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Module 2: Conflict Resolution

Joshua F. Allen

College of Business, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

OBLD 310: Mediation, Negotiation, and Conflict Resolution

Carey Hansard

June 12th, 2025

Module 2: Conflict Resolution

Identification of Conflict

One ongoing issue in my fire department is the poor communication between

leadership and the front-line employees who handle daily operations. This is demonstrated

through the ongoing conflict among employees and leaders who fail to communicate

important information during times of critical need. For example, these communication

mishaps would include inaccurate pieces of patient descriptions, locations of the

emergency, and the equipment required for rescue or pre-hospital first aid.

Root Cause Analysis

The underlying causes of this conflict stem from trust issues that front-line first

responders have with leaders concerning their technical abilities to perform and lead during

risky calls. This can be shown in instances in which some leaders within the department

crack under pressure due to the extreme stress faced from adversity, like bad weather or

multiple casualty management. And because of this uncertainty to lead, many employees

under the leadership command started to lose faith in their leaders to effectively support

them during dangerous situations. Resulting in employee dissatisfaction and prejudice

against all leaders within the department, even those who performed well in the field

(Raines, 2012).

As the lack of trust between leaders and employees started to become the root cause

of poor communication, many firefighters grew hesitant to share concerns, ask for help, or

offer feedback if they didn't believe their leaders would address them appropriately (Smith,

2024). Many firefighters argued that it would be more beneficial if leaders didn’t have

much information to work with, than to disrupt their workflow due to the leaders´

incompetence in emergency supervision. For instance, firefighters who are part of great
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emergencies involving car accidents will often give inaccurate information to leaders

during scene observations. This reasoning is that, from their perspective, this would enable

them to work without the disruptions from the emotional distress caused by the operational

leader.

ADR Resolution Design

After careful reflection and evaluation of the root causes and conflicts led by

recurring issues, I believe the most appropriate alternative dispute resolution (ADR) would

be the Open-Door Policy. This became clear as the ADR method will allow employees to

discuss with any superior in the department about the problems regarding distrust of

incompetent leaders. These supervisory managers should be trained and acculturated to take

these problems seriously, while gaining the skills needed to truly be open to hearing about

the needs and concerns of their own first responders (Raines, 2012). This ADR concept, in

a practical sense, could be utilized to resolve deep-rooted trust issues that many first

responders face, as it facilitates open and honest conversations about the struggles they

encounter during important calls. In addition, this feedback could be later referenced when

discussing the performance of troubled leaders in one-on-one sessions with other peers,

because it can pinpoint exactly the leaders responsible for dragging the organization down.

Future Conflict Prevention

I would apply this ADR process to improve the team dynamics at my department by

restoring the trust between front-line employees and operational superiors. This will occur

through open dialogue sessions with other (more competent) leaders to hear the concerns

and needs of each firefighter impacted by incompetent supervisory managers (Raines,

2012). These concerns will be taken as informative feedback for the department´s

leadership board to improve the abilities of leaders who are struggling with emotional and
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technical setbacks to operational efficiency. This could be administered through the

implementation of reinforced training exercises or live leadership simulations to maintain

the optimal standard for field leaders.

As the leadership standard becomes well-maintained during risky calls, employees

can finally find reason to trust their leaders with important information in collaborative

communication. This is evident since they can start to feel safe speaking up or sharing ideas

with their superiors, as the space creates an opportunity for workers to address pressing

issues without fear of retaliation from others at work (Smith, 2024). To avoid similar

conflicts in the future, the department should first announce to all firefighters about the

existence of the open-door policy and its importance to the integrity of the organization.

This can be demonstrated through briefing sessions that highlight the consequences of

unresolved conflict in work groups, which can lead to increased tension and employee

sabotage if not treated by leadership beforehand (Smith, 2024).

Next, the department could establish the reasons why it could be useful for

addressing workplace conflicts with other superiors, since it would contribute to the growth

of employee satisfaction and the motivation to engage with competent leaders. These

reasons can be exhibited by increased morale, enhanced transparency, improved

communication, and stronger bonds between the work groups.

Lastly, the ADR method could be used as a feedback tool to focus on the trust issues

that need to be addressed in order to reestablish organizational communication. This will

become crucial primarily for maintaining the relationships of both work disciplines with

regard to operational effectiveness. If other leaders can address leadership distrust within

the department through informative feedback, conflict resolution could eventually be used

as a constructive amendment to improve technical and leadership performance. For

example, strategies that can help incompetent leaders refine their performance may include

coaching or mentorship programs that target specific areas of weakness, such as emotional

intelligence and technical adaptability.

References

Raines, S. S. (2012). Conflict Management for managers: resolving workplace, client, and

policy disputes. [Link]

Smith, S. (2024, October). Lack of trust can make workplaces sick and dysfunctional.

Forbes. [Link]

trust-can-make-workplaces-sick-and-dysfunctional/