Conflict is an expressed disagreement. All conflicts are expressed verbally or nonverbally. Conflict can occur only between people who depend on each other. Conflict involves opposition and is more than just differences. Conflict is the perception that our concerns are at odds with those of another. Conflict exists when individuals who depend on each other express different views, interests, or goals and perceive their views as incompatible or oppositional.

Conflict is when two or more people have differences in ideas/views and are not ready to understand or accept each other’s ideas/views. Conflict might escalate and lead to non-productive results, or conflict can be beneficially resolved and lead to quality final products. Therefore, learning to manage conflict is integral to a high-performance team.

Conflict management is the principle that all conflicts cannot necessarily be resolved, but learning how to manage conflicts can decrease the odds of non-productive escalation. Conflict management involves acquiring skills related to conflict resolution, self-awareness about conflict modes, conflict communication skills, and establishing a structure for management of conflict in your environment.

Conflict management is defined as “the opportunity to improve situations and strengthen relationships” (BCS, 2004).

Conflict among members of a group

It usually occurs in early stages of group development

It may occur due to different ways of doing tasks or reaching group's goals

Conflict occurs between two or more groups

It may occur due to different ways of doing tasks or reaching group's goals