Conflict is overly seen as a natural and normal part of any workplace. However, its negative effects can lead to reduced productivity, a clash of egos and even emotional stress. Similarly, conflicts can motivate new ideas and innovation and lead to increased work flexibility and a better understanding of work relationships. However, conflicts need to be managed effectively to contribute to the success of your organisation. As a leader, a critical competency for managing diverse teams is understanding that each team member has their way of dealing with conflicts. Several models are consistently fine-tuned to help leaders address conflicts, although the general ideology centres around five major conflict management styles. While there is no right or wrong conflict management style, each strategy has its benefits. Knowing how to instinctively respond to conflicts, as well as having an understanding of the other management styles, will help you approach specific situations accordingly and lead to effective conflict resolution. How do you then identify the specific situations you should apply each conflict management style to achieve the best results for the parties involved? How do you handle a clash of ideas to ensure the organisation is the overall winner? How do you crack the Conflict Management Code? In this deck, you’ll learn; How conflicts can come about from a difference in ideas and thought processes How conflicts can create value out of these differences A common model of conflict management The best conflict management style and the specific situations to apply it.

1. Cracking The “Conflict Management” Code
Find solutions and achieve optimum outcome under uncertainty

2. Cracking The “Conflict Management” Code
Find solutions and achieve optimum outcome under uncertainty
The idea of conflict is something that many
people shy away from, even in our
workplaces.
Yet, managing conflict is a learned skill that is
just as necessary to be successful in the
business world.

3. IT’S JUST NORMAL…
However, many people ideally wish they
didn’t have to deal with it.
They tend to shy away when they
encounter conflicts while others face it
and deal with it head on.
Even many organisations develop aversions
to managing conflicts.
But your personality generally dictates how
you respond to them.
Conflict is a normal part of our work life and is
something that we all have to deal with almost
every day.
3
Click here to read: Cracking the Human Intelligence Code

4. Let’s define Conflict.
Conflict is the situation created
when people with contrasting or
different goals come in contact
with one another.
Having conflicts is an inevitable part of life.
85% of employees in the workplace deal with some kind of
conflict and 29% nearly constantly experience it, because
there will always be contrasting ideas among team
members.
Source; CPP Inc.

5. A US study reports that
employees spends an average
of 2 hours and 6 minutes
weekly dealing with conflict.
This is an equivalent of $359
billion in paid hours and 385
million working days.
Click here to read: High PerformanceTeamwork: Key to Business Success

6. But the time spent dealing with conflict is
not necessarily wasted. While there are
some negative connotation and
outcomes, there are also ways to manage
conflicts effectively.
However, these negative outcomes can
disrupt collaboration among team
members and colleagues.
What does this then mean for workplace
relationships?
Click here to read: Cracking the Effective Networking Code

7. Negative Outcomes of Conflict
Some of the
negative
outcomes conflict
can bring about in
teams are;
Reduced inclination to corporate
02
Mistrust in each other or in the organization
for which they work
01
Increased Stress
03
Delays and missed deadlines
04
Poor decisions and misuse of resources
05
Conflict can even cause individuals to seek
alternative employment
06

8. The Twist to Conflicts
On the other hand, there is an opportunity in having people with different values, different goals and
expectations working together. When team members or colleagues have very similar values, goals
or expectations, there’s no additional value they add to each other.
Ultimately, conflicts present people with the opportunities to create value out of their differences; it
becomes a powerful source of creativity and innovation.

9. Is Conflict Healthy or
Unhealthy?

10. VS.

11. Sources of Conflict
Relationship Conflict
This type of conflict occurs due
to strained work relationships. It
can be among the most difficult
to manage because it involves
values or beliefs that can be
difficult to change. For example,
one person who insists on
punctuality is likely to feel
uncomfortable working with
someone who is habitually late.
Task Conflict
This type of conflict occurs over
competing priorities, such as
goals or different views on where
and how resources should be
used. For example, when
organisational goals cascade
down to team or individual level,
tasks or priorities may conflict.
Task conflict is prevalent in fast-
paced organisations
Process Conflict
Process conflict, can be as much
about ideas as anything else.
They are formed around how
things are done and can either
be minor, or involve major
points of difference. This is a
form of conflict that you’ll face
with in any organisation
Click here to read: Checklist for Conducting Assessment Centre

12. The Five Dysfunctions of aTeam

13. In the modified HRDQ’s conflict strategies model,some of
the terms are changed and made more descriptive term
for those behaviors.
The five (5) styles then becomes;
• Avoiding
• Smoothing
• Competiting
• Compromising
• Integrating
While there are several theories of conflict, most modern
models are based on the research of Robert Blake and
Jane Mouton in the 1960s. They identified five ways or
styles that people generally respond to conflict.
They are;
• Withdrawing
• Smoothing
• Forcing
• Compromising
• Problem solving.
Click here to read: Improving Employee Performance – Best Practices
Conflict Strategies Model

