Business and Technology · Team formation, development and management

Managing Team Performance and Conflict for ACCA BT

Updated 11 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Managing team performance means balancing task, team and individual needs (Adair), motivating and monitoring staff, and developing skills. Managing conflict means spotting its cause, then choosing a response such as the Thomas-Kilmann modes: competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding or accommodating. Good communication prevents many problems from starting.

Understand Managing Team Performance and Conflict

A team is a group of people working together towards a shared goal. A manager is judged on the results the team delivers. To get results, you must manage performance and deal with problems before they harm output.

John Adair's action-centred leadership says a leader must meet three overlapping sets of needs. The task need is getting the work done: setting objectives, planning, and checking progress. The team need is keeping the group united: good morale, clear roles, and resolving disputes. The individual need is treating each person as a person: recognition, development and support. If you neglect one area, the other two suffer. Pushing only for the task can wear out the team and demotivate individuals.

Managers improve performance in three ways. They motivate through rewards, interesting work, goals and recognition. They monitor through targets, reviews, appraisals and feedback. They develop through training, coaching, delegation and mentoring. Monitoring should be fair and clear, or it can feel like punishment.

Conflict is a disagreement where parties see their goals or interests as incompatible. Causes include scarce resources, unclear roles, different goals between departments, personality clashes, and poor communication. Conflict is not always bad. Some disagreement can produce new ideas and challenge weak plans. Too much, or badly handled conflict, lowers morale, wastes time and damages relationships.

Thomas and Kilmann describe five styles of handling conflict, based on how assertive you are (concern for your own goals) and how cooperative you are (concern for the other party's goals). No style is always right. The best choice depends on the situation. Many conflicts also grow from communication barriers, such as unclear messages, jargon, poor listening, cultural differences, information overload and the wrong channel. Clear, two-way communication with feedback reduces these problems.

Key formulas to remember

Adair's three circles: Task + Team + Individual needs; The three overlap. A leader must balance all three, not just the task.
Thomas-Kilmann: Competing: High assertiveness, low cooperativeness; Win-lose. Useful in emergencies or when a quick, unpopular decision is needed.
Thomas-Kilmann: Collaborating: High assertiveness, high cooperativeness; Win-win. Best for important issues needing commitment, but slow.
Thomas-Kilmann: Compromising: Medium assertiveness, medium cooperativeness; Each side gives something up. Useful when time is short or goals are equal in weight.
Thomas-Kilmann: Avoiding: Low assertiveness, low cooperativeness; Sidestepping the issue. Fine for trivial matters or to let tempers cool.
Thomas-Kilmann: Accommodating: Low assertiveness, high cooperativeness; Giving way to the other side. Useful to keep goodwill or when the issue matters more to them.

How to solve Managing Team Performance and Conflict questions

Use this method for any scenario question on team performance, conflict or communication.

1Read the scenario and identify what the question asks: performance, conflict style, or communication problem.
2Underline the key facts: who is involved, what the cause is, and how urgent or important the issue is.
3Match the facts to the model. For leadership, ask which of task, team or individual needs is neglected. For conflict, judge assertiveness and cooperativeness.
4For conflict style questions, check the situation: urgency, importance, relationship and time available.
5Choose the single best option and make sure it fits the stated facts, not just the definition.
6For multiple response questions, select exactly the stated number of options and re-check each against the scenario.
7For number entry or short questions, give the answer in the required form and do not add extra words.

Quickest way: Keyword matching for Adair and Thomas-Kilmann

When to use it: Use this when the question gives a short scenario and you have about a minute per mark.

Spot the clue words. Deadlines and targets point to task. Morale, cohesion and disputes point to team. Training, recognition and personal needs point to individual.
For conflict, ask two quick questions: is the person pushing their own goal hard, and are they caring about the other side?
Hard push, no care for others means competing. Hard push plus care means collaborating. Middle on both means compromising. Neither means avoiding. Care for others only means accommodating.
Eliminate options that fit a different clue, then pick the one left.

Common mistakes in Managing Team Performance and Conflict

Treating Adair's model as only about getting the task done.
Students focus on results because managers are judged on output.
Fix: Always check all three circles. The model says neglecting team or individual needs eventually harms the task.
Confusing compromising with collaborating.
Both sound like cooperation.
Fix: Compromising means each side gives something up. Collaborating means working together to find a solution that fully meets both sides' needs.
Saying avoiding is always a poor style.
Students assume ignoring a problem is weak.
Fix: Avoiding can be sensible for trivial issues or when people need time to calm down. Judge it against the situation.
Assuming all conflict is harmful.
Everyday use of the word suggests something negative.
Fix: Remember that some conflict is functional because it challenges ideas. Dysfunctional conflict is the kind that damages performance.
Naming a communication barrier without linking it to the scenario.
Students recall lists instead of reading the facts.
Fix: Match the barrier to the evidence, such as jargon, wrong channel or lack of feedback.
Picking a conflict style by its name rather than the situation.
Students memorise definitions but skip the context.
Fix: Check urgency, importance and the value of the relationship before choosing.

Worked examples

Example 1

A manager sets tight deadlines, checks progress daily and ignores staff concerns about workload. Team members are tired and two have asked to move department. Using Adair's model, which need is most neglected, and what should the manager do?

Show the solution

The manager focuses on deadlines and progress checks, so the task need is being met.
Staff are tired and want to leave. This points to poor morale and unmet support needs.
The complaints about workload are not being heard, which is a lack of attention to individuals.
The wish to leave shows the team is also affected, but the stated cause is ignored personal concerns.
The manager should listen to individuals, review workload, recognise effort, and keep the task plan realistic.

Answer: The team and individual needs are neglected, especially the individual's. The manager should listen, adjust workload and recognise effort while still managing the task.

Example 2

Two department heads both need the same limited budget. The finance director says there are two days to decide. Each head agrees to receive a smaller share than requested. Which Thomas-Kilmann style does this show?

Show the solution

Identify the facts: limited resource, short time, both sides keep part of their aim.
Each side gives something up, so neither fully wins.
Both are partly assertive and partly cooperative.
This matches the middle position on both scales.
Collaborating would need a solution that fully satisfies both, which is not what happened.

Answer: Compromising.

Exam tips

Know each Thomas-Kilmann style by its two scales (assertiveness and cooperativeness), not just its name.
In scenario questions, base your answer on the facts given, such as time pressure or importance of the relationship.
For Adair questions, name which of the three needs is neglected and give a practical fix.
With multiple response questions, choose exactly the number asked for and do not guess extra options.
Learn a short list of communication barriers, and for each one a simple remedy.

Practice questions from Team formation, development and management

Managing Team Performance and Conflict: frequently asked questions

What are the five Thomas-Kilmann conflict modes?

They are competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding and accommodating. Each reflects a different mix of assertiveness and cooperativeness. None is best in every situation.

What is Adair's action-centred leadership?

It is a model saying a leader must balance three needs: the task, the team and the individual. The three overlap, so ignoring one harms the others. It is used to judge whether a manager is leading effectively.

Is conflict in a team always bad?

No. Functional conflict can challenge weak ideas and improve decisions. It becomes dysfunctional when it harms morale, wastes time or damages relationships.

How do communication problems link to team conflict?

Unclear messages, poor listening and the wrong channel can cause misunderstandings that grow into disputes. Clear, two-way communication with feedback reduces this risk.