Best examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers

Strong examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers (ready-to-use phrases)

Let’s start with what you actually need: sentences you can drop directly into a performance review. Each example of feedback focuses on observable behavior, not personality.

Here are positive examples you might use for a manager who consistently handles conflict well:

“Consistently addresses conflict early instead of allowing tension to build. Creates space for each person to share their perspective and summarizes key points before moving to solutions, which reduces misunderstandings and rebuilds trust.”

“Demonstrates calm, steady communication during heated discussions. Maintains a neutral tone, asks clarifying questions, and redirects the conversation to shared goals, which keeps debates from becoming personal.”

“Regularly turns disagreements into learning moments by asking the team what they can improve in their processes, not just who is at fault. This approach has improved collaboration across the product and engineering teams.”

And here are examples for managers who need improvement:

“Often waits until conflicts have escalated before stepping in, which leads to longer resolution times and lower morale. Needs to check in earlier when warning signs appear and invite open conversation before issues harden into resentment.”

“Tends to side with the loudest or most senior voice in a conflict, which leaves quieter team members feeling unheard. Needs to actively seek input from all parties and validate different perspectives before making decisions.”

“Avoids addressing recurring tension between team members, which results in repeated miscommunication and missed deadlines. Would benefit from structured conflict resolution training and practice using a step-by-step framework.”

These are the kinds of specific, behavior-based examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers that make performance feedback actually helpful.

Examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers in common workplace scenarios

To make reviews feel real and fair, it helps to anchor feedback in specific situations. Below are several everyday scenarios, each with a positive and developmental review example of conflict resolution skills.

1. Conflict over workload and burnout

Remote and hybrid work have blurred boundaries, and managers are now expected to monitor burnout and workload more actively. The American Psychological Association reported in 2023 that work-related stress remains high and is tied to conflicts over expectations and workload.

Positive review example:

“When two senior analysts disagreed over who should own a high-visibility project, you brought them together, clarified capacity and priorities, and co-created a workload plan. You ensured both felt heard and documented the agreement, which prevented future friction and reduced overtime.”

Needs-improvement review example:

“When repeated complaints surfaced about uneven workload distribution, you redirected employees back to each other instead of facilitating a structured conversation. As a result, resentment grew and deadlines were at risk. You need to take a more active role in mediating workload conflicts and aligning responsibilities with team priorities.”

2. Style clashes on a cross-functional project

Different functions often have different communication norms. High-performing managers recognize this and help translate across groups.

Positive review example:

“You successfully mediated tension between the marketing and engineering leads, who had conflicting communication styles. By naming the differences explicitly—one preferred detailed documentation, the other quick verbal updates—you helped them agree on a shared communication plan. This turned a recurring conflict into a smoother collaboration.”

Needs-improvement review example:

“You recognized that the design and operations leads were clashing but treated it as a ‘personality issue’ rather than a solvable conflict. You missed an opportunity to facilitate a conversation about expectations and working styles, which could have reduced rework and frustration.”

These are strong examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers in cross-functional environments, where misalignment is common but fixable.

3. Interpersonal conflict and disrespectful behavior

Managers are responsible for creating a psychologically safe environment. Research from Harvard Business School and others has shown that psychological safety is tightly linked to learning, performance, and willingness to speak up.

Positive review example:

“When you learned that a team member felt dismissed and talked over during meetings, you addressed it privately with the person responsible, clarified expectations for respectful behavior, and then reinforced inclusive meeting norms with the entire team. This proactive response increased participation from quieter team members.”

Needs-improvement review example:

“You were aware of ongoing tension between two team members, including reports of dismissive comments, but did not intervene until HR became involved. You need to address disrespectful behavior early, set clear expectations, and follow up consistently.”

4. Conflict during performance feedback

Conflict often shows up when managers deliver hard feedback or performance ratings.

