Various conflicts entail serious consequences, as they damage the bonds between people. Moreover, they may also be the cause of serious stress and mental pressure. Bullying is one of the most common forms of workplace and peer conflicts. Such situations lead to immense stress and even cause the symptoms of depression. However, other forms of conflicts can also be present even in the professional environment—generally, research points toward these instances as a serious management failure. Therefore, conflict management should be one of the critical competencies of modern leaders. The process of nurturing this competency begins at the early stages of personal development. As such, schools serve to highlight various types of conflicts and prepare students for them. This paper shows the crucial status of effective conflict management in the 21st century.
Conflicts are prevalent in today’s society, as they are observed in various spheres of life. Generally, they emerge when two or more opinions clash to a sufficient degree. As a result, the lack of understanding may lead to serious consequences. According to Currie et al., the workplace is the most common environment for conflicts (492). In fact, the very idea of conflict management is central to the sphere of human resources. Scholars view workplace conflicts as the failure of the leadership. Ideally, management should create a favorable environment in which people can coexist with comfort. When conflicts erupt, evidence suggests that such an environment was not provided (Currie et al. 494). Therefore, effective conflict management practices occupy a special position in today’s workplace environment.
Conflicts have many forms, and they depend entirely on the context and the setting. Apart from the workplace discord, there are, for example, conflicts within personal relationships. However, despite the diversity of the issue, bullying remains its most common form. This type of conflict is observed across settings, including peer relations, schools, and work environments. Bullying is aggressive and one-sided, being associated with adverse consequences to the victim’s mental condition. Tornroos et al. (2020) state that people subject to bullying often develop the symptoms of immense stress and depression (387). In severe cases, such conflicts leave a lasting impact and undermine the quality of life. Overall, bullying is highly widespread in today’s society. Its impact and repercussions serve to demonstrate the importance of conflict management.
Considering the information presented above, effective conflict resolution is an essential competency. This idea primarily concerns leaders of the 21st century responsible for creating a peaceful environment. However, as conflicts are common in different settings, such skills are necessary for any person. Saitis and Saiti state that school is an optimal starting point in this regard (129). This environment demonstrates an array of various conflict situations. If these instances are studied and analyzed, students will be better prepared for the future. Unlike adult settings, schools show a higher diversity of conflicts with a higher educational potential. However, the leading role in nurturing conflict management capacity is played by the school management (Saitis and Saiti 133). Therefore, conflict management competency is born through effective collaboration from a younger age at school.
Ultimately, conflict management has become an essential skill for any person. In the 21st century, disputes are common in a variety of settings. Most scholars focus on the workplace environment when discussing conflicts. In this scenario, the blame for their emergence is laid upon the management. Generally, conflicts possess many negative properties in terms of psychology. However, bullying is its most detrimental form due to one-sided aggression. As the research suggests, this type of conflict leaves the victim stressed and even depressed. To avoid the development of serious issues, people need to master conflict resolution skills. School is the perfect environment for this process due to its psychological diversity. Overall, conflict resolution is to be nurtured in all individuals via collaboration and supervision. These skills are essential for a comfortable and peaceful life.
References
Currie, Denise et al. “The Management of Workplace Conflict: Contrasting Pathways in the HRM Literature,” International Journal of Management Reviews, vol. 19, no. 4, 2017, pp. 492-509.
Saitis, Christos and Saiti, Anna. Initiation of Educators into Educational Management Secrets. Springer, 2018.
Tornoos, Maria et al. “High-Involvement Work Practices and Conflict Management Procedures as Moderators of the Workplace Bullying–Wellbeing Relationship,” Work & Stress, vol. 34, no. 4, 2020, pp. 386-405.