Interestingly I helped design and implement a program for Canada's largest school board a number of years ago to address this issue.  The program focused on managing confrontation, and included parent/teacher; student/teacher conflicts.  While the majority of the program focused on law & policies (areas in which the teachers and leadership staff had no formal training), we went onto include conflict management, conflict de-escalation strategies; problem ownership and conflict re-framing exercises.  Further, and in order to provide tangible outcomes from the program, Defensive Tactics instructors walked staff through scenarios in which verbal conflict escalated to physical confrontation, and provided practical exercises including pre-identifying escape routes from an office or classroom, and identifying those things in your environment that can be used as a weapon.  Surprisingly, all of these topics were well received, and many teachers appreciated the practical training provided by the police defensive tactics instructors, as it gave them a greater sense of personal security when they were able to understand the issues of risk in their work environment.  However, the greatest positive feedback had to do with staff understanding the legal framework in which they were working, what their defined legal obligations and constraints were, as well as practical tools in de-escalation. 

Not sure if that's addressing your topic, but thought I'd share with you my personal experience in this area. 

Before looking at the conflict management strategies, it is more important to look at the person(s) sitting behind the steering wheel. In many countries, those who reach top posts do so for reasons not related to merits. Since they were made bosses by devious means, then it would be natural for them to adopt a policy of (Divide & Rule).

In a variety of 3rd world countries, the university president may be the one who stands behind the conflicts that occur between the lower rank & file employees or he/she catalyzes disagreements or struggles.

If you have the right person in the right position, it will be easy to find out many strategies to prevent conflicts or to remedy them when they take place. If educational institution is based upon clear rules that are implemented on every person fairly & squarely, then this will avoid many problems in it. At such place, each one knows his/her authority & limits so any trespass will be easily detected & cured on the spot.

There are university administrations which were appointed nearly 20 years ago in some 3rd world countries. That they sought & accepted this unfair arrangement, then such universities are in big deep trouble.    

Hello there, interestingly enough the two contributions to the discussion above up to now did not refer to educational or sociological authors to discuss the problem. It's policing,  it's law, it's Norms which should inform institutional or political infighting. I AGREE. BUT looking at conflicts in educational institutions, in my view, the aim of educational institution, the educating of young and adult persons, should not be overlooked. That's why I watch out for the Piagets, Freires, Bubers, Makarenkos, Freinets, Fröbels, Habermas among us.All those and all those authors being them sociologists, psychologists, educationists or even lawyers like Freire by training worked inside of Educational institutions and gave their contribution, had their fights, lost them, won them. THINKS HEINZ

My Causality assessment of tertiary institutions has proved  to always generate problems while seeking promotions or appointments to the position of authorities especially if the same sets of people are in same level and grade. Such organization often resulted to voting. Since, majority caries the vote is the correct slogan for any democratic setting. politics in Education still cause conflict especially when the wrong person who is only good at selfish interest is mistakenly voted into such position of authority. To address this common enemy of school productivity, i wrote an article entitled "ENSURING PRODUCTIVITY OF SCIENCE EDUCATION SCHOOLS USING ACHIEVEMENT DRIVING ADMINISTRATIVE APPROACH (Check my wall and read the article). The article categorized the every human being based on their psychological make up into three. These include APPETITIVE, TEMPERATE and RATIONAL. Appetitives are committed to satisfaction of selfish interest, the temperate are very aggressive and the Rational are committed to achievement of organizational goal. How to identify each of this groups is well explain in this paper and how the appointment should be shared in a way to avoid conflict was also discussed. Plato explains that it is injustice to allow appetitive rule the society otherwise social organization like school. Failure to comply with this arrangement always produce organizational failure and conflicts. Please read the articles for details 

Thanks dearly professors Babalola, Heinz, Nizar, and James for your valuable insights. Best regards

Dickson

Agree with dr James Brown

Dear @Dickson, there are some relevant and related threads with fine responses and good resources that were given.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_doesTricky_Management_conflict_with_a_Good_Teaching_Environment

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Could_anyone_provide_me_a_good_theoretical_model_for_conflict_management_in_Higher_Education_Institutions

https://www.researchgate.net/post/I_am_working_on_Conflict_Management_strategies_in_Higher_edu_Inst_in_Pakistan_A_comparative_analysis_of_public_and_private_sector_universities

Conflicts are needed to be handled sensibly.

The strategy to be adopted depends upon the nature and magnitude of the conflict.

The strategy to be adopted also depend upon style of leadership of the leader of educational institution.Emotional Intelligent leader shall be able to manage conflicts better and efficient.

