How does a principal manage

conflicts and crises in the school?

 Conflict Defined

The interaction of interdependent

people who perceive opposition of goals,
aims, and views, and who see the other
party as potentially interfering with the
realization of these goals.
Putnam & Poole (1987)
 Conflict in Schools
Conflict occurring in schools is latent
and exists because of divergent views
and incompatibility of those views.
Owens (1995)
Conflict Occurring in Schools

Within an individual
Between individuals
Among faculty members
Between groups within the larger
faculty
Between the school leadership and
central administration
 The Nature of Conflict

Conflict can be functional or

dysfunctional.
 Functional Conflict

When conflict is functional, the school

benefits; there is a win-win attitude,
and harmony exists.
Owens (1995)
 Dysfunctional Conflict

When conflict is dysfunctional,

there is a win-lose attitude and
hostility is produced.
Owens (1995)
 Types of Conflict

Interpersonal

Intergroup

Interorganizational

Role
 Types of Conflict

1. Interpersonal--conflict that
exists between individuals within a
group Barge (1994)
 Types of Conflict
2. Intergroup--
conflict that exists
between two
groups within an
organization
Barge (1994)
 Types of Conflict
3.
Interorganizational--
conflict that exists
between two
organizations
Barge (1994)
 Types of Conflict

4. Role--Incompatibilities between the

expectations individuals hold for other
individuals as they perform various
functions in schools
Three Main Causes of Conflict

Competition for scarce resources

Desire for autonomy

Divergence in goals
How can educational managers
cope with conflicts?

A Challenge for School Leaders

 Conflict Management Defined

Conflict management is the process

of resolving and minimizing the
disagreements resulting from
perceived or real differences
Greenhalgh (1986)
Strategies for Managing Conflict

Avoidance
Smoothing
Bargaining
Power struggle
Problem solving
Strategies for Managing Conflict

Avoidance--used when the leader

wants to maintain a rational climate
and avoid hostility (does not resolve
the conflict)
Strategies for Managing Conflict

Smoothing--The leader wants to

maintain positive interpersonal
relationships and attempts to minimize
differences of opinion.
Strategies for Managing Conflict

Bargaining--The leader shows

moderate levels of concern for both
task and relationship (disputing
parties make concessions; neither
party wins nor loses completely).
Strategies for Managing Conflict

Power struggle--The leader shows

little concern for interpersonal
relationships. The major focus is on
task accomplishment. Power and
force are used to break down the
opposition, regardless of the
consequences.
Strategies for Managing Conflict

Problem solving--The leader displays

a collaborative approach to managing
conflict. The primary concern is
accomplishing the task in a manner
that is rational and allows a positive
climate to be maintained.
 Conflict

Conflict is an inevitable and all-

pervasive element in schools. When it
occurs, effective leaders seek to
manage it, giving consideration to:
 Conflict

The nature of the conflict

Its intensity
The people involved, and
The seriousness of issues
 What is a crisis?
24

A crisis is an event that is extraordinary. It

cannot be predicted. [A] crisis is a
situation where schools could be faced with
inadequate information, not enough time,
and insufficient resources, but in which
leaders must make one or many crucial
decisions.
25
A school crisis
Is any event that affects the emotional
stability of students and/or staff and
disrupts the educational process
Ranges in scope and intensity from
incidents that directly or indirectly
affect a single student to ones that
impact the entire community
Can happen before, during or after
school; on or off school campuses
Types of Crises

Local: Global:
Death Natural Disasters
Suicide Terrorism
Health Issues Acts of Violence
Accidents (outside of the
Intruders local community)
Acts of Death of a Public
Violence/Crime Figure
(within the local
community)
26
Crisis Management Cycle:
Four Phases
27

Mitigation/Prevention: Services & Programs

Preparation/Readiness: Develop Plan for
Students, Staff, Parents, Emergency
Personnel
Response: Plan into Action
Recovery: Physical/Emotional Support AND
ReflectionWhat worked? What needs to be
changed?
 Preparation/Readiness
28 Before A Crisis

Planning for the worst-case

scenario
Training the Plan
Exercising the Plan
 Preparation/Readiness
29
Before a Crisis
Best practices recommend emergency
management plans for all schools
A plan=more effective response
A plan=comprehensive & consistent
procedures
Practice: drills can help identify areas in the
plan that need more attention
30
Preparation/Readiness
Before A Crisis
The crisis plan is developed by
representative members of the
school/district/community. This plan
includes:
Key Response Phase - roles/responsibilities
are identified and assigned to individuals.
Communication NeedsInternal/External
Responsive Services Planning
Drill, Drill, Drill
Debrief/Evaluate/Alter Plan after drills
 Response
31 During A Crisis

Gather/Disseminate the Facts

Crisis Team Implements Pre-defined
Roles and Responsibilities
Notification of Stakeholders
Materials/Resources Needed
Space for Responsive Services
Debriefing: Day-of Crisis
 Recovery
32 After A Crisis

Support for adults as well as students

Evaluation is key to having a strong
team and plan
Post-crisis meeting
Review effectiveness of each phase
Make changes as needed
Summary
33

Because of the spontaneous nature of a crisis,

it can upset the balance of an entire school,
district and/or community. An effective and
comprehensive crisis management plan
provides guidelines so that everyone will
know what to do before, during, and after any
crisis. It is the responsibility of the school
district to ensure the preparedness of
everyone within the school system in the
event of an emergency.
Presented by:

MR. JEROME M. PATUNGAN

MA. Ed. Student, Major in Educational Management
PSU-OUS Lingayen, Pangasinan
 References

Barge, J. K. (1994). Leadership: Communication skills for

organizations and groups. New York: St. Martins Press.
Greenhalgh, L. (1986). SMR forum: Managing conflict. Sloan
Management Review, 27, 45-51.
Owens, R. G. (1995). Organizational behavior in education (5th ed.)
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Putnam, L. L. & Poole, M. S. (1987). Conflict and negotiation. In F.
M. Jablin, L. L. Putnam, K. Roberts, & L. W. Porter (eds.),
Handbook of organizational communication (pp. 503-548).
Newbury Park, CA: Sage.