Leaders in Organizations

Unit 4: Conflict Management

Welcome to the unit on managing conflict. This unit is about conflict, the role it plays in workplaces and in teams, and how we can manage conflict to our advantage. Conflict means struggle, but this is not always a bad thing. Conflict can be destructive, but it can also be a constructive force. In fact, the ability to use conflict to increase effectiveness, and the ability to reduce and resolve negative conflict might just be among the most important tools in your management and leadership toolkit. Conflict can include a healthy debate on difficult issues, and it can be a springboard for creative thinking and even greater group cohesion. In this Unit you will have the opportunity to assess your style of conflict management. You will gain skills in using conflict to increase your own effectiveness and resolving negative conflict and strife on the job.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Describe how conflict impacts individuals and teamwork;
  2. Assess your own personal history and comfort level with conflict;
  3. Compare and contrast cultural differences in expressing and responding to conflict;
  4. Distinguish between task and relationship conflict; and
  5. List at least two actions that can be used for managing and resolving conflict.
Practice

We encourage you to have a paper journal and pen with you to complete written activities and self-reflection assignments. Alternatively, you may find it useful to use Microsoft Word to complete written activities and self-reflection assignments.

Learning Activities

  • Video: Welcome (1 min)

    Watch the following short welcome video, narrated by Ann Downer (USA), as she introduces you to the unit on managing conflict.

    Instructions: Tap the video to play.

    Credit: University of Washington
  • Video: Conflict Management (5 min)

    Conflict can mean different things to different people. It often has a negative connotation; we associate it with clear winners and losers. However, conflict can also be used to increase your own effectiveness. When managed successfully, conflict can encourage creative thinking, a greater understanding and perspective of an issue, and bring members of a team closer together.

    Watch the following short video, narrated by Ann Downer (USA), as she defines what conflict means and how we can strengthen our skills in conflict management.

    Instructions: Tap the video to play.

    Credit: University of Washington
  • Video: Five Modes of Handling Conflict (5 min)

    In the last lecture, you learned a little bit about how conflict can be perceived and how it can be used to increase effectiveness. In this lecture you will learn more about ways in which people often handle conflict. There are five modes for handling conflict: competing, collaborating, accommodating, avoiding, and compromising. These correspond to two dimensions of personality that are present in every one of us. The dimensions of our personality that are important in understanding how we manage conflict are cooperativeness and assertiveness. Each of us fall along a continuum between cooperative and uncooperative, and between assertive and unassertive. An important tool to managing conflict is understanding ourselves and others better in terms of our basic personalities and how cooperative and assertive we each are. This understanding will tell us a lot about how we will respond to conflict.

    Of the five responses to conflict, there is not one that is always correct to use. As a matter of fact, being aware of options to apply different responses increases our chances of responding in a way that might better meet our long-term goals.

    Watch another video, narrated by Ann Downer (USA), where she discusses the five models for handling conflict.

    Instructions: Tap the video to play.

    Credit: University of Washington
  • Activity: Five Modes of Handling Conflict (15 min)

    Based on the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), the Five Modes for Handling Conflicts model shows two dimensions of behavior in a conflict – assertiveness and cooperativeness. The dimensions of assertiveness and cooperativeness are represented as two axes on the table. Five possible options for handling conflict are displayed on the table as well.

    Instructions: Tap the arrows and each box on the diagram to reveal additional information the different dimensions for handling conflict.

    Assertiveness

    The Assertiveness dimension represents the extent to which you attempt to satisfy your own concerns in a conflict.

    Cooperativeness

    The Cooperativeness dimension represents the extent to which you attempt to satisfy the other person’s concerns in a conflict.

    Avoiding

    “Leaving well enough alone.” Choosing not to engage rather than addressing conflict directly. This resolution tactic can be useful as many conflicts resolve themselves if we don't intervene. The people involved are forced to find a way without bringing their manager or supervisor into the situation and it tends to strengthen the relationship between coworkers. Avoidance can also be used at certain times to buy yourself time, so that you don’t jump into a conflict resolution too quickly, or without enough information. However, avoiding conflict can become an unproductive habit, especially if you value harmony. It’s important to find balance and not use avoidance too much. Even highly cooperative and assertive people can use avoidance, though. It's used in diplomacy to move slowly through volatile issues and it's used in diplomacy to avoid a confrontation that would ultimately do more harm than good. There are also times when you can avoid a conflict or use this avoidance strategy by delegating responsibility for a conflict resolution to someone else. This gives him or her more experience in the management arena, but you really have to be careful of your own motives if you're choosing to do this. And if you're delegating conflict resolution too often, you're probably avoiding conflict management too much.

    Applications: to reduce tension or to buy time or to delegate decision making to another.

    Competing

    “Might makes right.” You find this type of conflict behavior most often when someone is assertive and uncooperative. When people are highly assertive and highly uncooperative, conflicts are more likely to be managed by attempting to compete, using whatever power they have to win. Essentially, they want their way, and they're willing to throw their weight around to get it. The following is an example of this type of conflict behavior: An individual in a leadership role is asked by someone to give a talk. The individual declines the opportunity for various reasons. The requester goes on to contact the leader’s boss to change the person’s mind and force that individual to say yes to the speaking engagement. Not only was this an unproductive way to resolve the conflict, but it failed to influence the leader in the direction that the requester had hoped. In fact, it caused resentment, a withdrawal by the requester from the Emotional Bank Account of the leader. Remember that competing is not always bad. None of these strategies are always good or always the wrong ones to use. Competing might be effective when you need to make a very quick decision; for instance, a decision in the midst of a crisis or when you need to make a difficult or a controversial decision that is going to be hard no matter what decision you make and just needs to be made.

    Applications: to take quick and decisive action or to make difficult or controversial decisions quickly.

    Accommodating

    “Extending Kindness.” Conflicts tend to be managed through accommodation when someone is highly cooperative and unassertive. They will neglect their own concerns and interests in order to accommodate those of the other person. This type of approach to conflict management can occur when someone is very cooperative, but also fairly unassertive. They may have a tendency to give away their own assets. In other words, to give it all away. They neglect their own concerns and their own interests in order to accommodate and please other people. In some scenarios, people who accommodate frequently enjoy helping other people solve their problems, and it isn’t always an approach we should avoid. It can be an appropriate way to address conflict if you want to create goodwill, if you want to keep the peace, if you want to preserve harmony, and when the relationship is more important than the issue at hand. An example of an organization that used this type of approach might be a new organization. A new organization might be very accommodating, perhaps sometimes forced to say ‘yes’ too much. They might say yes to everything their funding agencies wants them us to take on, because they feel like a newcomer to the field and want to establish a reputation of cooperation, and a willingness to take responsibility for what needed to be done. So like all of these approaches to conflict resolution, remember that it can work for you or against you any of the strategies. The point is to analyze the situation you're in, understand your own biases and to make a conscious choice of how you're going to proceed.

    Applications: create good will; keep the peace and preserve harmony; when a relationship is more important than an issue.

    Compromising

    “Splitting the difference.” When someone is somewhat assertive and somewhat cooperative, they are more likely to compromise as a way of managing conflict. This means finding a mutually acceptable solution that is at least somewhat satisfactory to both parties. Here, you begin to see the beautiful mean where you approach a negotiation or a conflict with your own needs in mind and also with the spirit of give and take. Your intent is to find a mutually acceptable solution to the problem. However, compromise does mean that neither party gets all they want, usually. It is used to resolve important conflicts where you want both parties to have at least partial satisfaction. This strategy of compromise or meeting in the middle can be quite effective.

    Applications: to resolve something important with a measure of satisfaction on both sides or when there are time constraints on finding a better solution for one or both parties.

    Collaborating

    “Two heads are better than one.” When someone is highly assertive and highly cooperative, they may be more likely to resolve conflict using collaboration. This means engaging with the other person to find a solution that fully satisfies each of their concerns. This solution may be totally different from the original solution each of them proposed, but both parties agree that it is the best solution to the problem. Finding the best solution, perhaps not even based on either party’s original position or wish, but agreeing to be the right outcome. That's what collaboration means. Collaboration is possible when people are both assertive and cooperative. It's often the most enduring and productive approach to conflict resolution, but it also takes the most energy, the least interference of ego, and the greatest level of emotional maturity to achieve. Collaboration is most effective when people are comfortable with ambiguity and comfortable with the knowledge that there isn’t necessarily a right way all the time. In an interview with Nelson Mandela by Richard Stengel, he asked Mandela this question: "When you decided to suspend the armed struggle against apartheid, was it because you realized you didn’t have the strength to overthrow the government? Or because you knew you could win over international opinion by choosing non-violence?" He goes on to write that Mandela looked at him with kind of a curious glance and said, "Why not both?" Stengel goes on to write, "The message was to me. Life is never either/or. Decisions are complex and there are always competing factors. To look for simple solutions is the bias of the human mind, but it doesn’t correspond to reality. Nothing is ever straightforward as it appears." In other words, Mandela is comfortable with contradiction and complexity and he is willing to look at conflicts as complex in terms of their source and he's willing to look at solutions as something that may not yet have been discovered and will benefit from the greatest number of ideas. Mandela's question was always, "What is the end that I seek and what is the most practical way to get there?" He was always open to finding the right way forward through collaboration. Though criticized at times for doing this, Mandela defines a mature leader who approaches conflict fearlessly.

