Conflict Management

This technical note is intended to help develop the competence of conflict management. We all know from experience that conflict is a fact of life. And it is not always a bad thing. On the contrary, it can be very positive and stimulating, provided it is kept within certain limits. There are two dimensions to any conflict: rational and emotional. Problems arise when emotional harmony is disrupted. Conflict is a dynamic phenomenon and goes through phases. There are ways to prevent rational disagreement from degenerating into emotional disagreement. And there are ways to reestablish emotional harmony when it has been disrupted. This technical note explores the dimensions and dynamics of conflict and addresses the quest for agreement in a similarly dynamic perspective. It analyzes the potential causes of disputes with a view to preventing unnecessary conflict. And it offers suggestions on how to resolve both rational and emotional conflict constructively.