apparent. The four groups had very different ideas about the degree of CHAPTER 7: Managing Conflict 151 several ways. Creating a psychologically safe environment helps teams col Improvement of a team's ability to manage conflict can be achieved in laboratively deal with conflicts rather than trying to avoid them. Mediators can be used to help manage communications during a conflict and develop oped through the use of structured negotiation practices that focus on the trust among the participants. Integrative solutions to conflicts can be devel- interests of all parties involved. The high school in your town has been having problems. Recently, the number are also increasing. Although there have not been any major outbreaks of of gangs at school has increased. Acts of vandalism and juvenile delinquency violence, stories in the media of violence in other communities have raised concerns among parents. The school board created a committee of teachers, administrators, students, and concerned parents to develop proposals for dealing with problems at the local high school. You are the leader of this The meetings started with polite sharing of ideas, but tensions soon became committee. Team Leader's Challenge 7 seriousness of the problem and appropriate solutions. Polite criticism of ideas shifted into cynical asides and finally into heated attacks. As people became more emotional, the negative comments became more personal. You are aware that some of the participants have fought over other school issues in the past. How can you (the leader of the committee) reduce the negative emo- tions in this situation? How do you build trust among What can be done to negotiate agreement among the four groups? the groups? SURVEY: CONFLICT RESOLUTION STYLES Purn date