Conflict Management Behaviors Research Articles

Constructive and destructive interparental conflict, parenting, and coparenting alliance.

Guided by the spillover hypothesis of family systems theory, we used data from the Building Strong Families project to examine intrafamily relations between destructive and constructive interparental conflict, harsh and supportive parenting behaviors, and coparenting alliance across different family configurations: married, cohabiting, and noncohabiting (never married) parents. Our sample (N = 2,784 couples/parents) was racially diverse, low-income couples/parents who were unmarried at the conception of their child. All variables were measured when children were approximately 36 months of age. Interparental conflict was assessed through an instrument that included both parents' reported conflict in the relationship and the perception of the other parent's conflict behaviors. Parenting behaviors were measured through observational data and coparenting alliance was based on mothers' and fathers' reports. As expected, path analyses revealed that destructive interparental conflict was related to lower levels of coparenting alliance, whereas constructive interparental conflict was related to higher levels of coparenting alliance, for mothers and fathers. For fathers only, destructive interparental conflict related to harsh parenting, suggesting that paternal parenting is vulnerable to the quality of the relationship with the mother. None of the proposed associations differed by family structure. These findings suggest the need for intervention programs to focus on promoting adaptive conflict management behaviors rather than on family structure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Örgütsel Çatışma Yönetimi İle Örgütsel Vatandaşlık Davranışı İlişkisini İncelemeye Yönelik Bir Araştırma1 (A Study on the Relationship Between Organizational Citizenship Behaviour and Organizational Conflict Management)

Purpose – One of the problems frequently encountered in organizations is conflict. Conflict is possible in any environment where people are present. Conflict is a disagreement within an organization or group. In order for the organization to be successful and to maintain its existence, the conflict needs to be managed effectively. In this study, the relationship between organizational conflict management and organizational citizenship behavior is examined. Design/methodology/approach – In order to test the hypotheses developed within the scope of the study, a survey was conducted with large companies in Manisa Organized Industrial Zone. The study was carried out in seventeen large scale enterprises. The sample of the study consisted of 332 people. Two different variables were used in the study. The data were collected by questionnaire technique. Six hypotheses were developed, in the study. The findings were evaluated with Pearson Correlation Analysis. Findings – According to the results of this study, it is proved that there is a positive and significant association between organizational conflict management and effective organizational citizenship behavior. In other words, as organizational citizenship behavior increases, organizational conflict management is also affected positively. Discussion – According to the findings of this study, it is provided that there is a positive and significant association between organizational conflict management and organizational citizenship behavior. The results of this study reveal that as the functional, integration, obliging, and compromising management strategies increase, the according organizational citizenship behavior also increases. Thus, as organizational citizenship behavior increases, organizational conflict management is also affected positively. These results support the findings obtained in the study in the literature. At the end of the study, suggestions and recommendations are presented for further research and practitioners in the field of management.

Psychological Resources, Constructive Conflict Management Behaviors, and Depressive Symptoms: A Dyadic Analysis.

This study investigated the longitudinal associations between mastery, conflict management behaviors, and depressive symptoms using an actor-partner interdependence model with 371 middle-aged couples over a span of 24years. Results indicated that for both husbands and wives, individuals who possessed higher levels of mastery generally displayed more constructive conflict management behaviors during marital conflicts in middle years. In turn, individuals with more constructive behaviors averaged fewer depressive symptoms in their later adulthood. A partner effect was also noted, as individuals' constructive behaviors were linked to their spouse's depressive symptoms. This finding emphasizes the importance of utilizing a dyadic context to understand intra-individual and inter-individual (or crossover) influences between husbands and wives in enduring marriages. A better understanding of how couples affect each other's mental health can inform the development and implementation of health promotion interventions and prevention efforts targeting middle-aged couples.

Toward the Development of the Perfect Medical Team: Critical Components for Adaptation.

Medical teams play a vital role in the delivery of safe and effective patient care. Toward the goal of becoming a high-reliability health system, the authors posit that the "perfect" medical team is one that develops their attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions (ABCs) to facilitate adaptation. The authors synthesized the literature (frameworks, measures, and conceptual models) on teamwork in healthcare (k = 161) to develop an evidence-based model of ABCs, which current evidence suggests, are requisite for medical team adaptation. Clinical vignettes were garnered from the media and other sources to illustrate how these ABCs-or failure in using these ABCs-can lead to positive or negative events in healthcare. The resulting model contains the most frequently included ABCs in healthcare teamwork models, measures, and frameworks: psychological safety (41, 25.5%), situation assessment (66, 41.0%), shared mental models (56, 34.8%), team leadership behaviors (78, 48.4%), role awareness (64, 39.7%), team decision-making (61, 37.9%) and planning (41, 25.5%), conflict management (51, 31.7%), task coordination (71, 44.1%), adaptation (46, 28.6%), and backup behavior (54, 33.5%). The authors posit that communication and organizational conditions-other highly cited components-(141, 87.6%, and 90, 55.9%, respectively) serve as moderators of these relationships. The authors argue that each of these ABCs is critical for enhancing team adaptation and subsequently increasing patient safety. A list of practical tools and educational strategies that teams and organizations can use to improve their performance on each of these ABCs is provided.