    Applications: collaboration is often the most creative and enduring management approach when the stakes are high and the continued relationship important.

    What is the best mode?

    Clearly, there are all possible responses depending upon the goal you want to achieve and your willingness to cooperate with others. The message here is to be more conscious and mindful about your options.

  • Video: Types of Conflict (5 min)

    Another important aspect of conflict which we must understand is the type of conflict that we are encountering. There are two types of conflict: task-related and relationship-related conflict. Ultimately, both types need to be resolved; however, it is important to identify which one you are working with in order to know how to approach the problem. Task-related conflict can often bring about positive changes and new ideas, if properly managed. Relationship-related conflict can be highly destructive to individuals, teams and even work goals and must be dealt with in order to be resolved. One method of resolving or managing conflict is to first identify which type of conflict you are observing and to consider what perspective each party is bringing to the conflict. We can then give people the opportunity to express their positions and choose how they might move forward for the good of the team. As managers and leaders, we need to understand our own history and feelings about conflict, as well as the rules we and our teams operate under, in order to lead a team through conflict.

    Watch the following short video, narrated by Ann Downer (USA). Dr. Downer talks about how to recognize the types of conflict that can occur.

    Instructions: Tap the video to play.

    Credit: University of Washington
  • Self-Reflection: Five Modes of Conflict Management (15 min)

    Take some time now to think about the information you have received about managing conflict. In your journal, reflect on your own experience with conflict. You may want to write your response to the following questions:

    • Did any of the five modes for conflict management resonate with you?
    • Which do you use most often?
    • You will find that you have a preferred style, but the person with whom you are interacting will also impact your style.
    • Do you find you use a different style in different types of interactions or with different people?
  • Video: The Unmotivated Worker (2 min)

    Next, watch a series of three videos from the Everyday Leadership series that focus on conflict management. The first video, called The Unmotivated Worker, with Patricia Garcia (Peru). In this video, Dr. Garcia shares a story on how she worked with an unmotivated worker to better engage him with the team.

    Instructions: Tap the video to play.

    Credit: University of Washington
  • Video: Confronting Conflict (2 min)

    Watch the following Everyday Leadership video called Confronting Conflict with Tachi Yamada (Japan). This video shares best practices when confronting conflict.

    Instructions: Tap the video to play.

    Credit: University of Washington
  • Video: Letting It Go (2 min)

    The final video is called Letting It Go with Joseph Njala (Malawi). It is important to understand conflict and important to explore how you deal with conflict, recognize your own thoughts about conflict, and know what influences you in your reaction to conflict. Knowing ourselves is the first step towards developing a greater capacity for responding to conflict in productive ways.

    Instructions: Tap the video to play.

    Credit: University of Washington
  • Quiz: Conflict Profile (15 min)

    The Conflict Profile is one way to uncover your personal relationship with conflict. Take a few minutes to examine your style of managing conflict. You will be asked to think about events and people that have influenced you.

    Instructions: For each question, rate yourself on the scale by selecting a number between 1 and 9. One means no conflict or complete avoidance of debate or argument and nine means extreme conflict, where conflict is common. In your journal tally your score with the response that best describes you. When you are finished, please tap the Feedback button to learn more about managing conflict.

    1 = No Conflict: Complete avoidance of debate or argument. Individual opinions are not shared if they differ from common or dominant opinions.

    3 = Some Conflict: Occasionally conflict occurs. Sometimes it is resolved, sometimes it is not.

    5 = Conflict Happens: Parties participate in passionate debate when issues arise. Opinions are fully shared. Resolution of issues usually happens.

    7 = Much Conflict: More conflict than can be resolved. Some injury occurs from conflict.

    9 = Extreme Conflict: Arguments are common. Active, often loud discourse takes place with raw, emotional content. Resolution is rare-almost never happens.

    Question Score
    What did conflict look like in your family home when you were a child? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    How did conflict occur in the most impactful community separate from primary family (i.e., neighborhood, church community) that surrounded you in your early years? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    Think about your worst professional experience – how would you describe conflict in that situation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    Now think about your best professional experience – how would you describe conflict in that situation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    How would you prefer conflict to be in your personal life? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    How would you prefer conflict to be in your professional life? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
    How would you prefer conflict to be in your immediate team (in a work setting)? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

  • Self-Reflection: Your Experience with Conflict (15 min)

    Instructions: Reflect on your own experience with conflict. In your journal, write your response to the following questions, then tap the Compare Answer button to reveal additional information.

