dissertation on conflict management

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Conflict Resolution Masters Theses

Theses/dissertations from 2022 2022.

The Rise of Neo-Fascist Populism and Islamophobia in the West , Mohamed Tawfiq Said Tabib

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Competing Narratives: the Struggle for the Soul of Egypt , Ahmed El Mansouri

Trailblazing Transformation: Pioneering Transformative Peacebuilding in Academic Labor Conflicts , Sam Frazier Hediger

The Rise of Mono-Ethnic Religious Nationalism in Myanmar and Its Impacts on the Security Situation of the South Asian Region , S M Anisuz Zaman

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Explaining the Sectarian Violence in the Middle East: a Conflict Analysis of the Case Study of Saudi Arabia and Iran , Ahmed Elsayed Eltally

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

The Impact of the Refugee Crisis on the European Union , Andreea Elena Galan

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

What is the Nature of the Conflict Experienced by Japanese Workers in International Companies Based in Japan and What Type of Conflict Management Do They Access? , Tomoko Shinohara Le

The Function of Religion in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict , Stephanie Claire Mitchell

Holocaust, Memory, Second-Generation, and Conflict Resolution , Leslie O'Donoghue

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

National Security, Mass Surveillance, and Citizen Rights under Conditions of Protracted Warfare , Krystal Lynn Conniry

Intrastate Armed Conflict and Peacebuilding in Nepal: An Assessment of the Political and Economic Agency of Women , Gyanu Gautam Luintel

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Nationalism in United States Foreign Policy in the Post 9/11 Era , Chris W. Baum

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

The Impact of Economic Integration within the European Union as a Factor in Conflict Transformation and Peace-Building , John Umo Ette

Dialogue in Identity-Based Conflict (Study of Intergroup-Dialogue with University Students) , Lisha Shrestha

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Music and Conflict Resolution: Can a Music and Story Centered Workshop Enhance Empathy? , Parfait Adegboyé Bassalé

Postwar Reconstruction in Liberia: The Participation and Recognition of Women in Politics in Liberia , Roland Tuwea Clarke

Why Occupy?: Principal Reasons for Participant Involvement in Occupy Portland , Danielle Filecia

Here, We Are Walking on a Clothesline: Statelessness and Human (In)Security Among Burmese Women Political Exiles Living in Thailand , Elizabeth Hooker

Cultural Behavior in Post-Urbanized Brazil: The Cordial Man and Intrafamilial Conflict , Thais La Rosa

Track I Diplomacy and Civil Society in Cyprus: Reconciliation and Peacebuilding During Negotiations , Elicia Keren Reed

Conflict Resolution in Islam: Document Review of the Early Sources , Flamur Vehapi

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Perceptions and Voices of South Sudanese About the North-South Sudan Conflict , Machar Wek Aleu-Baak

The Challenges and Opportunities of Immigrant Integration: A Study of Turkish Immigrants in Germany , Matthew Franklin Clark

Perceptions of Peacebuilding and Multi-Track Collaboration in Divided Societies for a Sustainable Peace Agreement at the Political Level: A Case Study of Cyprus , Brooke Patricia Galloway

Conflict-Conditioned Communication: A Case Study of Communicative Relations between the United States and Iran from 2005-2008 , Erin Leigh McKee

The Cultural Barriers to Integration of Second Generation Muslims in Northern Italy , Joseph Anthony Migliore

Through the Eyes of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots: The Perception of Cyprus , Mary N. Olin

Countering Structural Violence: Cultivating an Experience of Positive Peace , Carrie E. Stiles

Poverty and Conflict: A Self-Perpetuating Cycle in the Somali Regional State (Region 5), Ethiopia: 1960-2010 , Bisrat Teshome

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

The Creative Use of Dance/Movement Therapy Processes to Transform Intrapersonal Conflicts Associated with Sexual Trauma in Women , Emily Fern Dayton

Music and Conflict Resolution: Exploring the Utilization of Music in Community Engagement , Mindy Kay Johnston

Between Non-intervention and Protection: A study on the case of Darfur and the Responsibility to Protect , David Ryan Lucas

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

'Conflict Analysis:' Exploring the Role of Kuwait in Mediation in the Middle East , Abdullah R. Al Saleh

Red de Salud -- Network of health : structural violence, exclusion and inclusion in Venezuela , Steven John Bates

Sex Work and Moral Conflict: Enhancing the Quality of Public Discourse Using Photovoice Method , Crystal Renee Tenty

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Islamophobia and the U.S. Media , Michelle Maria Nichole Diamond

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

An Examination of Conflict Conversation in an Online Community: the Pie Fight at DailyKos.com , Samantha Isabella Soma

Theses/Dissertations from 2000 2000

Mediator Personality Type and Perceived Conflict Goals in Workplace Mediation: A Study of Shared Neutrals , Karin Alayne Waller

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The full dissertations of the PhD in International Conflict Management alumni may be found at KSU Digital Commons .

"Modeling Peacekeeping: The Case of Canada Examined" (2015)

By: Senai Abraha

This research introduced a comprehensive model for explaining why countries participate in peacekeeping by studying Canada’s peacekeeping decisions. The history of Canadian peacekeeping since 1947 presented an ideal case because of the significant fluctuation in its involvement from being a leading peacekeeper to a token contributor. It adopted Waltz’s schema to explain this fluctuation at the systemic, domestic, and individual levels of analyses. Most of the literature on Canadian peacekeeping decisions employed systemic level analyses such as national interest and international cooperation without taking into account the impact of domestic political and socioeconomic environment, and the role of leadership personality in peacekeeping decisions. This study tipped this imbalance by assessing the role of public opinion and leadership personality on Canadian peacekeeping decisions using a mixed research method. The evidence on public opinion showed that, with the exception of the Trudeau and Mulroney administrations, other Canadian governments didn’t consult public opinion in making peacekeeping decisions. Subsequently, the results on leadership personality indicated that Prime Ministers exhibiting personality traits associated with peaceful foreign policy did not commit greater number of peacekeepers than the Prime Ministers who did not reflect those attributes. The study concluded that Canadian peacekeeping decision is best understood by analyzing the dynamic interaction between the Cold War and the war on terror at the systemic level, the budget deficit and national unity at the domestic level, and the personality of Canada’s leaders at the individual level.

"Assets or Liabilities? Civil Society Organizations and Peacebuilding in Bawku East Municipality of Ghana" (2014)

By: Joseph Kingsley Adjei

Numerous studies have argued that civil society organizations (CSOs) have positive effects on society, an argument often defended by reference to the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in promoting development, labor solidarity, democratic accountability, and post-materialist causes in the developing world. Contemporary scholarship is strongly committed to the idea that CSOs play a strongly positive role in facilitating democracy and development. Today, CSOs are actively engaged in every sector of conflict management and development. From pre-conflict, conflict, to post-conflict phases of societal disintegration and rebuilding, CSOs deliver essential services, lobby the power system, advocate on behalf of the marginalized and monitor human rights abuses. Because they come in all capabilities and persuasions and operate at every layer of the social system, CSOs have far reaching effects on expanding peace consolidation activities in general, and strengthening peacebuilding processes in particular. Conversely, critics of CSOs posit that excessive group mobilization aggravates social tensions and can delegitimize a functional state; that CSOs’ direct connection with the state can usurp the state’s moral imperative to govern in times of crisis and promote inefficient governance; and that CSOs can produce cleavage structures, creating organizations that are subversive, radical, seditious, insurgent, and revolutionary. CSOs have further been accused of inflaming genocidal proclivities that divide societies. Against the backdrop of these diametrically opposed views about CSOs, this dissertation evaluates CSOs’ peacebuilding activities in the context of the protracted conflict between the Kusasi and Mamprusi ethnic groups in Bawku East Municipality (BEM) in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The study asked the question: Were CSOs assets or liabilities? If they were assets, they would use their seven traditional functions of protection, advocacy, monitoring, socialization, social cohesion, facilitation, and service delivery to mitigate the effects of the conflict and bring about peace in BEM. On the other hand, if they were liabilities, then they would exacerbate the conflict. The study focuses on CSOs because in spite of the establishment of a military base in BEM in 1983 coupled with a police post in the center of Bawku, the conflict occurred and recurred from the 1950s to the late 2000s. The role of government in peacebuilding had also been minimal because of its perceived complicity in the conflict. The proliferation of CSOs and their peacebuilding activities between 2008 and 2013 therefore provides a viable option for evaluating their impact.

The study uses a concurrent mixed methods approach, comprising interviews, focus group discussions, and survey instruments. Data was sourced from both international and local CSOs and participants from the BEM population. The study triangulates these sets of data in its analysis using the “before” (2008) and “after” (2013) framework. Among others, the study finds that the CSOs contributed positively to the peacebuilding process between 2008 and 2013, the focus of the study: they facilitated dialogue and improved relationships between Kusasis and Mamprusis, rehabilitated infrastructure and built new ones, among other activities that reduced tension in BEM and reinvigorated the society to normal life. This made them assets, and not liabilities. The study concludes, on the strength of evidence adduced from the data, that the positive impact of CSOs on BEM was complemented by the security services and the receptive posture of the population.

"A Preventive Approach to Post-Election Conflicts in Contemporary Africa" (2014)

By: Edoh Agbehonou

In this dissertation the author hypothesizes that (H1): In Africa, countries that use majoritarian electoral systems are more likely to experience post-election conflicts than are countries that use proportional electoral systems, (H2): In Africa, countries that use majoritarian electoral systems are more likely to experience post-election conflicts than are countries that use mixed electoral systems, and (H3): In Africa, countries that use mixed electoral systems are more likely to experience post-election conflicts than are countries that use proportional electoral systems.

These hypotheses are tested by using both primary qualitative and secondary quantitative data analyses in order to answer the research question: "In Africa, why do some countries tend to experience post-election conflict while others do not?" This dissertation focuses on the first twenty years (1990-2010) of the move to democracy in Africa. With elections as the unit of analysis, and using the dataset on African electoral violence and the Cingranelli-Richards (CIRI) Human Rights dataset, this dissertation uses a most different systems design on six countries included in the Afrobarometer studies: Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Togo, and Senegal. Among these six countries, Ghana and Togo use a majoritarian electoral system, Benin and Guinea-Bissau use a proportional representation electoral system, and Guinea and Senegal use a mixed electoral system.

The findings indicate that reforming the electoral system to accommodate the needs of the populace in countries with frequent electoral conflicts is the one way not only to cope with current post-election conflicts, but also to help prevent future ones. To be more specific, the author recommends that proportional representation systems are the best tools to help prevent and mitigate post-election conflicts in Africa. Other implications include, but are not limited to, identifying ways to help promote substantive and representative democracies in Africa based on the findings of both the quantitative and qualitative phases of the study.

"Conflict Behaviors: Culture, Gender, and Religiosity as Predictors for Conflict Management Styles Among First and Second-Generation Arab Muslim Immigrants in the United States" (2015)

By: Jamil Al Wekhian

Multiple studies have shown that culture, religiosity, and gender influence people’s behavior in managing their conflict; however, there has been little investigation of the impact of the acculturation process on these variables utilized by Arab-Muslim immigrants in the United States. My study follows a sequential explanatory model with a mixed methods approach, and specifically explores the conflict management styles utilized by first and second-generation Arab-Muslim immigrants in the U.S. and how their culture, gender, and religiosity contribute to these processes. Data was collected by conducting 257 online surveys and 24 face-to-face semi-structured interviews, with the sample population stemming from the Arab-Muslim communities in Columbia, St. Louis, and Kansas City, Missouri. Binary logistic regression and Chi-square tests were used to analyze this quantitative data through SPSS.

The resulting analysis showed that first-generation immigrants tended to be more collectivistic, have a higher level of religiosity, and utilize a wider variety of conflict management styles including obliging, compromising, integrating and avoiding. Second-generation immigrants were more likely to have a lower level of religiosity and were more likely to utilize the dominating conflict management style for managing their interpersonal conflicts. In addition, gender had a significant relationship only with the avoiding conflict management style, while level of religiosity had a significant relationship with the obliging, compromising, integrating, and dominating conflict management styles. Finally, culture had a significant predictive relationship with integrating and avoiding conflict management styles.

In this sequential explanatory model, more weight was given to the quantitative phase; however, the face-to-face semi-structured interviews enhanced the understanding of the overall trends in conflict management style preferences of first and second generation Arab-Muslim immigrants when trying to manage their interpersonal conflicts. While this study establishes predictive relationships between gender, culture, and religiosity with utilization of the various conflict management styles, other studies should be conducted to better understand the implications of these relationships.

" Immigration-Related Identity Markers and Well-Being in Academia: Perceptions of Conflict at Work and Life Satisfaction Among Foreign-Born Professors in the United States " (2017)

By: Elena Gheorghiu

Although immigrant professionals contribute significantly to the American economy, their processes of adaptation to the host country and integration into work departments has not been sufficiently examined. Based on a survey of 241 immigrant professors in the United States, the current study sought to reveal how immigration-related identity markers, that is acculturation strategy adopted and migrant personality, impact the levels of private life satisfaction, work satisfaction, and perceptions of conflict at work. Results of Ordinary Least Squares regression analyses revealed that maintaining a balance between original cultural values and local ones, as well as scoring towards the lower-end of the migrant personality continuum are associated with increased levels of well-being and decreased perceptions of conflict at work. Contrary, maintaining original cultural values without integrating the local ones, as well as scoring high on the migrant personality continuum are associated with low levels of well-being and heightened perceptions of conflict at work. These findings may inform policy makers and scholars of conflict about the issues inherent in the acculturation process of foreign employees, and may help craft interventions that minimize the negative effects of cultural identity-based conflicts.

