example of conflict in an essay

Essays About Conflict in Life: Top 5 Examples and Prompts

Conflict is a broad and gripping topic, but most struggle to write about it. See our top essays about conflict in life examples and prompts to start your piece.

Conflict occurs when two people with different opinions, feelings, and behaviours disagree. It’s a common occurrence that we can observe wherever and whenever we are. Although conflicts usually imply negative aspects, they also have benefits such as stronger relationships and better communication.

To aid you in your paper, here are five examples to familiarize you with the subject: 

1. Useful Notes On 4 Major Types Of Conflicts (Motivational Conflict) By Raghavendra Pras

2. encountering conflict by julius gregory, 3. complete guide to understanding conflict and conflict resolution by prasanna, 4. analysis of personal conflict experience by anonymous on gradesfixer, 5. personal conflict resolving skills essay by anonymous on ivypanda, 1. conflict: what is and how to avoid it, 2. conflicts in our everyday lives, 3. review on movies or books about conflicts, 4. actions and conflicts , 5. conflicts at home, 6. conflicts that changed my life, 7. my personal experience in covert conflict, 8. cascading conflicts, 9. how does conflict in life benefit you, 10. the importance of conflict management.

“Conflict… results when two or more motives drive behaviour towards incompatible goals.”

Pras regards conflict as a source of frustration with four types. Experimental psychologists identified them as approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance, approach-avoidance, and multiple approach-avoidance. He discusses each through his essay and uses theoretical analysis with real-life examples to make it easier for the readers to understand.

“The nature of conflict shows that conflict can either push people away or bring them into having a closer, more comfortable relationship.”

The main points of Gregory’s essay are the typical causes and effects of conflicts. He talks about how people should not avoid conflicts in their life and instead solve them to learn and grow. However, he’s also aware that no matter if a dispute is big or small, it can lead to severe consequences when it’s wrongly dealt with. He also cites real-life events to prove his points. At the end of the essay, he acknowledges that one can’t wholly avoid conflict because it’s part of human nature.

“…it is important to remember that regardless of the situation, it is always possible to resolve a conflict in some constructive or meaningful way.”

To help the reader understand conflict and resolutions, Prasanna includes the types, causes, difficulties, and people’s reactions to it. She shows how broad conflict is by detailing each section. From simple misunderstandings to bad faith, the conflict has varying results that ultimately depend on the individuals involved in the situation. Prasanna ends the essay by saying that conflict is a part of life that everyone will have to go through, no matter the relationship they have with others. 

“I also now understand that trying to keep someone’s feelings from getting hurt might not always be the best option during a conflict.”

To analyze how conflict impacts lives, the author shares his personal experience. He refers to an ex-friend, Luke, as someone who most of their circle doesn’t like because of his personality. The author shares their arguments, such as when Luke wasn’t invited to a party and how they tried to protect his feelings by not telling Luke people didn’t want him to be there. Instead, they caved, and Luke was allowed to the gathering. However, Luke realized he wasn’t accepted at the party, and many were uncomfortable around him.

The essay further narrates that it was a mistake not to be honest from the beginning. Ultimately, the writer states that he would immediately tell someone the truth rather than make matters worse.

“To me if life did not have challenges and difficult circumstances we were never going to know the strength that we have in us.”

The essay delves into the writer’s conflicts concerning their personal feelings and professional boundaries. The author narrates how they initially had a good relationship with a senior until they filed for a leave. Naturally, they didn’t expect the coworker to lie and bring the situation to their committee. However, the author handled it instead of showing anger by respecting their relationship with the senior, controlling their emotion, and communicating properly.

10 Helpful Prompts On Essays About Conflict in Life

Below are easy writing prompts to use for your essay:

Define what constitutes a conflict and present cases to make it easier for the readers to imagine. To further engage your audience, give them imaginary situations where they can choose how to react and include the results of these reactions. 

If writing this prompt sounds like a lot of work, make it simple. Write a 5-paragraph essay instead.

There are several types of conflict that a person experiences throughout their life. First, discuss simple conflicts you observe around you. For example, the cashier misunderstands an order, your mom forgets to buy groceries, or you have clashing class schedules. 

Pick a movie or book and summarize its plot. Share your thoughts regarding how the piece tackles the conflicts and if you agree with the characters’ decisions. Try the 1985 movie The Heavenly Kid , directed by Cary Medoway, or Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism by philosopher Alvin Plantinga.

In this essay, describe how actions can lead to conflict and how specific actions can make a conflict worse. Make your essay interesting by presenting various characters and letting them react differently to a particular conflict.

For example, Character A responds by being angry and making the situation worse. Meanwhile, Character B immediately solves the discord by respectfully asking others for their reasons. Through your essay, you’ll help your readers realize how actions significantly affect conflicts. You’ll also be able to clearly explain what conflicts are.

Your home is where you first learn how to handle conflicts, making it easier for your readers to relate to you. In your essay, tell a story of when you quarreled with a relative and how you worked it out.  For instance, you may have a petty fight with your sibling because you don’t want to share a toy. Then, share what your parents asked you to do and what you learned from your dispute.

If there are simple conflicts with no serious consequences, there are also severe ones that can impact individuals in the long run. Talk about it through your essay if you’re comfortable sharing a personal experience. For example, if your parents’ conflict ended in divorce, recount what it made you feel and how it affected your life.

Covert conflict occurs when two individuals have differences but do not openly discuss them. Have you experienced living or being with someone who avoids expressing their genuine feelings and emotions towards you or something? Write about it, what happened, and how the both of you resolved it.

Some results of cascading conflict are wars and revolutions. The underlying issues stem from a problem with a simple solution but will affect many aspects of the culture or community. For this prompt, pick a relevant historical happening. For instance, you can talk about King Henry VIII’s demand to divorce his first wife and how it changed the course of England’s royal bloodline and nobles.

People avoid conflict as much as possible because of its harmful effects, such as stress and fights. In this prompt, focus on its positive side. Discuss the pros of engaging in disputes, such as having better communication and developing your listening and people skills.

Explain what conflict management is and expound on its critical uses. Start by relaying a situation and then applying conflict resolution techniques. For example, you can talk about a team with difficulties making a united decision. To solve this conflict, the members should share their ideas and ensure everyone is allowed to speak and be heard.

Here are more essay writing tips to help you with your essay.

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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How to Write an Essay on Conflict

How to Write a Motif Paper

In both real life and in fiction, conflict describes an enduring struggle between two opposing forces. Whether you're watching a cartoon or reading a serious literary tome, conflict is a key component of plot. Writing an essay on conflict requires a focus, clarity, and an understanding of the different types of conflict presented in a story.

Identify the Type of Conflict

While most people think of conflict as a fight between two characters, it can be categorized as internal or external or both. Conflict can present itself in four primary ways: externally, as man versus man, man versus society, or man versus nature and internally, as man versus self, as exemplified by the tragic struggle of Shakespeare’s Hamlet trying to avenge his father’s murder.

Find Supporting Evidence

Whether you’re analyzing a piece of literature or a clash between two nations, you’ll first need to identity the two opposing forces that comprise your central argument, and then find evidence to support your claim. For example, if your central conflict is man versus nature – think Sebastian Junger’s “The Perfect Storm” – you’ll want to find specific examples of where the sea rises up against the sailors. As with any analytical essay, analyzing conflicts requires you to look for specific quotes, phrases or parts of dialogue that reinforce your position.

Draft Your Thesis

Once you've figured out your protagonist and antagonist and the type of conflict to address in your essay, narrow your focus and write a concise thesis statement that states the central conflict you plan to address. For example, If you’re analyzing “man versus society” in your essay, such as when Atticus Finch fights against a racist society in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” you could state, "In 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' Harper Lee uses Atticus Finch’s defense of Tom Robinson to both illustrate and combat the rampant racism that has infected his Southern town." Your thesis statement will provide you with a road map for the rest of your paper and will help you decide upon the main points of your paper. Your thesis should be the very last sentence in your introduction.

Start Writing

Once you’ve found your examples and written your thesis, write your first draft. Remember to start your essay with a “hook” – a question, a quote, or a statistic, for example that will introduce the conflict you’ll be analyzing. Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence that states a main point, and then support that point with three or four of your examples from your initial research. Repeat this process for each remaining body paragraph. Within the body of the paper, address whether the conflict was resolved, and how. In your conclusion, summarize your main points and restate -- but don’t repeat verbatim -- your thesis.

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Jennifer Brozak earned her state teaching certificate in Secondary English and Communications from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., and her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Pittsburgh. A former high school English teacher, Jennifer enjoys writing articles about parenting and education and has contributed to Reader's Digest, Mamapedia, Shmoop and more.

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Essay Samples on Conflict

How to resolve conflict without violence: building peaceful communities.

Conflict is an inevitable aspect of human interactions, and while disagreements are a natural part of life, it is essential to address and resolve them without resorting to violence. By employing effective methods and strategies, individuals and communities can navigate conflicts constructively, fostering harmonious relationships...

• Conflict Resolution

The UPS Teamsters Strike: Navigating Negotiations and Economic Impact

The Looming UPS Teamsters Strike After months of negotiations, the UPS Teamsters union and UPS management reached a tentative agreement on July 26, 2023, potentially averting a nationwide strike. The Teamsters strike had been authorized for early August if a deal was not reached, which...

• Employee Engagement

The Enduring Issue of Conflict: From Imperialism to WWI and WWII

Introduction Conflict is a very significant enduring issue in history. Conflict is a serious disagreement or argument. There can be conflict between individuals, groups of people, and even nations, is significant because it affects a lot of people and has long-lasting effects. Some issues of...

• Enduring Issue
• Imperialism

Conflict Theory and Ageism in Aging Discrimination

The advantage characteristic of the conflict theory is that it creates a continuous constant, drive for the middle and upper topmost class of young people to accumulate compile, wealth to maintain preserve their social class. This is good because it ensures guarantee the economy grows....

• Discrimination

The Link Between Identity and Purpose in Life in "Never Let Me Go"

It is known to man that when one knows what when you can find your purpose find a sense of identity to yourself. In “Never Let Me Go” The story focuses on Kathy H., who portrays herself as a guardian, talking about looking after organ...

• Book Review
• Never Let Me Go

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Ton Of Conflict In Sonny's Blues

There is a ton of conflict at work in 'Sonny's Blues.' The general clash in this story is between black presence and white society, and this has unequivocally affected how the storyteller sees the world. He depicts this battle of experiencing childhood in Harlem, where...

• Sonny's Blues

My Personal Opinion on the Types of Conflict Resolution

Normally there are four types of conflict resolution strategies: Avoiding, Competing, Accommodating, and Collaborating. Avoiding is about a withdraw of a conflict. Competing is about a team being divided into two parties and instead of being collaborative they just fight and compete about who idea...

• Collaboration
• Conflict Resolution Theory

Kokata: Traditional Conflict Resolution Mechanism of the Kambata People of SNNPRS

Governments may find it usually difficult to find solution for a conflict of any type-be within a particular group, between groups or relating to between their own and outside groups, for example border conflict. This may be as they aspire to address conflict only using...

Analysis of the Salam Model of Conflict Resolution

Man is essentially a social being who necessarily must interact and compete with other members of his social setting to achieve anything. The Holy Qur’an alludes to this innate quality of man when it states that “And everyone has a goal which dominates him; vie,...

• Competition

Theme of Conflict In 'A View From The Bridge'

Conflict is a theme which has quite a large role in this play because all the characters have a little bit of conflict between each other. In 1930s Brooklyn, there was conflict between two cultures due to Italians moving over to America. This caused conflict...

• A View From The Bridge
• Arthur Miller

Don Nardo's The Persian Gulf War and Its Detalisation of Conflicts

The Persian Gulf War By Don Nardo goes into detail about the conflict between Iran and Iraq, Kuwait, United States and more. In the introduction it starts off by stating “The world was stunned on August 2, 1990, by alarming news.[...]¨(7). The alarming news was...

• Persian Gulf

Conflict among Nations as a Global Issue Throughout History

Throughout history, enduring issues have developed across time and societies. One such issue is conflict, this is a disagreement between two opposing parties. This issue is significant as it can destroy empires, encourage innovations, and kill or displace civilians. You can see the significance of...

• Controversial Issue

An Argument for Constructing a Resolution Strategy for Ethnic Conflict

Global conflict refers to the disputes between different nations or states. It also refers to the conflicts between organizations and people in various nation-states. Furthermore, it applies to inter-group conflicts within a country in cases where one group is fighting for increased political, economic, or...

