A staff complement at school is one big melting pot of different personalities. In every school there are:

• extroverts who sit and socialise during planning
• introverts who utilise that time to recharge for the rest of the day
• givers, who are frequently eloquently expressive about their beliefs
• those who engage in debates, whose strong will makes it hard to withstand their arguments.

Teachers will inevitably get into disagreements with their colleagues given the variety of personalities present. But … it doesn’t have to digress into a mud-slinging contest. Life is full of conflict and conflict can be very healthy. It increases awareness of problems that exist and provides a reason for finding a better way forward. When conflict is valued it encourages an environment where change is seen as positive – a way
of making things better. In reality, growth cannot occur without it. As a principal or departmental head, you will have to deal with disagreements on a frequent basis, and timeously. It is important to always have a paper trail, but it is unnecessary to immediately resort to formal documentation to resolve an issue between staff members, thereby making it a bigger issue than it really is.

It is imperative that you as a leader have your ear to the ground and address conflict between staff members as soon as possible so that it does not escalate. The last thing that is wanted is for disagreements or conflicts to escalate to the point that they affect the learners and their education. This is by no means saying that you should be a conflict seeker, but one should seek to resolve and address conflict so that all parties mutually agree with the outcome. When there is a dispute between teachers, you as a leader should immediately ask how you can assist. Teachers will frequently enter your office to voice their displeasure with
another teacher.

You, on the other hand, should never voice your opinions about a situation or a colleague, even if you do have them. Your responsibility as a leader is to listen and not to discredit the individual or add fuel to the flame. 

Herewith a suggested way to deal with this:

After listening to the details of the conflict, ask the teacher:
“What was the response when you told your colleague how you felt?” The reaction you will mostly get is one of shock. They will usually respond by telling you that they haven’t talked to the person, and in most  cases, they have no intention of doing so. Most people don’t like addressing the conflict head-on.

Ask yourself the following questions to fully understand and address the conflict in the correct manner:

• Who? Who needs to be involved in the discussions?
• When? When is an appropriate time to approach the conflict?
• Why? Why address this conflict?
• What? What are the facts and feelings in this conflict?
• Where? Where is a neutral location to talk about the conflict?
• How? How do you move forward?

As a leader, it is your responsibility to mediate and help resolve conflicts between teachers. The most successful mediators:

• are empathetic
• are non-judgemental
• have patience and persistence
• are optimistic
• are trustworthy
• are sharp minded
• are creative
• have good common sense and
• have a good sense of humour.

As long as you have the right rapport with your teachers, you can ensure any disputes are resolved quickly and completely.