“Perilous Decisions Humanitarian Security and Risk Management in a Complex World” (2016)

By: Amanda Guidero

For the past 20 years, attacks against humanitarian staff have drawn increasing attention in the media and among academics and practitioners. Recently, high profile attacks against organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières in Syria and Afghanistan have underscored the insecurity confronting humanitarian organizations. While most attention has focused on how external actors have increasingly targeted humanitarian organizations, few studies have examined the security decision-making processes within organizations. This research addresses the gap in the literature on humanitarian security decision-making by focusing on the internal dynamics that influence security related decisions. The research develops and applies the Organizational Security Risk Management Model based on theories of organizational decision-making in order to assess how certain behavioral and organizational characteristics influence decisions related to security management. The research identifies individual factors that seem to affect decision-makers’ perceptions and framing of security issues and describes and explains how organizations categorize and manage risk. The results indicate that organizational characteristics (funding source, size, structure, and mandate) affect strategic, tactical, and operational decisions such as the rigidity of policies, the role of the security manager or advisor, and level of autonomy in the field. Furthermore, the results indicate that decision-makers (security managers and advisors) often share similar backgrounds, such as exposure to a natural or manmade disaster as well as some affiliation with the United Nations, which likely shaped their views on security management. The results also suggest that organizations use similar processes to assess risks, but decisions to mitigate the various risks can transfer those risks recipients and local partners. The results also show how organizations in differing situations with varying levels of complexity can arrive at similar decisions.

"From the Creeks to the Community: The Reintegration of Ex-combatants in Nigeria’s Niger Delta" (2016)

By: Maureen Erinne Kperogi

Nigeria’s Niger Delta region was beset by several decades of communal turmoil when combatants took up arms against the government and oil companies to protest decades of neglect of the region. These conflicts eased in 2009 when the Federal Government of Nigeria instituted an amnesty program that involved disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DD&R) of combatants. This dissertation explores the dynamics and challenges of the process of reintegrating ex-combatants involved in the Niger Delta insurrection into mainstream society and community members’ involvement in the reintegration of the ex-combatants. It uses case study research. Interviews, focus group discussions, and observations were conducted among ex-combatants and community members in Okrika, and among the Presidential Amnesty Program administrators in Abuja. The dissertation isolates and examines the form, nature, and peculiarities of the reintegration process of ex-combatants in Okrika town, a major, symbolic hub of Niger Delta resistance. A review of the literature finds three types of reintegration: economic, social, and political. The study finds that ex-combatants in Okrika experienced more success social and political reintegration, but had the least success with economic reintegration. The study uses the Human Needs Theory (HNT), expounded by John Burton, to argue that unmet needs—that are non-negotiable— are the primary causes of protracted and intractable conflict and that in order for ex-combatants to fully reintegrate into the community, their human needs must be met. Government’s monthly reinsertion stipends were not only insufficient, the social stigma of ex-combatants’ past violent activities hurt their employability. However, the broad acceptance of these ex-combatants into the social and cultural fabric of the society extends and complicates the disciplinary conversation on DR&R. Given that this study is an in-depth investigation of one Niger Delta community, it is recommended that similar studies be replicated all over the Niger Delta to establish a coherent pattern of the form and content of government reintegration program.

"Deciding to Fight: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Decision-Making in Conflict" (2013)

By: Rebecca LeFebvre

Does culture matter in decision-making? Existing literature largely assumes that the cognitive processes that inform decision-making are universally applicable, while only very few studies indicate that cultural norms and values shape cognitive processes. Using a survey based quasi-experiment, I examine cross-country differences in cultural traits and decision-making processes among undergraduate students in the U.S. and Ghana. A comparison between the groups shows the constraining impact of culture at three levels: individual, societal, and situated. At an individual level, those who are more collectivist are more dependent in their decision-making. At a societal level, students from a collectivist society (Ghana) are more likely to protect the interests of their inner social identity groups, and students from an individualist society (U.S.) are more likely to make group decisions based on perceived merit. At a situated level, a feeling of familiarity with the setting of the conflict situation tends to produce more cooperative decisions. The quasi-experimental survey is carried over into a third sample of Ghanaian peace professionals from a peacekeeping training center. While Ghanaian students demonstrate a more ethnocentric response and a reluctance to go outside of their social in-group for help, the more experienced Ghanaian peacekeepers consider problem solutions that would involve out-group members. This reflects a unique and less ethnocentric approach in the experienced peacekeeping community that overcomes cultural constraints and produces more effective conflict resolution practices.

"Building Social Capital in the Global Security Context: A Study at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies" (2014)

By: Eliza Markley

Existing literature features no academic research on social capital in the security environment. However, social capital is relevant for the current global security context because it has the capability of building cooperation based on trust and shared values. This project defines social capital in the global security context as the social and professional networks - based on shared experience, norms and values, and mutual trust - that facilitate cooperation of security professionals for future benefits. This research explores how, whether and the extent to which international education at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies (MC) develops social capital among international security professionals. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, this study found that international education and shared experiences at the MC 1) foster social and professional networks that are used as capital to increase inter-agency and international cooperation; 2) facilitate the development of interpersonal and category-based trust; 3) contribute to participants’ awareness of and adherence to democratic values and norms; 4) increase intercultural communication and competence and 5) result in the application of acquired values, norms, and practices in the home countries of participants.

“Conflict Early Warning and The Response Nexus: The Case of the African Union—Continental Early Warning System” (2016)

By: Makda Maru

The African Union (AU) established the Continental Early Warning System (CEWS) in 2008 to identify escalating conflicts before they turned violent. Several studies underscore that early warning signals are not always translated into prompt response decisions. This study asks: When do conflict early warnings lead to early response decisions in the African Union’s Continental Early Warning System (AU-CEWS)? This question has not yet been addressed comprehensively in the literature through the use of empirical data. To address the gap, I test three hypotheses derived from political will and organizational culture theories. These hypotheses are: (H1) early warning leads to early response decisions if the organizational culture in the AU-CEWS encourages involvement and adapts to external challenges; (H2) political will affects early response decision-making in the AU-CEWS; and (H3) the conflict early warning indicators formulated by the AU-CEWS were developed in a depoliticized manner to permit effective early response decisions. I employed thematic analysis of semi-structured interview with 30 experts and decision-makers while referring to pertinent secondary data. I also used process tracing to assess the political willingness of AU-CEWS to respond to the current conflict in Burundi. Analysis of political will indicates that decision-makers were reluctant to discuss early warning signals of powerful African countries, struggled to put continental welfare over national interests, and lacked authority to impose decisions on member states. The organizational culture of the AUCEWS shows some factors that facilitate early response decisions, but at the same time, it has other factors that limit effective early response decision-making. The consensus based decision-making process within the AU Peace and Security Council facilitates full engagement of the decision-makers. However, AU-CEWS’ limited interaction between decision-makers and conflict early warning experts, hierarchical organizational structure, and the absence of a formal structure to bring early warning into the decision-making process limited the effective flow of early warning information to the decision-makers. Regarding depoliticization, my study shows that the early warning indicators were developed in a technical manner, which limits subjectivity or bias. The use of existing legal instruments as a base to identify conflict early warning indicators, however, partially, and perhaps inevitably, politicizes the conflict early warning indicators. The AU-CEWS has made creditable strides to prevent conflict in Africa, but it needs more political will, a more conducive organizational culture, and the depoliticization of its indicators and analyses, to create a more robust and successful early warning-response nexus. Overall, my research findings indicate that conflict early warning signals make a difference only if they are converted into early response. Effective conflict early response, on the other hand, is guaranteed when decision makers prioritize early response above political interest, when there is a structure to bring conflict early warnings timely and directly to decision-makers, and when the very indicators of conflicts are developed in a depoliticized and technical manner. Early warning institutions should underscore the fact that social factors (political will, organizational culture, and depoliticized warning signals) which guarantee conflict early response decisions remain as indispensable as technical and material capability needed to gather early warning signals.

THE INCLUSION OF WOMEN’S ISSUES IN PEACE NEGOTIATION AGREEMENTS: GUATEMALA, EL SALVADOR, AND COLOMBIA (2018)

By: Natalia F. Meneses

Armed conflict and its consequences do not discriminate according to gender. It affects all people. During an armed conflict, women are the majority of civilian victims: they are forcibly displaced, their family members are killed, and they suffer sexual abuse and torture. However, most peace processes have been exclusively controlled and led by men, while women and women’s issues are usually not included in peace negotiations or resulting agreements. In the last 30 years, there have been 35 comprehensive peace accords signed across the world of which only eight included women’s issues in their agreements. It is crucial that women’s issues are included to engender institutions and policies focused on improving women’s status in society as well as to ensure a sustainable peace. This project tackles the important question, why are women’s issues included in some peace negotiations and peace agreements and not others. I study this process by analyzing the peace processes and agreements in three cases: Guatemala, El Salvador, and Colombia. I use secondary sources for Guatemala and El Salvador, and a mix of primary and secondary sources (30 interviews) for Colombia. I find that a mobilized women’s movement and frame alignment are necessary conditions for the inclusion of women’s issues in the peace agreement. These findings contribute to the scholarly literature on peace agreements and on women’s rights in conflict-affected areas and have implications for practitioners in the areas of conflict management and peacebuilding.

"South Africa's Paradox: A Case Study of Latent State Fragility" (2014)

By: Edward Mienie

Do existing measures of state fragility measure fragility accurately? Based on commonly used fragility measures, South Africa (SA) is classified as a relatively stable state, yet rising violent crime, high unemployment, endemic poverty, eroding public trust, identity group based preferential treatment policies, and the rapid rise of the private security sector are all indications that SA may be suffering from latent state fragility. Based on a comprehensive view of security, this study examines the extent to which measures of political legitimacy and good governance, effectiveness in the security system – especially with respect to the police system – and mounting economic challenges may be undermining the stability of SA in ways undetected by commonly used measures of state fragility. Using a mixed-methods approach based on quantitative secondary data analysis and semi-structured interviews with government officials, security practitioners, and leading experts in the field, this study finds that the combination of colonization, apartheid, liberation struggle, transition from autocracy to democracy, high levels of direct and structural violence, stagnating social, political, and economic developments make South Africa a latently fragile state. Conceptually, the results of this research call into question the validity of commonly used measures of state fragility and suggest the need for a more comprehensive approach to assessing state fragility. Practically, this study offers a number of concrete policy recommendations for how South Africa may address mounting levels of latent state fragility.

"Peacebuilding in the Context of Displacement: Women’s Groups in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Settlements in Kenya" (2016)

By: Catherine A. Odera

Following the 2007-2008 post-election violence in Kenya, 650,000 people, comprising men, women, youth, and children, fled their communities, and found refuge in internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps. Although the Kenyan Government resettled some of the IDPs later in eco-villages and inner city settlements, seven years later there were still 309,200 in IDPs camps across the country. The objective of this qualitative multi-sited single case study is to explore the role of women’s groups in peacebuilding efforts following the post-election conflict. The study focuses on four grassroots-level local women’s groups in the Bankala and Mambira eco-villages and an inner-city settlement in the Rift-Valley, Kenya. The study uses the human security approach to peacebuilding to examine the activities and initiatives of the women’s groups. It also adopts the African feminisms theoretical framework that focuses on the African context of the settlements, female autonomy and cooperation, the importance of kinship, and the inclusion of all members of the community. The methodology involves the analysis of 28 individual interviews, five focus group discussions with 32 participants, participant observations, and published and unpublished documents. The findings indicate that the economic, social, and cultural initiatives of the women’s groups contributed to meeting dimensions of human security in the displaced persons’ settlements. Additionally, the findings signify that a community-based approach to peacebuilding that involved women, men, youth, and children allowed for sustainable structures of peace. Finally, I recommend the involvement of external organizations and the Kenyan government in collaborative partnerships and interventions with the women’s groups in order to sustain their peacebuilding initiatives beyond the grassroots levels.

“Refugee Resettlement and Peace Building: Exploring the Roles of Human and Social Capital of Caseworkers in fulfilling Grassroots Refugee Needs” (2016)

By: Pranaya Rana

Refugee resettlement provides reintegration opportunities for refugees and paves a path for sustainable peacebuilding through refugee empowerment. Despite these benefits, the often inadequate outcomes of resettlement present challenges for both the refugees and their service providers. Refugee caseworkers must meet their clients’ needs and provide certain services to their clients within a limited time period. This makes helping refugees gain economic self-sufficiency a daunting task. Often, failure to achieve resettlement goals is attributed to the refugees for not possessing the desired skills or networks (human and social capital). This research explores how caseworkers’ characteristics such as education, experience, and specialized training affect refugee economic self-sufficiency outcomes. The researcher uses U.S. resettlement policy data, focus group discussions with both refugees and their providers, refugee case file analyses, and a case study of refugee specialization training at a post-resettlement refugee services agency to analyze the effects of caseworkers’ characteristics on refugee economic self-sufficiency. The results support the claim that caseworkers’ characteristics play a vital role in helping the refugees attain economic self-sufficiency. This study identifies key challenges in refugee resettlement case management and recommends development of agency capital (i.e. human and social capital of caseworkers), which would help increase refugees’ human and social capital and ultimately improve both case management and resettlement outcomes. This study also recommends that resettlement entities adopt a community-specific service model to improve refugee economic self-sufficiency outcomes for the different refugee groups being resettled in the United States.

“Lending a Megaphone to the Muted: The Merits of Comprehensive Conflict Engagement through Photovoice in Refugee Resettlement Communities” (2015)

By: Birthe Reimers

Local refugee resettlement sites are often overlooked as hotspots of conflict because of the unstated assumption that resettlement and escape from militarized conflict automatically mean peace. However, refugees are resettled in local communities into which old conflicts are imported, and where new ones emerge as refugees and locals need to find ways of coexisting despite cultural differences. This research was developed in response to calls by the US Office of Refugee Resettlement and the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations for grassroots-level data on the challenges faced by residents of resettlement communities and for the development of strategies for promoting intercultural understanding.

This dissertation delineates the development of the Comprehensive Conflict Engagement Model, based on which the image- and dialogue-based Photovoice methodology was modified and applied as a practical conflict intervention. This work bridges the gap between conflict theory and practice by collecting bottom-up information about the dynamics that shape people’s lives in Clarkston, a refugee resettlement hub in Georgia, and exploring the utility of the CCEM applied through Photovoice as a comprehensive conflict engagement strategy that concurrently targets the internal, relational, and structural bases of conflict.

