In my experience when leaders displayed passive-aggressive behavior, I suggest addressing the behavior directly using open ended questions and reinforcing the agenda and objectives. If it continues to be a problem I tend to take a break and pull the person aside and continue questions to get to the root cause of the conflict. After reinforcing the boundaries of the meeting and the goal of the meeting, I ask if the negative behavior can be stopped for the remainder of the meeting.

When a team meeting gets derailed by passive-aggressive vibes, it’s time to turn things around with some CALM techniques. Start by encouraging everyone to really listen to each other. Remind them to paraphrase and summarize what they hear to show they get it. Next, push for assertive communication, everyone should voice their feelings without getting defensive. Check in with emotions too; let people take a moment to recognize how they're feeling and how that affects the conversation. Watch the words and tone, choose them wisely to keep things chill. Lastly, promote empathy; ask everyone to see things from others' perspectives. A little understanding goes a long way in keeping the team together!

From my practice, when a conflict begins during a meeting due to the passive-aggressive behavior of the participants in the process, then first of all it is necessary to understand whether you have gone beyond the discussion issues and whether you have introduced the time limit of the meeting. After the moderator of the meeting checks these factors, it is necessary to return to the agenda and check if decisions have been made on the issues and how decision-making is progressing. In most cases, to prevent a conflict, it is either necessary to take a break or postpone the meeting by clarifying the agenda or changing the composition of the participants.