Analysis on the Current Situation of Conflict Management and Future Prospects

Inevitable conflicts in the workplace have dual effects on organizations. How to manage conflicts and make it play a constructive role in the organization is of great importance to the success of the organization. It is also one of the necessary management skills for managers. In order to enable managers to face up to conflicts, learn to manage conflicts in the right way, and play a constructive role in the organization. This paper studies conflict and conflict management behaviors by means of literature research. Firstly, this paper defines the meaning of conflict management and clarifies the specific content of conflict management. Then it reviews and analyses the research on conflict management by scholars at home and abroad. Finally, it points out the shortcomings of current research on conflict management, and briefly looks forward to the future development of conflict management research.

Interpersonal conflict at work: Age and emotional competence differences in conflict management

Previous research has illustrated that older workers have high emotional competence (EC) that could enable them to effectively manage interpersonal conflict. However, it is still unclear whether age, potentially via EC, also influences a variety of conflict management behaviors. To address this question, we present a systematic review of the literature on the direct relationships between age, EC, and conflict management, and on EC as a potential mediator. We classify conflict management behaviors using the dual concern model (e.g., De Dreu, Evers, Beersma, Kluwer, & Nauta, 2001), and identified 15 studies on age-related conflict management, and 14 studies on EC and conflict management. Unfortunately, we found that none of the previous studies examined EC as a mediator between age and conflict behaviors. Overall, our review does reveal a positive age trend for EC, avoiding, compromising, and problem-solving, and a negative age trend for forcing. Additionally, EC seems to be positively related to problem-solving, compromising, and yielding. We discuss potential moderators and the role of EC as a potential mediator.

Strategic decision-making

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the effect of cooperative conflict management on agreement-seeking behavior, agreement-seeking behavior on decision outcomes, moderating role of competence-based trust on the relationship between agreement-seeking behavior and decision outcomes, and mediating role of agreement-seeking behavior between cooperative conflict management and decision outcomes.Design/methodology/approachUsing a structured survey instrument, this paper gathered data from 348 students enrolled in a strategic management capstone course that features strategic decision-making in a simulated business strategy game. The data from 94 teams were collected from the student population using a carefully administered instrument. The data were aggregated after running the inter-rater agreement test and the analyzed to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results from the hierarchical regression of the complex moderated mediation model reveal that cooperative conflict management is positively related to agreement-seeking behavior, and agreement-seeking behavior mediates the relationship between cooperative conflict management and decision outcomes. The results also suggest that competence-based trust acts as a moderator in the relationship between agreement-seeking behavior and decision quality; agreement-seeking behavior and team effectiveness, and agreement-seeking behavior and decision commitment. Results also support mediation of agreement-seeking behavior between cooperative conflict management and decision outcomes.Research limitations/implicationsThe present research is based on self-report measures, and hence, the limitations of social desirability bias and common method bias are inherent. However, adequate care is taken to minimize these limitations. The research has implications for the strategic decision-making process literature.Practical implicationsIn addition to the strategic management literature, this study contributes to practicing managers. The study suggests that competence-based trust plays a vital role in decision effectiveness. Administrators need to select the members in the decision-making process who have competence-based trust on one another and engage in agreement-seeking behavior.Social implicationsThe findings from the study help in creating a fruitful social environment in organizations.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights about the previously unknown effects of cooperative conflict management and agreement-seeking behavior in strategic decision-making process.

Patterns of interparental conflict, parenting, and children's emotional insecurity: A person-centered approach.

We examined the relations between interparental conflict (destructive and constructive), parenting behaviors (harshness and supportiveness) and children's emotional insecurity in early childhood when children were approximately 36 months of age. The sample consisted of low-income unmarried couples who were expectant/new parents who participated in the national Building Strong Families project. Interparental conflict was assessed through parents' reported perception of the other parent's conflict behavior. Parenting behaviors were measured through observational data, and children's emotional insecurity was based on parents' reports. Using latent profile analysis, three goals were addressed: (a) concordance or discord of mothers' and fathers' conflict behaviors, (b) the relation between couples' conflict behaviors and parenting, and (c) the association between couples' conflict behaviors and child emotional insecurity. Our findings revealed 4 profiles of couples that share similar characteristics, which in turn were differentially linked to aspects of parenting and child development. Further, results indicated that the vast majority of low-income unmarried couples engage in constructive conflict management behaviors. These findings highlight the need to consider the family unit when designing interventions or providing counseling. (PsycINFO Database Record

Limited evidence for third-party affiliation during development in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii).