The results suggest that the participants were generally satisfied with aspects of their environment on which they had an impact and dissatisfied when they were impacted uni-directionally, without reciprocal relationships and the power to actively shape their experiences. The results further demonstrate that a CCEM-based adaptation of Photovoice is a suitable comprehensive conflict engagement strategy for practitioners operating at the community level.

"Conflict Sensitivity and Conservation: Evaluating Design, Implementation & Practice" (2018)

By: Amanda Woomer

This dissertation investigates the use of a conflict sensitivity framework in supporting environmental conservation work. Employing an action research methodology, it consists of a multi-phase evaluation of the design and implementation of Conservation International’s (CI) Environmental Peacebuilding Training Manual. Through needs assessment, formative evaluation, and outcome evaluation phases, the dissertation explores questions related to what conflicts conservation practitioners face; what form a relevant, accessible, and effective conflict sensitivity framework might take; and what effect such a framework might have on the knowledge, attitudes, capacities, and actions of conservation practitioners. The findings indicate that conservation practitioners face a variety of conflicts stemming largely from their engagement with stakeholders, and that a conflict sensitivity framework is likely to be useful in responding to those conflicts. However, if conflict sensitivity is to have a sustainable impact on environmental conservation work, more must be done to support its integration. This includes: clarifying key concepts such as the difference between peacebuilding and conflict sensitivity, further defining how and when a conflict sensitivity framework should be used, ensuring a framework’s adaptation to the context and needs, and reinforcing the development of conservation practitioners’ capacity through ongoing guidance and applied practice. As a collaborative, action-oriented research project, this dissertation also includes a reflection on and recommendations about how to best take advantage of opportunities and address challenges associated with academic-practitioner research partnerships.

"The Multicultural Goal: Acculturation Experiences of Foreign Elite Athletes in the United States" (2015)

By: Claudia Stura

As more foreign elite athletes move between countries than ever before, many experience acculturation difficulties that may affect their performance. Research in this field is limited; consequently, this research explores the acculturation process of foreign athletes to top level sports team culture in the United States. The research was designed in two phases. In Phase I, the acculturation experiences of 18 first-year elite foreign student-athletes were studied from the beginning to the end of the year through semi-structured interviews conducted at three Division I universities. Phase II consisted of a comparative case study analysis of two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs during one season. In total, thirty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with new foreign elite athletes as well as their teammates and staff members. Cultural and personal acculturation processes of both groups of athletes were compared and contrasted, and factors that both help and hinder the foreign athletes in their acculturation process were identified. The main findings for the student-athletes included: a) their engagement with the host culture on a deep level by taking classes and living on campus; b) their keen observation of cultural differences, their conscious awareness of their own personal adjustment, and efforts towards integration; and c) the manifestation of role conflict between being a student and being an athlete. While these student athletes struggled with acculturation stressors such as injuries and homesickness, the majority of them indicated that none of the challenges they experienced were major detractors from their performance. Findings with the professional foreign athletes indicated: a) an interest in learning about American culture, although actual cultural learning was quite minimal; b) their problems with the English language hindered their abilities to accomplish even their most basic needs; c) their struggles with acculturation stressors such as homesickness increased when their performance was not at expected levels; and d) their success largely hinged on team support. Given that serious problems were far more likely to occur at the professional level, the prerequisites of the athletes indicate the level of support they need and a systematic support structure, especially from their teams, seems to be crucial for a smooth acculturation process.

"Art & Agency: Transforming Relationships of Power Through Art in Iraqi Kurdistan" (2018)

By: Autumn Cockrell-Abdullah

Today, the Kurds factor significantly both as a key to some of the most critical conflicts in the Middle East and also as citizens of the world interacting with a highly global, highly interconnected reality. Despite their importance, we lack a nuanced understanding of the complex and multi-layered cultural context of the Kurds that impacts the socio-political factors inside Iraqi Kurdistan.

The deeply entrenched political rhetoric of the hegemonic Kurdish nationalist narrative in Iraqi Kurdistan has served to homogenize the idea of what the Kurdish “nation” is, to whitewash deep social, economic and political concerns inside Iraqi Kurdistan and to marginalize those voices that resist nationalist ideals. Utilizing the work of Kurdish artists as well as arts-based perspectives, this study goes beyond the political rhetoric of Kurdish nationalism to understand meaning making within this cultural context and how meaning translates into ideas and behaviors, potentially, producing moments of conflict.

This is a study about the place of culture in conflict and conflict analysis and the intersection of the arts and activism, particularly as art creates a space for resistance and a pathway for one group of Kurdish artists in Iraqi Kurdistan to transform a peoples’ understanding of politics and their relationship to the world around them. Critically considering the production of artwork, and the linkages between contemporary Iraqi Kurdish visual and conceptual art, as a historically particular phenomenon, this research demonstrates the struggle of a people to transform historical relationships of power and to develop a culture of Just Peace to include being able to effectively shape their society’s architecture, including institutions, policies and organizations that support its function.

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Managing conflict for effective leadership and organizations.

Dean Tjosvold , Dean Tjosvold Department of Management, Lingnan University
Alfred S. H. Wong Alfred S. H. Wong Department of Management, Lingnan University
and Nancy Yi Feng Chen Nancy Yi Feng Chen Department of Management, Lingnan University
https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190224851.013.240
Published online: 28 August 2019

Leaders and employees deal with conflict as they collaborate in the everyday life of organizations and as they confront crises. Depending how they manage conflict, they can frustrate employees and provoke customer complaints but also stimulate their relationships and decision-making. The possibilities of constructive conflict are significant and documented, but the challenges to making conflict constructive are significant too. The practice of defining conflict as a win-lose battle has obscured ways of managing conflict constructively. Fortunately, researchers have developed concepts and findings that can help managers and employees manage conflict. A first step is developing a useful, unconfounded definition of conflict. Deutsch proposed that conflict occurs when there are incompatible activities. Team members are in conflict as they argue for different options for a decision.

Deutsch also theorized that how people believe their goals are related very much affects their interaction, specifically their conflict management. They can conclude that their goals are cooperative (positively related), competitive (negatively related), or independent. People with cooperative goals believe that as one of them moves toward attaining goals, that helps others achieve their goals. In competition, people conclude that their goals are negatively related and only one can succeed in the interaction. In independence, one person ‘s success neither benefits nor harms the others’ success. Researchers have found that the nature of the cooperative or competitive relationship between protagonists has a profound impact on their mutual motivation to discuss conflicts constructively. Cooperative and competitive methods of handling conflict have consistent, powerful effects on constructive conflict. Team members with cooperative goals engage in open-minded discussions where they develop and express their opposing positions, including the ideas, reasons, and knowledge they use to support their positions. They also work to understand each other’s perspectives. They are then in a position to combine the best of each other’s ideas and create effective resolutions of conflict that they are both committed to implement. Teams that rely on cooperative, mutual benefit interaction ways of managing conflict and avoid competitive, win-lose ways been found to use conflict to promote high quality decisions, to stimulate learning, and to strengthen their work relationships. What has an impact on constructive conflict is not so much the occurrence, amount, or type of conflict but how leaders and employees approach and handle their conflicts, specifically, the extent to which their discussions are cooperative and open-minded.

incompatible activities
mutual benefit conflict
win–lose conflict
constructive conflict
open-minded discussions

Conflict is pervasive and greatly affects leadership and teamwork, the very drivers of organizations (Blake & Mouton, 1964 ; Jehn, 1995 ; Johnson, 2015 ). Conflict is part of the everyday life of organizations in making decisions, handling customer complaints, and managing performance; conflict is also part of dealing with dramatic events such as acquisitions, strikes, and bankruptcies. Conflicts have both constructive and destructive sides. Conflicts can sabotage alliances and relationships, but effectively managed conflict vitalizes partnerships and invigorates interpersonal bonds. Conflict challenges leaders and teammates and engages them in the full range of experiences that organizations offer.

Research on how to manage conflict is critical to understanding relationships and organizations as well as how to make them effective. Leaders and employees must learn to live with conflict; they have to deal with and resolve the many conflicts that threaten to divide them and frustrate joint progress.

We often blame conflict for our frustrations and give it power over us. We think that if we only had less conflict, our lives would be happy and productive. The goal is to be conflict-free, or at least to keep our conflicts minor and forgettable. However, how we approach and handle conflict greatly affects whether it is constructive or destructive. It’s not so much having conflict or how much conflict we have that matters, but what is critical is how we manage our conflict that affects whether it is constructive or destructive.

Constructive conflict occurs when protagonists conclude that the benefits of their conflict management outweigh the costs; they believe that their investments made in handling conflict will pay off (Deutsch, 1973 ). The costs and wasteful investments of destructive conflict are typically well recognized. Angry feelings leave relationships fragmented and joint work stalled; both people and productivity suffer (Averill, 1983 ).

However, conflicts can have very constructive effects, so useful that we may hesitate to call them conflicts. Through discussing opposing ideas in conflict, protagonists can deepen their understanding of their own ideas as they defend their views (Tjosvold, Wong, & Chen, 2014a ). They can also listen to and understand the views of their protagonists; they put themselves in each other’s shoes. They open the possibility of combining the best ideas to create new solutions. In addition to enriching their learning, they can appreciate each other’s feelings, motives, and commitments, making their joint life more personal and richer.

The possibilities of constructive conflict are significant and documented, but the challenges to making conflict constructive are significant too. Managing conflict constructively may sound straightforward, and it can be. But making conflict constructive often tests us intellectually, emotionally, and interpersonally. Managing conflict constructively gives a lot, but it takes a lot.

This article has six sections. Conflict has been defined in confounded ways so that popular stereotypes have interfered with practice and research. The first section defines conflict as incompatible activities that may or may not have opposing goals. Arguing that what has an impact on constructive conflict is not the occurrence or amount of conflict but how we approach and handle conflict, the second section proposes that open-minded discussion and cooperative goals are key conditions to making conflict constructive. The third section reviews research on task and relationship conflict that suggests that these types of conflict can be managed. The fourth section reviews how constructive conflict can strengthen leadership and thereby very much contribute to the relationship between employees and managers. Then research on how conflict can be managed across cultural boundaries is discussed. The sixth and final part suggests how training can strengthen constructive conflict, leadership, and organizations.

Understanding Conflict

Researchers typically have not considered defining conflict critical for understanding it; indeed, they have tended to define conflict by including several notions (Barki & Hartwick, 2004 ; Rahim, 1992 ). However, popular definitions have tended to define conflict in terms of opposing goals and interests. This definition of conflict has greatly frustrated research progress in identifying the many ways conflict can constructively contribute to individual learning and organizational performance. Defining conflict as incompatible actions, we propose, is a much more solid foundation for research than defining conflict as opposing interests.

Conflict as Opposing Interests

Traditionally, conflict is defined in terms of opposing interests involving scarce resources and goal divergence and frustration (e.g., Pondy, 1967 ). Defining conflict as opposing interests is consistent with the prevalent assumption that conflict involves not only differences but is win–lose and reinforces the popular thinking that conflict is typically dealt with harshly and competitively. For many people, conflict is a win–lose battle over goals that they want to win, not lose.

However, defining conflict as opposing interests frustrates effective operations and measures. Conflict is confused with win–lose ways to manage it. For example, the Interpersonal Conflict at Work Scale measures conflict with such items as “people do nasty things to me at work” (Spector & Bruk-Lee, 2008 ). This item measures a competitive, win–lose way to manage conflict, not conflict itself.

The popular assumption that conflict is competitive and a fight over opposing interests underscores the difficulties of measuring conflict with items including the term “conflict” in them. For example, research scales that measure types of conflict, such as task and relationship conflict, typically include the term “conflict.” Including the word conflict is likely to contribute to the common finding that both relationship and task conflicts contribute to team ineffectiveness (De Dreu & Weingart, 2003 ; DeChurch, Mesmer-Magnus, & Doty, 2013 ; Tjosvold, Law, & Sun, 2006 ). Conceptual and operational definitions of conflict should help us appreciate both the constructive as well as the destructive sides of conflict and should avoid confounding conflict with popular confusions and stereotypes.

Conflict as Opposing Activities

Deutsch ( 1973 ) proposes that conflict occurs when there are incompatible activities (Tjosvold et al., 2014a ). Team members are in conflict when they argue for different options for a team decision as they perform actions that interfere with each other’s actions. They express their various reasons for the joint action their team should take. Different parties arguing for their different positions are incompatible actions that block each person from getting their option accepted; they are in conflict.

They may express their views to reflect that they have cooperative goals as well as conflicting activities. They argue for their favored option as they put forth their reasons for this option. They may defend their preferred position vigorously and conduct additional research to support their option. They want team members to consider their proposed option seriously. Their goal with protagonists is a cooperative one, however: they want to make the best decision for the team as a whole.

Alternatively, team members may have opposing goals when they argue for different options; they are in competition as well as in conflict. They argue that their option must be accepted and other options should be rejected. They express their arguments for their favored option in win–lose ways. Only one option can be accepted and it should be theirs.

Expressing one’s view can be done both cooperatively and competitively. Studies indicate that these different ways of expressing one’s options often have dramatic effects on the dynamics and outcomes of conflict (Tjosvold et al., 2014a ).

Approaches to Conflict

This article argues that research on how team members manage and deal with their conflicts very much contributes to understanding and developing constructive conflict. It is not so much the frequency, amount, and type of conflict as it is how team members discuss and work out their conflicts. Cooperative and competitive methods of handling conflict have been found to have consistent, powerful effects on constructive conflict.

Researchers recognize the value of a contingency perspective that holds that managers and employees should have alternative ways to deal with a conflict so that they can select the one most useful and appropriate in their situation (Rahim, 1992 ; Thomas, 1976 ). Pretending that there is no conflict and avoiding discussing conflict are useful in some situations, but generally conflict avoidance is not useful, indeed is often destructive (De Dreu & Van Vianen, 2001 ; Friedman, Chi, & Liu, 2006 ; Liu, Fu, & Liu, 2009 ; Lovelace, Shapiro, & Weingart, 2001 ; Ohbuchi & Atsumi, 2010 ). Without direct discussion and action, conflicts seldom disappear by themselves; they can fester and intensify, becoming more complex and destructive (Bacon & Blyton, 2007 ; Eisenhardt, Kahwajy, & Bourgeois, 1997 ; Nemeth & Owens, 1996 ).

