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p Being open to suggestions at all times is the other key component to managing this confict. As a leader, you must be able to admit you do not know everything and you do not have all of the answers. T he word confict seems right at home when discussing a police SWAT team. Confict is the very reason there is a need for these types of teams. Without confict, particularly dangerous ���high-risk��� confict, there would be no need for an agency to undertake the massive dedication and expense of felding a specialized team of this nature. Te personnel who make up these teams are typically the best representatives of different areas of their respective agencies. Tactical teams usually have some type of process where one must demonstrate they are worthy of being a member of the team. Tey must prove they are accurate and profcient with various weapon systems, physically ft, quick to make life-saving decisions, while possessing an above-average ability to think fast and respond to extremely dynamic situations. Finding this person is a problem that most teams must deal with. Getting this person to work smoothly on a team with people just like them is a problem that every team must deal with. When you put so many strong-minded people together, it is inherent there is going to be confict between them. Te Communication Research Associates say, ���Confict is neither good nor bad. It simply is!��� Tis may be true, confict is the condition, it���s not good or bad, but its consequences can severely erode the foundation of this type of team. Te frst step to resolving conficts on a team is to expect and understand just which types may occur. Most experts agree there are seven general classifcations of confict. Te frst four are the ones commonly encountered on a tactical team. Te four classifcations commonly encountered are Content, Decisional, Material and Role. Content conficts involve perceived diferences over facts that can easily be discovered. For instance, two people arguing over today���s date can easily be resolved by fnding the correct date. Tis type of confict can come about in a tactical team since there is typically more than one correct response to a situation. Tis is where competing team members may disagree on a tactic and are able to articulate specifc reasons why. Decisional Confict is usually the result of a decision we have to make for ourselves. A simple decision to serve or not serve on a team is an example of one. An intrapersonal confict requires the team members to be honest with themselves while evaluating their feelings and considering their options. Most team members have a usable life. No two are the same, and there are many internal and external factors that can contribute to the length of useful service one can contribute. Sometimes wisdom and experience can be substituted for physical ability and stamina and vice versa. Decisional conficts are very common on a team, because each individual member must choose to be in this line of work as only a person who wants to be there can be counted on. Material conficts are exclusively interpersonal and involve competing for a limited re- p When you put so many strong-minded people together, it is inherent there is going to be confict between them. (With permission from Kelly Haworth) www.trmagonline.com 33