Question

Under which circumstances should ignoring conflict be used as a conflict management strategy?

When failure in mediating and resolving the conflict would weaken the leader's position
When the leader does not want to be associated with a negative outcome
When the team needs to develop a win-win, mutual-gain resolution to the conflict
When the issue will resolve itself without damaging the team processes and relationships

Answer 1

Ignoring conflict is only appropriate when the issue is minor and self-resolving, that does not impact team dynamics or relationships negatively.

Step-by-step explanation:

Ignoring conflict can be an appropriate conflict management strategy in situations where the issue is minor, likely to resolve itself, and will not cause damage to team processes and relationships. It is not typically advised to ignore conflicts when the potential for negative outcomes is significant, such as damaging a leader's position, avoiding association with negative outcomes, or when a collaborative win-win resolution is needed. In most cases, conflicts should be addressed directly by choosing your words carefully, staying calm, listening, asking open-ended questions, focusing on solving the problem rather than assigning blame, and aiming for a bridge-building conversation.