This section argues that studies conducted using different theoretical frameworks together indicate that open-minded discussion between protagonists results in constructive outcomes in many situations (Johnson, 2015 ; Tjosvold et al., 2014a ). In open-minded discussions, protagonists develop and express their opposing positions, including the ideas, reasons, and knowledge they use to support their positions. They also work to understand each other’s perspectives. They are then in a position to combine the best of each other’s ideas and create effective resolutions of conflict that they are both committed to implement.

This section further proposes that cooperative relationships, but not competitive ones, are an effective foundation for open-minded discussion and constructive conflict. These relationships orient protagonists to identify and express their own ideas and proposals. They trust that others will try to understand their ideas and positions accurately (Hempel, Zhang, & Tjosvold, 2009 ). They feel they can rely upon each other to use these views to promote each other’s benefit. Their concerns that others will use their ideas and positions against them are minimized. They recognize that they can all gain from the conflict as each protagonist’s goals are promoted.

Open-Minded Discussion

Open-mindedness is the willingness to actively search for evidence against one’s favored beliefs and ideas and to weigh such evidence impartially and fully (Baker & Sinkula, 1999 ; Cegarra-Navarro & Sánchez-Polo, 2011 ; Mitchell, Nicholas, & Boyle, 2009 ; Sinkula, Baker, & Noordewier, 1997 ). Open-minded discussion occurs when people together seek to understand each other’s ideas and positions, consider each other’s reasoning for these positions impartially, and work to integrate their ideas into mutually acceptable solutions.

In open-minded discussion, protagonists express their own views directly to each other, listen and try to understand each other’s positions and arguments, and work to combine their ideas into new agreements acceptable to all. They are open with their own views, open to those of others, and open to new solutions to resolve the conflict. Evidence indicates that these aspects of openness are reinforcing and together constitute open-minded discussion (Johnson, 2015 ; Tjosvold, 1990a ; Tjosvold, Dann, & Wong, 1992 ; Tjosvold & Halco, 1992 ).

Survey items to measure open-mindedness give a specific understanding of open-mindedness (Chen, Liu, & Tjosvold, 2005 ; Wong, Tjosvold, & Yu, 2005 ). These items include: (a) express our own views directly to each other, (b) listen carefully to each other’s opinions, (c) try to understand each other’s concerns, and (d) work to use each other’s ideas. These items are typically strongly correlated with each other and the scale has high reliability.

Open-mindedness in conflict is inherently interpersonal as people act and react to each other. It takes two to have a conflict and it takes two to manage conflict. One protagonist can make bold, persistent, and skilled actions that encourage an otherwise closed-minded protagonist to discuss conflict open-mindedly. Generally, though, open-mindedness by all protagonists is needed to make conflict constructive. Evidence also suggests that protagonists develop similar levels of open-mindedness; one protagonist’s open-mindedness encourages others to be open (Tjosvold, 1990a ; Tjosvold et al., 1992 ; Tjosvold & Halco, 1992 ). Conflicts are more likely to be constructively managed when protagonists discuss their views directly and integrate them into solutions.

Researchers have used various terms to characterize the nature of discussion that results in constructive outcomes. These terms have their own historical roots, emphasize difference aspects of interaction, and provide various ways to measure and operationalize the interaction. These concepts and their operations help us understand the nature of open-minded discussion.

Open-Mindedness Research

Research conclusions are more fully understood and deserve more confidence when various researchers using different operations and samples develop consistent findings. Conflict researchers have used a variety of terms and operations to investigate open-mindedness. We propose that, although these terms are not identical, their differences should not obscure the considerable agreement among conflict researchers that open-minded discussion contributes to resolving conflicts in many situations. The operations of these terms further suggest the similarity of the concepts to open-minded discussion.

Integrative negotiation research provides indirect support that open-minded discussion is a foundation for developing constructive conflict. This research has examined the conditions that develop the creative process by which bargainers discover superior new options for both parties than those currently under consideration (Follett, 1940 ). Walton and McKersie ( 1965 ) propose that this integration is more likely when protagonists consider several issues simultaneously, consider the issues as problems to be solved, freely exchange accurate and credible information about their interests, avoid win–lose behaviors, and argue their own position unless and until they are convinced otherwise.

Experimental integrative negotiation researchers have argued similarly that problem solving interaction characterized by full information exchange results in mutually beneficial solutions (Pruitt & Carnevale, 1993 ; Pruitt, Carnevale, Ben-Yoav, Nochajski, & Van Slyck, 1983 ; Pruitt & Lewis, 1975 ). The operations to measure this problem solving interaction include asking for valid information, requesting information about the other’s interests, giving truthful information, showing interest in the other bargainer’s welfare, and proposing mutual concessions. Integrated negotiators challenge each other’s original ideas, dig into these positions to identify each other’s underlying interests, endure the uncertainty of not finding a quick solution, and are only satisfied with solutions that promote the interests of all.

De Dreu and colleagues have drawn upon integrative negotiation research to develop the motivated information processing approach (De Dreu, 2007 ; De Dreu, Koole, & Steinel, 2000 ; De Dreu, Nijstad, & van Knippenberg, 2008 ). This research also proposes and measures constructive interaction in conflict in terms of problem solving and information exchange. The extent to which protagonists engage in thorough, systematic processing of information was found to induce them to question perceptions that one protagonist can achieve their interests only to the extent that others cannot achieve their own; challenging this trade-off in turn results in more accurate assessments and more integrative agreements (De Dreu et al., 2000 ).

Conflict management styles researchers propose five alternative approaches to dealing with conflict (Rahim, 1983 , 1995 ; Thomas, 1976 ; Van de Vliert & Kabanoff, 1990 ). Although arguing that all five can be useful in some circumstances, these researchers have concluded that the collaborative conflict management style, at times supplemented with other styles, is constructive under a wide range of conditions (Van de Vliert, Euwema, & Huismans, 1995 ; Van de Vliert, Nauta, Giebels, & Janssen, 1999 ). Research on collaborative conflict management styles and experiments on negotiation support that being open with one’s own views as well as being open to other ideas and integrating them contribute to constructive conflict (Pruitt & Carnevale, 1993 ).

Diverse researchers have found that open-minded discussion contributes to resolving conflicts within and between organizations (Johnson, Johnson, & Tjosvold, 2006 ; Tjosvold, 1985 ). Conflict involves incompatible actions, specifically the intellectual aspects of proposing and reconciling opposing ideas that temporarily disrupt reaching a resolution. Fortunately, research by various scholars supports that open-minded discussion very much contributes to effective conflict management.

Cooperative Relationships for Open-Minded Discussion

When do protagonists discuss their conflicts open-mindedly? Researchers have theorized that the nature of the relationship between protagonists has a profound impact on their mutual motivation to discuss conflicts open-mindedly. Open-minded discussions occur when both participants are motivated to work together to manage their conflicts constructively.

Theory of Cooperation and Competition

Deutsch ( 1948 , 1973 ) theorized that how people believe their goals are related very much affects their interaction and thereby their outcomes. They can conclude that their goals are cooperative (positively related), competitive (negatively related), or independent. People with cooperative goals believe that as one of them moves toward attaining goals, that helps others achieve their goals. In competition, people conclude that their goals are negatively related and only one can succeed in the interaction. In independence, one person’s success neither benefits nor harms the others’ success.

Deutsch ( 1973 ) further proposed that cooperative goals are a useful way to understand when protagonists are able to manage their conflicts constructively. Both survey and experimental studies confirm that with cooperative goals, managers and employees discuss their differences directly and open-mindedly (Alper, Tjosvold, & Law, 1998 ; Poon, Pike, & Tjosvold, 2001 ; Schei & Rognes, 2003 ; Tjosvold, 1988 ). Teams are considered cooperative to the extent that members rate that their goals go together (Alper et al., 1998 ); they are considered competitive to the extent that members rate that they favored their own goals over the goals of others (Alper et al., 1998 ); teams are considered independent to the extent that members rate that one member’s success is unrelated to the success of their teammates (Alper et al., 1998 ). Competitive and independent goals have been found to lead to conflict avoidance or to conflict escalation or both (Alper, Tjosvold, & Law, 2000 ; Tjosvold et al., 2001 ). Protagonists with cooperative goals promote each other’s benefit because doing so is to their own advantage.

Protagonists typically have mixed interdependencies as well as more “pure” cases. Galinsky and Schweitzer ( 2015 ) note that social relationships contain both competitive and cooperative aspects. This co-opetition has been thought to leave protagonists more flexibility in how they manage conflict (Landkammer & Sassenberg, 2016 ).

Antecedents to Open-Mindedness

A key dynamic of having positively related goals of cooperation is that by helping others reach their goals, one also reaches one’s own goals. In cooperation, people promote their own goals and others’ goals simultaneously. Researchers have used other theoretical frameworks to capture this idea of positively related goals where self-interests are mutual in that promoting one’s self-interest promotes the self-interest of the others. Researchers have used the dual concerns and pro-social motivation to capture positively related self-interests.

In dual concerns, theorists have proposed that conflict participants can be committed to promoting others’ interests as well as their own (Thomas, 1976 , 1992 ). Rahim and Bonoma ( 1979 ) and Rahim ( 1983 , 1992 ) built upon Blake and Mouton’s ( 1964 ) managerial grid. Concern for self describes the extent to which people attempt to satisfy their own interests. The second dimension describes the extent to which people want to satisfy the concerns of others (Rahim & Bonoma, 1979 ). High concern for self and high concern for others resemble cooperative goals. Dual concerns occur when protagonists are motivated by their own interests and outcomes: they are willing to assert themselves to get what they want and they are also motivated to promote their partners’ interests and outcomes.

Dean Pruitt and other integrative negotiation researchers have also developed the dual concerns model (Pruitt & Carnevale, 1993 ; Pruitt et al., 1983 ; Pruitt & Rubin, 1986 ). Here protagonists committed to the interests of the other as well as themselves discuss conflict open-mindedly where they are only satisfied with solutions that promote the interests of both.

Motivational and social value orientation theory (Kelley & Schenitzki, 1972 ; McClintock, 1977 ; Messick & McClintock, 1968 ; Van Lange & Kuhlman, 1994 ) also found that preference for both self and other promotes constructive conflict (De Dreu & Van Lange, 1995 ; De Dreu, Weingart, & Kwon, 2000 ). Social motives refer to preferences for outcomes to the self and other: pro-social, pro-self, and competitive negotiators differ in attaching a positive, zero, or negative weight to the other’s outcomes, respectively (De Dreu & Boles, 1998 ; De Dreu & McCusker, 1997 ; Van Lange, 1999 ).

Pro-social protagonists choose options that maximize joint outcomes; protagonists are pro-self if they select options where their own outcomes are higher than the other, and they are classified as competitive if they choose options that maximize the differences between the two, that is, their own outcomes are much better than the other’s outcomes. Pro-social motivation has been found to develop the open-minded exchange of information that results in constructive conflict (De Dreu, Weingart, et al., 2000 ; Nauta, De Dreu, & Van der Vaart, 2002 ).

Researchers have developed the dual concerns model, pro-social and pro-self social motivation, and cooperative goals as theoretical perspectives to understand relationships that promote constructive conflict (De Dreu, Weingart, et al., 2000 ; Deutsch, 1973 ; Pruitt & Rubin, 1986 ; Rahim & Bonoma, 1979 ). This section argues that these different terms obscure fundamental agreement that the commitment to promoting each other’s goals facilitates open-minded discussion.

Managers and employees of course do not always discuss their differences open-mindedly and, according to the contingency perspective, under certain conditions it would be inappropriate and dysfunctional to do so. Commitments to competitive and independent goals are apt to lead to closed-minded discussions with an emphasis on promoting one’s own interests without concern for the ideas and aspirations of the other. Indeed, with competitive goals they are apt to actively frustrate each other’s goals as they understand this is a way of promoting their own.

This article refers to cooperative relationships as underlying open-minded discussion. Previous research has directly tested whether cooperative relationships promote open-mindedness, providing both experimental and survey data (Deutsch, 1973 ). Research has demonstrated both the causal relationship that cooperative goals promote open-mindedness and survey evidence that supports that cooperative relationships support open-minded discussion in a wide variety of organizational situations (Tjosvold et al., 2014a ). In addition, many social psychologists and other social scientists have developed our understanding of cooperation and competition (Deutsch, 1973 ; Deutsch, Coleman, & Marcus, 2011 ).

Conflict Type Research

For more than two decades, organizational researchers have distinguished types of conflict and argued that the type of conflict determines how constructive the conflict is (Jehn, 1997 ; Jehn, Greer, Levine, & Szulanski, 2008 ). Whether the conflict is about getting tasks done or about the quality of relationships between protagonists, conflict type is thought to determine whether conflict is constructive or destructive. Theorizing on the role of conflict types has stimulated considerable research by many investigators.

Research findings on conflict types supports the traditional view that high levels of conflict disrupt teamwork, and refines this idea by indicating that this proposition is especially true when these conflicts are relationship-based. Relationship conflicts, as measured by such items as how much friction, tension, and personality conflict are in the team, have been found to make conflict destructive (Jehn, 1994 ; Jehn et al., 2008 ). Reviews of literature, including several meta-analyses, have consistently found that relationship conflicts correlate with low levels of team productivity (Choi & Sy, 2010 ; De Dreu & Weingart, 2003 ; DeChurch et al., 2013 ).

These results have straightforward practical implications for leaders and team members in reducing relationship conflict. Given the heavy reliance on correlational findings, it can be more cautiously concluded that relationship conflicts are signs of destructive conflict and are unlikely to contribute to constructive conflict. Researchers have, however, sought to identify boundary conditions that minimize the negative impact, and unlock the positive impact, of relationship conflict (Thiel, Harvey, Courtright, & Bradley, 2017 ).

