Three types of conflict are common; task conflict, relationship conflict, and values conflict. Here is how to recognize these and tactics anyone can use to deal with them. Task Conflict Task conflict often involves concrete issues related to work assignments or promises about who will do what. They can include disputes about how to divide up resources, differences of opinion on procedures and policies, differing expectations about work, judgments and interpretation of facts, and different opinions about the quality standards. Task conflict is usually the simplest to resolve. Two interventions are worth trying. First is to facilitate a negotiation between the parties to ‘write’ a new, unambiguous list of agreements about the points in conflict. This can be done through active listening, which involves asking questions, repeating back what you hear to confirm your understanding, and asking even deeper questions aimed at probing for deeper concerns. Try to engage the parties in a colla