Instructions:
- Post a new discussion related to the topics covered in this module. Your post needs to provide specific lessons learned with examples from this module helping you enhance your leadership capacity at work.
- After posting your discussion, review posts provided by other students in the class and reply to at least one of them.
19 Comments
After completing the Conflict Management module, it really reinforced the idea that conflict is unavoidable in law enforcement, but it does not have to be negative. When handled correctly, conflict can lead to growth, stronger relationships, and a renewed focus on the mission. One of the biggest takeaways for me was the importance of active listening and truly understanding the other person’s perspective before trying to fix the issue. Recognizing where someone is at emotionally or professionally allows leaders to choose the right approach instead of reacting out of frustration. Too often, unresolved conflict creates unnecessary stress within the organization and distracts from the job at hand. This module highlighted how effective leadership, early intervention, and a focus on restoration can turn conflict into something productive rather than destructive.
Conflict is always going to happen and it’s upon great leaders to recognize when it is occurring and try to solve it. There is a ton of personal stress and work stress in this career field without a doubt. Often the biggest conflict we see is within our agencies by one person who is not happy, and they spread it to others. One thing has led this person to become negative and pass this onto others and it has grown. Often what I have found is when there is a conflict one side feels unheard, and this had led to the position everyone is in. People what to be heard and feel like they have a say. I have seen this led to conflict and bitter employees repeatedly. So, when there is conflict being a good leader is recognizing, there is an issue and listening to the person’s concern. Often listening will open the door to solving most all the problem.
Attitude is highly contagious, whether the attitude be good or bad. These bad or poor attitudes should be addressed by leadership to prevent unreasonable negativity in the workplace. Too often we find things to complain about, but don’t recognize all the things we have to be grateful for. Like you mentioned, a good leader will recognize, listen and address the concerns of their people. As we know, hearing is the first part of active listening and people for too often just want to be heard.
The part that really stuck with me from this lesson was the idea of the bitter spirit. I have seen firsthand that bitter people really do attract other bitter people. I’ve seen it at work before; one person’s constant complaining turns into a small group of negativity, and it can either spread or it drains everyone else who isn’t a bitter person.
What hit me was how bitterness can grow out of a wounded spirit, like someone gets hurt or feels left out, and instead of dealing with it, they just stay mad. Then it spreads. That kind of energy kills morale and teamwork. It made me realize how important it is to recognize bitterness early, whether it’s in others or myself, and try to stop it before it takes root.
Sometimes, the best way to prevent a bitter spirit from taking hold is to catch it early, when it’s still a wounded spirit. Taking time to intervene, listen, and communicate with that person can go a long way. A simple, honest conversation might help them feel heard and understood. In some cases, just encouraging forgiveness or helping them see the situation from another angle can stop that bitterness from growing. It’s not always easy, but a little empathy and good communication can be the solution before it becomes a bigger problem.
Yes! One sour apple can spoil everyone. Often one person having the ear of others leads to the negative path for an organization. Listening and addressing someone’s concerns before they have a negative spirt and spread it to everyone else.
Hello everyone,
I recently went through the Conflict Management Module by Nash (2017), and it was insightful. One of the things I learned from the module is that conflict is an inevitable part of life, and when managed effectively, it can lead to positive change and growth.
The module offered several conflict management strategies, including collaboration, compromise, and competition. The collaboration strategy was fascinating as it involved working with the other party to find a mutually beneficial solution. This approach encourages open communication and helps build trust, which can lead to long-term positive relationships.
Another important lesson I learned from the module is the importance of active listening. It is essential to fully understand the other party’s perspective before attempting to resolve a conflict. This involves listening attentively, asking questions, and paraphrasing to ensure you understand their viewpoint.
Overall, the Conflict Management Module was an excellent resource for learning how to manage conflicts effectively. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to improve their conflict resolution skills.
This module discussed conflict management, which according to instructor Ray Nash is a key component of accomplishing the law enforcement mission. The nature of police work can be very challenging and the need for their leadership to manage conflict, both internally and externally, is an inevitable and necessary part of the job. Sometimes natural instincts or personal experience can be useful to help manage conflict, learning about the different types of conflict and the truths about conflict will be extremely helpful. The attitudes and the steps for a path to restoration provide a focused approach to conflict management.
This was an excellent lesson with a lot of good characteristics identified and strategies on how to manage conflict. Identifying the different attitudes surrounding conflict (independent, wounded, bitter, rebellious, and unrestored) was very valuable information. I think we can all reflect on people we have worked with that have met one of these attitudes at a time or another during our careers. With this information, we can identify the attitude or stage someone is at and then select the best resolution accordingly. It’s very important to recognize the basis or intent of the attitude because some can be addressed easier than others and some are more poisonous to a workplace than others. There is hope in restoration for all of these attitudes except unrestored. People that have reached this level are best to be removed swiftly (if possible) from an agency because it can sour even good people overtime.