    How might your previous experience managing conflict impact how you respond to conflict in the workplace now?

    What rules about conflict have you learned from your personal, professional, and community life?


  • Video: Tools for Managing Conflict (5 min)

    As leaders and managers, we can improve our ability to manage conflict by utilizing a number of conflict management tools. Some of these tools include: building trust in the team, revealing more about ourselves as a way to increase trust, becoming aware of our own style or tendency when confronting conflict, developing norms and ground rules for guiding management of conflict within a team, modeling and practicing effective communication skills, mining for conflict, and modeling acceptance of constructive conflict, and reinforcing healthy debate.

    Watch a short video, narrated by Ann Downer (USA), to learn more about the tools for managing conflict.

    Instructions: Tap the video to play.

    Credit: University of Washington
  • Activity: Helping People Solve Their Own Conflicts

    Instructions: You can manage conflict better with the right tools. Let’s apply the concepts presented in this unit to a short activity. Read the story “Helping People Solve Their Problems” and answer a self-reflection question afterwards.

    Helping People Solve Their Problems
    Once upon a time a mullah was on his way by camel to the holy city of Mecca. Coming to an oasis, he saw three men standing there, crying. So he stopped the camel and asked, “My children, what is the matter?” And they answered, “Our father just passed away, and we loved him so much.” “But,” said the mullah, “I am sure he loved you too, and no doubt he has left something behind for you?”

    The three men answered, “Yes, he did indeed. He left behind camels. And in his will it is stated 1/2 to the eldest son, 1/3 to the second and 1/9 to the youngest. We loved camels, we agree with the parts to each. But there is a problem: he left behind 17 camels and we have been to school, we know that 17 is a prime number. Loving camels we cannot divide them.”

    The mullah thought for a while, and then said, “I can give you my camel; then you have 18.” And they started to protest: “No, you cannot do that, you are on your way to something important.” The mullah interrupted them, “My children, take the camel, go ahead.” So they divided the camels according to the father’s instructions:

    • 18 divided by 2 = 9, so the eldest son got 9 camels.
    • 18 divided by 3 = 6, so the second son got 6 camels.
    • 18 divided by 9 = 2, so the youngest son got 2 camels.
    • Thus the three sons got 9 + 6 + 2 = 17 camels in all.

    One camel remained standing alone: the mullah’s camel. The mullah said: “Are you happy? Well, then, maybe I can get my camel back?” And the three men, full of gratitude, said, “Of course,” not quite understanding what had happened. The mullah blessed them, mounted his camel, and the last they saw was a tiny cloud of dust, quickly settling in the glowing evening sun.

    After you have read the scenario, in your journal, write your response to the following question, then tap the Compare Answer button to reveal additional information.

    1. Reflect on what you have learned in this unit.
    2. List some of the steps or actions taken by the mullah to help the brothers resolve their conflict.

    In your journal, write a response to the following self-reflection questions:

    • What did you learn from this story?
    • Does this old story have any relevance in modern life? Why or why not?
  • Video: Dealing with Interpersonal Conflict (2 min)

    Watch the short Everyday Leadership video Dealing with Interpersonal Conflict with Thurma Goldman (South Africa/USA). In this video, Dr. Goldman talks about identifying conflict, passive aggressiveness, and confrontation and about how to deal with interpersonal conflict in the workplace.

    Instructions: Tap the video to play.

    Credit: University of Washington
  • Video: Control (1 min)

    Watch the short Everyday Leadership video called Control with Douglas Lungu (Malawi). In this video, Dr. Lungu talks about how to conduct oneself in the workplace and the importance of separating one’s emotions from the problem at hand.

    Instructions: Tap the video to play.

    Credit: University of Washington
  • Podcast: Thrown Under the Bus (15 min)

    Next, listen to this short story about a public health professional confronting his supervisor about being blamed for a problem that he was not responsible for.

    Instructions: Tap the play button to listen to the story.

    After listening to the podcast, reflect on the following questions in your journal:

    • Have you ever been "thrown under the bus" by a co-worker or manager?
      • If you confronted the person, what approach did you take?
      • What went well?
      • What could have been improved?
    • How did you feel Ngoni handled the situation? Why?
    • What would you have done differently, if anything?
  • Case Study: Managing Conflict (30 min)

    Think about the information that was shared with you on managing conflict so far to complete a short case study. Read the case scenario below, then respond to three questions about the case scenario. Please have your journal available to write your responses to the essay questions.

