Third Party Role in Conflict Management in Turkish Organizations

Abstract

Third party roles in conflict management in collectivistic cultures are a common but neglected phenomenon. This study surveyed 435 employees of 40 public and private organizations in Turkey. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents reported third party involvement in the conflicts they reported. Peers played a third party role almost as frequently as the immediate supervisors. Small- and medium-sized organizations reported both more third party intervention and more peer involvement in coworkers' conflicts. The initiation, timing, and style of supervisors and peers were dissimilar. While peers usually got involved from the start and on their own, superiors were invited to intervene when conflicts escalated or got out of control. Furthermore, superiors used incentives or their authority to resolve conflicts. Peers, in contrast, listened more and gave advice. Despite the authoritarian tone of administration, satisfaction with the outcome and the process of resolution was low when superiors used autocratic inter...