Workplace Conflict Management Research Articles

Want a More Effective School? Better Start with the Culture

ABSTRACT In this article, the relationships between the nature of the professional leadership culture and student learning are examined according to the professionals’ perceptions. The qualitative case study examined the perceptions of school-level professionals in one elementary school with a reputation for strong results in student learning, regarding the nature of the professional leadership culture and its relationship to student learning. Professional leadership culture is defined by this author as shared assumptions, practices, beliefs and values concerning leadership activities that are understood and practiced among school professionals. E. H. Schein’s (2010) organizational culture and leadership model provided the conceptual framework for the study. The three most common representations of the professional leadership culture included pervasive collaboration among professionals, a culture of trust, and a supportive environment. This study prompts some reflection for theory-building on the connection between the concept of leadership and its role in improving school culture. Policy implications of the study are discussed as they relate to human resources issues and their connection to culture and leadership, priorities regarding personnel supervision and evaluation, standards for a respectful workplace, the institutionalization of trust, open communication, supportive relationships, collaboration, and the anticipation and management of workplace conflict.

Emotional intelligence, workplace conflict and job burn-out among critical care physicians: a mediation analysis with a cross-sectional study design in Egypt

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the association between the effect of emotional intelligence on job burn-out and the mediating effect of workplace conflict management among critical care physicians.Design and settingA...

Sickness Presenteeism among Employees Having Workplace Conflicts-Results from Pooled Analyses in Latvia.

The study’s objective was to investigate the associations between workplace conflicts and self-reported sickness presenteeism defined as going to work while being ill. Cross-sectional survey data pooled from four national surveys in years 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2018 with a study sample of 6368 employees (mean age 42.9 years and 52.9% females) were used. Respondents were randomly drawn from different regions and industries; therefore, the sample is representative of the working population of Latvia. The computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) method was used to collect data at respondents’ places of residence. The associations between conflicts in the workplace and presenteeism were analyzed by using binomial logistic regression and calculated as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted (aOR) for gender, age, education, and survey year. On average, 11% of respondents reported sickness presenteeism during the last year. The odds of presenteeism significantly increased for all types of workplace conflicts, but most for conflicts with managers (OR = 2.84). The odds of presenteeism doubled for those reporting conflicts with other employees (OR = 2.19) and conflicts with customers (OR = 1.85). The odds of sickness presenteeism were significantly higher if the workplace conflicts occurred often (seven times for conflicts between managers and employees, and four times for conflicts with customers) and with other employees. Presenteeism frequency increased more than three times if respondents had more than two types of conflict at work. The results of this study show that having any type of conflict in the workplace significantly increases the frequency of sickness presenteeism, especially when conflicts are frequent or an employee has more types of conflicts in the workplace. The study results justify the need to implement targeted and effective workplace conflict management measures at the organizational level to decrease sickness presenteeism.

Democratic leadership in a study of school based professional leadership culture: policy implications

ABSTRACT This article examines elements of democratic leadership emerging from a broader study of professional leadership culture in a school setting. The qualitative case study examined the perceptions of school-level professionals in one elementary school with a reputation for strong results in student learning, regarding the nature of the professional leadership culture and its relationship to student learning. Professional leadership culture is defined as shared assumptions, practices, beliefs and values concerning leadership activities that are understood and practised among school professionals. Previous studies into organizational and leadership provided the conceptual framework for this study. The three most common representations of the professional leadership culture included pervasive collaboration among professionals, a culture of trust, and a supportive environment. This study prompts some reflection for theory-building on the concept of democratic leadership and its role in organizational culture. Policy implications of the study are discussed as they relate to human resources issues and their connection to culture and leadership, priorities regarding personnel supervision and evaluation, standards for a respectful workplace, the institutionalization of trust, open communication, supportive relationships, collaboration, and the anticipation and management of workplace conflict.