• Ethnic Identity
• Religious Pluralism

Different Conflict Situations In A Diverse Workplace

Joanne Barrett, a recruitment specialist states that when in a workplace with employees of different cultures, backgrounds, beliefs and values, conflict is bound to happen. Showing respect towards fellow colleagues in the organisation is important as to help solve it. Barret suggested that employers and...

How Conflict Can Be Normal In All Relationships

While conflict can be normal in all relationships, it should be a last resort by all means. Relationships should be a mutual effort and be based on communication. Reason being, it can lead to an unhealthy relationship, create a negative perception of the relationship, and...

• Relationship

Issue Of Conflict Mineral Mining In Congo

It is no major secret that the area of land that makes up the Democratic Republic of the Congo (referred to in this paper by its shortened name, the Congo) has been in a state of conflict for the past 40 years or more, with...

• Natural Resources

Reflection On Conflicts And Its Management In My Company

There is no universal explanation of what a conflict is, but can be considered, any situation in which the people’s perspectives, interests, goals, principles, or feelings are divergent. To ensure cooperation and productivity in any given company, every aspect of conflict must be appropriately dealt...

The War In Yemen: Roots Of The Conflict

The current war in Yemen has been ongoing for three years, since 2015. The Houthi rebels and Yemen’s government are in a bloody war. Roots for conflict started with the failure of a political change when the then president handed over his power to his...

• What Is History

Cultural Conflicts In Multinational Corporations: Michelin Company Case

Michelin was established in the 1800s in France. There are over 120,000 employee around the world and most 20,000 people are working in North America. In 2004, the department of North America faced some challenges includes decreasing in performance and lack of competitiveness. After evaluation,...

Best topics on Conflict

1. How to Resolve Conflict Without Violence: Building Peaceful Communities

2. The UPS Teamsters Strike: Navigating Negotiations and Economic Impact

3. The Enduring Issue of Conflict: From Imperialism to WWI and WWII

4. Conflict Theory and Ageism in Aging Discrimination

5. The Link Between Identity and Purpose in Life in “Never Let Me Go”

6. Ton Of Conflict In Sonny’s Blues

7. My Personal Opinion on the Types of Conflict Resolution

8. Kokata: Traditional Conflict Resolution Mechanism of the Kambata People of SNNPRS

9. Analysis of the Salam Model of Conflict Resolution

10. Theme of Conflict In ‘A View From The Bridge’

11. Don Nardo’s The Persian Gulf War and Its Detalisation of Conflicts

12. Conflict among Nations as a Global Issue Throughout History

13. An Argument for Constructing a Resolution Strategy for Ethnic Conflict

14. Different Conflict Situations In A Diverse Workplace

15. How Conflict Can Be Normal In All Relationships

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124 Conflict Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Writing an essay on conflict can be both challenging and thought-provoking. Conflict is an unavoidable aspect of human existence, and it can manifest in various forms, such as interpersonal conflicts, societal conflicts, or even conflicts within oneself. To help you explore this complex topic, here are 124 conflict essay topic ideas and examples that can serve as a source of inspiration for your writing.

Interpersonal Conflicts:

• The impact of communication breakdown on interpersonal conflicts.
• Resolving conflicts in romantic relationships: Strategies for success.
• The role of empathy in resolving conflicts between friends.
• The influence of cultural differences on interpersonal conflicts.
• The effects of social media on conflict resolution in friendships.
• The connection between conflict and power dynamics in relationships.
• Conflict resolution strategies for dealing with difficult family members.
• The role of compromise in resolving conflicts between siblings.
• The impact of unresolved childhood conflicts on adult relationships.
• Conflict management techniques for resolving workplace disputes.

Societal Conflicts: 11. The causes and consequences of political conflicts in developing countries. 12. The role of social media in fueling societal conflicts. 13. The impact of religious conflicts on society. 14. The influence of socioeconomic disparities on societal conflicts. 15. The role of education in preventing societal conflicts. 16. The effects of ethnic conflicts on economic development. 17. The connection between gender inequality and societal conflicts. 18. The impact of globalization on societal conflicts. 19. The role of media in perpetuating societal conflicts. 20. Conflict resolution strategies for addressing racial tensions in society.

Internal Conflicts: 21. Exploring the internal conflict between personal desires and societal expectations. 22. The impact of self-doubt on internal conflicts. 23. Overcoming internal conflicts between ambition and contentment. 24. The role of fear in internal conflicts. 25. The connection between guilt and internal conflicts. 26. The effects of trauma on internal conflicts. 27. The influence of cultural norms on internal conflicts. 28. The role of self-reflection in resolving internal conflicts. 29. The impact of unresolved internal conflicts on mental health. 30. Strategies for achieving inner peace amidst internal conflicts.

Conflict in Literature and Film: 31. Analyzing the theme of conflict in Shakespeare's plays. 32. The portrayal of societal conflicts in dystopian literature. 33. Exploring the internal conflicts of the protagonist in a novel. 34. The role of external conflicts in driving the plot of a film. 35. The influence of conflict on character development in literature. 36. The depiction of interpersonal conflicts in romantic comedies. 37. The effects of war-related conflicts in historical novels. 38. Analyzing the symbolism of conflict in a poem. 39. The portrayal of family conflicts in contemporary literature. 40. The impact of moral conflicts on the actions of a film's protagonist.

Global Conflicts: 41. The causes and consequences of wars in the Middle East. 42. The role of diplomacy in resolving global conflicts. 43. The impact of climate change on international conflicts. 44. Analyzing the conflict between developed and developing nations. 45. The influence of resource scarcity on global conflicts. 46. The connection between terrorism and global conflicts. 47. The effects of colonialism on current global conflicts. 48. The role of international organizations in preventing conflicts. 49. The impact of nuclear weapons on global conflicts. 50. Conflict resolution strategies for achieving world peace.

Conflict in History: 51. The causes and outcomes of the American Civil War. 52. Analyzing the conflicts of World War I from multiple perspectives. 53. The influence of ideological conflicts on the Cold War. 54. The effects of colonial conflicts on the decolonization process. 55. The connection between religious conflicts and the Crusades. 56. The impact of territorial disputes on conflicts in Southeast Asia. 57. Exploring the conflicts surrounding the French Revolution. 58. The role of nationalism in fueling conflicts in the Balkans. 59. The effects of conflicts on the rise and fall of empires. 60. Analyzing the conflicts during the Civil Rights Movement.

Conflict in Science and Technology: 61. The ethical dilemmas and conflicts in genetic engineering. 62. The impact of conflicts between scientific progress and religious beliefs. 63. The role of conflicts in the development of artificial intelligence. 64. Analyzing conflicts between privacy and surveillance in the digital age. 65. The effects of conflicts between environmental conservation and industrial development. 66. The connection between conflicts in scientific research and funding. 67. The influence of conflicts over intellectual property in technology. 68. Exploring conflicts in bioethics and medical advancements. 69. The impact of conflicts between scientific evidence and public opinion. 70. Analyzing conflicts in the regulation of emerging technologies.

Conflict in Sports: 71. The effects of conflicts between athletes and team management. 72. The role of conflicts in sports rivalries. 73. Analyzing conflicts between players and referees in sports. 74. The impact of conflicts between fans and players on sports events. 75. The connection between conflicts in sports and nationalism. 76. The influence of conflicts in sports doping scandals. 77. Exploring conflicts between athletes' personal beliefs and sports regulations. 78. The effects of conflicts between sports teams and sponsors. 79. The role of conflict resolution in sports coaching. 80. Analyzing conflicts in gender equality and representation in sports.

Conflict and Social Justice: 81. The causes and consequences of conflicts in the fight against racial discrimination. 82. The influence of conflicts in gender equality movements. 83. The impact of conflicts in LGBTQ+ rights advocacy. 84. Analyzing conflicts in the pursuit of disability rights. 85. The connection between conflicts in immigration policies and social justice. 86. The effects of conflicts in environmental activism. 87. Exploring conflicts in the criminal justice system and prison reform. 88. The role of conflicts in indigenous rights movements. 89. The impact of conflicts in economic inequality and wealth distribution. 90. Analyzing conflicts in the fight against human trafficking.

Conflict and Education: 91. The causes and outcomes of conflicts in school settings. 92. The influence of conflicts between teachers and students on academic performance. 93. The effects of conflicts in standardized testing and educational policies. 94. The connection between conflicts in school bullying and mental health. 95. The role of conflicts in the inclusion of students with disabilities. 96. The impact of conflicts in educational funding and resource allocation. 97. Analyzing conflicts in the implementation of multicultural education. 98. The effects of conflicts in teacher unions and labor rights. 99. The role of conflict resolution in promoting a positive school climate. 100. Exploring conflicts in educational equity and access.

Conflict and Health: 101. The causes and consequences of conflicts in healthcare systems. 102. The influence of conflicts in medical ethics and patient care. 103. The impact of conflicts in vaccination policies and public health. 104. Analyzing conflicts in access to healthcare and healthcare disparities. 105. The effects of conflicts in mental health stigma and treatment. 106. The connection between conflicts in medical research and informed consent. 107. The role of conflicts in the pharmaceutical industry and drug pricing. 108. Exploring conflicts in end-of-life care and euthanasia. 109. The effects of conflicts in reproductive rights and healthcare. 110. Analyzing conflicts in alternative medicine and traditional healthcare systems.

Conflict and Technology: 111. The causes and consequences of conflicts in online privacy. 112. The influence of conflicts in cybersecurity and data breaches. 113. The impact of conflicts in artificial intelligence and job displacement. 114. Analyzing conflicts in social media regulation and freedom of speech. 115. The effects of conflicts in digital divide and access to technology. 116. The connection between conflicts in online harassment and mental health. 117. The role of conflicts in technology addiction and screen time. 118. Exploring conflicts in the regulation of autonomous vehicles. 119. The impact of conflicts in copyright infringement and intellectual property. 120. Analyzing conflicts in technology-based surveillance and civil liberties.

Conflict and the Environment: 121. The causes and consequences of conflicts in climate change policies. 122. The influence of conflicts in natural resource extraction and conservation. 123. The impact of conflicts in environmental activism and protests. 124. Analyzing conflicts in land rights and indigenous environmentalism.

These essay topic ideas and examples cover a wide range of conflict-related themes and can serve as a starting point for your writing. Remember to choose a topic that interests you and aligns with your essay's purpose. Good luck with your essay, and may your exploration of conflict deepen your understanding of the world around you.

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7 Types of Conflict in Literature: How to Use Them (with Examples)

Gina Edwards

“Nothing moves forward in a story except through conflict.”

This is what Robert McKee, the author of Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting , calls the Law of Conflict, and storytelling is governed by it.

The finer details like story setting, character, and plot events all give the reader context and understanding, but conflict , according to McKee, is the “soul” of story. Every kind of story, every genre – novel, short story, science fiction , romance, mystery, historical , young adult , etc. – requires it.

In her book Writing Fiction , Janet Burroway says that, in literature, “only trouble is interesting.” It’s a bit ironic that in real life, we resist trouble; we shy away from conflict. Yet readers crave it in fiction.

First-time authors often find the idea of putting their characters into conflict an upsetting one. Just as they want to avoid conflict in their own lives, they don’t want to place their characters into uncomfortable, confrontational situations. They’ll focus on eloquent setting description or complex character development but then give the main character no conflict to resolve. Don’t make that mistake.

Why Conflict Is Key

7 types of conflict in fiction, how to create conflict in your novel, layered conflict makes compelling fiction.

Quite simply, conflict keeps your story interesting. Conflict is opposition – either internal or external (more on that below). Conflict is what comes from the challenges your protagonist must solve or resolve on the way to achieving his/her/their goal. It offers a teasing carrot of uncertainty about whether your protagonist will achieve that goal, keeping your readers engaged and turning pages to discover whether (or not) the conflict is resolved.

And that’s what every author wants, right? To carry the reader all the way to THE END?

Without conflict, your main character is simply experiencing a series of largely uninteresting slice-of-life moments. Without conflict, there is no story.

There are two basic kinds of conflict: external and internal, which have been further categorized and codified in many different ways over time. Here are seven different types to consider.

External Conflicts

External conflict pits the character against some exterior force or world-view and happens outside the character’s body. Five of the seven types of conflicts are of the external kind.

1. Person vs. Person

Also called man vs. man and protagonist vs. antagonist , this is the most common type of external conflict. It is clear and universally understood as a good vs. evil story in which an unambiguous challenger opposes the main character.

The heart of this type of story involves two characters with opposing outlooks, opinions, or goals. The story will become richer when both characters believe themselves to be right or when there is no clear right or wrong between their differences.

