Workplace Conflict Resolution Research Articles

Communication skills training: a quantitative systematic review

Purpose Organizational leaders value effective communication in employees, but ineffective communication persists (Peart, 2019). Communication Skills Training (CST) programs often face time and engagement constraints (Wright et al., 2006), necessitating increased resources for improvement. This study investigates the fields in which communication skills are examined and the research methods used. Given past training-communication associations, it explores CST programs' positive impact through experimental research (Bakker & van Wingerden, 2021). The study aims to enhance CST research by providing insights into effective training methods for facilitators and practitioners. Design/methodology/approach This systematic literature review examines CST's effectiveness in improving employee communication outcomes and identifying key factors. It highlights the importance of communication training, provides insights into existing research, and identifies areas for future investigation. As communication training is not context-specific, a comprehensive understanding of its effectiveness is necessary. This review establishes a foundational framework to support the creation of impactful training programs. Findings This research reaffirms the importance of Communication Skills Training (CST) in enhancing key competencies such as communication competence, self-efficacy, and empathy for workplace success, benefiting collaboration, conflict resolution, and problem-solving. It provides a foundational understanding of CST's impact, serving as a resource for researchers, trainers, and leaders, while also emphasizing the need for further research, including larger experiments, diverse skill sets, and long-term assessment. In our digital age, exploring contemporary skills, including digital communication, is essential for comprehensive training. The systematic categorization of skills into intrapersonal and interactional dimensions ensures consistency and supports in-depth analysis. Originality/value To address the broad range, outcome skills were categorized as intrapersonal or interactional, excluding the behavioral aspect concerning societal improvement. Leveraging Zimmerman's (1995) empowerment theory to enhance focus, this framework provides value for diverse CST research outcomes. Intrapersonal encompassed self-views, like self-efficacy and knowledge, while interactional involved understanding and aligning exchanges with personal goals. This categorization enhances research clarity and effectiveness by systematically understanding how these skills are related.

Changing face of public agencies in workplace conflict resolution: A six country study

AbstractThis six‐country study includes examination of the institutional context in which public agencies for conflict resolution operate; the internal and external pressures for change in the activities of these agencies, including the shift from collective to individual forms of workplace conflict; the extent to which the changes being introduced are altering the traditional organizational character or culture of these bodies; and the effects of the pandemic on how public agencies involved in conflict resolution carry out their work.

Leadership and innovation by professionals: The changing face of public workplace conflict resolution in Ireland

AbstractSince the early 1990s public dispute resolution in Ireland has undergone significant reform. The paper examines external and internal pressures for the reform of conflict resolution in Ireland and reveals the key roles played by senior public servants and conflict management professionals in a system where politics and political divisions had little effect on the reform process.

Workplace Conflict Resolution through Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Workplace Conflict Resolution through Emotional Intelligence (EI)

Achieving business excellence through workplace conflict resolution: using emotional intelligence as an effective tool

Achieving business excellence through workplace conflict resolution: using emotional intelligence as an effective tool

Emotional Intelligence and Workplace Conflict Resolution: The Case of Secondary Education Teachers in Greece

The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and conflict resolution among secondary education teachers in Greece. The research sample consists of 130 high schools’ teachers in Greece. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, concerning teachers’ working environment, their behavior during workplace conflicts as well as their emotional intelligence and were analyzed using descriptive and inductive statistics. The statistical analyses have revealed that the main reason for workplace conflicts in secondary schools is the existence of informal groups. In addition, emotional intelligence seem to have a direct relationship with conflict resolution styles, while a negative relationship between emotional intelligence and the frequency of involvement in workplace conflicts is observed. Furthermore, it was found that holding a position of responsibility does not play a significant role in conflict resolution style adoption. The research results show that the solution-oriented method is the most popular amongst the other conflict resolution styles. Last, it was found that the average score of emotional intelligence among the respondents was high.

Achieving business excellence through workplace conflict resolution: using Emotional Intelligence (EI) as an effective tool

The purpose of the present study is to gain a conceptual understanding of the role of emotions and emotional intelligence in conflict formation and resolution at the workplace. Organisational envir...

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.