Examining the ontogeny of conflict-mitigating behaviours in our closest living relatives is an important component of understanding the evolutionary origins of cooperation in our species. In this study, we used 26 years of data to investigate the emergence of third-party affiliation (TPA), defined as affiliative contact given to recipients of aggression by uninvolved bystanders (regardless of initiation), in wild immature eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) of Gombe National Park, Tanzania. We also characterized TPA by mothers in the same dataset as an adult benchmark for interpreting immature TPA patterns. In summary, we found that immatures did not express TPA as measured by grooming between the ages of 1.5 and 12.0 years, and that there was limited evidence that immatures expressed TPA via play. We also found that mothers did express TPA to offspring, although mothers did not show TPA towards non-offspring. Cases of TPA by mothers to other adults were too few to analyse separately. These results contrast with findings from captive studies which found that chimpanzees as young as 6 years of age demonstrated TPA. We argue that within-species variation in the expression of TPA, both in immatures and adulthood, provides evidence that the conflict management behaviours of young chimpanzees may be heavily influenced by social, ecological and demographic factors.

Examining the longitudinal relations among adolescents' conflict management with parents and conflict frequency

Parent-adolescent conflicts are not necessarily detrimental for adolescent development. The way adolescents handle conflicts with parents is of crucial importance. The present five-wave longitudinal study (N=1313) focuses on how adolescents' conflict management behaviors and conflict frequency with parents are interrelated over time. Four conflict management behaviors were investigated: positive problem solving, withdrawal, engagement, and compliance. Using cross-lagged panel analysis, results for conflict behaviors toward mothers indicated that conflict frequency predicted more engagement, withdrawal and compliance, and less positive problem solving one year later. Positive problem solving predicted fewer conflicts and maladaptive conflict management behaviors over time, pointing to the potential protective role of positive problem solving against a conflictual climate and maladaptive management behaviors. Results were largely replicated in the father model. Ancillary multi-group analyses revealed no moderation by gender or age. Suggestions and implications for theory and practice are discussed.

The Effects of Perceived Procedural Justice on Conflict Management between Spouses, and the Mediating Role of Dyadic Adjustment

In this study, we examined the role that perceived procedural justice (PPJ) plays in the conflict management behaviors that intimate spouses adopt and endorse. In this context, PPJ has been defined as the degree to which one perceives that his or her spouse makes decisions fairly, considerately, and in a participatory manner. To test the impact of perceived procedural justice on conflict resolution behavior, we applied the dual‐concern model of conflict management style. In an experiment in which participants read fictional scenarios and predicted spouses’ responses, we found that perceptions of strong PPJ enhanced the prediction of integrating (problem solving), compromising, and, to a lesser degree, obliging behavior. Perceived procedural justice also caused a reduction in avoidance behavior, but no effect we found on dominating (competing) behavior.In a following correlational study, we also found that PPJ positively correlated to enhanced integrating, compromising, and obliging behaviors, and these correlations were partially or fully mediated by the degree of “dyadic adjustment,” which is a measure of relationship health. In addition, in this second study, we found no correlation between perceived procedural justice and dominating or avoiding behavior.In both studies, participants either predicted or chose collaborative behaviors more than non‐collaborative ones. We conclude that the perception that one's partner is behaving in a procedurally just way can enhance active and egalitarian collaboration in marriage and other intimate partner relationships, but that the absence of PPJ does not seem to encourage active non‐collaboration, particularly not highly self‐centered dominating behavior.

