Modern theories present leadership as a combination of Person and Context, and weigh these two dimensions differently: more Person and less Context or more Context and less Person, in the appropriate mix that characterizes each specific model.
An omnipresent element of leadership is — by its very nature — relationships, which becomes a critical and potentially problematic element when it becomes conflictual.
Very often the leadership's approach to conflict is resolutory: it seeks its quick resolution – only its pause, most of the times — to return to harmony. This, in reality, is a simplifying and misleading condition, since conflict is a structural and inevitable element of reality, perhaps even a necessary one, which we must continue to live and do business with — and do so to the best of our ability.
The presence of conflict does not negatively connote a leader or, indeed, his or her failure in the role. The opposite is true, if the conflict is accompanied by specific competence, which brings to light obstacles and issues, full of deep and important information.
Giving space and time to explore conflict opens up to the unprecedented and lays the foundations for solid partnerships over time.
Knowing how to deal with conflict strengthens the individual and the organization; whereas just wanting to 'solve' can lead to dangerous simplifications — although it is of course important in a work context to set this goal. Often the motivation to 'resolve' is more related to the anxiety of getting out of the conflict itself than to the search for a lasting change: 'resolution', in fact.
A leader capable of managing conflict, on the other hand, is able to implement a resilient, adaptive leadership model.
The group/team under his or her supervision is educated to be in conflict and feels empowered to express its voice, creating true working alliances that respond much better to the challenges of the complex market we face, than the " paradigm of harmony".
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