In any organization involving a group, conflict is virtually inevitable. People have different values, ideas, style and personalities, and occasionally they will clash. For many managers, handling workplace conflicts is one of the most stressful aspects of the job.

However, conflict isn’t necessarily a negative. When employees are passionate about their work and truly care about delivering the best service to customers, sometimes conflicts can arise, and the process of resolving them can provide everyone involved with new insights that can shape future behavior.

But some conflicts are corrosive to staff morale. Conflicts that expand beyond the principals involved and bring other staff into the mix, forcing everyone to choose sides, can be devastating. When conflicts at work center on interpersonal relationships, it takes strong and decisive leadership to resolve them quickly so that normal operations can resume.

But what about conflicts that involve a clash between business philosophies or that arise because of an operational change that affects employees? Differing opinions on how the company will move forward are normal when a major change is contemplated, and effective leaders can influence employee perceptions while aligning efforts with organizational goals.

But to reach consensus, company leaders need to get all the issues on the table so they can be discussed openly. It’s important that all employees have an opportunity to be heard. This is, where anonymous polling technology can play a role.

Anonymous polling software allows company leaders to ask questions or lead discussions by embedding questions into presentations and enabling individuals to respond anonymously via a clicker or smartphone. The software instantly tallies responses and presents results in aggregate form via a chart during presentation. Here are some of the advantages of this approach:

Anonymous polling promotes open discussions: It might seem like a misnomer since anonymity is inherently non-transparent, but carefully crafted questions and the open sharing of aggregate responses lets everyone know exactly what the issues are. Rather than getting bogged down in peripheral details, anonymous polling allows company leaders to define the conflict in clear terms and discuss alternatives.

Anonymous polling gives every employee a voice: One of the pitfalls of discussions in an all-hands-on-deck meeting is that the conversation tends to be dominated by the most outspoken individuals, and they may not represent popular opinion. With anonymous polling through response technology, even people who typically avoid the limelight have their say, and employees can contribute their two cents without fearing repercussions from managers or peers with whom they disagree.

Anonymous polling lets everyone know where the group stands: In the heat of a conflict, perceptions tend to get skewed, and sometimes it’s hard to determine what the prevalent opinion is on any given topic. A meeting where employees contribute their opinions anonymously in response to questions presented onscreen provides a quick snapshot of where everyone stands. This information can be invaluable to executives tasked with driving consensus.

Anonymous polling signals when consensus is reached: Just as juries tasked with reaching a verdict may take votes periodically to determine where members are, leaders who are attempting to create consensus on potentially divisive issues may benefit from a reality check in the form of an anonymous poll. It can also be helpful to take a baseline pulse via a poll at the beginning of the meeting and periodic polls to view how much progress has been achieved.

Workplace conflicts aren’t necessarily destructive, but organizations work best when everyone is pulling together toward a shared goal. In times of significant organizational change, the most effective leaders are those who are able to change minds and create consensus. But to have that opportunity, it’s necessary to understand what employees are thinking and to have a clear view of the fault lines that divide them.

Anonymous polling can be an incredibly valuable tool to help company leaders resolve conflict. By fostering open discussions, allowing all employees to contribute, providing a benchmark to move forward and enabling leaders to measure consensus, anonymous polling can help leaders get everyone on the same page. Creating a sense of shared purpose can help leaders move the group past the conflict and toward success.