Workplace Conflict: Why It Feels Harder Now and What Leaders Can Do About It

Written by Michael Huff

In Dr. Seuss’s classic tale, The Zax, two creatures collide in conflict. A North-going Zax and a South-going Zax meet face to face on a narrow path—neither willing to step aside. “Never budge,” they declare. So, they don’t. Not for hours. Not for years. Eventually, the world progresses around them while they stand locked in a silent standoff.

Unresolved conflict can manifest in loud arguments, but also as sustained silence. Over time, the tension from unresolved conflict doesn’t go away. It burrows into a culture, creating frustration, disengagement, and breakdowns in workplace trust. In industrial settings where precision and pace are crucial, these invisible fractures can have real consequences, including delays, workarounds, and missed opportunities. 

That’s why conflict isn’t something to eliminate, it’s something to lead through.

Why Managing Workplace Conflict Feels Harder Now

Supervisors are navigating a post-pandemic workforce that is more stressed, diverse, and sensitive to tone, language, and intent. Many leaders step into their roles because they’ve excelled on the floor.  Technical skills and a strong work ethic don’t guarantee success in navigating people dynamics. 

When conflict arises, new leaders often avoid the situation entirely or attempt resolution without the proper tools, unintentionally making the situation worse. This doesn’t only apply to new leaders, even seasoned supervisors can find themselves in unfamiliar territory where strategies that were effective five or ten years ago may now backfire.

Many leaders feel unprepared to handle workplace conflicts. According to DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast, only 30% of leaders feel confident managing conflict in the workplace. Their broader research, involving more than 70,000 manager candidates, revealed that 49% lack effective conflict management skills, and only 12% demonstrate high proficiency in this critical capability.

Where authority once carried the message, now empathy and clarity are required. To be successful, leaders must engage more deeply, communicate more precisely, and foster a sense of psychological safety while still meeting production targets.

Mishandling Conflict

Some leaders recognize that conflict can’t be avoided, but without proper training, they handle it in ways that make matters worse.

They go in too hot. Overcorrecting by using authority or blunt confrontation can erode trust and hinder openness.

They wait too long. Letting frustration simmer until it explodes, turning what could’ve been a quick adjustment into a major issue.

They focus on compliance over commitment. They get surface-level agreement instead of real alignment, which only delays the next conflict.

Without a structured approach, even well-intentioned conflict resolution can leave people feeling dismissed or targeted. The result? People grow more cautious, leaders lose self-confidence, conversations go underground, and learning slows down.

Avoiding Conflict

While a children’s story, The Zax is also a masterclass in conflict avoidance. There’s no yelling, no resolution—just two individuals frozen in place, unable or unwilling to move forward. Most importantly, no one is willing to bravely step in to help them work through their impasse.

Unresolved conflict in the workplace manifests in turnover, disengagement, and quiet resentment that slowly reshapes the culture. Talented people leave. Poor performers entrench. And over time, teams become slower, less transparent, and less aligned.

Why Early Conflict Intervention Matters

When leaders avoid conflict or delay addressing it, people fill the gap. They vent sideways, build alliances, or retreat in frustration. The Karpman Drama Triangle introduces us to three unproductive roles: Victim, Rescuer, and Persecutor. When conflict arises, people often find themselves assuming one of these roles.

The Victim sees themselves as mistreated or helpless, often saying things like, “No one listens,” “They are picking on me,” or “This always happens to me.”
The Persecutor pushes with blame or harshness, intentionally or not. They don’t seek to understand, they seek to assign blame.
The Rescuer attempts to fix things without addressing the root cause, often intervening without clear authority or established process.

Unaddressed or poorly handled conflict creates space for these roles to emerge. A team member frustrated by inconsistent feedback may feel like a Victim. A supervisor who finally snaps becomes the Persecutor. A well-meaning peer who steps in to smooth things over becomes the Rescuer, while accountability gets lost in the shuffle.

But it doesn’t have to go that way. Conflict is hard, but it’s also a signal that people care, that something important is at stake, and that something needs to change.

5 Quick Tips for Managing Conflict on the Frontline

Coach for the behavior you want to see: Waiting until someone gets it wrong creates tension. Recognize and reinforce the right behaviors early and often.
Ask better questions: How you ask questions can build clarity or trigger cortisol. Use tone and curiosity to defuse, not escalate.
Know the roles and the traps: Falling into the Victim, Rescuer, or Persecutor roles creates confusion and resentment. Awareness is step one to stepping out.
Shift from blame to outcome: Pause before reacting. Ask: What’s actually happening? What outcome do I want? What response will help me get there?
Practice before it’s urgent: Conflict skills aren’t instinctive. They’re learned. Leaders who role-play tough conversations are better equipped when the stakes are high.

From Roadblock to Opportunity

Not all conflicts are destructive. Some of the strongest teams experience frequent tension but navigate it differently. Instead of avoiding disagreement, they lean in with structure, empathy, and clarity. One of the first steps is recognizing when conflict dynamics become personal, emotional, or stuck in unproductive patterns, like those in the Drama Triangle. Oftentimes, simply realizing you’re playing a role is enough to help you step out of it and refocus on the desired outcome.

This is where structured leadership training makes the difference. Leaders gain the confidence to recognize and address conflict early, role-play tough conversations, and sharpen their self-awareness. They learn how to communicate with intention, identify what motivates or demotivates their teams, and create the conditions for trust. When frontline supervisors have the tools to navigate tension well, conflict becomes less of a roadblock and more of a lever for continuous improvement.

Ready to equip your supervisors with the tools to lead through conflict? Contact Double E Workplace Solutions to explore our frontline leadership training resources.

Want more on why frontline leadership gaps matter? Don’t miss Navigating the Pitfalls of Frontline Leadership and Respect on the Line: Addressing Incivility in Manufacturing.