Running Head: DISCUSSION: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYELES 1

Discussion: Conflict Management Styles

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
DISCUSSION: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYELES 2

Discussion: Conflict Management Styles

We all have different viewpoints, and at some point when working with different people,

we end up in conflicts. This is a normal aspect of any working environment. What matters, in

this case, is how the conflict is handled and solved. There are those who ignore the conflict,

blame other for the conflict or report the conflict top the higher authority. For high functioning

teams, conflicts are a normal thing, and they are solved correctly while satisfying every party

involved. In this paper, I will discuss a similar case that I was engaged in at work and how I

managed to navigate through it and emerged at the other end with the conflict solved.

At my last job, I used to work with a team of ten accounting professionals who were

running one of the most recognized auditing firms in America. The team had stayed intact for a

very long time, and we had been in business for close to 10 years. I was the second in command,

but on that fateful day, I felt my superior was making a mistake, and I could not stand and see the

company fall. I tried to confront her about the decision she was making, but she was confident

that it was the best according to her experience. She ignored the normal channel of solving such

issues by including all the ten professional. To prevent this from happening, I drafted a memo

calling all the ten workmates to a meeting and this was the course of conflict between my

superior and me. I knew a conflict would arise, but it was the only way of saving the

organization.

After the meeting, I had to make sure that the conflict did not escalate any further from

where it was. Therefore I had to accommodate the situation. This meant that I could not argue

with my boss any time soon as it could lead to further conflicts. Most of the things I did were at

my own expense, but it was a strategy I employed to help coagulate the conflict. To make her

feel respected as the boss of the firm, I had to collaborate with her and try to understand the
DISCUSSION: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYELES 3

arguments (Rahim, 2017). I was also able to present my arguments regarding the issue, and

finally, we were on the same page, and we were satisfied.

Responding to conflicts is vital to the success of any organization. Therefore it means

that cases of conflicts must be handled with care to avoid driving the organization into a ditch.

Effective leaders understand and solve conflicts swiftly and in a smart way. But the best way is

to prevent disputes entirely. And in case they rise, be able to resolve them before they grow to

levels that can be unhealthy for the organization. The first step I will take as a leader is to

identify the problem swiftly conflicts are a chance for the parties to grow and a leader must be

swift in identifying this (Chan, Sit, & Lau, 2014).

Secondly, I will build a culture that encourages feedback giving and receiving. This will

give the team members a chance to speak their minds team members will be honest with each

other and thus avoiding any unnecessary conflicts (Rahim, 2017). A good leader is slow to jump

to conclusions and be careful on the words he or she uses to avoid being the cause of conflict.

Finally, a good leader should always give the parties a chance to solve their disputes alone before

involving himself in it. In doing so, the team members will develop conflict resolution skills and

thus be able to avoid any major conflicts in the future. Effective conflict management is an

essential aspect of effective leadership. A leader who can maintain a healthy relationship in his

team is likely able to achieve his objectives (Tjosvold, Wong, & Feng Chen, 2014). Additionally,

effective leadership helps one to solve any conflicts that may arise in an organization and also

harness the opportunities created by the conflicts to push the team to higher levels.
DISCUSSION: CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYELES 4

References

Chan, J. C., Sit, E. N., & Lau, W. M. (2014). Conflict management styles, emotional intelligence

and implicit theories of the personality of nursing students: A cross-sectional

study. Nurse education today, 34(6), 934-939.

Rahim, M. A. (2017). Managing conflict in organizations. Routledge.

Tjosvold, D., Wong, A. S., & Feng Chen, N. Y. (2014). Constructively managing conflicts in

organizations. (1), 545-568.