14. An individual ignores their
own goals by trying to
avoid conflict completely.
It is the complete lack of
engagement in any form
of conflict.
SMOOTHING COMPETING COMPROMISING INTEGRATING
AVOIDING
An individual engages in
the conflict but gives in to
the other party’s goals.
They forego their original
goals in favor of
supporting the other
person’s goals.
In this style, two
personalities or ideas go
against each other with
one emerging as the
winner, and the other as
the loser.
It creates a solution that partially
favours both ideas or personalities. It
involves negotiation and respect for
the others’ thoughts and ideas.
It involves both
individuals working
together to find a
solution that produces
the best outcome for the
organisation. The solution
usually has a long-term focus
A S C C I
A Common Conflict
Resolution Model

15. WHAT SHOULD BE YOUR GO-
TO METHOD TO SOLVE
CONFLICTS?

16. When Should Each Method be Applied?
AVOIDING
This strategy is
ineffective because
the conflict remains
hidden. However,
avoiding can help
prevent unnecessary
problems where the
conflict is trivial.
SMOOTHING
This strategy may
create an impression
that an individual is
easily persuaded, and
their ideas may not be
taken seriously.
However, it can be the
key to move beyond
the conflict and discuss
more important issues.
COMPETING
This strategy is rarely
productive for managing
conflict. It can lead to
strained relationships.
But, it can be an
appropriate strategy if an
individual’s goals
demand immediate
attention.
COMPROMISING
This strategy is often
adopted when there’s a
need to progress
quickly. Here, both
parties try to satisfy as
much of their original
goal as possible, but
also risk not settling for
the best solution.
INTEGRATING
Integrating is the most
beneficial strategy. It
focuses on problem-solving
and collaboration. it looks to
seek the best solution for all
involved and for the
organisation. Although, it
can be challenging because
it may take time to arrive at
the best solution.
Click here to read: Creating the Right Leadership Development Plan for Your Organisation

17. ‘INTEGRATING’ and its benefits
Integrating as a strategy for managing conflicts helps you to focus on what is best
for your organisation. By doing so, you can go a long way in creating a climate of
trust which is the foundation for building work and personal relationships.
The integrating strategy allows you to maintain interest in the other individual and
also ensure you’re working towards the interest of the organisations.
Other benefits are;
• Improved communication; seeing issues from another person’s vantage
point opens up communication channels. You then communicate more
effectively with the other individual.
• Creativity and innovation
• Increased efficiency and productivity.

18. 9/1/2022
HENRY FORD
…was notorious for telling his
employees he did not want a yes man
working for him. He would rather hire
people who disagreed with him and
point out other techniques and solutions
to make sure the organisation was
benefiting from the value that each
person offers.

19. How to improve
your Integrating
strategy.
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
Be open and honest
about your goals
Look at the big
picture
Stay calm and
non defensive
Ask questions
Put yourself in
their shoes
Use the conflict as
an opportunity to
improve
View the other party
as a partner in
solving a problem.
You want it to be a win/win situation, so you
consider what is best for the organisation.
Think about the best outcome for the organisation,
regardless of what you or the other person wants?
This can be tough. But to fully employ this strategy, you
need to be willing to step back, stay calm, and keep your
emotions in check.
Ask questions to make sure that you fully understand
that other person’s goals and values.
Try to view the conflict from their perspective
Either the conflict is a process, structure, or a
relationship, see it as an opportunity for improvement.
The other individual should be your problem-solving
partner rather than a rival.
How can you become more adept at ‘Integrating’?

20. Five steps in changing your conflict handling skill set
Identify your conflict
management style (Using
some type of an assessment
tools)
Step 01
Practice, Practice and
more Practice.
Step 05
Identify common conflict encounters,
and think about which conflict
strategy will be appropriate to use.
Step 03
Identify where your style is
works, and where it does not.
Step 02 Step 04
Determine what you will do
differently. This is similar to a
gap analysis, identifying the
changes you will make to your
conflict management approach
Click here to read: 5 Reasons Why Leadership Develop Programme Fails [& Steps for Success]

21. Basic Skills for Conflict Resolution
Conflict
Resolution
Find something on
which to agree
Be cautious with
criticism
Listen actively
Avoid assumptions
Manage anger
Negotiate

22. Conflict Management Tools
Practice difficult discussions
ahead of time
Use neutral
languages
‘I’ messages
Say “yes, and…”
instead of “yes,
but…”
Ask questions
Listen
Empathize
Paraphrase
Click here to read: Cracking the Leadership IQ Code Deck

23. Summary
Conflict occurs in every day life, when individuals, colleagues or
team members have non compatible goals.
It is not always negative and sometimes it can be unavoidable.
With the strategies in this deck, you can make the most out of
the interactions that you have with your team.
When you learn to manage conflict instead of resolving or
avoiding it, you’ll be able to leverage it to see the value and the
gains for the other individual, your team, and your organisation.

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