7 Key Leadership Strategies for Managing Conflict on Your Team


Conflict management is the capability of identifying and handling conflicts fairly and efficiently. It is an essential skill for the manager or team leader because if your team manages conflict, it pays very little attention to the work itself. It can influence work results and create a very negative atmosphere in the team. Leaders should know how to deal with conflict management regularly.

It is pretty essential to note that leaders must remember to solve conflicts professionally. Conflict impact in the workplaceOpens in a new tab. can drastically disrupt employees’ effectiveness which can later have a negative effect that can slow the attainment of the organizational goals. Leaders should also make sure that they are having continuous effective communication with their team members.

Team leaders or managers are often faced with the challenge of not knowing the practical strategies they can employ to manage conflict in the workplace. Being knowledgeable of strategies that managers can use during leadership conflict resolution is very beneficial to the leader and the whole team in a particular organization. Leaders having an ability to understand how to manage conflicts is highly considered an essential leadership competence that can help a business and its team members grow and advance for the betterment of the organization. However, conflict management is considered a difficult skill that an individual can master and develop. This article aims to discuss the key leadership strategies that leaders can emulate when managing conflict on their team that later helps the company or any other organization achieve their goals.

4 Common Types of Conflict in the Workplace

First, let us define the term conflict? Conflict is when two or more parties disagree over something. ConflictsOpens in a new tab. can arise in different situations, such as in the workplace. Conflict is inevitable hence it is important to know how to manage conflict as a leader.

If handled poorly, conflict often impairs team dynamics which later affects the inter-working of the teams negatively. In this way, every leader needs to take quick action when the conflict threatens to minimize the threat resulting from such unhealthy disputes. There are various types of conflicts that mostly arise in the workplace. These are:

  • Leadership conflicts
  • Personality conflicts
  • Task-based conflicts
  • Workstyle conflict

I. Leadership Conflicts

Due to the different personalities, working styles, and goals of the team members in the workplace, chances of disagreements are always inevitable; hence the ability to solve conflicts in the workplace facilitates the organization’s success. Leadership styles occur primarily due to the differences that are present in the leadership styles. In every company, leaders have specific ways that they use to lead their team members. Some of the leaders in the workplace are:

  • Directive.
  • Inclusive.
  • More open.
  • Encourage close collaboration with their team members.

Therefore, in preventing leadership conflicts, it is necessary to recognize the above differences throughout the team. As a leader, it is essential to adjust your leadership styles. For instance, if you are in the management chamber, it is good to be aware of your leadership style, and more importantly, you should know how to interact with your team and client. This way, you will be able to accommodate the different personalities and needs of your team members.

II. Personality Conflicts

These conflicts result from the differences among the team members. It is possible to disagree with your supervisor, peer, and co-worker if their personality does not match yours.

III. Task-based Conflicts

These are conflicts when team members rely on their fellow members to complete a particular task or project. If one team member fails to complete a task in the workplace, it can affect the ability of another member to complete their task on time. For instance, if an accountant arrives in the office when late, it hugely affects another employer who can start arriving at the workplace when late.

IV. Workstyle Conflicts

Workstyle conflicts occur when team members have different behaviors and working styles. For example, it is possible to find some team members in business who work fast, and they later move to the next task while others accomplish tasks at a slow rate. These working styles lead to conflict in the workplace due to different preferences on how to complete tasks or projects.

Other causes of conflicts may be:

  • Time pressure
  • Individual differences
  • Competition for resources
  • Communication breakdowns
  • Status problems

What is conflict management?

Conflict management is a practice that helps identify conflicts and resolve them quickly and fairly. Sometimes conflict management can even help you to prevent conflicts. Conflicts often occur in the workplace. Therefore, people need to know how to resolve them efficiently. Leaders must deal with conflict resolution daily; hence, they should know some of the strategies used during conflict management.

There are some of the effective strategies used to deal with conflict management:

1. Act responsibly

When leaders are handling conflicts, they shouldn’t forget about responsibility for their team and their well-being. You should try to be calm and reasonable and make a wise decision. For instance, if you put the blame on the wrong person, you will be responsible for their mental health, and your role in the company will seriously shatter. In addition, according to the California labor lawsOpens in a new tab., employees can go to court if they feel unfair treatment in the workplace.

2. Diagnose the conflict

This starts when the leader assesses the situation. Here, the leader should try to minimize the conflicts. A leader must trace the wrongdoing before acting to the situation. However, leaders should ensure that they do not take long when managing conflict since the team members may think the leader is hesitant when making the decision.

3.   Maintain boundaries

Leaders should ensure that they help and support others to maintain boundaries. Further, leaders maintaining and keeping awareness of the boundaries is crucial since it prevents further conflicts.

4.   Identify a goal

Leaders should identify a goal that can be used to manage conflicts. After identifying a goal, strategies for achieving that goal should be implemented. This strategy can help the leader stay on the task, hence resolving the conflict at hand effectively.

5.   Respect differences

Leaders should ensure that they respect any unique skills of their employees. Further, leaders should ensure that they appreciate the gifts of everyone in the workplace.

6.   Avoiding

Avoiding is also an essential strategy that is low cooperative and low assertive. By avoiding strategy, the leader will withdraw from conflict; hence no one will win. Leaders here solve the conflict in a passive attitude with the hope that the conflict will resolve itself. It is a beneficial and effective strategy, but it hinders the dispute from being dealt with, accelerating it to be large. However, leaders should not use this method when the conflict is needed to be resolved urgently.

7.   Collaborating

Here, both the teams win the conflict. The leader works by ensuring that the team resolution is fairly met, which helps to fulfill their concerns. It is a strategy that is time-consuming and that needs a lot of energy. However, leaders recognize this strategy because positive outcomes between the team members make the team stronger and more creative.

As a way of concluding, conflict management is a strategy that every leader should know. Conflicts in the workplace slow the impact of the business by hindering it not to reach its goals. Therefore, learning the skills that can be used to manage conflict in the workplace is essential to all companies since these skills, together with strategies, ensure that conflict is well managed, which helps the business goals be prioritized.

Author bio: 

Habib-Ur-Rehman is well-known writer for techOpens in a new tab.businessOpens in a new tab., food and multiple topic writer with updated info for the audience, believe in the researched based content writing with outstanding writing style.

Steve Todd

Steve Todd, founder of Open Sourced Workplace and is a recognized thought leader in workplace strategy and the future of work. With a passion for work from anywhere, Steve has successfully implemented transformative strategies that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. Through Open Sourced Workplace, he fosters collaboration among HR, facilities management, technology, and real estate professionals, providing valuable insights and resources. As a speaker and contributor to various publications, Steve remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of workplace innovation, helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic work environment.

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