Assessing power imbalancesIntroductionIn today's organizations, conflict and power are important elements for the success of any business, but can also create negative impacts in the long term if they are not resolved. Organizations need enough power within leaders to overcome conflict and enough conflict within individuals to create new innovations. Not all conflict is bad, but when there is conflict, individuals with power must help align the resolution of the conflict to aid in the understanding of everyone involved in the conflict. The need for successful conflict resolution is vital for employees so that they are able to move forward and understand why the conflict was overcome. Conflict In every organization, there is a risk of conflict between individuals. Conflict is a disagreement between two people. Conflicting perceptions and attitudes can generally be classified into five main styles: 1) avoidance, 2) accommodation, 3) competition, 4) compromise, and 5) collaboration, each of which is discussed at length by Engleberg, Wynn, and Schuttler (2003). ). Conflict can have both positive and negative influences on people who disagree. Conflict within an organization can be destructive if it gets out of control. Conflict is also a tool for success because it gives the organization the opportunity to see different points of view or perspectives. Its “positive or negative results depend on the type of conflict, the causes and number of people involved, the attitudes of the people involved in the conflict and other similar factors” (Rudani 2011, p. 632). Diversity within the organization is the backbone of building a stronger organization through better problem solving and better ideas. Conflicts can be competitive...... middle of article...... Theory and design. Cengage Learning South West, Canada. Engleberg, I., Wynn, D. and Schuttler, R. (2003). Group work: communication principles and strategies. (3rd ed.) Boston: Houghton MiffonGoncalves & Marcus (2013) Leadership Styles: The Power to Influence Others. International Journal of Business and Social Sciences, Vol. 4, number 4, p. 1-3, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, retrieved April 18, 2014 from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/results?sid=709e0c03-380b-45c1-b76a-8d1f54e375a4%40sessionmgr111&vid=23&hid=123&bquery=Leadership+ Styles %3a+The+Power+%22to%22+Influence+Others&bdata=JmRiPWJ0aCZ0eXBlPTAmc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl>Nahavandi, A. & Malekzadeh, AR (1998). Organizational behavior: person-organization fit. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Rudani, R.B. (2011). Management and organizational behavior. Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi.