Conflict Management for Sport Coaches

October 21, 2024

By Lauren Secaras

Michigan State University, Institute for the Study of Youth Sports

As described by conflict scholars, “Conflict is normal, ubiquitous, and unavoidable. It is an inherent feature of human existence. It is even useful on occasion. It is difficult to conceive of a situation which is conflict-free. Indeed, the very presence of conflict is at the heart of all human societies.”1 (p. 3). This unavoidable feature of life often is associated with negative emotions or unpleasant experiences. It makes sense, then, that conflict has a negative reputation. However, that does not mean conflict should be entirely avoided. There are individual and group benefits to working through conflict including personal growth, enhanced perspective-taking, and improved group cohesion2 3 4. To effectively work through conflict, it is necessary to first understand the components of conflict: thoughts/perceptions, behaviors, and emotions.  

Conflict begins when an individual senses a disturbance to their values or goals. These disturbances may be real or simply perceived by the individual5. As individuals start to consider their perceptions to be a reality, this may lead to negative thoughts about the situation or person(s) involved. In general, people often think that behavior, especially negative behavior, is a result of personal traits rather than environmental or situational factors6. This thought process can cause conflict to become more personal than necessary. For example, an athlete might think that a teammate did not pass the ball because they are a selfish player, but in reality, it was because the defender was playing too close. This incorrect thought process could impact the athlete’s behavior and the relationship with their teammate, all while allowing the conflict to continue.  

The behavioral component of conflict focuses on acts that interfere with reaching a goal. In other words, conflict will persist when individuals engage in competitive behaviors that prevent someone else from achieving goals. Competitive behaviors include coercion, threats, deception, suspicious attitudes, poor or misleading communication, and emphasizing opposing interests while deemphasizing common interests. On the other hand, cooperative behaviors such as open communication, trusting and friendly attitudes, and coordination of effort are likely to reduce the negative effects of conflict7. In sport, it is natural for competition to be present within teams, and obviously against opponents. Therefore, the behavioral element of conflict in sport requires a balance of competition and cooperation.  

The emotional element of conflict relates to negative emotions felt while experiencing conflict. Common negative emotions associated with conflict are anger, jealousy, hurt, and guilt8. When someone becomes overwhelmed with negative emotions, they are likely to experience emotional flooding. Emotional flooding has physiological effects (e.g., increased heart rate, warm body temperature, sweating) and also social effects (e.g., difficulty listening, inability to process information accurately8). The social effects of emotional flooding may make it difficult to work through conflict. Therefore, in situations with high emotions, it can be helpful to delay the conversation until both parties are ready.  

Managing Conflict 

There is no singular strategy that will guarantee successful conflict resolution. The context in which the conflict is occurring will heavily influence which management strategy works best, therefore it is critical to fully understand the conflict situation. The following four steps outline a general process for conflict management that emphasizes understanding its important elements.  

Step 1: Identify the Conflict Source 

Conflict management should begin by classifying the current conflict into task or relational. Task conflict refers to issues related to what needs to get done in a group, or how tasks are being completed. Conflict stemming from differing perspectives on personal interests, preferences, or values can be labeled relational conflict9. Doing this can quickly distinguish if the problem is personal (e.g., relational) or work-based (e.g., task). Relational conflict may be masked under task conflict; two groups cannot work together due to personal reasons, but they claim it is due to the nature of the work.  

 For those involved in conflict, identifying the source of conflict will likely require self-reflection. Asking what the true issue is and why it is bothersome is a great starting point. Communicating the perceived source to another party may bring about feelings of stress. It is helpful to use “I” statements such as “I have a problem when you [insert behavior]. It makes me feel [insert emotion(s)].” Framing the issue in this way helps the other party understand the consequences of their actions while also taking ownership of your part of the conflict10. Make sure all parties can share their perspective and that their perspective is understood. A good strategy to ensure both parties understand each other is to rephrase their problem statement, for example, “What I am hearing from you is [rephrase their statement]. Do I understand that correctly?” For third parties intervening in a conflict, accurately identifying the source will likely involve conversations with the parties involved and observation of the parties’ interactions. 

Step 2: Identify the Components and Factors Influencing the Conflict 

It is helpful to identify aspects of each conflict element (cognitive, behavioral, emotional) that may allow for the issue to continue destructively. For example, individuals may verbally express their perceptions of the situation, “This team’s negativity reminds me of my old team, or “You’re selfish for not passing me the ball”. Competitive behaviors such as using threats or having suspicious attitudes about team-building activities perpetuate destructive conflict. For coaches and other leaders, it may also be helpful to note specific situations in which competitive behaviors are frequent. If it is challenging to identify specific behaviors, consider specific moments that are tense or uncomfortable and then determine which behaviors facilitate the tension. The same strategy can be taken to identify emotional elements that influence conflict. Emotional expression is typically accompanied by a certain action that matches the emotion; for example, the action associated with fear is to get away from harm while the action for guilt is to make amends8.  

Like all situations, conflict is influenced by the people involved and the timing. Identifying the factors that could either help or hinder conflict management during the current conflict situation will place the team with the best chance of reaching positive outcomes. Individual factors such as personality traits will influence thoughts, actions, and emotions during conflict. There is some support for a mismatch in personality traits being a cause for conflict11. Also, teams with individuals high in narcissism and perfectionism may experience high amounts of conflict12 13.  