• In The Hunger Games , Katniss Everdeen must go up against other contestants in order to survive – her vs. them
• In The Wizard of Oz , Dorothy faces off against the Wicked Witch
• Murder mysteries with the investigator vs. murderer also are person vs. person stories

2. Person vs. Nature

This type of conflict counters a character against some force of nature, such as an animal or the weather.

• A classic example is Ernest Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea
• In Life of Pi , the protagonist must face a tiger trapped in the boat with him
• The drought is a formidable opposition in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath , as is the setting in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (read more about the use of setting here )

3. Person vs. Society

When a novel sets a character against a tradition, an institution, a law, or some other societal construct, it is a Person vs. Society story.

• Atticus Finch opposed his racist community in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
• Wilbur fights for his survival against a society that eats pigs in Charlotte’s Web
• In Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale , the society treats women as property of the state; Atwood makes the story even more interesting by layering in environmental disasters (Person vs. Nature) to intensify the conflict

4. Person vs. Technology

When science moves beyond human control, conflicts of Person vs. Technology develop. Stories in this conflict type include:

• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

5. Person vs. Supernatural

Vampires, werewolves, aliens, and ghosts – any typically unbelievable, supernatural, or inexplicable phenomena – provide Person vs. Supernatural conflicts. Examples of such stories include:

• The Shining , by Stephen King
• The Haunting of Hill House , by Shirley Jackson
• The War of the Worlds , by H.G. Wells
• The Exorcist
• Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach series
• Almost anything by Edgar Allan Poe

Internal Conflicts

The two remaining types of conflicts are internal – ones that happen inside the character’s mind or heart. When your main character has an inner turmoil that’s causing some emotional pain, it increases the tension of the story.

6. Person vs. Self

A character battling inner demons, one who has an inner moral conflict (think Hamlet ), or is simply striving to become a better person is in a Person vs. Self conflict.

• Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games (again!) must reconcile her need to survive in the battle arena with her desire not to kill another human being
• Daniel Scott Keyes's short story Flowers for Algernon has a main character struggling with losing his intelligence to a congenital mental disability, with the focus on the character’s feelings about his circumstances: the conflict between his intellect and emotion are central

7. Person vs. Destiny (Fate/Luck/God)

This is an ambiguous conflict type. Sometimes aspects of it get split up and parsed out among the other categories. For example, since accepting fate can be seen as an inner personal struggle, some define it as Person vs. Self instead. Or some might reframe Person vs. God as being person against religion and, therefore, would put it in the external conflict type of Person vs. Society. The categories don’t really matter as long as you understand the concept.

Examples of this conflict type include Star Wars , The Odyssey , and Lord of the Rings .

• Although Star Wars contains plenty of external conflicts, a major part of the storyline is Luke’s destiny to become a Jedi Master
• In The Odyssey , Odysseus encounters all sorts of mystical creatures
• Fate has made Frodo the ring-bearer in Lord of the Rings

When a character has a want or a goal and encounters some obstacle, the result is a conflict. The obstacle must be faced by a character readers care about. Additionally, the obstacle must oppose a want or a goal that’s meaningful to that character. The result? Conflict.

Conflict can vary in degree or intensity, but every conflict must have several key characteristics.

• The conflict must be clear, specific, and relevant to the character; it should not be an abstract or trivial problem – either to the character or to the reader
• It must exist within the character’s realm, not separate or remote from their world
• The conflict must not be overcome too easily
• Finally, the conflict must happen to a character(s) the reader cares about (not necessarily “likes,” but has some compassion for)

In summary, conflict results when a compassion-worthy character who wants something intensely encounters a significant obstacle. Add in relevant action and you’ll have a story.

Every novel needs a major conflict. More complex stories have multiple conflicts, as noted above for Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale , which has both Person vs. Society and Person vs. Nature conflicts. Furthermore, a story that contains external conflict can be made more complex, layered, and interesting by including characters who also have inner conflict (see The Hunger Games in the examples above).

James Scott Bell, in The Art of War for Writers , makes this distinction between inner conflict and inner struggle:

An inner conflict is plot-centric; it is an internal obstacle either triggered by or somehow directly connected to the story – the plot. Whereas inner struggle is something that plays against the character’s strengths; it’s something the character brings to the plot, usually from her past, either long ago or recent past (but before the first page). The plot will put the protagonist in situations where she has to deal with this inner struggle, and she’ll carry that struggle with her throughout the story. If the character is in a series, it will run throughout the book series.

To illustrate, let’s say you want your female main character to be assertive . Two qualities that might battle against assertiveness are shyness and indecision . Then consider what in the protagonist’s background could be a reason for her struggle between assertiveness and yet being shy or indecisive . Maybe someone important in her life told her she’d never amount to anything. Maybe she had a hard-scrabble, poor childhood she desperately wanted to get out of, but as a child she saw too many adults around her fail in every attempt to do so themselves. You get the idea?

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Olen Butler says inner conflict is a defining mark of a literary work. A book might also possess characteristics of a particular genre, but inner conflict can give a novel a sense of being the literary kind.

Whether or not you’re striving for a literary work, if you use two or more of the seven types of conflict identified above, making sure at least one is internal, your writing will be compelling.

How do you feel about using conflict in your writing? Let us know in the comments!

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Mastering The Art Of Writing A Great Conflict Essay

Table of Contents

… But how to write a conflict essay?

This task can become a real stone of stumbling for many students, especially when they write admissions essays.

The practice shows that students tend to describe conflicts in the one-dimensional narrative, where one side of the conflict is depicted as a knight in shining armor and the other side is a complete villain.

Of course, it is the simplest way to manage conflicts (as anyone sees clearly, who is right), however, this approach highlight the inability to give an unbiased assessment of both sides of the conflict.

Here we will cover the essentials of writing such essays and how to avoid the most common mistakes in the conflict papers.

Studying the basics of the conflict essay

What is conflict, and what are its causes? Is it possible to avoid it, and how to solve it? Who are the participants, and is there a possibility for them to have a peaceful order? Here are the main points that should be covered in your text.

But what are you going to write about?

Different vocabularies give so many different definitions of this term that it is so easy to be bamboozled by all these meanings.

• A war of a fight.
• A mental struggle.
• An opposition of persons or forces.
• Anything that sets the character back from achieving a specific goal (in fiction).

That is why it is crucial to read and understand the task before you start writing.

Writing guideline for the essays about conflict

Your journey to the perfect paper should start with the proper investigation:

• What is the type of conflict you are writing about?
• What are its reasons?
• What are the consequences?
• How to solve it?

Taking into consideration all mentioned above, it becomes clear that the disagreement between two people does not limit the type of conflict. It also may cover a conflict between a man and society or nature, or even a fight against self.

And do not forget about the key players: the protagonist and antagonist of the conflict.

As soon as you have defined the central conflicts and leading players, it is time to gather facts that prove this point of view. Arm yourself with a pen and start searching for the evidence of conflict in the literary work, if your task is to cover the conflict depicted in a novel or a poem.

You may use many sources for data collection; however, make sure that they are reliable and relevant. And do not forget to jot down the information about the source for proper referencing; otherwise, using materials without appropriate arrangement will be considered plagiarism.

Carefully analyze gathered material and single out a precise thesis statement that will be the basis of the paper. Later it will become the last sentence of the introduction, but now it is the basis of the outline for your essay on conflict. The basic outline template for such paper will look like this:

• A hook sentence – an interesting fact, question, quote, or anecdote.
• Introduction part that makes readers aware of the conflict.
• Thesis statement.
• 3 body paragraphs , each with one issue of the conflict and several proofs.
• Address whether the conflict was resolved or not.
• You may also discuss the ways of avoiding or solving the conflict.
• The conclusion  should cover the main points of the paper with the rephrasing of a thesis.

Breaking down a personal conflict essay

Two types of conflict can be covered in the essay – personal and internal. Personal, on its turn, can be divided into a conflict between people, or a person and organization, or a person and a state (especially in the countries of the totalitarian regime).

Usually, students prefer to describe their own conflict experience, for example, with parents or peers. In this case, one has to define the purpose of writing as thereon hangs the tone of the text. For example, the aim is to show that there are no right or wrong, but two legitimate points of view.

Then the tone of the paper will be empathic as the writer has the insight into the opposite point of view and there are two sides of every story.

What about an internal conflict essay?

Such essays deal with the psychological conflicts inside one person. Thus, they discuss what happens when we have to do something that is against ethical standards or values, or the clash of logical and emotional response to something.

Here much prominence should be given to the ways of overcoming this conflict and as a result, becoming a better person.

And in both cases, it is necessary to follow these guidelines to improve the quality of the text:

• Pay attention to the task requirements: do not exceed the word limit , arrange the quotes according to the chosen referencing style, format the paper properly.
• Make sure that the paper is plagiarism-free .
• Edit and proofread the text.

Take advantage of a well-written conflict essay example

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Conflicts Essay Example

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Conflict , Management , Workplace , Leadership , Society , Organization , Employee , Teamwork

Words: 1250

Published: 03/16/2021

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Arguably, not every society in the world can avoid conflict. In fact, conflict is part of human nature. Conflict among organizations and individuals is an unavoidable aspect of daily life. Many scholars assert that conflict is inevitable. Perhaps, understanding how it escalates and starts entails progressive strategy in using it to the advantage of those concerned. Conflict refers to a situation in which groups and people think, or have incompatible goals and objectives. Conflict is a wide concept, but many people belief only violence and war is conflict. However, conflict takes place in all levels of society and in all situations. Generally, organizations, individuals and people experience various types of conflicts every day (Philips, 2007).

As a matter of fact, conflict escalation is a steady regression from immature and mature level of various emotional developments. Certainly, the psychological course develops from one step to another. Conflict escalates in various stages, and each stage has various characteristics. Some conflict escalates for a good course; good relationship face at times conflict. In most case, parties look for solutions cooperatively and objectively. Furthermore, ways that conflict escalates include complaints, passive resistance, active resistance, assaultive, as well as use of lethal force (Wandberg, 2005).

Undeniably, the organization of society is in a way that it has both root causes and factors that may escalate conflicts. Unjust and unequal treatment of individuals in the community could lead to conflicting situations. For example, if leadership and opportunities in the nation do not represent the members of the entire society (Philips, 2007). Other scholars assert that, conflict is as a result of arithmetical progression of resource supply and geometrical progression in population increase. Due to imbalance in population and resource allocation, individuals will struggle to survive leading to conflict.

Conversably, individual differences in society cause conflict. As a matter of fact, people in society are different in nature and have variation on issues such as ideas, aspirations, attitudes, as well as interest. Therefore, this difference puts them in a situation that they cannot accommodate each other, leading to conflict. Additionally, cultural issues could tremendous cause conflicting situations (O’Rourke & Collins, 2008). Culture differ from one community to another, this variation sometimes causes tension. Among these communities, there are various interests among individuals, making conflict inevitable.

Social change is part of societal growth and progress. Nevertheless, the rate in which social change escalates may lead to the uprising of conflict. In the 21st century, there are various conflicting scenarios between the old norms and the new generations. Conflict expresses a state of social disequilibrium among the parties. Other core causes of conflict include, political discrimination, identity and ethnic affiliation, economic issues, as well, as modernization.

Addressing conflict in society is very important. In fact, addressing conflict is crucial in achieving enhancing productivity, as well as organizational effectiveness. In society, most individuals and organizations suffer from chronic patters of conflicts that have never been resolved. This may cause dysfunction among the conflicting parties. Hence, addressing conflicts resolves issues and ensure that there is normal functioning in the society. Generally, addressing conflict is crucial because it increases productivity, reduces costs, increase collaboration, as well as bringing satisfaction (Wandberg, 2005).

The existence of conflict in an organization, among individuals, and in the government is not a bad thing. Certainly, when conflict is resolved effectively it leads to development and growth at professional and personal level. Nevertheless, effective resolution of conflict creates a difference between negative and positive outcomes. When conflict is resolved effectively, it leads to positive impacts; hence, it justifies on the occurrence of the conflict (Philips, 2007). Effective conflict resolution leads to unbelievable benefits such as increased understanding, group cohesion, and improvement in self-knowledge. The strategies used to effectively resolve conflict, expands the awareness of people on issues, strengthening of bonds, prevent fights, as well as providing them with insights on how to achieve cooperate and personal objectives.

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However, poor handling of conflict could lead to a negative outcome. In fact, conflicting objectives may promptly turn to be organizational and personal dislikes. The teamwork among the parties is broken, talent wasted, as well as tremendous decrease in production. Individuals in society should understand and appreciate the existence of competition, and uniqueness. Perhaps, these will lead to collaboration, accommodation and compromising of situation (O’Rourke & Collins, 2008).

