The Relationship Between Conflict Management and Job Performance

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between conflict management (CM) and job performance (JP). There are five styles of conflict management which are integrating, dominating, obliging, avoiding, and compromising. However, in this research the author only focuses on integrating, obliging, and compromising styles which are considered as our independent variables and job performance as our dependent variable. Accordingly, dominating (high concern for self and low concern for others) and avoiding (low concern for self and others) styles do not fit Malaysian culture. Data consists of respondents in the banking sector. Correlation analysis was used to support the findings. It was found out that obliging and compromising have a significant relationship with job performance while no relationship exists between integrating and job performance. It appears that the reserved and soft-spoken Malaysian would opt to sacrifice their goals (obliging) and can easily agree with the outcomes of the conflict management (compromise), as supported by research findings by Wang et al. (Manag Int Rev 45:3–21, 2005). The individualistic-collectivist culture characteristics indicate different approaches between Western and Asian managers in handling conflict management, Wang et al. (Manag Int Rev 45:3–21, 2005).