Whereas relationship conflicts disrupt, it has been proposed that conflicts over tasks contribute to group performance (Jehn, 1997 ; Jehn et al., 2008 ). However, findings do not consistently support this theorizing that task conflict strengthens group performance (Choi & Sy, 2010 ; De Dreu & Weingart, 2003 ; DeChurch et al., 2013 ). The inconsistent effects of task conflict indicate that expressing diverse views can be useful but not consistently. It appears that expressing opposing views must be done skillfully to contribute to constructive conflict, but task conflict theory does not directly suggest the conditions under which expressing opposing views contributes to constructive conflict.

Managing Task and Relationship Conflict

Researchers have worked to document the conditions that determine whether task and relationship conflict are constructive or destructive. For example, some evidence suggests that task conflict is apt to be more productive when it is in moderate amounts, is not closely related to relationship conflict, and when the outcomes are financial performance and decision quality rather than overall performance (De Dreu, 2006 ; de Wit, Greer, & Jehn, 2012 ; Farh, Lee, & Farh, 2010 ; Mooney, Holahan, & Amason, 2007 ; Shaw et al., 2011 ).

Several studies show that relationship conflict can hinder teams from capitalizing on the potential positive value of task conflict (de Jong, Song, & Song, 2013 ; de Wit, Jehn, & Scheepers, 2013 ; Shaw et al., 2011 ). Research has found that relationship conflicts encourage a competitive approach to managing conflict by leading people to make forceful demands, overstate their position to get their way, and in other ways treat conflict as a win–lose contest (Tjosvold et al., 2006 ). In contrast, to the extent that protagonists had few relationship conflicts, they resolved their conflicts in ways that supported mutual benefit; specifically, they encouraged a “we are in it together” attitude, sought a solution useful for all members, combined their best ideas, and treated conflict as a mutual problem to solve (de Jong et al., 2013 ; de Wit et al., 2013 ; Shaw et al., 2011 ).

Research suggests that how task and relationship conflicts are discussed, not just the amount of them, affects their constructiveness (DeChurch et al., 2013 ; Maltarich, Kukenberger, Reilly, & Mathieu, 2018 ; Rispens, Greer, Jehn, & Thatcher, 2011 ; Tekleab, Quigley, & Tesluk, 2009 ; Todorova, Bear, & Weingart, 2014 ). Recent studies have found that task conflict can be constructive when discussed open-mindedly and skillfully (Bradley, Klotz, Postlethwaite, & Brown, 2013 ; Chun & Choi, 2014 ; Humphrey, Aime, Cushenbery, Hill, & Fairchild, 2017 ; Jiang, Zhang, & Tjosvold, 2012 ; Tekleab et al., 2009 ). Teams with members with high levels of openness as a personality characteristic were found to have constructive task conflict (Bradley et al., 2013 ; de Jong et al., 2013 ). Overall, evidence indicates that open-minded discussion contributes to making both relationship and task conflict constructive (Gibson & Callister, 2010 ; Lau & Cobb, 2010 ; Tjosvold, 2002 ; Tjosvold & Su, 2007 ; Weingart, Behfar, Bendersky, Todorova, & Jehn, 2015 ).

Conflict Management for Leadership

Leadership has long been considered a key contributor to effective organizations. Much of the power of organizations is that they motivate and coordinate the work of many people; for that to happen, managers must lead employees. Without leadership, employees may fail to face up to difficulties, allow problems to simmer, and just go through the motions. Research indicates that to have effective leadership, managers and employees must make conflict constructive (Chen et al., 2005 ; Chen & Tjosvold, 2007 , 2013 ; Chen, Tjosvold, Huang, & Xu, 2011 ; Hui, Wong, & Tjosvold, 2007 ).

Conflict management research is updating our understanding of what it takes to be an effective leader and how to develop it. Studies indicate that by developing constructive conflict, managers can improve the quality of their leader relationships with employees. Managers can then orient and train employees so that they discuss their various ideas and improve the quality of their decision-making and their overall teamwork. Researchers have demonstrated that leaders can be effective by adopting various leadership styles; recent studies show that constructive conflict is very much needed to make these leadership styles effective.

Conflict for Quality Leadership Relationships

Leadership has long been thought to be “situational” in that the actions effective leaders take depend upon the situation; they monitor the situations and decide upon effective actions in the situation (Stogdill, 1974 ). In addition, though, researchers have found that successful leaders are consistent across many situations in that they develop quality relationships. Considerable research has found that successful leaders have quality relationships (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995 ). It’s not so much that managers have the “right” personal skills and characteristics but that they have high quality relationships with employees that help them influence employees and increase their productivity. With these relationships, leaders are able to engage employees, strengthen their teamwork, and in other ways convince them to contribute effectively to the organization.

Less recognized is that leaders and employees cannot allow frustrations to brew; they need to manage their conflicts to develop quality relationships (Chen & Tjosvold, 2007 ; Chen, Tjosvold, & Su, 2005 ; Tjosvold, Poon, & Yu, 2005 ). An important reason why quality relationships are useful is because they promote constructive conflict that in turn results in employee involvement and performance (Chen & Tjosvold, 2013 ; Tjosvold, Hui, & Law, 1998 ). Otherwise, relationship conflicts are apt to undermine team productivity as they allow frustrations to fester (Chen et al., 2005 ; Chen & Tjosvold, 2007 ; Tjosvold et al., 2005 ). Leaders need to manage their conflicts to reduce relationship conflicts and develop and maintain quality relationships.

Conflict for Making Decisions

Leaders have traditionally been thought to make tough decisions and then use their power to implement them. But this is a misleading notion. Studies by diverse researchers have documented the contribution of conflict to making decisions (Amason, 1996 ; Anderson, 1983 ; Cosier, 1978 ; George, 1974 ; Gruenfeld, 1995 ; Mason & Mitroff, 1981 ; Mitchell et al., 2009 ; Peterson & Nemeth, 1996 ; Salas, Rosen, & DiazGranados, 2010 ; Schweiger, Sandberg, & Ragan, 1986 ; Somech, Desivilya, & Lidgoster, 2009 ; Tetlock, Armor, & Peterson, 1994 ; Tjosvold, Wedley, & Field, 1986 ; Wong, Ormiston, & Tetlock, 2011 ). Through conflict, conventional thinking is challenged, threats and opportunities identified, and new solutions forged. Discussing opposing views has been found to give teams the confidence to take calculated risks where they also are prepared to recover from their mistakes; with this preparation, they innovate (Tjosvold & Yu, 2007 ). Even in a crisis, leaders are typically more effective when they seek out diverse views (Tjosvold, 1984 , 1990b ). Rather than making tough decisions alone, effective leaders are oriented toward promoting the conditions and relationships for open-minded discussion of opposing views among colleagues and employees. They develop constructive conflict that helps employees make and implement decisions as a team.

Conflict to Implement Leadership Styles

Researchers have argued that managers can be effective by adopting leadership styles such as transformational, servant, and productivity and people values (Eisenbeiss, van Knippenberg, & Boerner, 2008 ; Xu & Thomas, 2011 ). Less appreciated is that these styles are effective by promoting constructive conflict. Recent studies have demonstrated that to be successful in applying these styles, leaders develop constructive conflict.

Transformational leaders are expected to stimulate superior performance by appealing to employees’ higher aspirations (Bass, 2006 ). For example, they were found highly motivated not by unilaterally directing employees but by helping them manage their conflicts cooperatively and constructively (Zhang, Cao, & Tjosvold, 2011 ). This constructive conflict in turn resulted in high team performance in a sample of independent business groups. In a related study, government officials who exercised transformational leadership promoted cooperative conflict management that in turn resulted in strong government–business partnerships (Wong, Wei, & Tjosvold, 2014 ).

Leaders who value people and productivity have long been thought to be effective leaders, but the dynamics by which these values have beneficial effects have only recently been documented. In a study of international joint ventures (Wong, Wei, Yang, & Tjosvold, 2017 ), results support the idea that productivity and participation values strengthen the partners’ beliefs that their goals are cooperatively related, which in turn reduces free riding and promotes performance; in contrast, competitive goals appear to promote free riding and obstruct joint performance. The results have practical implications by showing that developing cooperative goals can strengthen the benefits of productivity and participation values.

Working in diverse organizations in India, team leaders indicated their people and productivity values and team members rated their open-minded discussion and their effectiveness and performance (Bhatnagar & Tjosvold, 2012 ). Structural equation analysis suggested that productivity values promoted open-minded discussion and thereby team effectiveness and productivity. Productivity-oriented team leaders challenge their teams to make high quality decisions and induce them to discuss issues open-mindedly, which in turn helps teams be effective (Bhatnagar & Tjosvold, 2012 ).

Servant leaders, as they emphasize service to others, team consensus, and the personal development of individuals, have been thought to lay the groundwork for cooperative conflict management in customer service teams (Wong, Liu, & Tjosvold, 2015 ). This constructive conflict helps team members resolve issues and in other ways effectively coordinate with each other; this coordination in turn helps these teams serve their customers. Findings indicate that to the extent that they have servant leaders, teams are able to discuss their disagreements, frustrations, and difficulties directly and work out solutions for the benefit of the team and its customers. These results provide support that improving the capacity to discuss opposing views open-mindedly can be a useful means for servant leaders to enhance teamwork and customer service in China and perhaps in other countries as well.

Ethical leaders want to act justly themselves but they also want employees to be committed to ethical principles and to act morally (Eisenbeiss, 2012 ; Mayer, Aquino, Greenbaum, & Kuenzi, 2012 ). A recent study indicates that effective ethical leaders and their employees engage in open-minded, cooperative conflict management where they express their ideas, work to understand each other, integrate their ideas, and apply their resolutions. Through this constructive conflict management, they work out arrangements that help them act effectively and morally in their situation as they also develop trusting, high quality relationships with each other. Ethical leaders and their employees were found to avoid competitive conflict involving trying to impose one’s own ideas and resolutions on others. Results also confirm that effective leaders develop high quality relationships that help them influence employees as well as to be open and influenced by them (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995 ).

Researchers have identified a number of styles that have been shown to help leaders be effective. Although they are developed from diverse leadership theories, studies have found that constructive conflict, in particular cooperative open-minded discussion, is an important mediator of successful implementation of these leadership styles, whether they be transformational leadership, valuing people and productivity, servant, or ethical leadership. Managers can use different leadership styles to encourage constructive conflict that empowers them to lead effectively.

Cultural Differences

Theories of conflict management that can be applied in diverse cultures are increasingly relevant. In the global marketplace, many managers and employees must handle conflicts that cross cultural boundaries. Team members increasingly have diverse cultural backgrounds, even when all operations are in one country. Many managers have to work with suppliers and customers who are from other cultures and live in other countries. Research has shown that open-mindedness and cooperative relationships develop constructive conflict in organizations even when protagonists are from both Western and Eastern cultures (Chen, Tjosvold, & Pan, 2010 ; Tjosvold, Wu, & Chen, 2010 ; Tjosvold, Wong, & Chen, 2014a ).

Research on conflict management has developed our understanding of the impact of cultural values, in particular collectivism and individualism. Western cultures have traditionally been thought to support open discussion of conflict consistent with their emphasis on individuals with their rights and proclivity to express their views. Eastern cultures have been considered collectivist where there is deference to their groups and leaders. Some studies support this traditional thinking. People from the West have indicated more preference for open handling of conflict, whereas those from the East prefer reticence (Kirkbride, Tang, & Westwood, 1991 ).

However, research suggests that this reasoning needs updating. Recent studies indicate that collectivist values induce open-minded discussion whereas individualistic values promote conflict avoidance. Collectivist values have been found in experiments to strengthen cooperative relationships that in turn promote open-minded discussion between individuals from collectivist and individualistic cultures (Chen et al., 2010 ; Tjosvold, Wu, et al., 2010 ; Tjosvold, Wong, & Chen, 2014a ). Collectivist culture team members were found to believe their goals are cooperative and that they are expected to work effectively with each other, and they sought to and actually understood opposing arguments and combined ideas for integrated decisions.

Studies confirm that cooperative and competitive approaches to managing conflict, although developed from theory in the West, apply to organizations in collectivist China as well (Chen et al., 2011 ). Indeed, findings challenge stereotypes that Chinese culture and leadership are highly conflict-negative. Chinese people are not rigidly committed to conflict avoidance but have been found to manage conflict cooperatively and openly. Chinese collectivism, social face, and other values can be applied in ways that aid direct, open, cooperative conflict management (Tjosvold, Wong, & Chen, 2014b ).

Cooperative conflict management can also guide the strengthening of cross-cultural interaction. Bond ( 2003 ) and Smith ( 2003 ) argue that cross-cultural researchers, in addition to the tradition of documenting cultural value differences, should study the relationship and interaction between culturally diverse people to identify how they work together effectively. Recent studies show that diverse people can work together when they manage their conflicts cooperatively (Chen et al., 2010 ; Chen & Tjosvold, 2007 , 2008 ; Chen, Tjosvold, & Wu, 2008 ).

While the “genotype” (the underlying conceptual structure of the theory of cooperation and competition) appears to be similar, the “phenotypes” (how the theory is manifested in particular situations) often are not (Lewin, 1938 ). In particular, the actions that develop cooperative goals and communicate an attempt to discuss conflicts open-mindedly may be quite different in China than in North America, as may the general levels of cooperative goals and conflict. However, diverse people can use research to develop a common understanding and platform for how they can manage conflict cooperatively and productively (Tjosvold & Leung, 2003 ).

Training Teams

Employees, managers, and executives are more effective when they manage important conflicts open-mindedly and cooperatively. Research suggests that, when they study cooperative, open-minded conflict, plan how to approach their own conflicts, and reflect on their experiences, managers and employees are more effective at managing conflict and more productive (Lu, Tjosvold, & Shi, 2010 ; Tjosvold et al., 2014a ).

