Running Head: LEADERS AS CONFLICT RESOLVERS 1

Leaders as Conflict Resolvers

Matt Jenkins

University of San Diego

LEADERS AS CONFLICT RESOLVERS 2

Introduction

Every day, leaders can influence and resolve conflicts. In the presented hypothetical, the

Police Chief brings in Mr. X, an expert in marksmanship, threat assessment, and non-lethal

strategies, to help keep the department safe as groups are calling for major changes to police use

of force policies. Mr. X proposes some policy and training changes. Jim, the head of SWAT

opposes the changes, which significantly impact his unit, and the hostility towards Mr. X was

present during the first group meeting. The Chief has ordered a one-on-one meeting between

Jim and me to smooth things over and to convince Jim to embrace Mr. X’s strategies. Cloke and

Goldmsith (2011) offer six competencies of leaders as conflicts resolvers, and three

competencies emerge as strategies to achieve a positive attitude and buy-in from Jim– master the

context, communicate with meaning, and create a vision for the future.

Competencies of Leaders as Problem Solvers

For Jim, the proposed changes affect the core of his identity as a retired green beret and

the head of the SWAT team and seemingly diminish his team's duty to keep members of the

department safe. The tensions between Jim and Mr. X are originating in the broader social

context that is playing out in the City and across the nation with continued shootings of unarmed

civilians. To mitigate the tension and build bridges between the two, using the competency

master the context will allow for the larger contextual elements in conflict to be identified and

addressed, which will enable them to be used to inform the problem solving (Cloke and

Goldsmith, 2011, p. 247). This competency allows Jim to be heard and actively gathers his input,

which could lead to identifying unifying elements that would bring the two sides together.
LEADERS AS CONFLICT RESOLVERS 3

The second competency that will help achieve the desired outcome is communicate with

meaning. When communicating with meaning, a leader seeks the support, trust, and value the

integrity and trustworthiness of those they are working with (Cloke and Goldsmith, 2011, p.

248). Trust is achieved through empathetic listening and honest dialogue, and disagreements and

conflicts are constructively used to develop innovative and collaborative solutions. By having an

honest dialogue and allowing for disagreements in the one-on-one meeting, Jim will have the

opportunity to have his dissentions heard, while at the same time, feedback can be provided to

him about the desire and need for the changes.

The third competency, create a vision of the future, seeks to remind Jim of the larger

purpose and encourages him to rise above grievousness for an inspiring future. The purpose of

using this competency is to have Jim let go of past practices and expectations that conflict with

the new organizational direction and to show him that it is possible for him to learn from Mr. X.

Additionally, he can use his knowledge and skills to work collaboratively with Mr. X.

Ultimately, a clear and unified vision of the future can reveal that it is possible for each to learn

from each other (Cloke and Goldsmith, 2011, p. 248).

Conclusion

Using competencies from Cloke and Goldsmith (2011), Jim can walk away from the

one-on-one meeting with a positive attitude and buy-in to the new policy and training changes

that Mr. X proposed. As head of SWAT, his buy-in is critical as the Chief moves forward with

the recommended changes.

LEADERS AS CONFLICT RESOLVERS 4

References

Cloke, K. and Goldsmith, J. (2011). Resolving Conflicts at Work: Ten Strategies for Everyone

on the Job. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, CA.