The strategies available are "Double A Triple C"

I have been working as a Director of the Institution affiliated to Technological University and reporting to President of the Institution. The conflict environment was found under following situations:

1. Conflicts among teaching faculty members due to in-proportionate work load due to sudden absence of colleague teachers, harassment and leg pulling, politics etc.

2.Conflicts between students and faculty members on academic matters and non faculty members on fees and holiday and hostel matters

3. Conflicts between students and students due to personal ego, injustice in sport, exam, infrastructure etc.

4. Conflict between Director and faculty members on the issues of promotion, teaching load, R&D load, other activities like Cultural/ Sports/conferences etc.

5. Conflict between Director with Trustees/President of the Institution

The strategy followed was collaborating. All decisions are taken collaborating Heads of the department who will collaborate with their faculty members and mentally prepare them. Few who are not ready to follow shall be neglected (avoiding strategy)

In a conflict between director and trustee/President Compromise strategy is adopted but if it influences mass at large my students and staff , accommodating strategy is implemented after collaborating departmental heads of the departments.

Conflict has been variously conceptualized by different scholars at different times depending on their inclinations, for example; we can see conflict as the pursuit of incompatible interests and goals by different groups . But Conflict could be defined as a situation in which people, groups or countries are involved in a serious disagreement or argument .

Please take a look for pending files:

Thanks for the brilliant comments and rich sources on the subject professors Ljubomir, Ali, Sheth and Neeran. Best regards

Dickson

The management of the Organization plays an active role in reducing the severity of the conflict and adapting it to the service of the Organization and benefiting from its positive effects to achieve its desired objectives. Conflict management strategies have contributed to the achievement of positive results in this area by developing ways of addressing the conflict. Through which the conflict is transformed into a productive competition, as well as its ability to control the conflict. These strategies include: Power And / Or Authority (Suppression) Strategy, Smoothing strategy, Avoidance With Drawl strategy

Following

Thanks dear respected colleagues for your participation and rich comments to the discussion table. I am grateful. Best regards

Here we go Dickson

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318116658_EFFICIENT_CONFLICT_MANAGEMENT_STRATEGIES_ADOPTED_BY_SOME_HEADS_OF_EDUCATIONAL_INSTITUTIONS_IN_GHANA?_iepl%5BviewId%5D=NToI0Tkr7J5bWgmOcaOYA8I5&_iepl%5Bcontexts%5D%5B0%5D=projectUpdatesLog&_iepl%5BtargetEntityId%5D=PB%3A318116658&_iepl%5BinteractionType%5D=publicationTitle

Dear @Dickson, here are some more resources on conflict management in education.

Conference Paper Conflict Management Strategies in a Team of Preschool Teachers

Article Conflict management strategies of students and its contribut...

Article Conflict Management Strategies in Private Universities of Bangladesh

Article Collaboration Conflict Management Strategy: A Solution to Se...

Previous paper/project is coauthored by you @Dickson, right!

Thanks Dr. Aamal. The paper you cited is my coauthored paper. I am grateful. Best regards

Dickson

Dear Prof. Ljubomir,

I am sincerely grateful for the very helpful and valuable resources. Thank you incessantly. Best regards

Dickson

All responses are fine

Thanks dearly Dr. Hitesh

I think one of those strategies is the face-discuss-analyze-criticism strategy

Dear Dr Dickson Adom . See the following useful RG link: Article EFFICIENT CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY SOME HEA...

Kindly see also the following useful RG link: Article Conflict management strategies in coping with students' disr...

Conflicts in society and institutions are normal among citizens, leaders, employees .There are different interests of groups and within groups.The main distinctions is if it is an antagonistic conflict (= where you fight the others) or if it

is non-antagonistic,where you can get to some kind of common ground.

Dear Dr Dickson Adom . See the following useful RG link: Article EFFICIENT CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY SOME HEA...

Kindly see also the following useful link: https://culture.miami.edu/resources/manage_conflict_in_higher_education.html

Also check please the following very good RG link: Article Conflict management strategies in coping with students' disr...

kin have a look at the following very good RG link: Article A Systematic Approach to Effective Conflict Management for Program

Conflicts are never good.

Anyone who tries to fuel a conflict for teaching purposes is committing bestiality.

Dear Heinz Peter Gerhardt , you have 23 very same answers! Please, do delete the redundant. Just do it to enable followers to follow this discussion easier. Thanks in advance.

The roots of conflicts differs in time of Covid pandemic, so are the strategies to be implemented in educational institutions.

Paulo Freire and Martin Buber like dialogue and teacher/ parent/ student involvement