An empirical analysis of effects of workplace conflict management on performance of nurses in public hospitals in Kenya: A case of Thika Level 5 hHospital in Kiambu County

Hospital managers and nurses are partners in the delivery of optimal health care; they share theresponsibility of creating a healthy workplace for all members of the health care team. However, theissue of conflict management tends to be overlooked in many organizations and government hospitalsin Kenya are not an exception. The study used a descriptive research design. The target population ofthis study consisted of the 210 nurses working at Thika Level 5 Hospital. The study had a sample sizeof 63 nurses. The study used stratified random sampling procedure to select the study sample. Primarydata was collected using questionnaire. The reliability of the instrument was high at a Cronbach’sAlpha Coefficient of 0.75. Content and constructed validity of the research instrument were tested. Thedata was analyzed using descriptive, inferential statistics and content analysis. The study establishedthat personality conflicts, intergroup conflicts and cross-cultural conflicts were the main types ofconflicts experienced in Thika Level 5 Hospital; majority of the hospital’s nurses lacked adequateconflict management skills. The workplace conflict management significantly affected the performanceof nurses in Thika Level 5 Hospital. The study recommends that the management of Thika Level 5Hospital implement frequent staff training programmes tailored towards enhancing their workplaceconflict management skills and also adopt more effective conflict handling styles such ascooperativeness, compromise and collaborative conflict management styles Similar studies should bedone in other public hospitals in the Kenya for comparison purposes and to allow for the generalizationof findings.

Evaluation of the Impact of Workplace Conflict Management on the Performance of Employees in Ghana’s Tertiary Institutions

Evaluation of the Impact of Workplace Conflict Management on the Performance of Employees in Ghana’s Tertiary Institutions

Disconnected human resource? Proximity and the (mis)management of workplace conflict

AbstractThe development of more remote sources of advice has been a notable feature of the contemporary human resource (HR) function. However, the consequences for the management of workplace conflict are largely ignored within the academic literature. This study draws on data from two qualitative studies, which examine the experiences of HR practitioners (HRPs), line managers and trade union representatives in handling and resolving conflict. It explores how different dimensions of organisational proximity shape the relationships between HRPs and other key stakeholders, and the impact of this on conflict management. The findings suggest that formal, risk averse approaches to conflict are not simply a result of geographical distance. Instead, functional specialisation has not only eroded cognitive and social proximity between HRPs, line managers and employee representatives but also within the HR function itself. This has triggered the reinforcement of bureaucratic control and embedded responses that emphasise compliance rather than resolution.

Predictors of Burnout and Depression in Surgeons Practicing in East, Central, and Southern Africa

BackgroundSurgeons are at risk of burnout and depression, which can lead to medical errors, inefficiency, exhaustion, conflicts, and suicide. Significant challenges exist in sub-Saharan Africa that may increase the prevalence of burnout and depression, but no formal evaluation has identified stressors specific to this environment. MethodsA survey was distributed to all members of the College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa (COSECSA). Burnout, depression, and stressors were assessed with validated measures: Maslach Burnout Inventory for Medical Personnel, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) 9, and Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory. ResultsThere were 131 participants (98 African and 33 non-African surgeons). The incidence of moderate to severe depression was 48% (n = 63), and the incidence of burnout was as high as 38% (n = 48). There were no significant differences between African and non-African surgeons in marital status, number of children, partners in practice, or distribution of time. More African surgeons experienced birth of a child (18% versus 3%, P = 0.04) but had less workplace conflict (7.1% versus 10.7%, P = 0.045) than non-African surgeons. African surgeons more consistently felt they were positively influencing others (P = 0.008), enjoyed working with patients (P = 0.009), and were more satisfied (P = 0.04). For all surgeons, predictors of increased PHQ-9 depression were serious professional conflict (P = 0.02), difficulty accessing childcare (P = 0.04), and racial discrimination (P = 0.003). In the Maslach model, predictors of burnout were difficulty accessing childcare (P = 0.05) and denial of promotion based on gender (P = 0.006). ConclusionsBurnout and depression in surgeons practicing in East, Central, and Southern Africa are substantial. Despite significant challenges, African surgeons tended to have a more positive outlook on their work. Improvements can be made to reduce burnout and depression by focusing on work conditions, equality of promotion opportunities, workplace conflict management, childcare support, and increasing the numbers of surgeons in practice.

Cultivating a conflict-positive workplace: How mindfulness facilitates constructive conflict management

What can organizations do to cultivate a more conflict-positive workplace? A promising line of inquiry can be found in mindfulness. This paper examines the effect of mindfulness on the constructive management of workplace conflict - conceptualized as high collaboration and low avoidance - and tests the mediating role of cognitive reappraisal. Results reveal that mindfulness facilitates constructive conflict management by increasing collaboration and reducing avoidance, showing that the advantages of mindfulness in conflict management stem from more than its benefits for affect. Results further reveal that while cognitive reappraisal explains how mindfulness increases collaboration, it does not clarify why mindfulness reduces conflict avoidance. Ultimately, this paper shows that mindfulness can be an effective tool for promoting constructive conflict management in the workplace.

