I organized a virtual team-building session. We played online games together. Sounds silly, but it broke the ice. One dev said, "They're actually pretty cool!" I implemented a buddy system, pairing in-house staff with outsourced counterparts. They started collaborating naturally. Two buddies even found a critical bug together. We created a shared Slack channel for casual chats. It humanized both sides. Cultural exchanges became the norm, diffusing tensions. I rotated project leads between in-house and outsourced teams. It fostered mutual respect. One skeptic became our biggest advocate after leading the offshore team. We set up "lessons learned" sessions after each sprint. It gave everyone a voice and caught issues early.

As it is with any other conflict, the most important thing you need to do is to get to the bottom of the situation. Only when you are certain that you understand what the issue is can you start solving the situation. Here is a simple algorithm I usually use: 1. Determine the cause and the scope of the conflict 2. Listen to all sides of the conflict 3. Suggest middle ground for sides to agree on. OR Communicate to the side in the wrong to make them see the problem. 4. Mediate communication between conflict sides. 5. Monitor the sides after conflict resolution. Remember that conflicts don’t get magically solved if you push people to spend time together. But that can help if people plainly have some dislike or misconceptions about each other

The in-house leader who serves as the "client" to the outsourced professionals must set expectations for how the two groups collaborate. Mutual learning and respect for what all bring to the table is essential. Important to avoid back-channel discussions up to "leadership" when internal and external team members disagree (unless there is a possible conflict with contractual agreements). If the leaders of both groups set the expectation that the outsourced professionals and internal team members are interdependent, co-owners of success, and that both groups having critical skills and perspectives to offer, there's a good chance of success.

start by fostering open communication and setting clear expectations. In a similar situation, I organized joint meetings where both teams could voice their concerns and understand each other's roles better, which improved collaboration by 30%. Establish shared goals and emphasize that both teams are working toward the same objectives. Additionally

Sometimes, a lack of alignment between teams can have numerous impacts on the project. To navigate the conflict between the internal team and the outsourced IT professionals, I would follow three steps: • Establish Clear Communication • Identify Points of Conflict • Foster Collaboration