Office for Justice and Peace
How To Deal With Conflict
Although these tips are for members of a team, they offer excellent ideas for working with students who are struggling with conflict.How to handle conflict among your team members:
- Ask those who disagree to paraphrase one another's comments. This may help them learn if they really understand one another.
- Work out a compromise. Agree on the underlying source of conflict, then engage in give-and-take and finally agree on a solution.
- Ask each member to list what the other side should do. Exchange lists, select a compromise all are willing to accept, and test the compromise to see if it meshes with team goals.
- Have the sides each write 10 questions for their opponents. This will allow them to signal their major concerns about the other side's position. And the answers may lead to a compromise.
- Convince team members they sometimes may have to admit they're wrong. Help them save face by convincing them that changing a position may well show strength.
- Respect the experts on the team. Give their opinions more weight when the conflict involves their expertise, but don't rule out conflicting opinions.
Making Teams Succeed at Work
Alexander Hamilton Institute
70 Hilltop Road
Ramsey, NJ 07446
