Improving employees' job satisfaction and innovation performance using conflict management

Abstract

PurposeThe major aim of this study is to explore the mechanism through which conflict management behavior impacts job satisfaction and innovation performance, and to verify this relationship with the empirical analysis in the context of China.Design/methodology/approachA model of the relationship among conflict management behavior, job satisfaction and innovation performance was developed and empirically tested. Based on a survey composed of 333 questionnaires designed for Chinese employees, the authors examine the effects of conflict management behavior on job satisfaction and innovation performance in Chinese contexts.FindingsResults show that integrating and compromising conflict management behaviors are positively related to job satisfaction; integrating conflict management behavior is positively related to innovation performance; and avoiding conflict management behavior is negatively related to innovation performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study does not take the industry differences into consideration, though how to maintain job satisfaction and promote innovation might differ from one industry to another. This study only studied on the personal level, therefore future studies can be extended to the team level.Originality/valueThis paper offers some useful suggestions for business managers as well as employees to improve employees' job satisfaction and innovation performance.