Positive review example:

“During a difficult performance conversation, you remained calm when the employee became defensive. You restated your intent, focused on specific behaviors and outcomes, and invited the employee to share their perspective. By the end of the meeting, you had co-created a clear improvement plan and agreed on follow-up checkpoints.”

Needs-improvement review example:

“When an employee pushed back on their performance rating, you became visibly frustrated and shut down the conversation. This increased tension and left the employee unclear about expectations. You need to practice staying curious, asking open-ended questions, and separating disagreement from disrespect.”

5. Conflict in hybrid and remote teams

In 2024–2025, many teams are permanently hybrid. Misunderstandings over chat, email, and video are now one of the most common sources of conflict. Tone is easy to misread, and people often assume intent.

Positive review example:

“When a misunderstanding over Slack escalated between two remote team members, you quickly moved the conversation to a video call, clarified what each person meant, and helped them agree on communication norms going forward (e.g., when to use chat vs. meetings). This prevented a minor miscommunication from turning into a long-term rift.”

Needs-improvement review example:

“You tend to let remote communication conflicts ‘play out’ over email, which often lengthens the conflict and increases confusion. You would benefit from stepping in sooner and encouraging higher-bandwidth conversations when emotions are running high.”

These real examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers reflect current trends in how work actually happens—largely online, across time zones, and with more written communication than ever.

6. Conflict about values or ethical concerns

Sometimes conflicts point to deeper issues: fairness, ethics, or alignment with company values. Managers need the courage and skill to surface and address these.

Positive review example:

“When a team member raised concerns that a proposed sales tactic might mislead customers, you did not dismiss the concern as ‘overthinking.’ You escalated the question to compliance, facilitated an open discussion with the sales team, and helped revise the approach to align with our ethics policy. This built trust and encouraged others to speak up.”

Needs-improvement review example:

“When employees expressed discomfort about how a client request might impact user privacy, you minimized their concerns to avoid conflict with the client. This discouraged open dialogue. You need to treat values-based conflicts as opportunities to model integrity and psychological safety.”

How to structure a conflict resolution skills review for managers

The best examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers share three traits: they are specific, balanced, and tied to impact.

Specific: Focus on concrete behaviors and situations, not vague labels.

Instead of:

“You’re bad at handling conflict.”

Use something like:

“You often postpone difficult conversations about performance, which allows frustration to build and results in more emotional discussions later.”

Balanced: Include what the manager is doing well and what needs to change.

For example:

“You do a strong job of staying calm when team members are upset and you rarely take comments personally. To grow further, you need to initiate more of these conversations proactively instead of waiting for people to come to you.”

Tied to impact: Show how the manager’s conflict skills affect outcomes like retention, engagement, and delivery.

For example:

“By addressing the conflict between the project leads early, you prevented a potential loss of two high performers and kept the launch on schedule.”

When you write your own examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers, run your sentences through this quick checklist: Is it specific? Is it balanced? Does it clearly show impact?

Skill areas to reference in a manager’s conflict resolution review

Instead of saying “good at conflict” or “struggles with conflict,” break the skill into parts. This helps managers understand exactly where to focus.

You can organize your review comments around areas like:

Early detection and prevention
Does the manager notice warning signs—short emails, side comments, missed deadlines—and check in before conflict explodes? Review example:

“You proactively check in when you notice tension in meetings, which often resolves minor issues before they become major conflicts.”

Active listening and empathy
Can the manager listen without interrupting, reflect back what they heard, and show they understand different viewpoints? Review example:

“You consistently paraphrase what each person is saying during disagreements, which helps clarify misunderstandings and makes employees feel heard.”

Neutral facilitation
Can they stay neutral, especially when they have a stake in the outcome? Review example:

“During team disputes, you focus on facts and shared goals rather than taking sides, which increases trust in your fairness as a manager.”

Clear decision-making
Conflict resolution doesn’t always mean compromise; sometimes it means making a tough call. Review example:

“After hearing all perspectives, you clearly explain your decision and the reasoning behind it, even when not everyone agrees. This transparency reduces lingering resentment.”