In society today, there are various incidences of conflict. In fact, the incident objectively observed demonstrated various aspects of conflict, which include causes, parties’ reactions, as well as strategies to resolve it. The incident took place between management and the employees over working conditions and remunerations. The situation in the workplace was very critical. As a matter of fact, there were few conflict cowards in the group. Every individual wanted his or her views to be heard and considered. The entire group of employees were united in airing their views; many of them were furious because they had addressed their problem to the management team, but their problems were not solved.

The conflicts in the workplace were caused by various reasons. The management team and the employees differed in addressing priorities; the management placed higher priorities to the progress of the company more than the priorities of the m employees. Additionally, the methods of promotions and awarding process in the company were not equally carried out. Therefore, it developed a lot of tension among the employees and the management team. Moreover, the conflicting groups complained of various organizational issues, which in one way or another escalated conflicts. The organizational factors included budget, management, long working hours, leadership. Adherence to core values, disagreements, as well as financial problems. Other core issues that were observable were poor communications, differences in interests, and personality clashes (Wandberg, 2005).

The main parties on the workplace conflict focused in resolving the conflict through communication. The management team elaborated on improving various organizational practices. Perhaps, they established the cause of the problem and established subordinate goals, minimized authorities of management as well as improving policies. The tension among the parties was very high, but the few individuals who were against negative conflicts acted and tried to make the parties reach a consensus. Furthermore, the organization made changes on human resource department that will focus on analyzing internal problems. Ultimately, the remuneration agreement was arrived at.

Undeniably, the deals made during conflict resolution process eased the tension, and the parties came to a compromising position. Despite the efforts, others were still emotional and could not accept some terms. As a matter of fact, it is very difficult to convince everyone in a conflict situation. The employees and management have different priorities, personalities as well as interests O’Rourke, J & Collins, S. (2008). The ultimate decision that was focused on was to involve the employees in setting the appropriate remuneration percentage, which will affect the company and employees equally. The most important strategy in making the entire decisions was to reduce tension and encourage communication. The cost of conflict should not outweigh the entire progress of the organization; hence, management team should focus on preventing conflict to escalate further. Conflict is part of human life and should always be handled with great care.

O’Rourke, J & Collins, S. (2008). Managing Conflict and Workplace Relationship. London: John Wiley & Sons.

Philips, G. (2007). The Conflict. New Jersey: Echo Press. Wandberg, R. (2005). Conflict Resolution: Communication, Cooperation, Compromise. New York: Wadsworth.

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Workplace Conflict, Essay Example

Pages: 4

Words: 1171

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Conflict is inevitable in the workplace.  Just like conflict is unavoidable in any other type of relationships, relationships within work environments are ripe for difficulties between people.  In an organizational setting, conflict is even more common than in personal situations however, due to there generally being no choice regarding who works together.  Employees rarely have any say in who is hired for parallel positions and even the management who does the hiring bases hiring decisions on skills and meeting certain hiring criteria rather than on friendship potential.  This means that while fellow employees may (or may not) be skilled at their jobs, they may have characteristics that do not match well with the characteristics or personality of other employees.  Conflict in work setting can occur between same level employees, employees and management, and employees, management and external stakeholders (De Dreu, C. K. W. and Gelfand, M.  J. 2008).

An example of a common workplace conflict is one having to do with leadership styles or differences in personality between management and employees. This might involve a variety of interpersonal problems stemming from lack of awareness and appreciation of diversity in the workplace. For example, employees may feel bullied by managers with authoritative personalities or need more direct communication and guidance from mangers who assume that minimal instruction should be enough for the employee to work from. Managers with Type A personalities may hold employees up to their own demanding standards while employees may feel overworked or as if the expectations set by their manager are too ambitious.  Some employers may be extremely extroverted and make more introverted employees feel as if there is something wrong with the way they interact with others (Ayoko, Callan, &Hartel, 2003).

Often conflict arises from managers gravitating toward employees who have the same personality and work style as they do, giving these employees the majority of attention, positive reinforcement, better evaluations and raises despite the fact that another employee may actually be doing the majority of the work and achieving far more than the favored employee. This can result in conflict between the two employees and between the manager and the less favored employee, especially if the favored employee shares information about the conflict with the manager.

Favoritism in the workplace can be the result of several factors. The first involves hiring. Managers have been shown to favor employees they personally hire over employees they had no involvement with during the hiring process.  This may be because managers feel that a personal hire reflects upon them and their decision making ability such that they want the employees they hire to perform at a level above other employees.

The second reason that managers may be biased toward certain employees involves general similarities.  Similarities that may result in such bias include recognized factors such as race, background, gender, and socioeconomic status but may include other factors such as where an employee comes from, where they went to school, common after work hobbies and similarity in personality style.

The third reason that managers may be biased toward some employees is due to a personal relationship that develops either before the employee has been hired or afterwards.  Employees who are liked by their manager because they are perceived to be personable, easy to work with, easy to communicate with or those who seem to display loyalty to the manager may be able to ingratiate themselves with the manager and influence their decisions regarding project assignment and evaluation ratings.

Regardless of the reason for managers favoring one employee over another, when this is displayed by the manager in the form of increased attention, better assignments, special invitations to meetings are get-togethers with higher-ups or better evaluations, bonuses, raises or promotions, this is considered discrimination which is one of the highest level of conflict found within an organization (Shefali, 2013).

This is a conflict I have been experiencing in a personal work situation.  I have developed a plan that I hope to put in place soon.  My boss has been showing a preference for my co-worker who has known the boss for many years and has a personal relationship with him.  My peer also knows what the boss expects and doesn’t need much direction whereas I need more guidance that is provided.  My boss also invited my co-worker out after work in front of me and includes him in upper level meetings I am never invited to.  In order to address this situation I have decided to try the following:

Talk to colleagues to get their impressions of the situation without being negative or judgmental about my boss or co-employee.  This will help me determine if I am over-reacting to the situation or seeing it as it is.

I will keep a record of instances which I view as favoritism, what my co-worker did in my boss’s eyes to receive the favoritism if I can determine it and why I perceive it to be favoritism.  If there are instances when my co-worker and I have done the same amount of work and accomplished the same outcome yet my co-worker gets all the praise I will record this also.

If others confirm my perceptions I will schedule a meeting with my boss.  I will tell him how I am perceiving the situation and provide clear examples of what I have been perceiving as favoritism.  If the boss suggests that I am not remembering correctly I will use my journal to provide evidence of my perceptions based on the events that occurred.  If possible, I will take a colleague with me into the meeting to support my perceptions.  This will hopefully communicate to my boss that others are perceiving the same thing I am and let him know that this is a serious situation so he will change his behavior.

The potential outcomes of this plan could be good or bad.  One outcome might be that my boss understands my perceptions and realizes that he has been showing favoritism.  This could strengthen our relationship or at least lead him to not favor my colleague so obviously at work.  A second outcome might be that my boss acts like he doesn’t understand what I’m talking about suggesting that I am imaging the whole thing such that nothing changes.  I would likely become more resentful if the behavior continues while my boss openly denies its occurrence.  The last option is that my boss could become defensive and lash out at me through a disciplinary action or even by firing me.  I am not sure what recourse I would have should this occur but will look into it before taking this course of action.

Ayoko, O. B., Callan V. J., and Hartel, C. E. J. (2003).  Workplace conflict, bullying and counterproductive behaviors. International Journal of Organizational Analysis,  11(4), 283-295.

De Dreu, C. K. W. and  Gelfand, M.  J. (Eds). (2008). The psychology of conflict and conflict management in organizations. The organizational frontiers series, (pp. 3-54). New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Group/Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, xxii, 484 pp.

Shefali, K. (2013). Favoritism strains workplace morale, harms agency performance. Federal News Radio. Retrieved fromhttp://www.federalnewsradio.com/492/3530979/Favoritism-strains-workplace-morale-harms-agency-performance

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Conflict Resolution — Conflicts and Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

Conflicts and Conflict Resolution in The Workplace

• Categories: Conflict Resolution Workplace

About this sample

Words: 1227 |

Published: Dec 11, 2018

Words: 1227 | Pages: 3 | 7 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, works cited.

• Booher, D. (2013). Communicate with Confidence!: How to Say It Right the First Time and Every Time. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Khan, A., Iqbal, S., & Hussainy, S. (2016). Ownership Structure and Firm Performance: Evidence from the Corporate Governance Reform in Pakistan. International Journal of Financial Studies, 4(3), 15.
• Sharma, V., & Mehta, N. (2017). A Study on Agency Cost Theory and Its Determinants: Evidence from India. Global Business Review, 18(2), 381-399.
• Terason, E. R. (2018). Conflict, Agency Costs, and Optimal Ownership Structure. The Journal of Finance, 73(1), 429-462.
• [Anonymous]. (n.d.). Conflict Management in the Workplace. Retrieved from https://www.wisconsin.edu/uw-policies/uw-system-administrative-policies/conflict-management-in-the-workplace/
• De Dreu, C. K. W., & Gelfand, M. J. (2008). The Psychology of Conflict and Conflict Management in Organizations. Psychology Press.
• Elnaga, A., & Imran, A. (2013). The Effect of Conflict Management on Organizational Performance: Evidence from Jordan. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(6), 57-67.
• Folger, J. P., Poole, M. S., & Stutman, R. K. (2013). Working Through Conflict: Strategies for Relationships, Groups, and Organizations. Routledge.
• Rahim, M. A. (2002). Toward a Theory of Managing Organizational Conflict. The International Journal of Conflict Management, 13(3), 206-235.
• Robbins, S. P., Coulter, M., & DeCenzo, D. A. (2020). Fundamentals of Management. Pearson.

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30 Conflict Resolution Examples

Conflict resolution refers to the process of bringing a conflict to an end in a fair, equitable, or mutually agreeable way. It’s central in a range of jobs, including social work, counselling, and diplomacy.

There are a range of frameworks, skills, and strategies that can be used to resolve conflict resolution, which I’ll explain below.

In order to demonstrate your conflict resolution skills, it’s useful to use the STAR framework. This framework is especially useful if you’re looking for ways to demonstrate your conflict resolution skills in a job interview. I’ve provided this framework at the end of this piece.

Conflict Resolution Examples

Strategies for resolving conflicts.

Let’s start with come common strategies, before looking at some specific skills for you to develop:

1. Active Listening In this approach, you focus on listening to the other person’s thoughts and feelings. You reflect these sentiments back to ensure understanding. This shows your respect for them and their viewpoint, and it encourages them to do the same for you.

2. Negotiation This is a classic use of the process to find a mutually acceptable solution. Both parties put forward their preferred outcomes, and they work together to find a middle ground that satisfies both. When agreements are built together, they are more likely to be respected.

3. Mediation When two parties fail to find a solution on their own, a neutral third party called a mediator might help. Their role is to facilitate open and efficient communication, helping each person gain a fresh perspective on the dispute.

4. Problem Solving Here, you aim to address an issue head on. You first identify the problem, then brainstorm solutions, and finally choose the best one. It’s an analytical approach where the stress lies not on fighting, but on working together to reach a beneficial result.

5. Strength-Based Approach In this strategy, you emphasize the positive qualities and potential of the people involved. This helps them to work from a position of strength, not weakness, and makes the resolution process a more wholesome experience.

6. Interest-Based Relational Approach This approach places relationships first, focusing on protecting them while still solving the dispute. When both the parties focus on each other’s needs rather than winning the argument, the conflict’s detrimental effects on their relationship can be minimized.

7. Team Building This is an indirect conflict resolution approach that aims to cultivate strong bonds between team members. This can reduce the likelihood of conflicts appearing, as team members become more understanding and patient with each other due to their emotional connection. However, this method requires consistent effort and time.

8. Facilitation This technique involves a neutral person handling the discussion process between people in a dispute. They ensure everyone has a chance to air their grievances, keeps the conversation respectful and inclusive, and guides the group towards a consensus.

9. Arbitration Similar to mediation, arbitration involves a third-party arbitrator. The main difference, however, is the arbitrator makes a decision after hearing all sides of the argument. This decision is usually binding and is often used in legal settings or labor disputes.

10. Avoidance Though this may not seem like a resolution, sometimes avoiding a conflict is a strategic move. This passive approach is best suited when the issue at hand is trivial, or more harm than good would come from addressing it.

11. Smoothing/Tamping This strategy involves minimizing the importance of the conflict in order to preserve relationships and team unity. By downplaying the disagreement and emphasizing common interests, the intensity of the conflict can be reduced.

