It’s a great question. We can’t do anything meaningful together without working through conflict, because all true relationships eventually experience it. It’s especially the case in a diverse environment with different perspectives, which is one that an academic community should strive to be.
The amount that conflict is allowed grow, I believe, is commensurate with the trust level between the two parties. As trust erodes, almost anything can cause conflict. The best way to keep trust high is by deepening each other’s understanding of the other’s motives and values. The more we understand each other, the easier we can get to the heart of a particular issue.
If there’s a conflict that’s gotten to the point where it would be labeled a “conflict,” it’s going to take time to resolve. People will need to listen to each other and coming to some kind of compromise, assuming there is some decision to make. Sometimes conflict is ambient tension that’s creating an uncomfortable environment, which may be hard to recognize that it’s even there.
In my experience as a leader, whether a community is a company, a church, a school, or any context where people regularly gather, one of the leader(s) most important responsibilities is creating a climate that keeps collaboration high and quickly deals with conflict. It requires foundational principles that make the values of the community clear, and reinforcing those principles with consistent behavior in each interaction. Members of the community build a feeling of safety within the environment which empowers them to pursue conflict resolution, often doing it without realizing it was conflict in the first place.