A software company in Beijing used a cooperative team workshop and two months of follow-up of team feedback and reflection to develop open-minded conflict management (Lu et al., 2010 ). More than 150 employees from all the teams in the company participated in the workshop and the follow-up activities.

They had already organized cooperative teams to work on projects and satisfy customers. At the workshop, these groups studied the theory and reviewed the research in order to appreciate the value for them and their organization of strengthening cooperative, open-minded approaches to managing their conflicts. They decided that they wanted to improve their conflict management. They met regularly to assess their current level of cooperative conflict and developed plans for managing their conflicts more constructively. They practiced in their teams, met regularly to assess their current level of cooperative conflict, and developed plans for managing their conflicts more constructively. They reflected on their experience managing conflict within and between teams with consultants, and developed concrete ways to improve their conflict management.

Findings confirmed that open-minded discussion and cooperative relationships are a valuable basis upon which teams can strengthen their conflict management, collaboration among teams, and contributions to their organization. The training was found to heighten cooperative goals, develop open-minded discussion of conflicts, foster creativity within and between cultures, and produce higher group confidence and productivity.

Human resource personnel can apply conflict management findings by initiating professional development teams for managers and employees (Tjosvold & Tjosvold, 2015 ). They realize that becoming more effective requires the encouragement, feedback, and support of others. In these teams, managers and employees study cooperative, open-minded conflict management, reflect on their current experiences, and develop concrete ways to strengthen and practice conflict management skills. They remember not to expect perfection but to focus on reflecting on their experiences to improve.

Managers and employees confront a great variety of conflicts. With persistent pressures for them to rely on each other’s resources and to work together as a team, they are likely to encounter increasingly difficult conflicts that spread across organizational and national boundaries. Yet they are expected to resolve them quickly. Theory and research such as that referred to in this article helps to focus our efforts to manage even our complex conflicts constructively. We have learned from research that we can profitably strengthen our cooperative relationships and discuss our conflicts open-mindedly. Our conflicts will not disappear, but we can engage our partners so that we manage our conflicts and work together to get things done.

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EFFECT OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT ON ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

2019, EFFECT OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT ON ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Abstract This Study is an investigation on the Effect of Conflict Management on Organizational Effectiveness (A Case Study of Kogi State University) Anyigba. Kogi State. The essences of this study are to device effective strategies to conflict management and make appropriate recommendations for an effective conflict resolution, aimed at ensuring organizational development, productivity and societal growth. The study adopted the descriptive study pattern and used both the questionnaire method and personal interview in collecting data for the study, a total of 399 sample size was used in the data analysis, chi-square test of hypothesis was used to analyze the stated hypotheses. The research findings reveal among others, first, that the causes of conflicts in non-profit making includes poor communication gap, ethnic and religion differences, power tussle among staff, unequal distribution of rewards, competition over scarce resources etc., secondly, that conflicts in Kogi State University can be resolved were administrators indulge in collectives bargaining agreement, understanding of employees and acceptance of subordinate goals

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This study was aimed at identifying the effect of conflict on organizational performance in Nigerian organizations. We used a descriptive survey research design and the sample size selected was 166 academic staff. Data collected through the questionnaire were described using descriptive statistics while Pearson product moment coefficient of correlation was employed to test the hypotheses and establish the relationship between conflict management strategies and its implications on organizations performance. This study however, has shown there is a significant positive contribution of conflict management strategies to organizational performance. The study concluded that Power, style, culture and goal play significant role in managing organizational conflicts. Based on the findings, the study recommended that the management of the private universities should create additional channels of communication with employees as means of obtaining prompt feedback on organizational policies, so that conflicting interest will not arise.

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Prof. Oyedokun E M M A N U E L Godwin , Modupeola Adeolu-Akande , Esther Sanya

Organisations evaluate different opposing views, behaviours, and debates in making decisions. Public sector establishments are characterized by bureaucracy and top-down hierarchical structure of command, and therefore conflict exists with varying degrees. Hence, this study seeks to examine the effect of conflict management on the organisational performance of public sector establishments. Relevant empirical and theoretical literatures were reviewed and the study is anchored on conflict theory. The descriptive survey research design of the ex-post facto type was adopted. A sample size of 342 was arrived at using Taro Yamane model. It was selected from 2345 staff of the six purposively selected ministries in the Oyo state civil service which is the study population, using stratified random sampling. Data was collected through questionnaires. Only 318 questionnaires were considered usable, representing a 93.00% response rate. A descriptive and regression analysis through SPSS was used to test the relationship between conflict management and organisational performance. The findings indicate that there exists a significant relationship between conflict management and organisational performance (r= 0 .672; p<0.05). Findings further revealed that causative factors of conflict do not have a significant relationship with organisational performance (p-value (0.51>0.05). However, there is a significant relationship between conflict management styles and organisational performance (p-value =0.000<0.05). This study concludes that effective conflict management contributes to enhanced employees' productivity and would eventually improve organisational performance. The study recommended that management should effectively manage conflicts before they escalate to an unmanageable level, by using appropriate strategies. They should create additional channels of communication with employees as means of obtaining prompt feedback on organisational workings and policies, to prevent communication gaps and avoid conflicting interests.

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Kayode Ogunyemi

DANIEL KYAGYA

This study investigated the impact of conflict management on employees' performance in a public sector organisation, a case of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). This study adopted the survey research design. A total of 100 respondents were selected for the study using stratified sampling technique. Questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. Hypotheses were tested through regression analysis and correlation coefficient. The findings revealed that effective conflict management enhance employee's performance in an organisation and that organisation's conflict management system influences employee performance in the organisation. It was recommended that organisation should embark on training and retraining of its employees in area of conflict management so as to create a conductive working environment for the employees and that there should be efficient and effective communication between and among all categories of the employees the organisation. This will reduce conflicting situations in the organisation. Introduction Conflicts are inevitable. Conflicts are an everyday phenomenon in each organisation. There is growing recognition of the importance of conflict in an organisation. A recent survey indicated that managers spend a considerable portion of their time dealing with conflict and that conflict management becomes increasingly important to their effectiveness. Obisi (1996) argues that despite this fact peace forms one of the fundamental factors for enhanced productivity with resultant benefits to both the labour and management as well as for the economic development of the country. It will not be out of place therefore, to consider conflict as an inevitable and desirable factor in the work place. Conflict could be viewed as a situation of competition in which the parties are aware of the incomparability of potential future position in which each party wishes to occupy a position that is incompatible with the wishes of the other. Conflict could arise because of the employee quest to maximise profit while workers representatives are out to ensure continuous improved condition of living for their member. Conflict could also arise as a result of failure to honour agreed items on collective bargaining. Damachi (1999) emphasises that if those workers rights and employee prerogative are trampled upon, could also cause conflict. These include pay, condition of service, and fringe benefits among others. Azamosa (2004) observed that conflicts involve the total range of behaviours and attitudes that is in opposition between owners/managers on the one hand and working people on the other. It is a state of disagreement over issues of substance or emotional antagonism and may arise due to anger, mistrust or personality clashes. Otobo (1987) writing on effects of strikes and lockouts examined resultant effects of industrial conflict at three levels namely psychological, political and economic. In all, every party to industrial action is affected. The need for an effective conflict management to ameliorate the problems emanating from conflict and assist organisation in their struggle for the attainment of corporate objective cannot be over emphasised. The general objective of this research paper is to access the effect of conflict management on employee

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The study sought to identify the causes of conflicts, the challenges encountered in managing organizational conflicts, and the appropriate strategies adopted by selected public sector organizations in Nigeria in managing organizational conflict. The study has population size of 75 out of which a sample size of 63 was realized using Taro Yamane’s formula at 5% error tolerance and 95% level of confidence. Instruments used for data collection were questionnaire and interview. A total number of 63 copies of the questionnaires were distributed while 55 copies were returned. The descriptive research design was adopted for the study. The hypotheses were tested employing Pearson chi-square using SPSS. The findings indicate that inadequacy of resources; personality differences and communication problems are the causes of conflict in Nigerian public sector organizations. Secondly, coping with change and effective implementation of strategy are the challenges encountered in managing organizati...

Makerere Journal of Higher Education

Susan Ademilua

SUNDAY O J O C H E N E M I YUSUFU

Conflict management is key to the performance of any organization, conflict is inevitable because it occurs between individuals in the organization, this study takes a look at the effect of conflict management on organizational performance, two selected microfinance bank in Kogi state, namely Asea and Endwell were used as the population of the study, a total number of 250 staff was ascertained from the attendance registers of the branches visited. Taro Yamane (1973) sampling technique was used to arrive at a sample size of one hundred and fifty-four (154). One hundred and fifty-four copies of the questionnaire (154) were given to staffs of the selected organizations while one hundred and fifty copies of questionnaire were completed and returned. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. The study revealed that there is an insignificant positive effect of accommodating conflict management style on organizational performance. Furthermore, the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between avoiding conflict management style and organizational performance in the selected microfinance banks. Finally, it was also revealed that there is a significant relationship between organizational performances and collaborating conflict management style in the microfinance banks. The study recommended that for an effective organizational goal to be attained, JOURNAL OF LEADERSHIP, ACCOUNTING DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTIGATION RESEARCH (JLADIR)

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Workplace conflicts are inevitable in any work-organization. However, there is contestation as to whether management of organizational conflicts enhances or deteriorates employees' performance. This study sought to determine the effect of organizational conflict management techniques, namely negotiation, mediation, collaboration and avoidance, on employees' performance in selected public universities in Kenya. The study was based on the human relations, human capital and contingency theories. The study adopted a positivist quantitative approach-a methodological approach that seeks to quantify data and generalize results from a sample of a target population in an objective manner using statistical means. The study adopted descriptive research design. The study population was employees of the selected public universities in Kenya. A sample of 160 participants was chosen using stratified and simple random sampling methods. Gathered data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Both ANOVA and regression analysis were utilized in analysis of the data. The study established that there was a strong positive and significant relationship between negotiation, mediation as well as collaboration and employees’ performance in the selected public universities in Kenya as the three variables had positive beta coefficients and p-values less than the set significance level threshold. However, avoidance was found to have a negative and significant relationship with employees’ performance in the selected public universities in Kenya as denoted by its negative beta coefficient value and a p value less than the set significance level threshold. The study concluded that negotiation, mediation and collaboration positively influenced employees’ performance while avoidance adversely affected employees’ performance. Consequently, the study recommends that the managements of public universities in Kenya may apply a mix of these organizational conflict management techniques to achieve optimal outcomes in resolution of organizational conflicts.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management'

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Hibell, Zoe. "The OSCE and conflict prevention, management and resolution." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2000. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/7357.

Kray, Karen P. "Operasi lilian dan kepupat conflict prevention in North Sulawesi, Indonesia /." Ohio : Ohio University, 2006. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1149887464.

Löhr, Katharina. "Conflict Prevention and Management (CPM) System in Transdisciplinary Research Collaborations." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/19326.

Naidoo, Kameshni. "Workplace conflict : the line manager's role in preventing and resolving workplace conflict." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/95588.

Boyle, M. J. "The prevention and management of reprisal violence in post-conflict states." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.596837.

Fulton, Diane. "Peer mediation : conflict resolution or problem management?" Thesis, McGill University, 1996. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=24079.

Löhr, Katharina [Verfasser]. "Conflict Prevention and Management (CPM) System in Transdisciplinary Research Collaborations / Katharina Löhr." Berlin : Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1182541240/34.

Chukwunaru, Charles Obinna. "Conflict prevention, management and resolution in Africa: a case study of the conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan (2003 – 2013)." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14818.

Butts, J. Wayman. "A model for the prevention, management, and healing of conflict in the local church." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 2005. http://www.tren.com.

Jones, Lindsay Brooke Buffum. "Preventive reconciliation." Fairfax, VA : George Mason University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1920/3155.

Hellgren, Gunilla. "Varför blir inte någon förbannad på kepsar nu för tiden? : En kvalitativ studie av gymnasielärares uppfattningar av konflikter och konflikthantering." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för teknik, TEK, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-8976.

Jalkebro, Rikard. "Finding a juncture between peace and conflict studies and terrorism studies : the case of the Mindanao conflict." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11865.

Monama, Fankie Lucas. "Knowledge management and early warning systems : the case of Southern African Development Community's conflict prevention strategy." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2349.

Mandela, Siyabulela. "Preventive diplomacy and conflict provention in Africa." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13435.

Ripiloski, Sasho, and sash1982@optusnet com au. "Macedonia 1991-2001: a case-study of conflict prevention - lessons learned and broader theoretical implications." RMIT University. Global Studies, Social Science and Planning, 2009. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20090507.141532.

Hernández-González, Yeray, Michele Graziano Ceddia, Elena Zepharovich, and Dimitris Christopoulos. "Prescriptive conflict prevention analysis: An application to the 2021 update of the Austrian flood risk management plan." Elsevier, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2016.09.007.

Lofton, Dana Renia. "Guidebook for middle and high school teachers and students in conflict management." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2004. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2697.

Ahmat, Mahamat Yacoub. "La gestion des conflits : à travers la Médiature du Tchad." Thesis, Le Mans, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018LEMA3003/document.

Wright, Robert Randon. "Coping with Interpersonal Conflicts at Work: An Examination of the Goodness of Fit Hypothesis Among Nurses." PDXScholar, 2012. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/610.

Sullivan, Clarence L. "Preventing conflict through organizational procedure developing a policy and procedure manual for Kirkville Baptist Church /." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1998. http://www.tren.com.

Tivayanond, J. Michael. "An agenda for preventive diplomacy : implications for ASEAN and regional conflict management in Southeast Asia." Thesis, University of Kent, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.342096.

Saymah, Deya-Edeen. "A proposed approach for management of community mental health projects in areas of political conflict." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2015. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/5729/.

Tellidis, Ioannis. "Preventing terrorism?" Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/426.

Coady, Allison Marie. "Examining the role of preventive diplomacy in South Africa’s foreign policy towards Zimbabwe, 2000-2009." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/25681.

