 3 staff members to 20, and tripled programs offerings. Within the last year, one-third of the staff was hired, 50% of whom had less than six months experience with HICA. New staff (0–4 years) outnumbered senior staff (8+  years) by 4:1, and Isabel was looking forward to an upcoming staff retreat where the focus would be on team building and collaboration. During Isabel’s absence for her sabbatical, the Assistant Director Diana had enjoyed being in charge, having previously managed internal operations and quality control for eight years. Isabel initially believed that HICA managed well during her sabbatical. However, she became concerned when she learned that a relatively minor team conflict escalated during her absence and was not only impacting the team’s productivity, but also threatening the morale of the entire organization.