Relationship factors that influence conflict relate to characteristics and dynamics of person-to-person interactions. Leadership is a relationship factor that can lead to conflict and is especially important for coaches to consider. Power dynamics should also be addressed at this step. If an individual is perceived to have more power in a conflict situation, they may try to coerce the other party into an unequal resolution. They may also make threats or promises to persuade the other party to comply10.  

Team leaders and coaches who abuse their power or use a dominating leadership style often cause more conflict in relationships14. Meanwhile, it has been shown that teams that use a constructive conflict style (e.g., encouraging problem-solving and critical thinking) are more cohesive15.  

Lastly, external factors, or factors outside the members involved in the conflict, are likely to influence conflict situations. In general, the larger sociocultural context is necessary to consider. Culture is an external factor that may be the root cause for conflict or a factor that influences how the conflict is managed14; the cultural values and norms of a specific culture can influence members of that culture think, act, and feel during conflict. Culture can also influence which strategy someone chooses to manage the conflict situation. For example, collectivistic cultures that value the group over the individual will have different strategies for managing conflict than more individualistic societies16.   

Step 3: Adopt a Collaborative Conflict Style 

Early conflict scholars labeled five common conflict management styles: competing, collaborating, compromising, accommodating, and avoiding. These styles were determined based on the degree of each party’s attempt to satisfy their own concerns and attempt to satisfy the others’ concerns17. Each style can be useful in certain conflict situations, though a collaborative style tends to receive the most support and productive outcomes. A collaborative style is seen as the ideal option because the goal is to reach a solution that satisfies the concerns of all parties without sacrifice. This style has been related to improved performance and team cohesion15 18. For collaboration to happen, all parties need to be willing to seriously consider the perspective of the other. This allows for a range of possible solutions to be explored and for a decision to be made based on evidence and reasoning10. The earlier steps that focus on identifying critical information are meant to prepare an individual to openly discuss the conflict, understand the other involved party, and work toward an acceptable solution.  

It would be best for individuals to default to a collaborative style, however, discussing conflict with others and coming to an agreed upon decision can be time consuming. When there is a time constraint, this may lead one party to use a competitive style and try to force their opinion to be the final decision. Similarly, if one party becomes competitive, the other may choose an accommodating style which means they sacrifice their own needs to quickly reach an agreement. A collaborative style recognizes that even with time pressures, all ideas need to be heard and parties should avoid changing their initial opinions just to reach an agreement10. It may be argued that a compromising style is close enough to collaborating as it requires mutual sacrifice from the involved parties. However, this style ultimately leaves some needs unmet, whereas using a collaborative style can lead to a win-win situation. The final style, avoiding, is the opposite of the collaborative style. Completely avoiding a conflict will likely lead to destructive outcomes, potentially for both parties. Therefore, a collaborative style is preferred for achieving productive outcomes. Still, an avoiding style may be useful for diffusing volatile situations and allowing for emotions to settle before having collaborative conversations. It should be noted again that there is no singular style of conflict that will be successful in every situation; an individual should be prepared to use different conflict styles depending on the situation and the other party involved.   

Step 4: Know When to Get Help    

A conflict may reach a point where the involved parties cannot seem to reach an agreement of any sort. In this situation, it may be helpful to consider negotiation and use a third, neutral party that can help the conflicting parties work toward a joint agreement19. This process for managing conflict often leads to positive outcomes because it offers only three options for the conflicting parties: Accept the terms of the negotiation, deny the terms of the negotiation, or keep negotiating. Thus, parties are not likely to agree to the outcome unless it is something they both support in some capacity. In sport, a coach may take on a mediating role when conflict exists between athletes. Sport psychology practitioners are also a valuable resource for managing a variety of sport-related conflicts20.  

Strategies for Teams to Reduce Conflict  

A method for groups to be proactive in the conflict management process and potentially avoid the need for mediation is to develop conflict management protocols for the group. Establishing a process for managing conflict that is supported by the group can help lessen the damage of future conflict. This can be accomplished in a team meeting toward the beginning of the season. First, identify the behaviors and communication patterns the team wants to avoid during conflict management. To spark discussion, coaches can ask questions such as, What behaviors make conflict worse? Should we handle conflict situations face-to-face, over the phone, through text messaging, etc.? Then, create a list of behaviors the team believes will be helpful during conflict. Get specific and stay realistic with these behaviors. For example, listing “Use positive language” is rather vague whereas “No swear words” is more specific. At the end, finalize the list of helpful behaviors into a form that the team agrees with and can commit to. Keep this plan in an easily accessible place to refer to throughout the season.  

Conclusion 

Conflict remains a challenging, yet unavoidable aspect in all areas of life, including sport. As sport leaders, developing effective conflict management strategies can save a lot of time and energy while also demonstrating strong leadership qualities. Part of being a good leader is knowing when to intervene and when to let athletes manage conflict themselves. This 4-step framework structures the conflict management process by identifying key concepts to consider and skills to use when experiencing challenging situations.

About the Author

Lauren Secaras earned her Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Michigan State University in Spring 2024. She is currently an assistant professor in Health, Exercise, and Sport Studies at Denison University.

Note: This material was produced as part of a collaboration with Coaches’ Tool Chest (CTC), an organization that conducts training for sport coaches.

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