Abstract
Higher institutions of learning (HIL) occasionally face conflict situations. These range from minor confrontations and demonstrations to violent strikes. The aim of this study was to align theories with conflict management in HIL to avert looming crises that might affect the core businesses of HIL. Given that conflicts are miscellaneous and disputable, managing them requires integration of various approaches and theories. Therefore, the researchers employed dual concern theory, complexity theory, and contingency theory. The empirical part of the study used the mixed approach with open-ended and closed-ended questionnaires. Data were collected from stakeholders including students, academic staff, non-academic staff, and management members of a selected HIL. The data analysis techniques used computation of means, standard deviations, frequencies, skewness, and correlations to examine the relationship between dependent and independent variables in the study. The findings of the study revealed that when students act as a group during conflicts, it more often than not becomes boundless, unpredictable, and destructive. Therefore, managers should learn when to react, how to react, and in what ways to react to find an amicable solution using conflict management theories. Because this study used the pragmatic approach to align theories with conflict management with the aim of averting looming crises in HIL, other researchers can use purely qualitative methods to validate their findings.
Highlights
This study sought to align theories with conflict management in higher institutions of learning (HILs) to avert looming crises that might affect the core businesses of Higher institutions of learning (HIL) and to ensure success and stability in the higher education arena
H1: A moderate amount of substantive conflict driven by legitimate expectations can stimulate success and stability in higher institutions
In keeping with the post-positivist paradigm, the researchers adopted, the theories they employed, and the findings that emerged, the following hypotheses were accepted: A moderate amount of substantive conflict driven by legitimate expectations can stimulate success and stability in higher institutions, and a substantive amount of conflict driven by non-legitimate expectations can retard success and stability in higher institutions
Summary
This study sought to align theories with conflict management in higher institutions of learning (HILs) to avert looming crises that might affect the core businesses of HILs and to ensure success and stability in the higher education arena. Conflict begins when at least two parties believe they have incompatible goals (Novta & Pugacheva, 2021). This incompatibility may result in disagreements, struggles, fights, demonstration, and strikes. HILs find it difficult to operate amid conflicts and devote an enormous amount of time and resources to deal with conflicts. This results in decreased productivity, lowered motivation, decreased morale, and poor decision-making. Managing conflicts at higher institutions requires adoption of various approaches, strategies, and theories. This study explored several theories and strove to align them with conflict management at higher institutions. The study focused on the previous literature and theories and incorporated findings from an empirical study the researcher conducted
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