Workplace Mediation: An Irish Study

This paper presents the results of the first systematic study of workplace mediators in Ireland. It examines the characteristics and features of workplace mediation using a mixed methods study. The research identified, for the first time, the active population of workplace mediators in Ireland. Mediation entered the workplace conflict resolution lexicon from 2002-2004 at the ‘macro-level’ of State policy; at the ‘meso-level’ through the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland, and at the ‘micro-level’ of organisations. Findings are based on qualitative data obtained from six focus groups, with 25 participants, seven interviews with internal mediation service coordinators and an officer of the Workplace Relations Commission. Quantitative data were obtained from a survey of 144 workplace mediators. The findings are consistent with the claims of the literature in a number of areas and advances knowledge in the emerging theoretical domain of workplace mediation in a number of ways. It shows that as workplace mediation has developed to address more individual conflict issues inside organisations, the ‘three-stage mediation process’ identified in in the literature is more commonly a ‘six-stage’ process in practice. Workplace mediators in Ireland are ‘general practitioners’, often combining workplace mediation with a number of other professional activities, as well as ‘stylistically eclectic’ in their practice. Three out of four workplace mediators adopt a short-term focus on process which achieves outcomes primarily relevant to participants in mediation. Only one in four workplace mediators engage in practices that influence long-term organisational outcomes such as changes in working environments or capacity-building in conflict resolution skills.

While Plaintiffs' Lawyers Strategize, the Supreme Court's Strong Backing Likely Will Grow Mandatory Processes

The conflict over workplace conflict resolution is officially over. For now.

Workplace conflict resolution in Wales: The unexpected prevalence of alternative dispute resolution

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) practices are increasingly being viewed as an improved way of resolving workplace conflict. Much of the empirical literature focuses on the spread of ADR amongst US organizations with little evidence of such approaches having crossed the Atlantic. This article presents new survey evidence that examines the extent to which ADR has been adopted as a strategy to resolve different forms of conflict by Welsh firms in the UK. The factors that impact upon the diffusion of ADR are also analysed. The article finds that in contrast to earlier research, ADR is widespread amongst Welsh firms, irrespective of how broadly ADR is defined. The presence of institutional actors such as specialist HR managers and recognized trade unions are found to be positively associated with more private forms of ADR.

Development, implementation and evaluation of a process to prevent and combat workplace bullying.

Our objective was to develop and implement an intervention program in collaboration with workplace personnel, to evaluate the process as a vehicle to prevent and combat bullying. The project emanates from a community-based participatory approach. We obtained data from individual and focus group interviews. We used grounded theory methodology, and made a comparative analysis before and after the intervention. Focus group interviews at the three first meetings indicated that those best positioned to prevent and combat bullying were the immediate supervisors, in collaboration with co-workers and upper management. The goal of zero tolerance toward bullying can be achieved if all concerned work together, using a humanistic value system, an open workplace atmosphere, group collaboration and conflict resolution. We developed an intervention, including lecturers and reflection groups, which ultimately resulted in an action plan. Focus group interviews at the fourth meeting, after the implementation, showed that employees were then more aware of bullying problems; the atmosphere at the workplace improved; the collaboration between and within the group was stronger; and the supervisor worked continuously to prevent and combat bullying, using the humanistic values suggested. We propose additional systematic work to implement our action plan and a conflict resolution system. The anti-bullying program implementation in the workplace achieved some success, but the intervention process is ongoing.

