Conflict Management vs Conflict Resolution

It is important to distinguish the differences between managing conflict and resolving it.  Supervisors and managers spend over a quarter of their time dealing with conflict.  It is crucial to know when to simply control the issue and when to step in and terminate it.  As the name would suggest, conflict resolution involves the reduction, elimination, or termination of all forms and types of conflict.  When people speak of conflict resolution they normally use terms like negotiation, bargaining and mediation.

Conflict management, however, does not necessarily imply conflict resolution.  Conflict management involves designing effective strategies to minimize the effects of conflict and improving the overall environment to raise learning and effectiveness.  The better practices put into to place to control conflict, the better the productivity. This is especially true for companies and organizations as they do not have time to "solve" every issue that may arise.  It is better to prevent future conflict than to have to deal with each issue individually.