Follow-up and accountability
Do they check back in after a conflict is “resolved” to ensure behavior actually changes? Review example:

“You schedule follow-ups after major conflicts to confirm agreements are being honored, which prevents issues from resurfacing.”

When you include these dimensions in your performance review, you create richer, more targeted examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers.

Writing fair reviews when conflict involves identity or bias

More organizations are paying attention to how conflict intersects with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Managers need to recognize when conflict is shaped by identity, power, or bias.

Here are example phrases that acknowledge this without overstepping:

“You handled the conflict about meeting interruptions thoughtfully by recognizing that women on the team were interrupted more often. You introduced a ‘no interruptions’ norm and modeled it consistently, which improved participation.”

“When a conflict involved comments that could be interpreted as biased, you acknowledged the impact, consulted with HR, and facilitated a conversation focused on learning and repair, not just blame.”

“You have room to grow in recognizing when conflict may be influenced by power dynamics or identity. In one case, you framed the issue as a ‘personality clash’ instead of exploring whether there were patterns affecting underrepresented team members.”

These examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers show that you can address sensitive topics in a grounded, practical way.

Short example phrases you can plug into reviews

To make your life easier, here are shorter snippets you can mix and match in performance documents:

• “Addresses conflict directly and respectfully, rather than avoiding tough conversations.”
• “Tends to sugarcoat feedback, which delays necessary conflict and confuses expectations.”
• “Regularly reframes disagreements around shared goals, which lowers defensiveness.”
• “Allows side conversations and back-channel complaints to continue instead of bringing issues into the open.”
• “Uses data and specific examples when mediating conflict, which keeps discussions grounded.”
• “Sometimes rushes to solutions without confirming that each person feels heard.”

Use these as sentence starters, then add specific examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers based on what you actually observed.

FAQ: Conflict resolution skills review for managers

Q: What are some strong examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers?
A: Strong examples are specific and tied to outcomes, such as: “You consistently mediate disagreements between team members by listening to each side, clarifying shared goals, and guiding them toward a mutually agreed solution. This has reduced escalations to HR and improved cross-team collaboration.” Another example: “You recognize when written communication is escalating tension and move discussions to live conversations, which shortens conflict cycles and improves understanding.”

Q: How do I give a constructive example of conflict resolution feedback without sounding personal or harsh?
A: Focus on behavior and impact, not character. For instance: “In several cases, you delayed addressing visible tension between team members. By the time you intervened, emotions were high and it took longer to resolve. Addressing issues earlier would likely reduce stress for you and the team.” This keeps the feedback factual and future-focused.

Q: How can managers improve their conflict resolution skills after a tough review?
A: Encourage managers to practice active listening, learn a simple conflict conversation framework, and seek coaching or training. Many universities and organizations publish free guidance on communication and conflict management, such as materials from Harvard’s Program on Negotiation or communication resources from Kansas State University. Pair learning with real practice: debrief conflicts afterward to identify what worked and what to try differently next time.

Q: Is avoiding conflict always a negative in a review?
A: Not necessarily. Choosing not to escalate a minor disagreement can be wise. The issue is when avoidance becomes a pattern and important topics never get addressed. In reviews, distinguish between strategic de-escalation and chronic avoidance. For example: “You appropriately let a minor disagreement go once both parties had cooled off,” versus, “You repeatedly avoid addressing performance-related conflict, which leads to confusion and resentment.”

Q: Where can I learn more about conflict and stress at work?
A: For data and insights on workplace stress and its link to conflict, you can review reports from the American Psychological Association and workplace health resources from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). These sources can help you understand the broader context behind the conflicts your managers are navigating.

When you ground your feedback in specific behaviors, real scenarios, and clear impact, your performance reviews stop sounding generic and start sounding like a practical playbook. Use these best examples of conflict resolution skills review for managers as a starting point, then tailor them to your organization’s culture, values, and expectations.