Weissmann, Mikael. "Understanding the East Asian Peace : Informal and formal conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the Taiwan Strait, the Korean Peninsula, and the South China Sea 1990-2008." Doctoral thesis, University of Gothenburg, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:fhs:diva-5166.

Foley, Edmund Amarkwei. "Taking a critical look at conflict resolution and human rights from the Organisation of African Unity to the African Union." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/1083.

Weitz, Ida, and Fanny Linn. "Konflikthantering på Fritidshemmet : En kvalitativ studie om lärares syn på konflikter och konflikthantering på fritidshemmet." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Barn- och ungdomsvetenskapliga institutionen, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-186952.

Carson, Austin Matthews. "Secrecy, Acknowledgement, and War Escalation: A Study in Covert Competition." The Ohio State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1373974847.

Zhirukhina, Elena. "The state application of repressive and reconciliatory tactics in the North Caucasus (2007-2014)." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/11094.

Hollinger, Keith H. "Alternative Pathways to Peace and Development in Rural Chiapas, Mexico." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/37820.

Muhindi, Solomon Peter Kavai. "Conflict management in Kenyan electoral conflict: 2002-2012." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/12286.

Odiniya, Agenyi Benjamin, Babila Julius Fofuleng, and Pheakavoin Vong. "Strategic Sustainable Development as an Approach to Conflict Prevention in Conflict-Prone Societies." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för strategisk hållbar utveckling, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-2416.

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Papastathopoulos, Stavros. "Expanding the European Union's Petersberg tasks : requirements and capabilities /." Thesis, Monterey, Calif. : Springfield, Va. : Naval Postgraduate School ; Available from National Technical Information Service, 2004. http://library.nps.navy.mil/uhtbin/hyperion/04Jun%5FPapastathopoulos.pdf.

Bukae, Nkosi Makhonya. "An analysis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) preventive diplomacy in the kingdom of Lesotho: a case study." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008296.

Björkdahl, Annika. "From idea to norm : promoting conflict prevention /." Lund : Lund Univ., Dep. of Political Science, 2002. http://www.gbv.de/dms/sub-hamburg/350399298.pdf.

Goodhand, J., and P. Bergne. "Evaluation of the Conflict Prevention Pools: Afghanistan." Department for International Development, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/3923.

Brusset, E. "Evaluation of the Conflict Prevention Pools: Sudan." Department for International Development, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/3935.

Rhodes, Gloria. "Conflict resolution and conflict transformation practice is there a difference? /." Fairfax, VA : George Mason University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1920/3418.

Chalmers, Malcolm G. "Spending to save? The cost-effectiveness of conflict prevention." Routledge, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/4030.

Stewart, Emma J. "The evolution of European Union conflict prevention policy." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2005. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/7751.

Chalmers, Malcolm G. "Spending to save: Is conflict prevention cost-effective." University of Bradford, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/3626.

Austin, Greg, and Malcolm G. Chalmers. "Evaluation of the Conflict Prevention Pools: Portfolio review." Department for International Development, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/3847.

Austin, Greg, E. Brusset, Malcolm G. Chalmers, and J. Pierce. "Evaluation of the Conflict Prevention Pools: Synthesis report." Department for International Development, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/3848.

Austin, Greg. "Evaluation of the Conflict Prevention Pools: [Evaluation summary]." Department for International Development, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/3921.

Ginifer, Jeremy, and K. Oliver. "Evaluation of the Conflict Prevention Pools: Sierra Leone." Department for International Development, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/3934.

Langan, William B. "Dyadic nexus of interstate and intrastate conflict prevention." Thesis, University of Kent, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.410874.

Ng, Peng Man. "Conflict management styles and trust." Thesis, University of Macau, 2006. http://umaclib3.umac.mo/record=b1637049.

Savage, Denise. "Business networks and conflict management." Thesis, Queen's University Belfast, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.534605.

Sorrentino, Eugenia Polizzi Di. "Conflict management in capuchin monkeys." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.521732.

Plaatjes, Carlton Henry. "Assessing conflict and management interventions." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018930.

Ph.D. in International Conflict Management

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The PhD in International Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University (KSU) is an interdisciplinary program that emphasizes both theory and practice. Our students come from around with world, with a cohort system for the core seminars in the first three semesters of the program providing a common base from which students specialize according to their own academic and professional backgrounds and research interests.

PhD students accepted into the program receive broad interdisciplinary training while also being able to select elective classes in areas of interest. Graduates will be able to address complex conflicts from a sophisticated theoretical, practical, and methodological knowledge base. Core seminars in the semester of the program include:

International relations theories of conflict
Economic theories of conflict
Socio-cultural approaches to conflict
Peace and conflict studies theories and analysis
Approaches to knowledge
Fundamentals of research design
Quantitative methods
Qualitative methods

Students are also required to enroll in a course on professional knowledge for the PhD, an advanced methods course of their choosing, and a dissertation proposal colloquium.

Vision To become a leading PhD program preparing scholar-practitioners for the complex challenges of preventing, managing, and transforming international conflict.

This full-time, interdisciplinary, in-residence program is designed to meet the global demand for scholar-practitioners capable of addressing a complex array of international conflict and security challenges. Our graduates succeed in a wide range of careers including tenure-track faculty appointments, positions at international organizations around the globe, monitoring and evaluation experts for nongovernmental organizations, government operations, and private sector analysts.

The INCM PhD program is one of a small number of PhD programs in International Conflict Management in North America. Graduates of our program should be able to demonstrate the following:

Explain the theoretical and historical foundations of conflict management, international relations, economics of conflict, and intercultural dynamics of conflict
Evaluate and apply concepts and theories of international conflict management to real world practice
Reflect intercultural competency through critically engaging with a diverse range of scholars and theoretical frameworks
Assess and conduct research using quantitative and qualitative methods
Independently design, conduct, and defend research contributing to the field of international conflict management

Selected Careers after the Ph.D. Program

Academic positions.

Executive Director, Strategic Studies & Partnerships & Associate Professor, University of North Georgia
Director, United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise, Salisbury University
Director of International Student Services, Dixie State University
Ombudsperson, Georgia State University
Professor (FH) Vice Director of Studies Sports, Culture & Event Management, University of Kufstein, Austria
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, University of West Georgia
Assistant Professor of Conflict Engagement, Creighton University, School of Law
Lecturer, University of Cape Coast, Ghana
Lecturer of Sociology, Georgia State University
Instructor Political Science and Public Affairs, Savannah State
Instructor, Bethune-Cookman University
Full-time Temporary Instructor of Political Science and Public Affairs, Savannah State
Adjunct Instructor, University of Missouri
Part-time Assistant Professor of Political Science, Kennesaw State University

Research and Administrative Positions

Head of Training for Peace Program, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Ghana
Deputy Manager, Nepal Telecom, Nepal
Data Analyst and Researcher, Montana Office of Public Instruction K20
Market Research Analyst, Cisco
Senior Data Science Associate, PwC, GSRC
Trainer & Clinical Social Worker, UCLA Nathanson Family Resilience Center
Enterprise Risk Management - Operations Analyst, Guidehouse
Independent Data Consulting, Center for Disease Control
Senior Tax Auditor, Ghana Revenue Authority
Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church

128 Conflict Management Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best conflict management topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on conflict management, ⭐ simple & easy conflict management essay titles, ❓ essay questions on conflict management.

