I know this is a big concern for employers - trying to maintain a healthy, productive work environment with all that geek-ego in the room can be tough. I've had the usual share of workplace conflict, and I try to handle it professionally. One time, I was tasked with bringing a new solution into our technology stack, and it wasn't a universally popular decision. I got a lot of pushback - but I stayed calm. The problem wasn't with me, just what I represented, and I knew that. I acknowledged the concerns, and asked for time to sit down with everyone and really get them out in the open. And I listened. I tried to understand which concerns were just fear of change, and which was had a legitimate basis. I went back to my boss, and we agreed to hold off on a couple of aspects that, frankly, hadn't been thought out as well as everyone needed. In the end, the whole thing got done, and everyone on the team was a lot happier about the result.