The Long Tail of Conflicts in Innovation Projects: Conflicts and Their Impact on Strategic Renewal

Conflicts in projects are often resolved at the project level; however, if handled properly, resolving conflicts creates learning opportunities of great impact for the wider organization. In this article, we investigate the relationship between conflicts, their resolution, and the effect on the strategic renewal of the organization. We draw on a three-year case study at Bang & Olufsen to develop a process model that shows that conflict resolution can have a positive “long tail” that can lead to strategic renewal.