Conflict resolution styles in the nursing profession

Background: Managers, including those in nursing environments, may spend much of their time addressing employee conflicts. If not handled properly, conflict may significantly affect employee morale, increase turnover, and even result in litigation, ultimately affecting the overall well-being of the organization. A clearer understanding of the factors that underlie conflict resolution styles could lead to the promotion of better management strategies. Objective: The aim of this research was to identify the predominant conflict resolution styles used by a sample of Spanish nurses in two work settings, academic and clinical, in order to determine differences between these environments. The effects of employment level and demographic variables were explored as well. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional survey study. Participants: Our sample consisted of professional nurses in Madrid, Spain, who worked in either a university setting or a clinical care setting. Within each of these environments, nurses worked at one of three levels: full professor, assistant professor, or scholarship professor in the academic setting; and nursing supervisor, registered staff nurse, or nursing assistant in the clinical setting. Methods: Conflict resolution style was examined using the standardized Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, a dual-choice questionnaire that assesses a respondent’s predominant style of conflict resolution. Five styles are defined: accommodating, avoiding, collaborating, competing, and compromising. Participants were asked to give answers that characterized their dominant response in a conflict situation involving either a superior or a subordinate. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine the relationship between workplace setting and conflict resolution style. Results: The most common style used by nurses overall to resolve workplace conflict was compromising, followed by competing, avoiding, accommodating, and collaborating. There was a significant overall difference in styles between nurses who worked in an academic vs. a clinical setting (p = 0.005), with the greatest difference seen for the accommodating style. Of those nurses for whom accommodation was the primary style, 83% worked in a clinical setting compared to just 17% in an academic setting. Conclusion: Further examination of the difference in conflict-solving approaches between academic and clinical nursing environments might shed light on etiologic factors, which in turn might enable nursing management to institute conflict management interventions that are tailored to specific work environments and adapted to different employment levels. This research increases our understanding of preferred approaches to handling conflict in nursing organizations.

Perspective Taking, Empathy, and Relational Conflict at Work: An Investigation Among Participants in a Workplace Conflict Resolution Program

Evidence for an intriguing pattern has recently emerged, that of higher-empathy individuals — who have shown prosocial and self-sacrificing behaviour in other contexts (Batson, 1991; Batson & Ahmad, 2001) — becoming retaliatory under threat, such that joint resources are destroyed and conflict escalates (Gilin Oore, Maddux, & Galinsky, 2008). We investigate this phenomenon by contrasting how trait perspective taking and empathy may restrain versus escalate conflict, respectively. Perceptions of relational conflict were reported by health care workers seeking services (including education, coaching, mediation) through a conflict training and resolution program. Preliminary results (n=64; data collection still in progress) replicate the expected patterns of empathy-escalation versus perspective taking-restraint under threat: Workers reported significantly higher relational conflict the higher their empathy levels, with negative emotions — a proxy for emotionality — trending toward mediation of the effect. In contrast, higher perspective takers showed lower relational conflict perceptions, mediated by cognitive flexibility. We develop hypotheses to guide future research regarding how empathizing with others may ironically lead to greater conflict escalation under threatening or distressing circumstances.

Workplace conflict resolution in Australia: the dominance of the public dispute resolution framework and the limited role of ADR

This article assesses the effectiveness of the legal and institutional framework for workplace conflict resolution in Australia. Given the minimal role played by alternative dispute resolution (ADR) providers historically and presently, the article focuses on the role of Fair Work Australia (FWA) as the pivotal conflict resolution body under the Labor Government's Fair Work system. FWA's origins, functions, powers and processes under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) are closely analysed, along with its various dispute resolution roles. These arrangements carry on a long Australian tradition of resolving employment and workplace disputes through public agencies. The article then considers the extent to which parties have been utilising various forms of ADR, the failed experiment with ADR under the former (Coalition) Government's Work Choices laws and the scope that remains for the use of ADR under the Fair Work Act. A brief comment is made upon the lack of attention that has been given to dispute prevention in Australia. This article concludes that, despite this gap, the Australian scheme of workplace conflict resolution has many positive features. It compares favourably internationally on a range of measures of effective dispute resolution systems, including accessibility, efficiency, expertise, impartiality, fairness, and its contribution to social change.

Conflict Resolution Handbook - Managing Violence and Aggression in the WorkplaceConflict Resolution Handbook - Managing Violence and Aggression in the Workplace

Conflict Resolution Handbook - Managing Violence and Aggression in the WorkplaceConflict Resolution Handbook - Managing Violence and Aggression in the Workplace

Managing neutrality and impartiality in workplace conflict resolution: The dilemma of the HR manager