PERAN MANAJER DALAM PENANGGULANGAN KONFLIK ORGANISASI

<p><em>The main objective of conflict management behavior is to establish and maintain cooperative working relationship with subordinates, peers, superiors and outsiders. Some forms of conflict management behaviors such as bargaining and integrative problem solving, the approaches to dealing with conflicts involving a manager and others whose assistance they need to achieve work goals. Conflict management as well as efforts to mediate conflicts among others. The main purpose of behavior to build a team is to build a working unit in solidarity with the identification of a strong and a high level of cooperation.</em></p><p><strong><em>Keywords</em></strong><em>: manage</em><em>r</em><em>, organizational conflict</em></p>

Linking Work Control to Depressive Symptoms Through Intrapersonal and Marital Processes

Using latent growth curve modeling and data from a sample of 308 middle-aged husbands and wives over a 3-year period, this study examines the influence of work control experiences on marital processes, specifically focusing on changes in conflict management behaviors, perceived spousal support, and depressive symptoms, and the connection between these attributes over time. Consistent with human ecological and work socialization perspectives, our findings suggest that adults’ positive experiences at work serve as a resource for developing personal and interpersonal skills that transfer to behaviors exhibited in their marriages and this process consequently contributes to individual depressive symptoms. Husbands’ and wives’ positive work experience such as control over work increases their use of positive conflict management behaviors and spousal support through personal control, which in turn decreases their depressive symptoms over time.

Conflict Management Strategies in the ICU Differ Between Palliative Care Specialists and Intensivists.

Conflict is common between physicians and surrogate decision makers around end-of-life care in ICU. Involving experts in conflict management improve outcomes, but little is known about what differences in conflict management styles may explain the benefit. We used simulation to examine potential differences in how palliative care specialists manage conflict with surrogates about end-of-life treatment decisions in ICUs compared with intensivists. Subjects participated in a high-fidelity simulation of conflict with a surrogate in an ICU. In this simulation, a medical actor portrayed a surrogate decision maker during an ICU family meeting who refuses to follow an advance directive that clearly declines advanced life-sustaining therapies. We audiorecorded the simulation encounters and applied a coding framework to quantify conflict management behaviors, which was organized into two categories: task-focused communication and relationship building. We used negative binomial modeling to determine whether there were differences between palliative care specialists' and intensivists' use of task-focused communication and relationship building. Single academic medical center ICU. Palliative care specialists and intensivists. None. We enrolled 11 palliative care specialists and 25 intensivists. The palliative care specialists were all attending physicians. The intensivist group consisted of 11 attending physicians, 9 pulmonary and critical care fellows, and 5 internal medicine residents rotating in the ICU. We excluded five residents from the primary analysis in order to reduce confounding due to training level. Physicians' mean age was 37 years with a mean of 8 years in practice. Palliative care specialists used 55% fewer task-focused communication statements (incidence rate ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.36-0.83; p = 0.005) and 48% more relationship-building statements (incidence rate ratio, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.89-2.46; p = 0.13) compared with intensivists. We found that palliative care specialists engage in less task-focused communication when managing conflict with surrogates compared with intensivists. These differences may help explain the benefit of palliative care involvement in conflict and could be the focus of interventions to improve clinicians' conflict resolution skills.

Supplier adaptation: A qualitative investigation of customer and supplier perspectives

Differing views and goals in the buyer–supplier dyad can create underlying tension in supply chain relationships. Although research recognizes that adaptation is often expected from both customers and suppliers in exchange relationships, researchers have not adequately explored the long-range relational implications of customer adaptation requests. This research uses data from two qualitative focus groups to examine the interaction of customers and suppliers surrounding adaptation, as prior research has not yet considered how the customer's response to adaptation may change if they are aware of how the supplier actually perceives and evaluates specific adaptation requests. The first focus group included 20 active participants representing both customer and supplier perspectives, while the second focus group included five participants to provide a more in-depth examination of issues that emerged in the first focus group. Results suggest that customers' and suppliers' adaptation expectations differ; each has difficulty recognizing adaptation conflict because of perceived benefits and biases surrounding adaptation. Results suggest several adaptation conflict management behaviors are utilized to minimize its negative impacts on supply chain relationships, including blameshifting, justifying and negotiating techniques. Results suggest that trust can create blind spots in relationships, potentially causing customers and their suppliers to have difficulty recognizing conflict until it deteriorates relationships' foundational trust.

Experimental Manipulation of Food Accessibility Affects Conflict Management Behaviour in Ravens

AbstractConflict management strategies such as reconciliation and bystander affiliation have been described for a variety of species. A common determinant seems to be a ‘complex’ social life, with individuals relying on affiliate relationships or social bonds. Little is known, however, about the strategic and flexible use of conflict management skills in experimental settings in species other than primates. We here investigated conflict and post‐conflict behaviour of ravens by manipulating the accessibility of food and, thus, the likelihood of aggressive interactions while foraging. Specifically, we presented birds with a certain amount of highly preferred food that varied in the number of pieces (one piece, two pieces or, as a control, small pieces matching the number of participating birds) and observed their agonistic behaviour during feeding and their affiliative behaviour afterwards. The results showed that high levels of conflicts during feeding in the 1‐piece and 2‐piece conditions led to high levels of affiliation after feeding. Depending on the experimental condition, this effect is best explained (a) by the affiliative behaviour of former aggressors (1‐piece condition) and (b) by the affiliation directed to the receivers of aggression after feeding (2‐piece condition). Those dyads that engaged in allo‐preening after feeding also engaged in allo‐preening outside the experimental setting, suggesting that socially bonded individuals provided third‐party affiliation to victims of aggression. Moreover, socially bonded ravens fed close to each other in the experiment when food was clumped, indicating that they actively coordinated their behaviour when there was a high conflict potential. Taken together, these findings support the assumption that ravens use their social bonds to avoid conflicts by choosing with whom to feed, and to buffer effects of conflicts by engaging in third‐party affiliation as post‐conflict behaviour.

