5. Sources of Conflict
Typical Sources of Conflict and How to Handle Them
Typical Sources of Conflict and How to Handle Them video (2:24)
We’ve spent the last learning modules covering what conflict is, how it can be beneficial to people and organizations, how to spot conflicts before they manifest into a larger issue, how to identify our preferred conflict management style and the conflict management style of others.
This portion of the course will speak to common sources of conflict and how they might occur in your program and approaches for how to best handle them.
According to psychologists Art Bell and Brett Hart, there are eight common causes of conflict in the workplace. Below is a chart of these eight causes, a brief definition of each, and an example of what this could look like for an instructor.
Eight Common Causes of Conflict
The chart below introduces and explains eight common causes of conflict. You can read through the chart and across to the various hypothetical instructor situations to consider how these conflict causes may come up for you in your role. It may also be helpful to then reflect on a recent conflict situation and try to work backwards using the material in the chart.
| Conflict Cause | Definition | Potential Instructor Situation |
| Conflicting Resources | Multiple people need access to a limited set of resources. | Different groups within the program need the same tools/equipment to run an activity and both have planned it for the same day. |
| Conflicting Styles | People have preferred ways of working that may be different from one another. | One person may need to step back from a situation and strategically think through a solution before they try something hands on, and another person might want to solve the problem by "doing". One of the people may be perceived as inactive and the other as impatient. |
| Conflicting Perceptions | People see the same situation differently. Someone may know more about a particular situation which gives them a different perception than someone else. | Instructors may have more/less or different information regarding a camp participant and this results in them treating the student and situation differently, leading to disagreement. |
| Conflicting Goals | People have different goals which lead to different desired outcomes. | Instructors may be at camp for various reasons, this would lead to how they approach work differently. If the role is more about hours/pay for one instructor, they may be less likely to stay late rather than another instructor who has a goal of receiving a good reference letter. |
| Conflicting Pressures | Pressures can be internal or external. | Instructors can be doing the same role for different managers or contexts, which apply a different set of pressures on them. |
| Conflicting Roles | When we need to step out of our usual role or take on a different role, we can create conflict by working in someone else's area of responsibility. | An instructor filling in for another instructor who is ill might deliver content in a different way or use a different approach. |
| Different Personal Values | We all have different values we have gained over time, experience, and family influence. Different personal values can conflict with one another. | One instructor may value frugality and another may value extravagance. When it comes time to purchasing resources and materials for the program, they are likely to have very different opinions on what to buy or how much to spend. |
| Unpredictable Policies | If rules are changed, not communicated or applied differently to different people or situations it can create conflict. | Two instructors may handle similar behaviour challenges differently, resulting in inconsistent approaches and may create conflict between instructors as well as camp participants. |
Strategies to Help Handle Conflicts:
Build relationships with the people you find irritating first; when you start working with new colleagues, there are going to be people who you naturally gravitate towards and others you find “irritating” early on. Try to build relationships with the people you find irritating first. The people you naturally like will always be there and that positive connection will facilitate relationships easily. Seeking to create relationships with people, you find irritating will be easier at the beginning of a program/summer. The stronger the relationship the less likely you are to find yourself in conflict with them later on.
Handle conflicts early on. The earlier you can defuse tension and address a situation, the easier a conflict will be to resolve.
Focus on interests instead of positions; rather than taking a position, share what your interests are in the topic of conflict. What do you really want as an outcome and why do you care? (If you would like to go more in depth on this topic please see the article below on "Interest-Based Negotiation")
Listen and be curious; when conflict arises, the more information we have about and from the other person puts us in a better bargaining position. When conflict arises could you start by asking questions and being curious about the other person’s interests? This will help you understand their perspective and make them feel heard and understood, which is a great foundation for resolving the conflict.
To learn more about handling conflict, read this supplementary article about a conflict resolution framework and approach called Interest-Based Negotiation authored by Neil Katz and Kevin McNulty.