The interaction between conflict management and ethics in organisations occurs in a web of power relations, organisational structures and the often conflicting objectives of organisational competitiveness and workplace justice. Human resource management (HRM) policies and practices have been pivotal in managing this interface. Key to the role of the HR manager is the management of conflict and delivery of justice in workplace decision making. We argue that ethical decision making to resolve conflict is challenged by the inherent nature of HRM. First, we note that in an environment driven by the need for efficiency, the HR manager is expected to perform a range of roles, particularly that of 'strategic partner' which can be at odds with its 'employee champion' role. Second, as someone who represents the firm, the HR manager cannot be considered a neutral mediator of conflicts between other workplace members. These tensions in the HR manager's role raise ethical questions that arise in the course of negotiation and dispute resolution. We commence with a discussion of workplace justice and the concepts of neutrality and impartiality. We argue while pursuing neutrality might have a shorter term goal of supporting managerial or organisational objectives, longer term goals, particularly those which enhance workplace justice, are likely to be afforded through the exercise of impartiality informed by an ethical code.

Workplace conflict resolution and the health of employees in the Swedish and Finnish units of an industrial company

New patterns of working, the globalisation of production and the introduction of information technologies are changing the way we work. This new working environment has eliminated some risks whilst introducing others. The importance of the psychosocial working environment for the health of employees is now well documented, but the effects of managerial style have received relatively little attention. Yet management is an increasingly important aspect of companies’ policies. In this paper, we examine the relationship between conflict management in the workplace and self-reported measures of stress, poor general health, exhaustion and sickness absence due to overstrain or fatigue. Our sample consists of non-supervisory employees ( N=9309) working in the Swedish and Finnish plants of a multinational forestry company who were surveyed in 2000. Bivariate analyses show that those who report that differences are resolved through discussion are least likely to report stress, poor general health, exhaustion or sickness absence. Those who report that authority is used or that no attempts are made to resolve differences have quite similar rates across all measures. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed for all health outcomes controlling for age, sex, occupational group, job complexity, job autonomy and support from superiors. Results show significantly lower likelihoods of reporting stress, poor general health, exhaustion or sickness absence amongst employees who report that differences of opinion are resolved through discussion compared to those who report that no attempts are made. No significant differences were found between those who reported that differences were resolved through use of authority and subjects in the ‘no attempt’ category. These results suggest that the workplace conflict resolution is important in the health of employees in addition to traditional psychosocial work environment risk factors.

The Rhetoric and Reality of Workplace Alternative Dispute Resolution

Three dilemmas emerging from the critical literature on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) were explored in this study of workplace conflict resolution. The study found that most practitioners and industrial relations experts surveyed believed that ADR practitioners would take measures to circumvent the dilemmas, should they arise. These measures include applying appropriate standards and laws to ADR decisions; balancing power between disputants; and not exercising bias in order to obtain future work. In other words, the skills and attributes of ADR practitioners were represented by the surveyed population as being vital to delivering key qualities of ADR such as fairness and independence. However, three case studies of workplace mediation demonstrated that these normative traits were not met by the reality of ADR practice. The study raises training and accreditation issues for workplace ADR practitioners and questions the quality of workplace justice for disputants.

Unionism and employment conflict resolution: Rethinking collective voice and its consequences

IX. Conclusions and Overall Assessment The central proposition advanced by FM today, less than one in eight private sector workers belongs to a union. But while F&M and, later, Freeman and Rogers (1999), attributed the decline in unionization to employer/management opposition and weak labor law, some of this decline can be attributed to worker resistance. Such resistance may stem, in turn and following F&M, from recognition of the net negative consequences of unionism's monopoly face, but also, and contrary to F&M, from recognition of the net negative consequences of unionism's collective voice/response face. If workers judged unions' voice response face, in particular, grievance procedures, to be effective in redressing worker grievances, more union workers would likely remain union members and more unorganized workers would join unions — even in the “face” of employer opposition. While there is little question that there are widely varying types of real-world employment relationships or that unions are best suited to protecting worker interests in certain of these (usually highly adversarial) relationships, the fact that workers as a whole decreasingly choose to become union members suggests that they do not perceive union voice to be effective in redressing deteriorated employment relationships or to be more effective in this respect than nonunion voice options. Such reasoning is consistent with the picture sketched in this paper — a different picture from that forwarded by F&M — of unionism and grievance procedures as largely reactive, adversarial-oriented mechanisms for dealing with workplace conflict resolution, especially in a pluralist, mixed-motive type of employment relationship.