    Introduction: You are the Commander of a military hospital. You have been directed by your headquarters to expand your HIV specialty clinic. The Clinical Director is Lt. Colonel Emmauel Mutamba, MD. A new medical doctor, Major Sara Halston, MD, has been assigned to you, and you have appointed her as the Assistant Clinical Director to Dr. Mutamba.

    Instructions: Tap the two buttons below to learn more about the individuals in this case study.

    Case Scenario: Dr. Halston arrived for her assignment and was posted to the hospital. There was immediate friction between Dr. Halston and Dr. Mutamba. Dr. Halston was very excited about her role and had many ideas for how things should be done. She felt confident that she could make an impact – and quickly. Many of the hospital staff were also excited to learn more about HIV and to start the expansion of the new clinic since they currently feel ill-prepared to handle the HIV infected patients coming to the hospital. Dr. Halston requests a meeting with you three months into the posting.

    She reports that she initially felt able to share her ideas and make suggestions about the new clinic and that things seemed to be moving forward well. However, Dr. Mutamba has not met with her, nor has he communicated his expectations to her after three months. Dr. Halston is feeling under-appreciated and under-utilized. She wants you to sort things out with Dr. Mutamba.

    In addition to your meeting with Dr. Halston, you also received a phone call from Dr. Mutamba last week expressing dissatisfaction with Dr. Halston and citing her incompetence. Dr. Mutamba thinks Dr. Halston should be removed from her position as Assistant Clinical Director and be replaced by someone with more experience. You have heard from other sources that she spoke up energetically at a meeting with Command and Staff about her ideas and the challenges she would like to address at the hospital. You have also heard that there are factions forming in the hospital, with some doctors showing loyalty to Dr. Mutamba and others anxious for the new clinic expansion to start and siding with Dr. Halston.

    1. Based on the information just presented, answer three questions:

    1. What are the issues with each party in the conflict?
    2. What type of conflict is it?
    3. What tendencies do each party display in terms of comfort with conflict?

    Write a response in your journal, then tap the Compare Answer button to read feedback.

    2. Now, think about how culture affects conflict management. What cultural factors are coming into play in this scenario? Write a response in your journal, then tap the Compare Answer button to read feedback.

    3. Last, what can you do as the Commander to resolve the conflict between Drs. Mutamba and Halston? Write a response in your journal, then tap the Compare Answer button to read feedback.

    Instructions: Take some time to debrief this case study. Tap the Debrief button to read a short summary and take away messages from this case study.

  • Optional: Group Discussion (15 min)

    If you are taking this course with a partner or in a group setting, have a conversation about your leadership and management experience by discussing the following question:

    People generally have a preferred style of handling conflict. It is often based on how we observed others dealing with conflict when we were young. We can now, if we wish, evaluate the effectiveness of our own style and learn additional methods of managing conflict.

    Using the metaphor of an animal to think about your own predominant style of managing conflict, take a few moments to reflect whether one of these animals describes you:

    • Ostrich: I hide my head in the sand until the conflict goes away.
    • Insecure dog: I timidly slouch away and chew up the furniture when no one is looking.
    • Hawk: I fly above it all and pick my targets to attack.
    • Coyote: I use my brains to win.
    • Dolphin: I can fight if necessary, but I would rather swim away.

    Reflect back on the interaction styles of the elephant, lion and fox. Each has strengths to draw upon to help resolve conflicts. What are the strengths you recognize in yourself?

    • Elephant: supportive, trusting, adaptable, optimistic
    • Lion: ambitious, competitive, self-confident, forceful
    • Fox: analytic, cautious, methodical, fair

    How do your predominant style of managing conflict and your strengths in handling conflict support and challenge you when managing conflict?

  • Self-Refection: Learning Action Plan (15 min)

    Putting your learning into action is essential to knowledge transfer, applying the knowledge you gained in this unit, and retaining that information in the future.

    Take a moment to reflect on what you’ve learned in this unit. After reflecting, in your journal, write:

    • Four things you learned in the unit.
    • Three things you will implement:
      • Today;
      • Six months from now; and
      • One year from now.
    • Two things that changed your perspective.
    • One thing you will ask for more help with.
  • Reading: Conclusion (5 min)

    In this unit, you discussed how to manage conflict more effectively at work and in your personal life. You learned about how conflict impacts individuals, team dynamics, and teamwork, as well as how to assess our personal comfort level with conflict. You had a chance to think about how cultural differences can arise in conflict situations and to view some tools that might help in managing conflict in the workplace.