Managing Conflict Part IV

Conflict is not a disease to cure, it is an opportunity to learn and grow.  Effective leaders harness the potential transformation latent in most conflict.  The key is to have a conflict management plan.  Jeff Weiss and Jonathan Hughs suggest, “Conflict Management works best when the parties involved in a disagreement are equipped to manage it themselves.  The aim is to get people to resolve issues on their own through a process that improves, or at least, does not damage their relationships” (Weiss and Hughes 2005, 94). 
The first step is to have a conflict management plan.  There should be a clearly outlined process for people to manage conflict within an organization.  For the church, this would include conflict resolution on the staff level, committee level, and congregation level.  The plan should be specific, clear, and achievable.  Organizations that plan for conflict learn from conflict.  Organizations that live in a conflict free, dream world, will learn from conflict, but well after escalation has caused numerous problems in the organization. 
Another employable strategy too avoid unnecessary conflict is to be strategic about leadership placement in the organization.  Marcus Buckingham of the Gallup Organization states, “Great managers know and value the unique abilities and eccentricities of their employees, and they learn how to best integrate them into a coordinated plan of attack” (Buckingham 2005, 72).  When people discover alignment with their passions, abilities, and spiritual giftedness, they are more likely to thrive in a ministry environment.  Just plugging people into ministry positions to fill holes is a breeding ground for conflict.  An effective discovery process for people is a great way to lead through possible conflict.   Sometimes issues or problems become conflicts when drawn out over long periods.  Swanson states that a leader need to find the quickest path from problem to solution. A leader recognizes that a change needs to happen when there are multiple meetings over the same issues.  This will eventually lead to frustration and conflict.  When a leader takes the time to plan and short the process, conflict can turn into productivity (Swanson 2005, 74).

Conflict is inevitable in any organization.  Many times, we like to think that the church is above conflict.  The church is actually more susceptible to conflict due to the intimate nature of church life.  Church is like a family.  Sometimes it is the people who are closest too us that have the potential to hurt us the most.  Leaders need to recognize that conflict will happen and that God can use it for the good and for his glory.
Jesus faced conflict, opposition, and an undeserved death.  As leaders in the church, we find inspiration by his leadership style of service.  If leaders are servants, they will have very little problem dealing with conflict.  The servant leader does not allow pride to override his ability to manage conflict wisely.  Most conflict has the potential for good, if managed appropriately.