Vendor Conflict Resolution Methods

Stuck in the middle of a vendor conflict? Two suppliers, one problem, and both pointing fingers at each other. Meanwhile, deadlines slip, costs rise, and frustration builds. Sound familiar? Meet the P.A.C.T. Framework, your playbook for handling vendor disputes P - Pinpoint the Problem → Facts first, emotions later. Strip away assumptions and get to the root cause. Use data, contracts, and KPIs to bring objectivity to the table. Ask: What evidence supports each side’s claim? A - Align on the Impact → Make vendors care about fixing it. Show how the issue affects performance, reputation, or revenue. Connect the pain points to their business goals. Ask: What happens if this isn’t resolved? C - Collaborate on Solutions → No blame games, just action. Move away from who’s at fault to how we fix this together. Get both vendors to propose solutions, not just defend themselves. Ask: What’s the fastest way to resolve this while protecting both sides? T - Track & Enforce Agreements → If it’s not documented, it doesn’t exist. Define who does what and by when in a follow-up email. Set clear deadlines and track progress to avoid the same issue later. Use scorecards, penalties, or rewards to ensure compliance. Strong vendor relationships don’t happen by chance, they happen by design. Have you ever had to mediate a vendor dispute? How did you handle it? Drop your thoughts below! If this resonated with you, please repost or tag someone who might benefit from this message! --------------------- Hi! I'm Celia SGAR, and I share simple tips about Vendor Management. Follow me for advice to help you get the most from your suppliers!

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲-𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, but it’s inevitable. Yet, many don't know how to handle it effectively. Once I got curious about what causes conflict, I realized most are rooted on 3 sources: 𝟭. 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆: Conflict often happens when parties lack access to the same data. Their decisions clash because they’re not working with the same information. At Google Home, the e-commerce team and I didn't see eye to eye on a new service launch strategy. The economics impacted their channel performance, but after I shared the roadmap of future services that would offset the challenges, we aligned. With both teams accessing the same "data set", the conflict dissolved.     𝟮. 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: Sometimes, everyone has the same facts but different priorities. One side might focus on quality vs. speed. Having a common set of principles or philosophies helps drive alignment.     While leading the transition from G Suite to Google Workspace, we restructured features across 20+ apps. Each app team had different approaches, making alignment difficult. But once we agreed on principles—like target customers profiles per subscription tier—decision-making became much easier.     𝟯. 𝗘𝗴𝗼: Sometimes it's not about data or principles— it's personal. A party may feel slighted or passed over, leading them to derail plans (consciously or unconsciously). In such cases, escalation is often the best solution.     At Adobe, I worked to align product leaders on a strategy, but some personal grievances and turf wars slowed progress. Even with shared data and principles, the conflict persisted. Escalating to senior management helped resolve the impasse and get everyone on board. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁: 𝟭. 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱: Identify the root cause: data gap, philosophical difference, or ego? Approach with empathy, curiosity, and zero judgment. 𝟮. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀: Share all relevant info. Ensure both sides work from the same set of truths. 𝟯. 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀: Once aligned on facts, agree on guiding principles. Debate principles, not the issue itself. 𝟰. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Collaborate on options, weighing pros and cons together. 𝟱. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Choose a solution, document it, and share with all involved. Include names and dates—this adds accountability and prevents reopening the issue. 𝟲. 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗡𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆: If all else fails, it's likely ego-driven and escalation might be necessary—and that’s okay when done responsibly. Next time conflict arises, don’t rush to fix it or let frustration take over. Step back, identify the cause, and handle it methodically. #leadership #conflict

𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭-𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬—𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. In any client-vendor relationship, especially in enterprise <> MSME engagements, issues will inevitably arise. But the way we address them determines the longevity and health of the partnership. Here’s how we should approach disputes: - 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Jumping straight to reviewing documentation can sour the relationship and escalate costs for both sides. It’s similar to employee-employer relationships—once you get into formal disputes, the relationship starts to degrade. Instead, having a direct conversation and laying out the discrepancies constructively while both parties are still in “collaborative mode” can help resolve the issue, move forward together and might even result in better outcomes. - 𝐌𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 > 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. If both sides agree on a specific issue, work towards a mutual solution to keep things productive. But if one side denies responsibility or refuses to engage, things quickly go south. For large enterprises - having processes, legal teams, and dispute-resolution frameworks helps. But for MSMEs, prolonged disputes can be crippling in terms of both time and money and are unsustainable. - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. Prolonged disputes can severely damage relationships, especially when solutions are forced. We’ve seen this happen in large government projects, where both sides head towards dispute-resolution formulae, but by the time it’s officially processed, the damage is already done. 𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞: 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 “𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭." Have you faced a similar challenge with a partner/vendor? How did you handle it? #Venwiz #DisputeResolution #VendorManagement

here is one technique that resolves conflict almost 90% of the time: make the problem the enemy, not the person. this isn't just for boardrooms. from negotiating contracts to helping my kids share toys without a war breaking out in our living room, this approach is mom tested and boardroom approved. the psychology is simple yet powerful. when someone feels attacked, their brain triggers defense mechanisms—rational thinking shuts down, emotional reactions take over. but when you position yourselves on the same side against a common enemy, everything changes. last week a friend called me about a tense vendor relationship she had. instead of blaming the vendor for missed deadlines, we reframed: "looks like we're both fighting against unclear specifications." within minutes, the conversation shifted from finger-pointing to problem-solving. she realized they didn't have a clear campaign calendar or weekly check in. both were working from different deadlines. even at home, when my son missed an assignment, rather than making him the enemy, we identified the real problem: time for planning. suddenly we were brainstorming solutions together instead of arguing. implementation requires three steps: -explicitly name the problem as the shared enemy -physically position yourselves side-by-side, looking at the issue together -use "we" language exclusively to reinforce alliance when you make the problem the enemy, impossible situations become solvable because you're no longer fighting each other, you're working together. #PR #communications #marketing #agency #executive #strategicthinking #conflictresolution