NU 451 interpersonal conflict and team building
Describe an interpersonal conflict you have seen in your workplace, explain how it was resolved and by whom, then propose approaches that would make that kind of resolution more effective, with APA citations.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 13, 2026
Description, resolution, then improvement
Three prompts, and the first two are description while the third is analysis. Describe the conflict concretely enough for a reader to picture it — who was involved, what the substantive disagreement was, and whether it was actually about the task or about roles, resources and relationships underneath. That distinction matters, because conflicts described as personality clashes are often structural: an unclear boundary between two roles, a rota that puts two people in competition, or a decision made without one party's input. Naming what the conflict was really about is what lets the third prompt say anything useful, because an approach aimed at the surface dispute will not touch the cause. Anonymise everyone involved, including yourself where it helps, keep the account professional, and stay on the side of description rather than complaint, because the post is graded as analysis and a grievance reads as neither professional nor useful.
The second prompt asks how it was resolved and by whom, and honest answers here are often that it was not resolved so much as absorbed — one party left, or the issue went quiet without changing. Say so if that is what happened, because the third prompt then has something real to improve. That third prompt asks for approaches to increase the effectiveness of this kind of resolution, so give more than one and match them to the conflict type: a structured conversation with a neutral facilitator, a named conflict-handling mode chosen deliberately rather than by default, clarifying the role boundary that produced the friction, or a team-level intervention if the pattern recurs. Cite the evidence, as the instructions require, and remember the peer responses ask specifically which conflict resolution mode from Topic 6 would apply to your classmates' situations, so keeping your own account structured around a nameable mode makes those replies far easier to write.
Likely learning objectives
Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.
- 01Distinguish task conflict from relationship and structural conflict.
- 02Describe a workplace conflict professionally and without identifying individuals.
- 03Evaluate how a conflict was actually resolved, including when it was merely absorbed.
- 04Select conflict-handling approaches matched to the conflict's underlying cause.
- 05Support conflict management claims with cited evidence.
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS Discussion Questions (DQ) Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses. Weekly Participation Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. APA Format and Writing Quality Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. Use of Direct Quotes I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. LopesWrite Policy For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score. Late Policy The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading. Communication Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01A description of an interpersonal conflict seen in your workplace.
- 02How the conflict was solved, and by whom.
- 03Approaches you would use to increase the effectiveness of this kind of resolution.
- 04Citations and references in APA format.
- 05Responses to a minimum of two peers addressing the conflict resolution mode and leader intervention.
The conflict, the resolution, the alternative
The conflict
Who, what and the substantive disagreement, described anonymously.
What it was actually about
Task, relationship or structural cause underneath the presenting dispute.
How it was resolved and by whom
The actual outcome, including whether it was resolved or absorbed.
Approaches that would work better
Facilitated conversation, a deliberately chosen conflict mode, or a structural fix.
Evidence and peer engagement
Cited support, and responses addressing conflict modes and leader intervention.
Conflict modes and the evidence on team conflict
Recommended databases
- AHRQ
- American Nurses Association
- AONL
- CINAHL
- Topic 6 course materials
Search sequence
- 1.Re-read the Topic 6 conflict resolution modes, since the peer prompt names them.
- 2.Read the ANA material on incivility and workplace conflict for the professional standard.
- 3.Check AHRQ TeamSTEPPS for structured communication tools used in conflict situations.
- 4.Search CINAHL for recent evidence on conflict management approaches in nursing teams.
- 5.Decide what the conflict was really about before selecting an approach.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.
- 01
Workplace Violence, Incivility and Bullying
American Nurses Association · 2025
The professional standard on workplace conduct and the evidence on unresolved interpersonal conflict.
- 02
TeamSTEPPS 3.0
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality · 2024
Structured communication and conflict resolution tools with an evidence base behind them.
- 03
AONL Nurse Leader Core Competencies
American Organization for Nursing Leadership · 2024
What a nurse leader is expected to do when intervening in team conflict.
- 04
2025 Code of Ethics for Nurses
American Nurses Association · 2025
The obligation to maintain respectful professional relationships, which frames the account.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Describing the conflict as a personality clash without looking for the structural cause.
- Writing an account that identifies colleagues or reads as a complaint.
- Claiming a conflict was resolved when it was actually absorbed or avoided.
- Offering one general approach rather than approaches matched to the conflict type.
- Posting without citations when the instructions require validated opinions.
- Skipping the peer responses, which the rubric scores alongside the post.
Submission checklist
- The conflict is described concretely and anonymously.
- What the conflict was really about is named.
- The resolution is reported accurately, including if it was incomplete.
- More than one improvement approach is offered, each matched to the cause.
- APA citations and references support the recommendations.
- Two substantive peer responses are posted.
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Written by
Aaron Bishop
MA, Education
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Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.

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Dr. Nathan Cole
PhD, Rhetoric & Composition
Argumentation and thesis development
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