Conflicts, even if infrequent, may occur when leading a team. As a leader, it’s important to understand your role in managing such conflicts. Knowing the relationship between leadership and conflict management can help you identify potential conflicts, prevent them and/ or resolve them if needed. There are typically two types of conflicts that might occur while leading a team –

• Conflicts between individual team members
• Conflict team members have regarding established goals or the methods of meeting those goals

Why is Conflict Management Important for Leaders?

When you gather a team of individuals together with varying personalities, there is potential for conflict, but knowledge and mastery of conflict management skills can help you avoid conflicts altogether and resolve them quickly when they occur. Some of the benefits of proper conflict management include –

• Improved processes and stronger goals
• Improved teamwork
• Preventing future conflict

How to Practice Conflict Management as a Leader?

As a leader, it’s helpful to know what options you have when you practice conflict management. Here are a few steps you can take to help resolve conflicts effectively when they arise –

• Create Guidelines: If you notice behaviour that might lead to potential conflicts, try establishing rules that encourage a friendlier work environment. For example, consider encouraging respectful conduct among team members or establishing a system of accountability for errors. Defining the behaviour, you expect from team members and holding them accountable to those standards can help avoid conflict.
• Recognize Causes of Conflict: Outside forces may cause a shift in morale in your workplace. Understanding particular causes of conflict can help you prevent issues from arising. For instance, if there’s a change in company processes, some team members might require help adjusting, while others might not. Knowing that this might cause conflict, establishing a training program to help those who require guidance can improve morale and reduce the chances of a conflict occurring.
• Assess the Situation: A leader’s responsibility in conflict management is to find a resolution as quickly as possible. This sometimes involves noticing a potential conflict before it occurs. For example, helping a team member better understand a process they might have problems with or talking to team members who seem to clash can help improve a situation.
• Only Intervene When Necessary: Not all conflicts require intervention. Sometimes, team members can resolve conflicts themselves, or the conflict is minor enough that work can continue uninterrupted. Consider intervening only in instances where a solution doesn’t present itself to conflicting team members themselves or if a conflict persists long enough that intervention becomes necessary.
• Work Together with Conflicting Team Members: If you intervene in a conflict or your team presents a conflict to you and asks for your help, collaborate with team members to find a solution. Consider taking on a mediator role by helping the conflicting team members understand each other’s issues and discovering a solution that works for both parties.
• Stay Neutral: It’s important that either conflicting team member doesn’t feel you’re working against them. It’s helpful to communicate to both parties that you’re remaining neutral but working towards a solution. Letting them know you want a solution that works for both parties can help them build trust when trying to resolve their conflict.