12. Collaborative Solution This strategy requires both parties to work together closely to devise a solution. It is the more creative approach as it doesn’t involve just picking an existing option, but instead, the two parties build an entirely new one together.

13. Accommodating This is a passive approach where one party agrees to concede to the other. That person yields to the others’ demands for the sake of keeping peace. This approach is mainly used when one party values the relationship more than winning the argument.

14. Competing This strategy involves a head-on approach to the conflict, in which one party attempts to win over the other through force. It’s a win-lose scenario and is mainly utilized when one party feels they have a non-negotiable position.

15. Compromise In this approach, each party agrees to give up something in order to reach a resolution. While this may not lead to a completely satisfying outcome for either side, it does provide a quick solution that can help maintain the overall stability of the relationship or organization.

Conflict Resolution Skills

The above strategies require people with a range of valuable soft skills for resolving conflicts, including the following 15:

16. Respecting Diversity: Conflicts often arise from differences in backgrounds, cultures, or perspectives. Respecting diversity and viewing it as a strength rather than an obstacle can promote mutual understanding and resolution.

17. Communication Skills : As the bedrock of conflict resolution, effective communication involves expressing yourself clearly and listening actively. It also involves interpreting body language and non-verbal cues, which are often conduits of emotional states.

18. Empathy : This skill allows you to see the situation from the other person’s perspective. Understanding their feelings and point of view can foster a sympathetic approach to conflict resolution.

19. Patience : Conflict resolution is often a time-consuming process. It requires patience to listen to others and understand their viewpoints and even more to negotiate a satisfactory agreement.

20. Emotional Intelligence : This entails the ability to manage your emotions and understand those of others. Emotional intelligence can help prevent emotional responses from determining the outcome of conflicts.

21. Decision-Making Abilities: At times, conflict resolution implies making hard choices. Robust decision-making skills help in reaching solutions more efficiently, ensuring all parties’ needs are duly considered.

22. Flexibility: This involves being open to new ideas or ways of thinking. It enables you to adjust your perspective or compromise on certain issues to reach a resolution.

23. Problem-Solving Abilities: This encompasses generating solutions, assessing their potential impact, and implementing the most effective one. It ensures the resolution of the conflict and prevents future similar conflicts from arising.

24. Assertiveness : This skill represents your ability to speak up for your rights while respecting the rights of others. Assertiveness doesn’t mean aggressiveness; rather, it’s about expressing your needs clearly and directly.

25. Active Listening: By really hearing what the other party is saying, you can better understand their perspective. You aren’t merely listening to respond, but to gain a deeper understanding.

26. Resilience : The ability to bounce back from difficult situations and not let conflict deter you from achieving your goals . With resilience, setbacks become stepping stones to success.

27. Creativity : Effective conflict resolution can sometimes require thinking outside the box to find a solution that satisfies all parties involved. This creativity might involve developing unconventional strategies or solutions.

28. Self-Control : Being able to maintain your cool under stress is essential in conflict resolution. The ability to handle your emotions and keep them in check can prevent unnecessary escalation of conflicts.

29. Facilitation Skills: These skills can help guide the conversation toward constructive outcomes. They include ensuring everyone’s views are heard, mediating disputes, and leading the group to a consensus.

30. Adaptability: Conflict can often be volatile and unpredictable. Being able to adapt to new facts, different viewpoints, or shifts in the power dynamic is essential to successfully navigate conflict and find resolution.

Common Frameworks for Conflict Resolution

Common frameworks include:

1. Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) TKI is a tool that measures a person’s behavior in conflict situations. It categorizes an individual’s responses into five different styles: Competing, Avoiding, Accommodating, Collaborating, and Compromising (Schaubhut, 2007; Brown, 2012). The aim of the TKI model is to help individuals understand how their behavior in conflict situations affects others and to find more effective conflict resolution strategies (Riasi & Asadzadeh, 2015).

2. Fisher and Ury’s Interest-Based Relational (IBR) Model This model, introduced in the book Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In suggests that conflicts should not focus on individuals, but rather on the issue at hand. It is based on methods of negotiation that focus on fairness, seeking mutual benefit, and maintaining relationships (Fisher, Ury & Patton, 2011). The steps in this approach include separating the people from the problem, focusing on interests not positions, inventing options for mutual gain, and insisting on objective criteria.

3. Conflict Resolution Framework by the Harvard Negotiation Project Also developed by Fisher and Ury, this framework extends upon the IBR model by incorporating elements such as “best alternative to a negotiated agreement” (BATNA) and “zone of possible agreement” (ZOPA). It encourages parties to establish their BATNA before negotiations begin, providing a fallback plan and establishing a guideline for acceptable agreements. For more on this project, visit its website .

4. Circle Process This is a powerful conflict resolution model predominantly used in Restorative Justice proceedings (Bohmert, Duwe & Hipple, 2018). It involves creating safe spaces where all participants can share their perspectives and feelings about a conflict, facilitating a communal understanding. It intensely targets communication, respect, and mutual understanding.

5. Bush and Folger’s Transformative Mediation In this model, empowerment and recognition are central to resolving conflicts (Folger & Bush, 2014). It supports parties in conflict to change their views of themselves and others, transforming the very nature of their relationship. The mediator works to foster constructive communication and mutual recognition, leading not just to settlement but also personal growth and social transformation.

These frameworks offer various approaches, each with their own strengths depending on the specific nature and context of the conflict.

How to Answer “Describe your Conflict Resolution Skills” in an Interview

The STAR framework is a method for answering interview questions in a structured, coherent manner. It stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

1. Situation: Begin by describing a specific conflict situation that you dealt with at your previous job. Providers the details necessary for the interviewer to understand the context, such as the type of conflict, the people involved, and the severity or potential impacts of the conflict without breaking any confidentiality rules.

Situation Example: Let’s say I was working as a project manager on a major software development project. Two of my team members had a disagreement on the approach to a complex coding issue. The conflict had begun to delay our progress and other team members were starting to take sides, creating a divide within the team.

2. Task: Clear explanation of your role or responsibility in the conflict is required in this step. Mention whether you were directly involved in the conflict or you intervened as a third party.

Task Example: My role was not only to manage the project timeline, but also to ensure we maintained a collaborative and productive work environment. Therefore, it was my responsibility to resolve the conflict between the two team members in a way that would not only help the project to move forward but also heal the team dynamics.

3. Action: Here, elaborate on the specific steps you took to resolve the conflict. Discuss your implementation of conflict resolution skills, any methodologies or strategies used, and how you approached the issue to find a resolution. Make sure to emphasize actions that typify a conflict-resolving personality, like patience, active listening, and open communication.

Action Example: I organized a meeting with the two concerned team members. I let each of them articulate their viewpoint on the coding issue, ensuring they felt heard, while reiterating the importance of respectful communication. Then, with their input, we developed a list of pros and cons for each approach. I facilitated the discussion focusing on the shared goal of the team , which was to create an effective and reliable software solution.

4. Result: At the close, express what the outcome of your actions was. It’s important to highlight how your intervention led to a beneficial solution for individuals and the organization as a whole. Describe any positive changes in behavior or performance following the conflict resolution, or any feedback that you received from your supervisors or colleagues about your handling of the situation.

Result Example: As a result of the meeting, we agreed to combine elements from both approaches, which, upon review, actually enhanced the functionality of the program. This solution not only fixed the immediate issue, but the two team members also reported feeling more united. Their mutual respect was evident in subsequent collaborations. We successfully completed the project on time, and our supervisor complimented me on handling such an intense situation with acumen.

Remember, the STAR framework is all about painting a clear, concise, and coherent picture of your conflict resolution skills by drawing on specific past experiences.

Conflict resolution is required for a range of jobs, from customer support to leadership roles within large organizations. By developing you soft skills and building-up experiences with resolving difficult situations, you can enter a job interview ready to answer any question about how to resolve conflicts. Practice your STAR method story before your interview, and best of luck!

Bohmert, M. N., Duwe, G., & Hipple, N. K. (2018). Evaluating restorative justice circles of support and accountability: Can social support overcome structural barriers?.  International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology ,  62 (3), 739-758. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X16652627

Brown, J. G. (2012). Empowering students to create and claim value through the Thomas–Kilmann conflict mode instrument.  Negotiation Journal ,  28 (1), 79-91. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1571-9979.2011.00327.x

Fisher, R., Ury, W. L., & Patton, B. (2011).  Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in . New York: Penguin.

Folger, J., & Bush, R. A. B. (2014). Transformative mediation.  International Journal of Conflict Engagement and Resolution ,  2 (1), 20-34.

Riasi, A., & Asadzadeh, N. (2015). The relationship between principals’ reward power and their conflict management styles based on Thomas–Kilmann conflict mode instrument.  Management Science Letters ,  5 (6), 611-618.

Schaubhut, N. A. (2007). Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode instrument.  CPP Research Department .

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Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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120 Story Conflict Ideas and Examples

Creating conflict in your story is essential for capturing your readers' interest and driving your narrative forward. In order to reveal character motivations and examine deeper meanings within your story, the protagonist must be presented with a challenge derived from conflict. Here are 120 story conflict ideas and examples based on the most common types of conflicts in fiction . From character versus the self to character versus the supernatural, we cover all the major literature conflicts and offer ideas that can get you writing right away.

Need more help? Try out HubSpot's AI Content Writer for additional conflict ideas and examples.

Character vs. self

• A soldier copes with post-traumatic stress.
• A surgeon's hands fail him, becoming unsteady and threatening his career and his patients' lives.
• A young man, determined to become a musketeer, is consistently pulled into duels due to his pride.
• A criminal seeks to make amends for his past crimes as his life draws to a close.
• A person is overwhelmed by grief when his lover dies.
• A parent finds herself repeating a cycle of abuse and strives to break the cycle.
• A conqueror realizes that he has become a tyrant but struggles to change course.
• A serial killer struggles to justify his crimes.
• A rapper stutters each time he gets up in front of a crowd.
• An evil wizard finds it difficult to make friends.
• A drug dealer becomes a drug user.
• A devout Catholic doesn't want to admit to herself that she is gay.
• A student who is an exceptional singer wants to try out for the school musical but has stage fright.
• A man's girlfriend gets pregnant, but he isn't ready to be a father.
• A child blames himself for his parents' divorce.
• An old woman wishes to reconnect with her family but is slowly losing her memory.
• A woman wishes to travel the world but is too scared to leave her home.
• A man is rich beyond his wildest dreams but has become increasing lonely in the process.
• A man wishes to reconnect with his high school sweetheart but is ashamed to talk about what he has done with his life after graduation.
• A woman is about to walk down the aisle at her wedding when she realizes that she isn't ready to be married.

Character vs. character

• An arsonist evades a detective determined to capture him.
• A wedding planner is at odds with a bridezilla.
• Road rage pits two drivers against each other.
• An author is kept from publishing his book by a publisher who wants to ruin his career.
• An unhappy customer demands to speak to the manager.
• An android confronts its creator, demanding to be freed from indentured service.
• A bully steals a kid's lunch money every day.
• A referee at a football game wants a quarterback to get hurt during the game.
• A knight swears to seek vengeance against his tyrannical king.
• A sailor organizes a mutiny against his captain.
• A marriage ends in a bitter divorce.
• Two political candidates campaign against each other.
• Two college students have a crush on the same person.
• An entrepreneur discovers that her most trusted employee is building a competing business.
• A new mother and her mother-in-law battle over the "right way" to care for a new baby.
• A man confronts the person who assaulted him.
• A man seeks to find the murderer who killed his father.
• A mother is unable to connect with her rebellious daughter.
• A teacher is being harassed by a particularly unruly student.
• Representatives from two warring nations meet to start peace talks.

Character vs. society

• A Marxist revolutionary attempts to take down a mega-corporation.
• A real estate developer faces town opposition to his proposed subdivision.
• A person with evidence that ghosts exist must convince the world of his findings.
• A person attempts to stop a fledgling fascist political party from taking over the country.
• A Franciscan missionary attempts to Christianize the indigenous peoples of the New World.
• A teacher struggles to convince a town to provide more school funding.
• A man chains himself to a tree in order to prevent it from being cut down by a new building development.
• A doomsday prophet attempts to convince others that the end is near.
• A private investigator must convince the media that a popular elected official is corrupt.
• A Mormon woman decides she wants to become part of the priesthood.
• A town shuts down your restaurant due to a health code violation.
• A woman in 1918 fights for her right to vote.
• A regime declares that a kindergarten teacher is an enemy of the people.
• A man is ridiculed online after a video of him is turned into an embarrassing meme.
• A painter creates controversial art that galleries refuse to show.
• A grocery store owner fights gentrification in his neighborhood.
• A famous actress is harassed by the paparazzi.
• A man faces discrimination.
• A person is permanently banned from playing a MMORPG.
• An undercover spy is exposed and hunted down by several governments.

