The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of leadership style, whether transactional or transformational, and conflict management mode on the online learning performance of students in a business‐planning course. Conflict management was performed using the following five approaches: (1) avoidance, (2) accommodation, (3) competition, (4) collaboration and (5) compromise. The sample used in this study included information from 318 undergraduate students enrolled in a course on business planning. The data were collected using a structured online questionnaire. The participants were asked to answer nine questions adapted from the Multifacet Leadership Questionnaire and 19 questions adapted from the Multifacet Conflict Management Questionnaire. Our results show that both leadership style and conflict management mode have a strong influence on learning performance. They also elucidate the interaction between leadership style and conflict management mode. Finally, transformational leadership is shown to be more effective than transactional leadership when dealing with conflict. This work expands our knowledge of conflict management associated with virtual teams participating in an online course, in which close relationships must be maintained over a relatively long period of time. On a more practical level, experience promotes the acceptance of conflict management as a part of the leaders’ responsibility, thereby improving the learning performance of all participants.