When we think of conflict, we often think of person to person or group to group, but there are more types than we imagine.
Person to person
This is the most common that we think of. It's the type of conflict that happens between two people (even if one of the people is unaware that the are in conflict).
It shows up in friendships, work relationships, husbands/wives/partners/parent-child.
It's happening everyday and we all experience it. It can be as subtle as someone not agreeing with your idea, to huge life plans or major decisions.
Me and myself
This one often gets overlooked, but is something we all experience too. It's often when our heads and hearts can't decide what to do. Perhaps the decision to make means compromising on your values, or when you do something and then question why you do it.
Your inner frustration can cause stress and anxiety, and also can spill over into other relationships.
I bet you have snapped at someone or taken out your frustration on someone who simply doesn't deserve it. We all have at times. The myself conflict can lead to others forms of conflict and that's why recognising it and catching your behaviours is so important.
Group conflict
If you are a team in the truest sense, you have each others backs. You look out for one another and in turn create a sense of belonging. So what happens when someone from another group is in conflict with a team member (family member). Generally you get into conflict with them. It may not have been your battle, but you've chosen to defend or support your team mate.
It's this strength of feeling that caused fights after school, friendships to break and wars to start. In the workplace it looks like competition, silos and us and them mentality. Used positively, this sense of belonging and teamwork is phenomenal. Used negatively, it creates a really unhealthy and toxic culture. Often the conflict goes on for so long, you can't remember why you disagreed in the first place.
Managing conflict
To navigate all of these kinds of conflict, leaders and individuals must learn the skills and tools to understand the underlying causes, mediate conversations, be emotionally intelligent and move forward to productive outcomes. We will explore all of these aspects in this and others courses.
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