Character vs. nature

• After a plane crash, a person must survive on a desert island.
• An orphan must scrounge and survive in a far-future urban wasteland.
• A man tries to escape a cattle stampede.
• A hiker is bitten by a poisonous snake.
• A man wakes up to find himself buried to his neck in sand.
• A kayaker becomes lost at sea.
• An android struggles to find sources of power during a nuclear winter.
• A camper becomes lost in the woods.
• A dream-walker finds himself trapped inside his nightmare.
• A hiker encounters a grizzly bear protecting her two young cubs.
• A vampire seeks shelter as dawn breaks.
• A school crossing guard works during a monsoon.
• A person flees his town during a forest fire.
• A person is buried alive inside a coffin.
• A man accidentally turns down a flooded road during a rainstorm, and his car starts filling with water.
• A person races to escape an erupting volcano.
• A person slips through ice while crossing a frozen pond.
• A person seeks shelter during a hurricane.
• A farmer's land is plagued by locusts.
• A person climbs Mount Everest.

Character vs. technology

• A skydiver jumps out of a plane, but his parachute does not open.
• A person is stuck inside a virtual reality game.
• A man is unknowingly brainwashed by his cell phone.
• An interpreter is replaced by translation technology.
• A lifeguard at a wave pool finds that the equipment is malfunctioning.
• A criminal is being hunted down by a police drone.
• A space pirate finds himself marooned on a derelict craft and must repair the ship.
• A person must disarm a bomb before it explodes.
• A person must fight robots in gladiator combat.
• A person is chased by an artificially intelligent car.
• A man must initiate an EMP surge before toasters take over the world.
• A video rental store owner competes with the rise of streaming services.
• A computer programmer has to destroy the AI she created because it is too powerful.
• A man is stuck on a broken roller-coaster.
• A person must stop a worldwide computer virus.
• A woman travels across the country with a faulty GPS.
• A woman discovers that her boyfriend is an evil cyborg.
• An old man must figure out how to use his newly gifted cellphone to call his grandson.
• A repairman is unable to fix a refrigerator.
• A broken time machine sends a person to the wrong time period.

Character vs. supernatural

• A person is possessed by a demon.
• A clown finds that children are being turned into circus attractions.
• A person is being hunted by a werewolf during a camping trip.
• A knight must slay a dragon.
• A photographer captures monsters by trapping them in photographs.
• A person is haunted by a ghost.
• A man gives his girlfriend a vintage engagement ring, but she soon discovers that it carries a terrible curse.
• A sailor discovers that his wife is a siren.
• A person is tricked into swapping places with their reflection.
• A vampire seduces a woman.
• A mom must find her child, who has been kidnapped by goblins.
• A man flees a group of zombies.
• A warrior must fight a dark wizard.
• A woman must trap the fairies that infest her home.
• A witch turns a person into a goat.
• An archeologist awakens a mummy.
• A boy confronts the monster under his bed.
• A farmer must deal with cursed vegetables the size of his tractor.
• A man is lost in an ever-changing maze.
• An old man must evade the grim reaper for as long as he can.

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How to Resolve Conflict in Workplace Essay

Introduction.

The inevitability of conflicts within an organization suggests that organizational leaders need to embrace them rather than avoid them. Thus, although there are many ways of dealing with conflicts at workplaces, such as collaboration, compromise, competing, avoidance, and accommodation, any strategy that emphasizes leaving conflicts unaddressed is inappropriate.

Conflicts often produce a negative implication on the performance of an organization (Bagshaw, 2004). Since the principal goal of organizational leadership is to look for mechanisms of resolving challenges, which may hinder the performance of an organization so that it delivers value to its owners (shareholders), conflict avoidance constitutes a risky approach to conflict management.

Organizations comprise people from different cultural, professional, racial, age, and other demographic backgrounds. Where people are segregated along these diversity differences, cultural conflicts arise. This suggests that managers and leaders within organizations encounter immense challenges in seeking effective strategies for recruitment, training, developing, and retaining the most talented personnel in an organization characterized by immense workforce diversities.

These challenges become even more pronounced as many organizations endeavor to engage in global businesses as a measure of increasing their competitive advantage. The more diverse the workforce is, the higher the risks of workplace conflicts associated with diversity differences. However, organizations gain from higher workforce innovation and creativity potential upon adopting effective strategies for handling this diversity.

Theoretical Background

Defining workplace conflicts.

In a healthy organization, conflicts are predictable. Workplaces bring people from different cultural backgrounds. Such people have different opinions and views towards various issues encountered in an organization’s daily activities. Such different opinions and views create points of parity and disparity. The disparities lead to conflicts. Bacal (1998, p. 8) defines workplace conflict as “issues that generate frequent expressions of emotions, frustration, and anger.”

This suggests that whenever two or more people work together, they disagree on strategies for accomplishing some desired outcomes. Such disagreements can be either constructive or destructive in an organization. In fact, Bacal (1998) refers to destructive conflicts as ugly clashes, while constructive disagreements are good organizational conflicts. While it is impossible to eliminate workplace conflicts, destructive conflicts are highly undesirable. They should be kept at minimal levels.

Organizations, individuals, and even work teams require constructive conflict for them to grow. Engaging in opposing discussions, especially on mechanisms of accomplishing certain outcomes, creates opportunities for “thinking and doing things that can be useful to everyone” (Bacal, 1998, p.8).

In this sense, the outcomes of decisions made following engagements in constructive conflicts are in favor and accommodative of all key stakeholders’ interests within an organization. Destructive conflicts make people in an organization uncomfortable.

In some situations, escalated conflicts have the implication of compelling people to quit (Bagshaw, 2004). Organizations that experience destructive conflicts also encounter challenges of “…lower morale, lower productivity, higher turnover, and more employee burnout” (Bacal, 1998, p.8). This suggests that organizational leaders and managers should focus on eliminating destructive conflicts while encouraging constructive conflicts in an effort to build higher-performing organizations.

Causes of Conflicts in the Workplace

Workplace conflicts are broadly subdivided into caustic and productive conflicts. Destructive conflicts often involve personality clashes. This occurs when people fail to get along with one another. This type of conflict in the workplace is often fuelled by emotion and perceptions about somebody else’s motives and character. For example, a team leader jumps on someone for being late because they view the team member as lazy and disrespectful.

The team member sees the team leader as out to ‘get’ them because they are not one of the ‘favored children.’ The second type occurs when people view decisions and ideas articulated to a given job or task differently. Conflicting ideas become productive in the event that parties in conflicts have the willingness to engage in brainstorming sessions (Bacal, 1998). In such situations, compromised ideas are, at times, better in enhancing the success of an organization compared to an original idea.

As a cause of workplace conflicts, as hinted above, personality clashes initiate disputes regarding certain business practices, which then skyrocket into mutual loathing (Collinsin & Rourke, 2005). In some cases, two people may not like each other right from the beginning due to diversity differences and other personality differences.

This claim implies that workplace diversity may be a big contributor to conflicts within an organization. Personality clashes also contribute to workplace disputes, which may escalate to become conflicts since people possess different beliefs, values, and approaches to handling problems. When people fail or have difficulties in appreciating and embracing other people’s work methods, clashes emerge.

Some conflicts within an organization can emerge due to a lack of trust in the HR to handle differences between two disagreeing employees. The situation makes the parties engaged in conflict expand their differences when permitted to take matters into their hands. Therefore, HRM deserves to evaluate the circumstances that may cause disregard the consideration of the roles of HRM in conflict resolution by employees.

Gramberg (2005, p. 94) supports this position by further claiming, “interpersonal skills are important to managers with regard to building workplace trust and cooperation from staff members who are collectively accountable for furthering business goals.” In fact, one of the roles of management in an organization is to ensure a peaceful environment characterized by workforce collaboration in the effort to meet an organization’s goals, mission, and aims.

Failure of employee collaboration may give rise to workplace conflicts. Other causes of conflicts within workplaces include poor or inadequate communication, which gives rise to misunderstandings, and limited organizational resources, which lead to competition and conflicting needs. Poor performance in tasks that are allocated to employees may also lead to conflicts when some tasks with higher effort input demands or when poorly completed tasks are reallocated to other employees.

Globalized organizations embrace diversity in their workforce. This strategic initiative is impaired by the belief that employing people from diverse backgrounds gives an organization a competitive advantage. For instance, an organization develops the capacity to tap and benefit from a wide range of talents and knowledge bases (Johnson & Keddy, 2010). This means that an organization is able to innovate and create a wide range of products, which translates into increased profitability while traded in the global markets.

Focusing on diversity as a strategic initiative for an organization delivers gains in terms of enhanced growth through an increment of product range due to innovation that is brought by people possessing different capabilities working together. However, it is crucial to note that diversity also brings together people from different cultural backgrounds (Gramberg, 2005).

The above assertion implies that diversity has the impact of creating cultural conflicts in workplaces. Institute of Leadership and Management (2007) confirms how the HRM is important in resolving such conflicts since it helps to create a common organizational culture by helping employees understand that different people have different abilities and beliefs and that these differences should not be permitted to influence the way people relate with one another.

Alternatively, diversity differences need to avoid personality clashes within workplaces. The HR, being charged with ensuring that employees work in harmony without conflicting situations that lead to personality clashes, should deploy diversity to enhance success by treating any conflict arising from cultural differences and frictions as an act of indiscipline and negligence to comply with an established organizational culture.

While this role may be well established in the outline of the mandates of the HRM in an organization, communication may hinder the success of the initiatives deployed by HR to curb personality conflicts.

Studies by Bacal (1998) and Lee (2008) identify communication as a major cause of workplace conflicts. Leaders for dynamic organizations appreciate the importance of effective communication, particularly while working in an environment of consistent change.

Communication has the ability to deliver tangible products as opposed to being a soft component of leadership roles. Improving the satisfaction of consumers, enhancing the quality of service delivery and product quality, and enhancing retention together with the satisfaction of employees depend on effective communication (Lee, 2008). These aspects also constitute the ingredients of workplace conflicts.

In an organization that employs people from diverse backgrounds, communication is the tool deployed to harness individual differences of employees to align them to a common organizational culture guided by the aims, missions, goals, and objectives of the organization (Johnson & Keddy 2010). This suggests that communication is also important in the effective resolution of employee conflicts. Conflicts influence employee productivity. Hence, the performance of an organization is also affected negatively.

Poor communication often results in resistance to change, especially where the persons working in an organization consider the changes being implemented as threats to their jobs and personal excellence.

For instance, while personnel at the headquarters of an organization may be fighting for standardization of products produced by an organization to ease supply chain and logistics challenges, workers at departmental levels of various products may be opposed to such an endeavor. This disparity creates destructive workplace conflicts between an organization and employees at different hierarchical levels.

Inadequate communication at the intra-organizational levels may result in different perceptions of ideas and strategies that will enhance organizational success in the market (Bacal, 1998). This claim implies that conflicts in ideology minimize the opportunities for channeling organizational energy to the implementation of ideas and strategies that will enhance the increment of productivity of an organization.

Communicating both adequately and effectively is crucial for the elimination of workplace conflicts. Institute of Leadership and Management (2007) confirms that the availability of adequate and unambiguous information helps employees to collectively support effectively while doing what is within their capacity to ensure that an organization succeeds in the direction set by leaders and managers.

In this sense, the goal of an effective communication program within an organization is to foster a change in employees’ behaviors and perceptions toward other employees, which may trigger personality clashes.

Effecting the desired change in an organization through communication takes different forms. It may involve the harmonization of people’s attitudes or alteration of work processes in an effort to support the organization’s success by eliminating the clash of ideas in the manner of executing various job elements, which may be destructive.

Effective communication entails communicating strategies for success through translating the essential business objectives and goals into terms that employees can understand easily (Johnson & Keddy, 2010).

In response to such communication, employees become engaged and aligned in readiness to work collectively toward driving organizational success. In fact, when communication fails, misunderstanding arises, resulting in the failure of employees to execute tasks as desired by managers and leaders. This translates into workplace conflicts between managers, supervisors, and leaders with employees.

Impacts of Workplace Conflict

The human resource arm of an organization has an immense responsibility to ensure that top talent within an organization is retained. HRM is the core competency of an organization whose objective is to handle issues related to employees.

