Managing Conflict

Intensity of Conflict

In the United Kingdom and elsewhere, communities struggle with various conflicts. The world faces greater uncertainty, which its institutions reflect. This unpredictability poses potential risks for societies and organizations, but it also offers potential benefits in change and growth.  

Even amid uncertainty, executives who learn to handle conflict well can construct fruitful, stable relationships within their organizations. This in turn leads to greater institutional and individual growth, a smoother workflow, and shared understanding. Unfortunately, organizations usually don’t prioritize conflict management. As a result, most of their systems for handling disagreements aren’t effective even though good conflict management is critical to individual, group and corporate performance.

Much of management theory ignores terms that begin with the letter F: “fights, feelings, fear, failure, forgiveness” and “flow.” Managers must learn to handle fights productively, though it may require courage. They must deal with employees’ emotions and address fear by encouraging conversation. Organizations should create...