Conflict Management and Building a Culture of Trust in Schools in the New Normal
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Abstract
Schools in the new normal era are confronted with complex changes, including blended learning, rising parental expectations, digital inequality, teachers’ workload, and policy uncertainty, all of which increase the likelihood of conflict within school organizations. This academic article aims to analyze theories, concepts, and scholarly propositions concerning conflict management and the development of a culture of trust in schools in the new normal era. The article synthesizes key perspectives from conflict management, organizational trust, psychological safety, organizational culture, and school leadership. The central argument is that conflict in schools should not be viewed merely as administrative failure but should be intentionally transformed into a mechanism for organizational learning through transparent, fair, listening-oriented, and psychologically safe leadership. The novelty of the article lies in the proposed “TRUST–Conflict Leadership Cycle,” consisting of Transparency, Respectful Dialogue, Understanding Interests, Shared Problem Solving, and Trust Renewal. The article concludes that effective conflict management in the new normal era requires the integration of systemic problem-solving with the restoration of relationships, trust, and collaborative school culture.
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