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What role does a leader play in resolving conflict?

First, it is important to note that conflict can be a good thing. It can bring about hidden issues, allow people to recognize and respect differences, and help to create policies and methods organizationally to allow reemergence of similar types of conflicts to be resolved in a straightforward way. Conflict emerges in stages, and without visiting each of the stages may simply be an assumption. Conflict is first recognized, then confirmed, then acknowledged, verbalized, and hopefully resolved in one of the ways described below.

A leader can play many roles in the resolution of conflict. By examining the ways in which conflict can be reacted to, insight may be gained as to the proper reaction to a given conflict. By choosing less effective methods for handling conflict, many pitfalls may be encountered. Productivity may suffer, violence may erupt, teams may break down, and morale (a difficult intangible asset to regain) may falter.

For instance, if there is little concern for self, and little concern for others, a leader or conflictants may be taking an aversion or avoiding approach, hoping that the conflict simply goes away. However, given that productivity can falter, the interpersonal relationships can begin to fail, and irreparable damage could eventually be done, this is not a suggested method for conflict resolution.

If there is a high concern for self but no concern for others, this may lead to pure competition, where conflict remains in place because no one wants to "lose ground". However, the organization can lose ground while this method for handling conflict is in place.

If there is both a high concern for self and a high concern for others, conflictants can potentially enter into a collaborative state of conflict management. This is a highly recommended style for many conflicts in the workplace, since it can allow for the conflictants to work through the issues and begin to become productive again, hopefully working better and understanding each other more than before the conflict occurred.

If there is low concern for self and high concern for others in a conflict, it becomes a case of accommodation, in which someone will give up their stake in the conflict simply to allow the issue to pass. This is not recommended, since the underlying feelings can reemerge in different ways, affecting other aspects of relationships, and potentially quietly hurting morale. Leaders must be careful not to demand blind accomodation from followers, and try to allow for an open channel to air conflicts with subordinates.

Finally, if there is a middling concern for self, and a similarly middling concern for others, conflictants may choose to compromise, but while this may get the parties past the conflict, it may not be satisfying to all involved, and as a result, conflict may still remain, under the surface. It is important to try to have conflicting parties try to see each others sides, be heard, and empathize and understand positions beyond their own.

As a result, the Mediation method of conflict management is highly recommended. It is a communication, relations, and empathy framework that allows and encourages conflictants to sit down quietly and be led by a neutral third party through a series of steps designed to allow both sides to be heard, facts to be clarified, and empathy to flourish, which mediation sees as the key not just to conflict resolution, but as a way to allow parties to benefit from the conflict by growing from it.