Conflict management methods are almost as numerous as sources of conflict. Conflict management is a means of promoting collaboration among conflicting parties, thereby preventing the conflict from becoming irresolvable or affecting others. One model for managing conflict presented begins with diagnosing the way in which each individual has conceptualized the conflict issue. In this model, two important goals exist or the conflict manager: to instill in conflicting parties a spirit of cooperativeness and to discover the root problems of the conflict.

The following steps can help conflict managers achieve these ends. Promote an atmosphere of empathy and focus on achieving an outcome that is fair and mutually acceptable. Require open and honest communication among all parties in the conflict management conference (including the communication of the conflict manager). Discover ways in which parties have similar and dissimilar goals. Emphasize the positive aspects of mutually agreed-upon goals and look for a "bridge" to reconcile dissimilar goals.

Develop a plan to achieve improved working relationships by identifying ways to achieve mutual goals. Develop a time frame for goal achievement and specify exactly how progress is to be evaluated in achieving these agreed-upon goals. Managing conflict can also be accomplished by using authority. Although decisions made by the authority can end open conflict quickly, they cannot resolve initial differences, which may lead to more widespread conflict.