Workplace Conflict Management on Staff Performance in Ghana’s Tertiary Institutions: A Study of Bolgatanga Polytechnic, Ghana

Workplace Conflict Management on Staff Performance in Ghana’s Tertiary Institutions: A Study of Bolgatanga Polytechnic, Ghana

Alternative Dispute Resolution in Ireland and the US Model

This article examines whether organizations in Ireland are following their counterparts in the United States and adopting advanced conflict management innovations inspired by alternative dispute resolution. The authors find that the general pattern in Ireland is for organizations to change conflict management practices in a reactive, piecemeal manner that seldom involves any proactive or strategic action. They also identify a small group of organizations that adopt an incremental and evolutionary approach to workplace conflict management innovation that involves changing tried-and-tested conflict management practices pragmatically over time. The article suggests that apart from the United States, all other Anglo-American countries for the most part follow the pattern of workplace conflict change occurring in Ireland.

Systems for Conflict Resolution in Comparative Perspective

A cornerstone of industrial relations theory is the idea that the potential for conflict is inherent in the employment relationship. Across countries, forms of workplace conflict and methods of conflict resolution take a range of different forms. Yet aside from attempts to understand cross-national variation in strikes, little research has examined systemic differences in the manifestation and management of workplace conflict. The authors seek to fill this void by analyzing through a comparative lens practices for addressing employment-related conflict in four countries: Germany, the United States, Italy, and Australia. In contrast to the unidimensional varieties of capitalism approach, they analyze workplace conflict resolution systems across two dimensions: collective-individual and regulated-voluntarist. The analysis also emphasizes the importance of within-country variation and interactions between different conflict resolution subsystems.

Management of Workplace Conflict

In order to survive, an organisation must focus its efforts on generating revenue in the face of competition. Sometimes the need to focus on beating the competition can get derailed by internal organizational conflict. In order to keep your employees focused on being productive and bettering the competition, it is necessary to understand the causes of organizational conflict. Conflict, if not closely checked may be the cause of the downfall of an organisation. It is therefore very important that those in leadership or management positions should make sure that conflict is handled carefully so that employees concentrate on their jobs rather than on fights.

Intercultural challenges in managing workplace conflict – a call for research

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss cultural causes of conflict in the workplace and call for research to address what happens when cultures collide generating workplace conflict. The author assumes that because cultures differ in terms of functional solutions to problems of social interaction that there will be conflict when people from different cultures are interdependent in the workplace. The author discusses types of culture and their conflict management profiles with respect to three characteristics of conflict management: direct vs indirect confrontation; emotional expression, and third party conflict management. The author proposes what happens when cultures collide and calls for research on those collisions.Design/methodology/approachApplication of the cultural literature on self-worth to three elements of workplace conflict: direct vs indirect confrontation of conflict, feelings and expressions of negative emotions associated with conflict and timing and type of third party intervention.FindingsWhen people from dignity, face, and honor cultures are working together the fundamental differences in the logic of self-worth in these three types of culture may cause conflict. People from dignity and honor cultures are likely to confront conflict directly, while those from face cultures are more likely to confront conflict indirectly. Workplace conflict generates negative emotions, but culture seems to affect whether that emotion is anger, shame or both. The timing of third party intervention into workplace conflict, that is, how managers intervene in workplace conflict has some parallels with how community mediators act in that culture.Research limitations/implicationsThere is limited research comparing management of workplace conflict in dignity, face, and honor cultures. The author generates propositions and suggests a research strategy for collecting data to test propositions.Practical implicationsUnderstanding what is culturally normative in terms of self-worth, confrontation, emotional expression, and managerial intervention can help people involved in workplace conflict understand what they are experiencing. It can also help managers intervene effectively.Social implicationsHow people react to workplace conflict varies with culture as does how managers intervene. Knowing this provides people with the first element of cultural intelligence that may help them manage conflict to facilitate a more creative and effective multicultural work environment.Originality/valueThis paper integrates theory and research from cross-cultural psychology, the psychology of emotion and the literature on third party intervention into community conflict to explain the patterns of cultural conflict and conflict management in the workplace. It also suggests what it may take to manage cultural conflict in the workplace successfully.