I thought the conflict management theory was a great one. I’ve never heard of this and personally never been involved in this strategy, but I have a feeling it would be effective 9/10 times. Obviously this needs to be approached in the correct way, but by getting each party to take some of the blame, admit their fault, and ask for forgiveness, it is hard to be ignored. Both parties will feel better leaving there knowing at the very least the other person took some responsibility for the incident. By resolving the conflict, that relationship can be restored and the agency will benefit because focus can go back to the mission at hand.
I agree that restoring relationships benefits an agency so they can refocus their efforts to the mission. Too often time is wasted while disputes get in the way of the job. By taking this focused approach to conflict management leaders can hopefully transform that negative energy into something more positive and productive.
The first thing that jumped out at me was Maxim #1, Most law enforcement stress comes from inside the organization. Not sure about everyone else’s departments but in my experience that is 100% true, and that’s sad as i work in a jail. The staff are usually the issue whether union issues, conflicts with other staff members or supervisors not getting along or getting in trouble outside of work. That is one of the things we emphasize when training new supervisors is that you need to get to know your people on your shift and if you can get ahead of any trouble it will make your job much less stressful.
I agree with you. I have been asked by people outside of my job and within my job what is something that surprises me about law enforcement, or something I didn’t expect. I did not expect the numerous issues, drama, and discontent within a police department, particularly when dealing with officers. I deal with officer issues probably 5 to 1 compared to the general public, because unless the public is a frequent flyer, you are having to see and work with the officers every day and every week.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the lesson. I agree with you that identifying different attitudes surrounding conflict and selecting the best resolution accordingly is a valuable tool for managing conflicts in the workplace. It’s essential to recognize the basis or intent of the attitude, as some can be addressed more quickly than others. The conflict management theory you mentioned sounds like a great strategy as it involves both parties taking responsibility for the incident and resolving the conflict, which can ultimately restore the relationship and benefit the agency. Thanks for sharing your insights!
I see that throughout this career, there will be a point that everyone will be at a point of conflict. This can come from a variety of things such as not being selected for a position, other co-workers not handling their portion of duties, or having a perceived conflict that escalates. Those conflicts can place that individual in a certain state of the attitude hierarchy, but depending on how it is handled by leadership/supervision, it can make or break them. That subject could have a better chance to returning to a positive and productive member if that conflict management strategy is utilized effectively.
I think conflict happens regularly in our personal lives and in the workplace. Just as you said, it could be because partners aren’t holding their weight (expectations) or management not treating staff equally (emotions/perception). I think one major situation such as being passed over for a promotion or a series of little ones over and over, or just the character/personality of person will dictate how they respond to conflict and if/where they end up on the attitude hierarchy. Leaders ability to manage those conflicts and help resolve issues faster so they don’t fester up to become bigger and bigger issues is of great importance. No agency wants to end up with an employee who has unrestored spirit. They can ruin an agency or unit faster than even bad leaders can. Leadership’s ability to handle conflict head on and resolve it will have a happier and healthier workplace culture.
People are hard headed when it comes to owning up or apologizing to their own mistakes which can be frustrating. I know some people will shut down or bury themselves in lies rather than apologizing for what they did wrong. When working in team settings its always best when we are all on the same page and can communicate well with others.
I have to agree that owning up to one’s mistakes and apologizing when they were wrong is very important to effective communication. Some people may not want to admit when they are wrong because they don’t want to be viewed as incompetent or that if they were wrong that they are flawed. The truth is that it is a flaw if they don’t admit they were wrong, it takes more courage to admit when you made a mistake and to apologize when you did something wrong. No one is perfect we just need to be able to communicate efficiently when we were in the wrong.
I was intrigued by the conflict management strategy that was discussed in this section. I can see how this would be a very beneficial strategy in an individual’s personal and professional life. When there is a disagreement each party is responsible in some way even if it comes down to miscommunication, so by each person taking some part of ownership of the conflict then both individuals will feel like they are being heard and their feelings are being taken into account. It can be hard for individuals to apologize so by asking for forgiveness and giving forgiveness to another individual this is a huge step (Nash, 2017). I wish I would have had this technique a year ago when the tension in my office could be cut with a knife. Members were holding onto issues from years prior and if I could have tried this strategy we may have been able to move past issues and work as a team.
Reference
Nash, R. (2017). Conflict management. 2.6, Week # 7. National Command and Staff College. Retrieved from
https://cloud.scorm.com/content/courses/NAGVXPB5E6/ConflictManagementb41ca549-f730-4379-9a10-89bede54833a/2/index_lms.html
I agree that this is a positive means that could in essence help both parties get past their differences effectively in order to move forward. If there is the ability to accept a portion of the fault, then there can be progress. If either or both sides are not willing to accept any fault, there would not likely be a positive resolution.
I am a Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPAC) evaluator and am testing the system.