Such issues include enhancing motivation, enhancing job satisfaction, laying remuneration structures, giving advice on promotions, and aiding an organization to acquire top talent through selection and recruitment. Addressing issues that result in poor performance of employees, such as poor job satisfaction, calls for the HRM to establish correlations for the challenges. Lee (2008) identifies ugly workplace conflicts as one of the correlates of poor job satisfaction.

As a core competency for an organization, HRM engages in tasks such as training and development and managing conflicts within organizations through conflict resolution. Conflicts that HRM enhances their management are between an organization and employees or between employees and other employees. These conflicts produce both positive and negative impacts on an organization.

Conflicts may have the impact of creating opportunities for organizational growth. Bacal (1998) supports this impact by adding that a good organizational conflict entails providing the means for learning and setting mechanisms for fostering employee cooperation.

Collins and Rourke (2005) maintain that conflicts may create an opportunity for employees to learn strategies for effectively handling similar conflicts in the future.

While workplace conflicts may emanate from poor communication, conflicts can provide a means through which people become aware and/or understand the various issues that may translate into future conflicts.

Through this understanding, people are able to develop honesty and transparent organizational communication channels (Lee, 2008). Different ideas and angles of view on a given issue that may be influencing an organization have the impact of creating well-brainstormed ideas, which aid an organization in achieving better performance levels.

Organizational performance is a function of many variables. Some of these variables are workforce morale, employee turnover rates, productivity, and employee burnout. Bacal (1998) confirms that these variables correlate directly with workplace conflicts.

As revealed before, one of the common causes of workplace conflicts is workforce diversity, especially in terms of professional capabilities and cultural differences. This assertion implies that effective management of workforce diversity can improve workforce productivity, enhance workforce engagement, and foster the reduction of staff absenteeism and workforce turnover.

HRM plays a central role in handling all issues negatively influencing employees’ productivity in the workplace. In case of ugly conflicts, diversity implies leading to conflicts, which impair employees’ productivity by lowering their work morale. However, an organization will benefit if good organizational conflicts arise from diversity differences.

Google provides an important benchmark on how positive conflicts of workforce diversity can enhance the performance of an organization. Google Company gains from the varied viewpoints of its diverse workforce in effect that such a workforce provides increased problem-solving capacities and enhanced creativity levels.

In this context, it is inferable that proper management of good organizational conflicts involving exchange and disagreement on various ideas akin to diversity differences in talent and creativity levels has positive impacts. For instance, the creativity and innovativeness of a diverse workforce have made Google gain via establishing a central position in the competitive market.

The goal of managing workforce conflicts is to ensure that conflicts do not negatively impact organizations’ success. Labor turnover constitutes one of the negative impacts of workplace conflicts. In many organizations, labor turnover is deployed as a measure of performance. It measures the decisions of the worker to remain committed to the work of an organization (Bacal, 1998). Employee turnover is divided into two main types: voluntary and involuntary turnover.

Voluntary turnover occurs when employees decide to quit employment out of their own will to engage in other activities, such as self-employment, but not because the job was dissatisfying. In the case of involuntary turnover, people are compelled by circumstances to quit their employment. Such circumstances include poor pay, perception of exploitation, conflicts with other employees, and work-personal life conflicts, among other reasons.

Labor turnover is controllable or unavoidable in some situations. For instance, where workplace conflicts cause labor turnover, proper management of such conflicts can control and avoid them. Where this does not happen, the impacts of labor turnover due to destructive workplace conflicts have serious consequences on the performance of an organization both in the short and long term.

McClure (2004) contends that high turnover in organizations leads to increased costs of recruitment together with training of new employees to fill the gap left by the outgoing employees. Turnover is one of the issues that organizations seeking to exploit cost competitiveness as a strategy of success should address proactively. Addressing it proactively calls for organizations to deal with its causation, such as workplace conflicts.

The best approach to the management of organizational conflicts encompasses developing strategies for their prevention (Wisinski, 2003). However, the occurrence of conflicts indicates potential problems that negatively impact employees’ productivity, such as low motivation.

They also create opportunities for establishing good relationships among work teams and individuals when arbitration, mediation, and reconciliation efforts succeed. Considering that good relationship among employees is the foundation for higher work team productivity, mild destructive workplace conflicts in this sense can help build better-performing work teams.

Handling Conflicts in the Workplace

In practice, employees are not able to handle misunderstandings with their peers in an effective way before such misunderstandings have translated to personality clashes. The realization of this argument calls for the management to step in to look for mechanisms for handling conflicts (Myatt, 2012; Cloke & Goldsmith, 2005).

One such mechanism is adopting disciplinary measures for employees engaging in unproductive conflicts. However, intra-communication and inter-communication strategies are vital before disciplinary action is adopted.

This move calls for HR managers to possess good interpersonal and intrapersonal communication skills. “These skills are deployed to help harness employees’ personal and social skills that are necessary for conflict resolution” (Masters & Albright, 2002, p.117).

Indeed, interpersonal communication comprises an essential skill in conflict management within an organization in the effort to diffuse various stressful environments together with hostile situations, which may create fertile grounds for the development of conflicts (Myatt, 2012, para.8).

In organizational settings, the emergence of conflicts is hard to prevent. According to Gramberg (2005), the main challenge is how to resolve workplace conflicts. To reduce incidences of defiant behaviors, effective management of employees entails effectively communicating the rules and procedures of punishing employees in case of breach of the established rules and regulations that define the codes of ethics and organizational culture.

Since any grievances and disciplinary actions within an organization begin with clear and precise communication of the implications of an employee’s acts of misconduct, interpersonal and intrapersonal communication skills are an important requirement for a manager who endeavors to prepare, conduct, and conclude grievance and disciplinary cases effectively.

Scholars have developed many models to describe various mechanisms of resolving conflicts within an organization. Thomas-Kilmann proposed one such model. According to his model, conflicts can be handled using five main styles: accommodating, shunning, working together, rivalry, and compromising.

Accommodation involves the decision by an organization to cooperate with parties in conflict to the highest possible degree. Often, one party works against its desired goals and/or outcomes. The strategy works well when one party in conflict has a better solution to a given problem (Masters & Albright, 2002). It helps in building strong ties between two or more parties in conflict.

Alternatively, one may choose to ignore the need to resolve a given conflict. This approach entails the resolution of conflicts by avoiding them. This style works well when the effective solution is costly, when one perceives that he or she has minimal probabilities for winning, or when an issue in conflict is trivial. However, avoiding is not an effective strategy in the long term (Bagshaw, 2004: Bacal, 1998).

The collaboration includes partnering to follow a goal that another party pursues. During the collaboration, an effort is made to accommodate all people’s ideas for synthesis to develop a single superior idea for resolving a conflict.

Such an idea also needs to consider all points of agreement and disagreement between the collaborating parties (Bagshaw, 2004). This way, it becomes possible to break away from the win-lose strategy to explore the win-win strategy. This approach requires an incredibly high capacity to trust one another in the development of a superior idea for the resolution of a conflict.

The approach is opposed to the competing technique in which the focus is on the win-lose approach to conflict resolution (Gramberg, 2005). Competing approaches work well in times of dire need to make quick decisions. In the case of compromising, parties in conflict focus on a lose-lose strategy. The approach is best suited whenever parties in conflict pursue goals and objectives that cannot converge.

Lee (2008) asserts that managers should engage in communication with employees and other organizational stakeholders for a number of reasons. One of the reasons is attributed to the expensiveness of ineffective communication in an organization. In modern workplaces, communication in management is important since workplace environments continue to be sophisticated.

They also involve complex interaction processes among all individual units that make the whole organization. Consequently, collaboration capability enables an organization to gain from a diverse creative workforce that requires ardent and unambiguous communication (Lee, 2008). This way, it becomes possible to handle workplace conflicts that are attributed to poor and inadequate communication.

Upon establishing the issues that attract conflicts between various employees and/or an organization, the focus shifts to establishing mechanisms of healing the wounds caused by a conflict.

In this process, Gramberg (2005) identifies reconciliation, arbitration, and mediation as important techniques for handling workplace conflicts. Reconciliation involves the admission of wrongdoing followed by forgiveness. Mediation involves bringing two parties in conflict together through a third party by revisiting the series of events or disputes that led to the conflict.

This step is then followed by suggesting codes of behavior or reactions that should have prevented the conflict. In each case, the parties in conflict identify their own mistakes and put effort into ensuring they would not repeat the same mistakes in future workplace interaction processes (Gramberg, 2005). Arbitration through a third non-partisan party, including a court, becomes important where conflicts have translated to personal injuries and/or paying off damages is necessary.

Nature and Solutions of Workplace Conflicts

From the discussions in the literature review section, workplace conflicts have both negative and positive impacts. Even ugly conflicts may also have some aspects of positive impacts if managed effectively. Managing workplace conflicts requires the deployment of various techniques and approaches. From the Thomas-Kilmann model for conflict management, the techniques involve avoiding, challenging, teamwork, negotiation, and accommodation.

In the context of the Gramberg (2005), arbitration, reconciliation, and mediation can suffice as solutions to workplace conflicts. The appropriateness of each of these solutions depends on the cause of conflicts encountered by an organization and the desired outcomes. For instance, organizations seeking to have a motivated workforce in a bid to enhance their productivity in the long term will seek solutions that have long-term outcomes in the resolution of employee conflicts.

Based on the literature review, one of the causes of conflicts in the workplace is the allocation of tasks that are impartially done by poorly performing employees to higher performing employees after they (higher performing employees) have completed their allocated work. A possible solution to this challenge encompasses the deployment of performance-based pay systems.

Performance-based reimbursement is a system of payment in which people are rewarded or paid equivalently for their amount of work or output. A good example of this payment mechanism is the payment of salespeople on commission, depending on the number of sales made. Another potential cause of conflicts in an organization is personality clashes. A possible solution involves employing people with diverse personality traits.

When a conflict occurs, accepting it as the status quo followed by its avoidance may be a possible response to workplace conflicts with the anticipation that the conflict will fade (Collinsin & Rourke, 2005). Alternatively, parties in conflicts can work collaboratively to establish a common ground of mutual benefit. This approach can sometimes fail to work, with parties resorting to compromising, accommodation, or competing.

Competing calls for parties to engage in a dialogue such that the best party emerges the winner. The losing party follows the directive issued by the winner. This alternative opposes the compromising option, which advocates for parties in conflict to consider acquiring little gains and/or incur some losses in the effort to establish a middle ground. People wishing to embrace accommodation as an alternative to the resolution of conflicts surrender their demands and needs in the quest to please another party (Gramberg, 2005).

In these five alternatives, parties in conflict may engage in dialogue voluntarily without mediation from a third non-partisan party. Bringing parties in conflict into an agreement may also call for arbitration. In situations where one party admits wrongdoing, reconciliation becomes an important alternative to the solution of workplace conflicts.

Diversity constitutes a major cause of conflicts within an organization. It refers to the myriads of differences existing among people working in an organization concerning parameters such as gender, race, community values, age, sexual affection, income levels, work experience, parental status, religious beliefs, ethnicity, religion, and physical abilities.

Where organizational culture reinforces the significance of diversity differences in contributing to and explaining workplace behaviors, performance levels, stigmatization of abilities of various people, and stereotyping of people from a given cultural background, ugly conflicts are inevitable. A solution to this challenge is developing an organizational culture that embraces workforce differences in line with an organization’s goals, objectives, and mission.

Tackling Conflict: Conflict Management Styles, Implication of Conflict Management Styles, and the Relationship between Conflict Management and Job Satisfaction

Traditionally, many organizations were managed hierarchically through a bureaucratic system in which pay level was a function of an employee’s position in the hierarchy of management. Adopting a performance-based pay system in such organizations entails adopting organizational change. Unfortunately, people generally resist change, especially when the desired change influences them negatively.

Performance-based payment system encompasses one of the changes that may face hefty criticisms from employees, particularly those at senior levels in the hierarchical management protocol. Senior employees whose payment needs adjustment to meet their performance levels are most likely to object to the system when a subordinate who records a high-performance level earns a higher income than they do.

On the other hand, the subordinates will embrace the change. Consequently, implementing performance-based pay systems within an organization may create conflicts between employees, their line managers, and supervisors. Additionally, in an effort to earn higher pay, employees may work at unsafe speeds. This situation is undesired. Thus, this solution is inappropriate since it may introduce other conflicts.

An alternative to implementing performance pay systems involves seeking to resolve workplace conflicts related to personality clashes by employing people of assorted personality traits. While this strategy has the merits of ensuring that people with similar personalities work under similar work environments, it becomes hard to find enough people possessing exactly similar personality traits in large work teams.