The Management of Workplace Conflict: Contrasting Pathways in the HRM Literature

AbstractThis paper reviews the human resource management literature on the management of workplace conflict. It suggests that workplace conflict is commonly viewed in the literature as a symptom of management failure: the notion that conflict may be intrinsic to the nature of work because employees and managers have hard‐to‐reconcile competing interests is given short‐shrift. At the same time, the paper identifies important differences in the literature, which the authors call ‘pathways’, about the best methods to manage problems at the workplace. It is argued that four contrasting pathways can be detected in the literature with regard to how organizations approach workplace conflict management practices. Each pathway is examined fully and their respective strengths and weaknesses are assessed.

Economic Citizenship and Workplace Conflict in Anglo‐American Industrial Relations Systems

AbstractThis article argues that the expansion of individual employment rights is presenting a series of challenges to the collective model of economic citizenship that prevailed in most of the Anglo‐American world during the last century. We examine developments in the management of workplace conflict in Anglo‐American countries to highlight the institutional manoeuvrings that have been taking place to mould the nature of national regimes of employment rights. We argue that Governments almost everywhere are actively seeking to create institutional regimes that weaken the impact of employment legislation and we find that statutory dispute resolution agencies are eagerly trying to develop organizational identities that are aligned with rights‐based employment disputes.

School nurse team leaders' experience and management of workplace conflict

This study aimed to explore school nurse team leads' (SNTLs) lived experience of workplace conflict, given the negative impact conflict can have, and describes measures and strategies SNTLs used to manage conflict in the workplace. The study was carried out in a London community NHS trust. A qualitative approach using phenomenological enquiry was chosen and data were collected via one-to-one semi-structured interviews. Colaizzi's seven-stage process of analysis framework was used to analyse the data (Colaizzi, 1978: cited by Omery, 1983 ). Although SNTLs' experiences were unique to each individual, commonalities were identified and were themed. Recommendations for future practice were then identified and include staff training using recognised conflict resolution styles. Clearer organisational responsibility and support to help address the substantive, procedural psychological aspects of conflict is also needed to effectively support SNTLs to manage complex and longstanding workplace conflict.

Impact of Workplace Conflict Management on Organizational Performance: A Case of Nigerian Manufacturing Firm

This study investigated the impact of workplace conflict management on organizational performance in a Nigerian manufacturing firm. Participants comprised 250 employees selected through the use of stratified random sampling technique. Data were generated through the use of validated structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze data collected from the respondents. Employing Spearman correlation analysis, the results of the empirical tests showed a significantly positive relationship between conflict management strategies (collective bargaining, compromise, and accommodation) and organizational performance. Non-integrative conflict management strategies (competition, domination and avoidance) had a negative statistically determinate effect on organizational performance. Also, the result of the regression analysis indicated that collective bargaining strategy displayed the highest significant positive correlation with organizational performance. In addition, study findings revealed that conflicts arose over multiple factors of organizational experiences based on economic and goal incompatibility orientations in the workplace. Union-management conflict was discovered as the most prevalent type of industrial conflict in the organization. The study concluded that conflict was an unavoidable phenomenon in organizational life and it could contribute to or detract from organizational performance depending on the conflict management methods adopted in the workplace.

Workplace Mediation in Ireland: Bridging the Research-Practice Gap

The purpose of this article is to present a case for the importance of research in informing mediation practice specifically in the context of the management of workplace conflict in Ireland. The position of mediation within the broader dispute-resolution framework is clarified at the outset and the core mediation process is described. The increasing use of mediation in Ireland and the changing institutional context within which it is conducted are discussed. The importance of research is stressed along with crucial methodological challenges. The paucity of workplace mediation research in Ireland is highlighted and the preliminary findings of an on-going research project are presented. The article concludes that more research into workplace mediation in Ireland is needed to inform practice in this area and to improve external perception of the legitimacy of mediation as a dispute resolution process

Conflict Resolution in the Workplace: What Will the Future Bring?

Collaborative processes to resolve conflict in the workplace have permeated organizations in North America over the past thirty years. Mediation and arbitration processes made the earliest inroads in organizations, joined more recently by conflict coaching and organizational ombudsry. Concurrently, law schools and other graduate schools expanded their alternative dispute resolution (ADR) offerings and conflict resolution programs. This article charts the trends in workplace conflict management and ADR education and proposes where the field may be heading in the coming years. The authors note growing demand for workplace mediation, coaching, and ombuds offices, and they call for broader adoption of integrated conflict management systems.