The role of affects in conflict frames and conflict management

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to identify the roles of trait affectivity and momentary moods in conflict frames and conflict management. This paper goes beyond affect induction and focuses on the affective – rather than rational – antecedents of the choice of conflict management strategy.Design/methodology/approach– This paper adopts a within- and between-person approach and uses hierarchical linear modeling to test the hypotheses with group-mean centering. Over the course of 12 days within a three-week period, the authors collected participants’ momentary moods and how they thought about and would respond to conflict scenarios. Data were gathered from 1,545 observations, involving 180 individuals.Findings– After controlling for anger raised from the conflict scenario, both positive trait affectivity and positive momentary moods were found to be positively related to a compromise frame. Surprisingly, neither negative trait affectivity nor momentary mood was related to the win frame. A compromise frame predicted a cooperative strategy, and a win frame predicted a competitive strategy. The relationships between trait and momentary affects and conflict management strategy were partially mediated by conflict frame, but only for positive affects.Practical implications– If seeking a constructive resolution, choose the right person (i.e. an individual with positive trait affectivity) and the right moment (i.e. the individual is in a positive mood state) to communicate disagreements.Originality/value– This paper sheds light on the prediction of conflict frame and conflict management behavior by testing trait affectivity and momentary mood simultaneously.

Forecasting conflict management in militarized interstate disputes

Is predicting the international community’s cumulative response to an interstate dispute possible? Can we predict what form conflict management will take and how it will evolve over the course of a dispute? I employ the concept of a conflict management trajectory to test a forecasting model of conflict management. This model accurately predicts conflict management behavior and uncovers numerous novel insights—including that the initial intervention indicates clearly the resources the international community is willing to spend on managing the dispute. These results confirm the need to theorize further about conflict management interdependence and offer clear advice to the policy community.

Too Much of a Good Thing? Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal Conflict Behaviors

ABSTRACTResearch suggests that the outcomes of interpersonal conflict are determined not only by the conflict itself, but also by the way in which it is handled. Confrontational and domineering tactics have been found to magnify the adverse impact of conflict. Thus, investigations of determinants of aggressive conflict management behaviors are of considerable interest. This study extends the literature by examining the relationship between conflict management preferences and conflict management behaviors and by examining how emotional intelligence (EI) shapes this preference-behavior relationship. Individuals’ conflict management preferences predicted actual conflict management behaviors. EI was found to moderate this relationship. However, some of these moderating effects run contrary to the popular view of EI as a prosocial concept. Specifically, some EI facets were found to strengthen the link between aggressive conflict management preferences and subsequent conflict management behaviors.

Gossiping as a response to conflict with the boss: alternative conflict management behavior?

Purpose– The current paper aims to argue that it is important for conflict management research to start focusing on leader–follower conflict as a “special case” of conflict because the relationship between leaders and followers is, by definition, characterized by divergence of interest and, second, because it is asymmetric in terms of power and vulnerability. Moreover, it is argued that conflict management research should start to examine the various behaviors that people engage in as a response to conflict, in a broader sense, than has been done until now. Research on conflict management increasingly recognizes the significance of interpersonal relations in the workplace.Design/methodology/approach– As a case in point, a survey study among 97 Dutch police officers is presented. Leaders’ conflict management behaviors as assessed by followers is measured. In addition, followers’ experienced interactional justice and the extent to which they indicated that they would engage in negative and/or positive gossip about their leader was measured.Findings– Results demonstrate that more forcing and avoiding leader conflict management behavior was related to more negative and less positive gossip about leaders. Moreover, more problem-solving and yielding leader conflict management behavior was related to less negative and more positive gossip. All relationships between leader conflict management behavior and follower gossip were mediated by followers’ experienced interactional justice.Originality/value– It is hoped that the findings put research on the broader implications of interactional justice in leader–follower interactions, and on gossip, on the research agenda of conflict researchers.