For effectiveness in the performance of a work team, diversity in personality traits may also be important, especially where an organization intends to create a work team that engages in constructive conflicts to enhance the brainstorming of ideas. Consequently, this solution is inappropriate since some levels of disagreements in decision-making processes and the manner of contextualization of issues are important in developing the most effective strategies for enhancing organizational performance.

Parties in workplace engage in conflicts due to different opinions. This implies that seeking to compel conflicting people to establish a compromise, accommodation, or collaboration attracts some challenges since none of the parties would be willing to sacrifice his or her self-esteem. Competing is perhaps the best approach for ensuring that a superior party in a conflict wins.

This boosts the self-esteem of the winner but immensely destroys the self-image of the loser. In the case where conflicts involve issues that are directly related to work, the loser suffers low job morale, which may affect his or her satisfaction with the job. This may lead to an intention of turnover or even the actual turnover. The converse of this claim is true for the winning party.

From an organizational dimension, the goal is to enhance the motivation and commitment of all employees in their work commitment. In overall, this suggests that the organization will have lost by deploying competing styles for workplace conflict management. Although the conflicts may be resolved, collaboration may also have similar impacts, just like competition, since one party must surrender to the demands of another party. Avoidance is the most inappropriate alternative.

Diversity management, as an approach to the resolution of workplace conflicts, implies that strategies for managing workforce diversity cuts across different causation elements for conflicts in workplaces. Thus, it can help in the elimination of conflicts that are associated with different levels of expertise, thus leading to a low performance by some employees that will necessitate the incorporation of performance pay-based systems while addressing the issues of personality differences, which may create personality clashes.

It also rhymes well with the concerns of mediation, reconciliation, and arbitration since conflicts that require these mechanisms of conflict resolution are akin to differences among individuals. Diversity management is the most preferred approach in the management of workplace conflicts in globalized organizations.

Recommendations

There are different approaches to solving conflicts. The article recommends a proactive passive approach as opposed to a reactive approach. The recommended proactive passive approach emphasizes handling the causation of conflicts in workplaces effectively. Mediation, arbitration, and reconciliation are reactive since they are deployed after a conflict has already occurred and caused damage to an organization.

Avoiding, competing, collaborating, compromising, and accommodating are equally reactive approaches. The adoption of performance-based pay systems is a recommendable approach to the management of conflicts that are associated with poor performance among some employees. However, they can create more problems and conflicts in the end. Thus, the approach is unsuitable.

The best approach for managing workplace conflicts entails understanding the benefits of adopting a multicultural environment tolerant of diverse workforce. By accomplishing this strategy, organizations would gain immensely in the form of increased productivity of the diverse workforce, hence boosting the profitability of the organization in question.

Incorporating this recommendation requires all management staff members, from top to bottom, to understand workforce diversity’s relevance from moral and business perspectives. Another way of incorporating the recommendation is by altering organizational values to orient people to commit themselves to promoting workforce diversity within the work environment.

A third way of incorporating the recommendation involves the creation of awareness and/or skills that focus on diversity training. This strategy needs to be implemented by managers of organizations in the quest to ensure that workforce socialization is directly congruent with the adopted new values.

In turn, it can increase understanding among people from diverse cultural backgrounds and increase group cohesion. It can also foster the improvement of self-knowledge. When employees embrace the diversity and diversity needs of all their work team members, they can carefully examine their objectives. Through this path, they can understand what is most important to them, thus improving their focus and enhancing their efficiency. This strategy is an essential catalyst for job satisfaction.

Conflict is inevitable in the workplace. It is a reality in every work environment by bringing people from diverse backgrounds together. While people continue to work in teams while caring about the manner their work team members treat them, disagreements will always arise to create conflicts in the workplaces.

Conflicts refer to the various issues emerging in the workplace that create emotions such as anger, discontent, and frustration. Such emotions produce either positive impacts or negative impacts on an organization. For instance, positive impacts may encompass the provision of an opportunity for organizational growth. Negative impacts involve issues such as reduced employee motivation, turnover, low job satisfaction, and reduced employee productivity.

Reference List

Bacal, R. (1998). Conflict Prevention in the Workplace: Using Cooperative Communication . Winnipeg: Bacal & Associates.

Bagshaw, M. (2004). IRS Managing Conflict in the Workplace . London: Lexis Nexis.

Cloke, K., & Goldsmith, J. (2005). Resolving Conflicts at Work: Eight Strategies for Everyone on the Job (Rev. ed.) . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Collins, D., & Rourke, S. (2005). Managing Conflict and Workplace Relationships . Ohio: Mason.

Gramberg, B. (2005). Managing Workplace Conflict: Alternative Dispute Resolution in Australia . Annandale, N.S. W.: Federation Press.

Institute of Leadership and Management. (2007). Managing conflict in the Workplace . Oxford, Boston: Pergamon Flexible Learning.

Johnson, C., & Keddy, J. (2010). Managing Conflict at Work: Understanding and Resolving Conflict for Productive Working Relationships . London: Kogan Page.

Lee, E. (2008). Communication Network Approaches to Conflict Management at the Workplace and Job Satisfaction . London: Lexis Nexis.

Masters, F., & Albright, R. (2002). The Complete Guide to Conflict Resolution in the Workplace . New York< NY: Amacom.

McClure, L. (2004). Anger and Conflict in the Workplace: Spot the Signs, Avoid the Trauma . San Francisco, SA: Jossey-Bass.

Myatt, M. (2012). 5 Keys of Dealing with Workplace Conflict. Retrieved from < https://www.forbes.com/ >.

Wisinski, J. (2003). Resolving Conflicts on the Job . New York< NY: Amacom.

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The United States and World War II: a Nation Entering Global Conflict

This essay is about the United States’ entry into World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It discusses the nation’s initial isolationist sentiment after World War I, which was shattered by the devastation at Pearl Harbor. The essay highlights President Roosevelt’s pivotal speech that led to a congressional declaration of war against Japan. It describes how America’s involvement in the conflict transformed the country into the “Arsenal of Democracy,” mobilizing its economy and workforce to support the Allies. It also addresses darker aspects, like the internment of Japanese Americans. Ultimately, it underscores how the war reshaped American society, economy, and global influence, setting the stage for the nation’s emergence as a postwar superpower.

How it works

The United States’ entry into World War II on December 8, 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, marked a transformative moment in American history. It was a moment that awakened a nation still wrestling with its isolationist tendencies after the devastation of World War I. For nearly two decades, Americans had largely sought to insulate themselves from foreign conflicts, focusing on domestic concerns like the Great Depression. The prevailing mood was that America had no business getting entangled in Europe’s or Asia’s wars.

That all changed in an instant when the bombs began falling on Pearl Harbor.

The attack caught America completely off guard, crippling its Pacific Fleet and leaving over 2,400 dead and nearly 1,200 wounded. Eight battleships were destroyed or severely damaged, nearly 200 aircraft were obliterated, and the harbor itself was left burning. This catastrophic blow united a grieving and shocked nation, forcing Americans to confront the reality that their home was not impervious to the aggression spreading across Europe and Asia. Japan’s strategic intention was to neutralize America’s naval power in the Pacific, preventing any interference with their expansionist plans. Instead, the attack had the opposite effect, galvanizing the American spirit and prompting Congress to declare war on Japan the following day.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a memorable speech to a joint session of Congress on December 8, describing the attack as “a date which will live in infamy.” His words stirred the nation, and Congress swiftly declared war against Japan, with only one dissenting vote. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, fully committing the nation to a global conflict that had been intensifying for several years. From that point onward, America was no longer a bystander but a key player in the Allied campaign against the Axis powers.

Leading up to this point, the U.S. government had been slowly shifting away from its isolationist policies. Roosevelt was keenly aware of the rising threats posed by fascist Germany and imperial Japan. He maneuvered carefully, providing material support to Britain and China through the Lend-Lease program while maintaining a public stance of neutrality to appease isolationist sentiment at home. The Neutrality Acts of the 1930s, passed under pressure from public opinion, reflected Americans’ strong aversion to becoming embroiled in foreign wars. But as the Axis powers expanded their control, Roosevelt circumvented these restrictions to offer vital aid to the Allies, believing that America’s security was inherently linked to the fate of Europe and Asia.

Despite Roosevelt’s efforts, the attack on Pearl Harbor made the decision for him. The next day, with unprecedented resolve, Congress authorized military action. And thus began the rapid transformation of a nation previously focused on its domestic economy into the “Arsenal of Democracy,” a term Roosevelt used to rally Americans around the war effort. Overnight, factories converted from peacetime production to manufacturing tanks, planes, and munitions. Recruitment stations saw long lines of young men ready to enlist, and millions of women took up jobs in defense industries. The nation’s mobilization for war marked a seismic shift in American society, profoundly changing the role of government and altering the workforce.

American industrial might played a crucial role in shifting the balance of power toward the Allies. By the end of the war, American factories had produced over 297,000 aircraft, 86,000 tanks, and 12,000 naval vessels. This staggering output ensured that the Allies were never short of equipment or supplies. The nation’s military personnel quickly grew to millions, providing the manpower needed to fight on multiple fronts across Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific. American forces were instrumental in the D-Day invasion of Normandy, the liberation of Italy, and the relentless island-hopping campaign against Japan.

But the war was not without its dark moments. While women found unprecedented opportunities in the workforce and African Americans began pushing for their civil rights through the “Double V” campaign (victory against fascism abroad and racism at home), the government authorized the internment of Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. Executive Order 9066 forcibly relocated over 120,000 people of Japanese descent to internment camps, stripping them of their property and livelihoods. This violation of civil liberties remains one of the most shameful episodes in American history, reflecting the deep racial prejudices and fears of the time.

Despite these challenges, the war fundamentally reshaped the United States. The shared sacrifice and collective effort of millions fostered a sense of unity and purpose. The unprecedented collaboration between government, industry, and labor forged an economy that would dominate the postwar world. New technologies developed during the war, from radar to jet engines, laid the groundwork for future innovation. And the American military emerged as a formidable force, ready to project power globally.

In the final months of the war, America played a leading role in shaping the postwar world. The Yalta and Potsdam Conferences saw Roosevelt, and later Truman, work with Churchill and Stalin to outline the future of Europe. The creation of the United Nations signaled a new commitment to international cooperation, one where the U.S. would play a central role. But the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which brought Japan to its knees, ushered in the nuclear age and fundamentally changed the nature of warfare.

In the aftermath of the war, the U.S. faced new challenges. The Cold War with the Soviet Union became the dominant geopolitical struggle, with the threat of nuclear annihilation looming large. At home, Americans grappled with their new status as a global superpower and the responsibilities that came with it. But the principles that guided their entry into World War II—the belief in freedom, democracy, and justice—continued to shape their policies, both domestically and internationally.

The United States entered World War II not fully aware of the changes it would bring to the country and the world. What began as a response to a direct attack transformed the nation into a global leader, with profound social, economic, and political changes that would last for generations. The legacy of America’s involvement in the war is still felt today, reminding us of the nation’s capacity for resilience and adaptation in the face of immense challenges.

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4 Common Types of Team Conflict — and How to Resolve Them

• Randall S. Peterson,
• Priti Pradhan Shah,
• Amanda J. Ferguson,
• Stephen L. Jones

Advice backed by three decades of research into thousands of team conflicts around the world.

Managers spend 20% of their time on average managing team conflict. Over the past three decades, the authors have studied thousands of team conflicts around the world and have identified four common patterns of team conflict. The first occurs when conflict revolves around a single member of a team (20-25% of team conflicts). The second is when two members of a team disagree (the most common team conflict at 35%). The third is when two subgroups in a team are at odds (20-25%). The fourth is when all members of a team are disagreeing in a whole-team conflict (less than 15%). The authors suggest strategies to tailor a conflict resolution approach for each type, so that managers can address conflict as close to its origin as possible.

If you have ever managed a team or worked on one, you know that conflict within a team is as inevitable as it is distracting. Many managers avoid dealing with conflict in their team where possible, hoping reasonable people can work it out. Despite this, research shows that managers spend upwards of 20% of their time on average managing conflict.

• Randall S. Peterson is the academic director of the Leadership Institute and a professor of organizational behavior at London Business School. He teaches leadership on the School’s Senior Executive and Accelerated Development Program.
• PS Priti Pradhan Shah is a professor in the Department of Work and Organization at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. She teaches negotiation in the School’s Executive Education and MBA Programs.
• AF Amanda J. Ferguson  is an associate professor of Management at Northern Illinois University. She teaches Organizational Behavior and Leading Teams in the School’s MBA programs.
• SJ Stephen L. Jones is an associate professor of Management at the University of Washington Bothell. He teaches Organizational and Strategic Management at the MBA level.

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