Conflict Management Essay The process of conflict management in organizations requires determination and participation of two parties, employees and the management. Furthermore, the employer should be empathetic to the employees and should be concerned of any problem with […]
How to Resolve Conflict in Workplace Essay In fact, one of the roles of management in an organisation is to ensure peaceful environment that is characterised by workforce collaboration in the effort to meet the goals, mission, and aims of an organisation. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
Schneider National Inc.’s Conflict Management Lofgren believes that task conflict will help the company in mediating the points of conflict in the company by making sound decisions that help in the growth of the business.
Conflict Management as a Study Subject Reflection In the following journal entries, I will summarize my thoughts and ideas after exploring the module’s activities and lectures and discuss some theories and practices in relation to my past and future experiences.
Conflict in the Public Sector: Management and Resolution This occurs due to the varying attitudes of people and understanding among the different clients; considering all these facts, the public sector needs to design strategies that would prove to be helpful in dealing with […]
Communication and Conflict Management in Nursing It is essential to emphasize that to reduce the burden on the nurse and the number of inquiries to patients, and it is necessary to use reflexive listening.
Managing Conflict Situations in Nursing In this case, it is necessary to use a collaborative conflict management style that is said to be one of the most useful variants.
Educational Administration: Conflict Management and Resolution Therefore, it will take the energy of a strong character to sort out the conflict between people. This also makes the other person in conflict to perceive the conflict as imaginary and of no consequence.
Etisalat Company’s Conflict Management Practices Conflict management serves as a vital component of modern management to achieve the prosperity and success of a company. This dimension is most applicable for the selection and application of a relevant organizational conflict management […]
Internal Managerial Conflicts: Jones and Shephard Accountants, Inc. The success of projects will to a large extent rely on the interests, support, and commitment of the senior management. A deep analysis of the organizational structure of Jones and Shephard Accountants, Inc.is prone to […]
Conflict Management in “The Avengers” Movie This character trait is often sought after by managers in their employees since this often indicates that this individual is more willing to work with others and will do as they are told for the […]
Constructive Conflict Management in Tesco Tesco’s internal conflict with its employees has so far been dealt inappropriately resulting in the escalation of tension and the company’s perception by both employees and consumers has suffered.
The Police Agency’ Conflict Management In the police agency, parties may use the collaboration strategy involving information sharing, openness, and elucidation of the various conflicting issues not only to reach a common ground that is satisfactory to the conflicting parties […]
Inter-Jurisdictional Conflict Management The term could also mean the extent of power or items that such power controls or protects.”Inter” means between or among, therefore, inter-jurisdictional conflict signifies a conflict among two or more powers over something that […]
Conflict Management in Japanese Culture Japan and its culture truly represent the cultural compromise that determines the development of the entire Japanese spiritual tradition.
Change Management and Conflict Resolution in Communities The different levels of perceptions on emerging issues among the members of the community are the source of conflicts. The management of such conflicts augments the quality of the choices in the project’s operation processes.
Conflict Management: Simple Rules for Avoiding and Resolving Conflicts In order for the workplace to be a welcoming environment in which conflicts are rare occurrences, it is essential to establish an organizational culture based on respect and equality.
Importance of Conflict Management Given that a conflict or at least the predisposition for it is thought to be a natural feature of the human experience, it is guaranteed to occur, especially in the turbulent world of healthcare, with […]
Creating Ideal Teams: Conflict Management in Teams During my employment, I noticed that the essential step that led to high satisfaction and increased performance of a team lies in its creation.
Aspects of the Conflict Management An example of a time I used a conflict resolution strategy was when I attempted to bring the parties involved in a conflict together so they could talk.
Event Management and Evaluation With Conflict Theory As such, the event and the performance of the staff and the managerial team worked in accordance to appropriately provide for them.
Managing a Sexual Harassment Conflict at Sony In Sony, as in any other company, conflicts also occur, and managers strive to establish a common language between all sides involved, though the result of the conflict may be disappointing for one of the […]
Conflict Management in Healthcare Conflict management: a crucial part of the clinical environment; Potential sources of conflict: hierarchy issues and interdisciplinary concerns; Case under analysis: misunderstanding between an anesthesiologist and a surgeon; Cause: a misconception caused by underlying […]
Conflict Management: Conversations With Difficult People The consequence of conflicts in a workplace is a decrease in customer satisfaction, a significant turnover, and a decrease in labor productivity.
Managing Authorship Conflicts in Educational Institutions However, scientists are people like everyone else, trying to make a career and forced to comply with the requirements for the publication of scientific papers; they often lie, cheat and take advantage of students.
Leadership: Conflict and Conflict Management Overall, the concept of leadership and additional terms that are embedded into it are quite flexible because they can be aligned with specific individual characteristics and objectives that a person is pursuing.
Pediatric Operating Room: Conflict Management Strategies For example, in the pediatric care unit, when the patient needs long-term care, conflict occurs mainly between the parents and the care team due to differences in the religious and cultural beliefs of the parents.
Discussion: Managing Conflict of Interest A review of the literature revealed that promoting transparency and accountability, and implementing policies and regulations that stimulate adherence, are critical in managing conflicts of interest.
Five Conflict Management Styles The performance formula is directly linked to the coaching model in that the performance formula helps determine one’s reasons for low performance and the improvement action required.
Conflict Management in the Healthcare Workplace Conflict management at the workplace is one of the crucial elements related to the organization of work in healthcare facilities. Consequently, if ignored or not handled adequately, the disputes between the colleges at the workplace […]
Transformative Mediation: Conflict Management Consequently, the role of a transformative mediator is to support parties in shifting toward the recognition of the causes of their conflict and empower them to take action toward change.
Interpersonal Conflict: Management, Economics and Industrial Organization A healthy and effective interaction strengthens the relationship of the people involved, and information is easily conveyed. Communication is the foundation of every interpersonal interaction, and it is crucial to a long-lasting and healthy relationship.
Conflict Management in Human Services This implies that I am relatively flexible in my attempts to solve the problem and I always want to make the opinion of the opposing party count.
Conflict Management: Styles, Strategies, and Their Effect A closer look at the phenomenon in question will reveal that a conflict map works as a method of arranging the facts related to a particular problem in a specific order so that the links […]
Conflict Management Efficiency in Team Leaders The team leader is also responsible for ensuring that all the team players in the organization are motivated in the areas of work, in which they are involved; in the running of the organization’s activities.
Communication and Conflict Management But since women have a compromising nature and are normally found to be in listening instead of in lecturing roles, we find Linda listening coolly to frank and telling him to try and talk directly […]
Humor Application in Conflict Management: Facilitating and Regulating Communication To an extent, the value of humor can be explained by the fact that it helps to establish a more relaxed atmosphere, the quality sometimes needed at a workplace.
Applying Constructive Conflict Management to a Conflict The prelude phase describes the situation that made the conflict possible, taking into account its participants, their relationship, and the environment where the conflict takes place.
Effective Business Meetings and Conflict Management A good meeting should stick to the agenda and deal with matters that are relevant to the items of agenda. Organizers can seize the benefits of communication technology to ensure success of a meeting.
International Journal of Conflict Management Critique The chapters in the journal article tackle a variety of large and small disputes and conflicts that take place in organizations and groups.
Conflict Management Concepts Implementation and Outcomes The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the implementation of the conflict management concepts and to analyze this process along with the outcomes.
Intergroup Conflict and Its Management Therefore, it must also be considered as a valuable asset that would allow this group to resolve the conflict by exchanging thoughts and opinions.
Conflict Management Approaches The strategy that can be considered accepted is the one in which the outcome of the conflict is positive for the organization in general.
Understanding Conflict Management The lack of team dynamics in the workplace results in the cropping up of conflicts. In this case the key issues and the grievances must be taken care of before it affects the overall performance […]
Conflict Management in Empyrean Company First of all, Kensworthy may have considered himself a great investor in the company and therefore felt that he had a right to promotion and management in the company.
Conflict Management and Negotiations In the event that compromising is used as the approach in this conflict situation, the manager will be talked to by a colleague into accepting the fact that has to have the one-hour extension in […]
Conflict Management: Teambuilding and Dynamics Each team has to perform the assigned task and in addition it must coordinate with other teams to ensure smooth progress in operations.
Human Communication and Conflict Management in Family I must admit that the communication styles I learned brought me back to the days in my family where there were a lot of communication styles that I had to contend with.
Conflict Management Challenges in Trade Unions This step will help the owner to reduce negative feelings and misunderstanding between the trade union and the company. This step will help the owner to create a positive atmosphere and explain the situation to […]
Food Merchandising Corporation’s Conflict Management Everyone is aware of the high rate of failure of start-up and first time entrepreneurs are always fired up to start a business only to declare bankruptcy later on due to many unforeseen problems or […]
Conflict Management Styles Applied in Healthcare In the mentioned above conflict, the patient was a young woman, whose parents wanted to visit her often throughout the day.
Theater Stage Manager’s Conflict Resolution Assuming the role of the mediator in managing the conflict between the friends, I had to use my knowledge gained when studying to become a stage manager because of the need to initiate the productive […]
Managing Organizational Conflict: Rahim’s Meta Model In addition, they are trained to minimize the degree of differences between the two sides of a conflict and highlighting common points of view that are likely to satisfy the involved parties.
Conflict Management Styles: Zimmerman vs. Trayvon Martin There are various conflict management styles that help in solving conflicts and which could be useful in solving the conflict in the case of Zimmerman vs.
Positive Conflict Management Strategies At the confrontation stage, other individuals, not party to the conflict, begin to take sides and gather information on the conflict.
Concourse Equity Inc.’s Conflict Management The triggering events in the conflict between Luther and Rihanna happened when Luther made a Chauvinist comment about Rihanna by saying that she ought to be in the kitchen cooking tea for men in the […]
Managerial Conflict Resolution for Marketing Team The report that I have indicates that the main issue in regards to this standoff is that your team wants the project to progress as a TV campaign, while your colleagues are adamant that it […]
Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism’s Conflict Management The concept of Sulha, although not directly outlined in the organization’s code of conduct, is the main driving instrument of internal conflict resolution in the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism.
Masdar City Project and Conflict Management Despite the noble vision that the founders and financiers of this project have, it is important to appreciate that conflicts may emerge.
Abu Dhabi Sports Council’s Conflict Management In the case of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the absence of a coherent conflict management technique may cause the organization to fail in its endeavor at making the sport popular among the UAE citizens.
Conflict Management in Nursing Decision-Making The key objective of this work is to assess conflict management styles as the basic mechanisms for resolving controversial situations in the decision-making process in nursing communities.
Marbles Construction Company’s Conflict Management The 2009 agreement was meant to safeguard the interests of both the company and the employees. Most of the supervisors and mid-level managers were in support of the workers’ requests and this made it difficult […]
Conflict Management: Importance and Implications First of all, the author perceives the concept of conflict and conflict management from the perspective of positive conflict resolution, addressing the root causes of conflicts.
Singapore Airlines Conflict Management and Negotiation The study will entail analysis of the policies used by Singapore Airlines to manage conflicts among employees, the ethical dilemma facing the HR staff, and the alternative solutions.
Conflict Resolution in Management Teams The behavioral and social cognition features of the relationships suggest that managerial tasks and relationships are the key attributes of incompatibilities that in organizations.
Customer Service Conflict Management Strategies The key difficulty is, therefore, to find out what type of customer the support is dealing with and, thus, to choose the appropriate strategy to calm him/her down.
Employee Motivation, Conflict and Personnel Management The other managerial issue in the case is that of conflict management and resolution. The two were not only long serving members of the organization but had also advanced in age, thus making their conflict […]
Riordan Manufacturing: Diversity and Conflict Management Whenever a change is introduced in an organization, it is quite common for employees to respond with mixed reactions in spite of the benefits associated with the same change. It is imperative to note that […]
Role of Coaching in Conflict Management The case is different in Japan since the achievements of the group play an important role in the success of the organization as compared to individual efforts.
Management Issues: Conflict Mediation It is very important that the leaders of such companies apply the skills of conflict mediation in order not to let the interpersonal relationships influence the effectiveness of the business process and the organization’s success.
Managing Conflicts: U.S. Harvest Scandal Therefore, it can be considered that once the USA Harvest organization had established the principles of transparency as the basis for its organizational strategy, the failure would have been avoided.
Conflict Management in the Healthcare Sector In a bid to ensure that medical practitioners are able to treat and adapt to new changes in healthcare, change must take place.
Workplace Group Problems: Conflict Management and Dynamics If a group engages in destructive conflict, then the outcomes can result in loss of the main objectives in the quest for sub-group interests, encourage the committee members to be defensive, and may results in […]
Selina Lo’s Conflict Management in Ruckus Wireless Company Selina Lo must learn these styles in order to accommodate her new employees and establish a culture of managing conflict and negotiation in Ruckus Wireless.
Conflict Prevention in Project Management To this end, it is essential to iron out these differences prior to commencement of the project because if the expectations vary then the outcomes are also likely to vary as well.
Effectiveness of Various Conflict Management Practices In the same way, the unfolding of the conflict will determine if the conflict at the workplace has positive and negative effects to the organization.
Conflict Management in Organizational Teams A calendar that indicates deadlines for various tasks should be displayed on a clearly visible point to remind the employee of the urgency of the task.
Managing Conflict: Decision-Making Process in Organizations Conflicts in this institution also arise from among the physicians, the management team and physicians and between other professionals and the physicians.
Managing Conflict in People in Organizations The sources of conflicts include cultural differences, organizational structure and the personality orientations of the employees. In conclusion, personal conflicts can be attributed to personality orientation, goal incongruence and the expected level of performance.
Tesco PLC Constructive Conflict Management This will lead to fruitful corporation within the organization and the external environment. This will result to the success of both the organization and employees.
Managing Internal and External Conflicts Given the adverse effects of stress, the ability to manage stress is a critical aspect in conflict resolution. As the discussion above has elucidated, there are a variety of conflict management strategies that can be […]
Organizational Behavior, Motivation and Conflict Management For instance, in an organization motivation is low in the absence of the three functions while it is high when valence is positive and expectancy and instrumentality are high.
Effective Conflict Management in Planning Firstly, the planner must have the knowledge of the possible kinds of conflict that may arise in the course of planning.
Crisis Communication and Conflict Management in Health Care Environment Crisis communication and response have a large significance in restoring the organization’s status and their effectiveness depends on skills of the crisis communicators and their understanding of crisis management.
Conflict Management and Organizational Roles To put an end to such misunderstanding in the office, the individual roles should be clearly established beforehand by the senior member of staff who overlooks the whole working body of staff members.
Conflict Essence in the Management Setting In studying conflict management and theories that explain the rationale behind it, this essay is going to focus on one type of conflict. As a remedy to interpersonal conflict, this theory demands understanding of the […]
“Organizational Communication and Conflict Management” by Kenan Spaho The author goes further to explore the relevance of conflicts in an organization. It is the duty of managers and supervisors to deal with all types of conflicts in their organizations.
Human Resource Management and Conflict Resolution Within the scope of the study, the author has chosen an important and debatable topic because human resource management is one of the most important issues affecting all institutions in the modern world.
The Mediating Role of Trust: Conflict Management Styles in Managers The article by Chan et al.is relevant to the issue of conflict management in the workplace as it explores the concept of leadership and open communication in conflict resolution.
Negotiation in Conflict Management Process The presented solutions should be enlightened by the prevailing problems and be considerate of all parties in conflict. All members of a team in negotiation should recognize the relationship and be willing to make the […]
Conflict Management Strategies Thus, one needs to have a clear understanding of the characteristics of the team members and the responses that they have in the process of a conflict in determining the strategy that he/she will use […]
Overview of Conflict Management In order to understand the significance and role of conflict in organizational management, as well as the causes of disagreements in the employed environment, conflict definitions should be identified.
Effective Management of Conflicts in Organizations The human resource management should constantly track the signals of conflict in the organization in order to solve it in time to avoid hostile encounters and emotional outburst which negatively impact on the image of […]
Manager’s Role in Averting Negativity and Conflicts This often leads to poor performance of the employees and the entire company. Instead of simply declaring the need to work more, the manager can develop a strategy to avoid probable negative attitude.
Conflict Management Skills: Andy & J This is a skill that seemed to be well mastered by Andy; he employed this together with the rest of the skills made his discussion with J a successful.
Conflict Management: Enhancing a Peaceful Coexistence By the right attitude, it means that employees work harder to benefit the organization so that they benefit from the productivity, and not working harder in order to compete with their colleagues.
Organizational Conflict Management Third, each of the departments will be encouraged to be emphatic towards the other. They will promote acknowledgement and listening to the views of each of the departments.
Conflict Management System Design and Introduction In order to design an effective conflict management system, data has to be collected on the type of conflict affecting an organization so as to establish the type of conflict to address given that conflict […]
Managing Conflict and Workplace Relationships In the case above, it is important for the manager to maintain calmness and approach the situation without any predetermined conclusions.
Conflict Management as the Essential Quality of a Leader Conflict management is one of the essential qualities of a good manager especially in a world that has a wide range of challenges to be confronted.
Toolkit for Conflict Management Change is the process of improving the organizations processes and employees performance with the intention of increasing productivity. Also, with the use of suggestion boxes, the employees are able to write down their views and […]
Managing Conflict in Organizations For management teams to find workable and viable solutions to conflicts, it is important for such teams to consider the underlying causes of conflicts, the behavior of the involved groups or individuals, and the nature […]
Conflict Resolution and Management: How Does It Work? In addressing conflict resolution and management, it is equally important to appreciate the role of emotions in influencing decisions, stances and direction of interests.
How Many Resolution Methods Are There for Conflict Management?
What Is the Best Conflict Management Style?
How Does Mediation Work in Conflict Management?
What Are the Benefits of Effective Conflict Management?
Why Is Conflict Management an Important Skill?
Is a Collaborative Negotiation Style the Most Effective Form of Conflict Management?
What Is the Most Important Tool in Conflict Management?
Are There Negative Outcomes of Conflict Management?
What Is the Importance of Conflict Management at the Workplace?
How Do You Handle Difficult Conflict Management?
What Is the Best Conflict Management Strategy?
What Makes a Good Conflict Management?
How Are Leadership and Conflict Management Related?
What Is the Main Goal of Conflict Management?
Is There a Universal Key to Conflict Management?
What Is the Role of Conflict Management in the Success of a Team?
Is the Competing Conflict Management Style the Most Assertive?
Why Is Emotional Intelligence Important for Conflict Management?
What Are the Main Issues of Conflict Management in Business?
Is There a Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Management Style?
What Is Accommodating Conflict Management Style?
Is Conflict Management a Soft Skill?
What Is the Source of Conflict Management?
How Can a Company Improve Conflict Management?
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Conflict Management?
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INTRALOGISTICS CONTROL AND FLEET MANAGEMENT OF AUTONOMOUS MOBILE ROBOTS

The emergence of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) signifies a pivotal shift in vehicle-based material handling systems, demonstrating their effectiveness across a broad spectrum of applications. Advancing beyond the traditional Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV), AMRs offer unprecedented flexibility in movement, liberated from electromagnetic guidance constraints. Their decentralized control architecture not only enables remarkable scalability but also fortifies system resilience through advanced conflict resolution mechanisms. Nevertheless, transitioning from AGV to AMR presents intricate challenges, chiefly due to the expanded complexity in path planning and task selection, compounded by the heightened potential for conflicts from their dynamic interaction capabilities. This dissertation confronts these challenges by fully leveraging the technological advancements of AMRs. A kinematic-enabled agent-based simulator was developed to replicate AMR system behavior, enabling detailed analysis of fleet dynamics and interactions within AMR intralogistics systems and their environments. Additionally, a comprehensive fleet management protocol was formulated to enhance the throughput of AMR-based intralogistics systems from an integrated perspective. A pivotal discovery of this research is the inadequacy of existing path planning protocols to provide reliable plans throughout their execution, leading to task allocation decisions based on inaccurate plan information and resulting in false optimality. In response, a novel machine learning enhanced probabilistic Multi-Robot Path Planning (MRPP) protocol was introduced to ensure the generation of dependable path plans, laying a solid foundation for task allocation decisions. The contributions of this dissertation, including the kinematic-enabled simulator, the fleet management protocol, and the MRPP protocol, are intended to pave the way for practical enhancements in autonomous vehicle-based material handling systems, fostering the development of solutions that are both innovative and applicable in industrial practices.

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy
Industrial Engineering

Campus location

West Lafayette

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Additional committee member 2, additional committee member 3, additional committee member 4, usage metrics.

Simulation, modelling, and programming of mechatronics systems
Autonomous vehicle systems
Systems engineering
Industrial engineering

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Conflict Management as an Instrument for Organizational Effectiveness: A Conceptual Perspective
Three types of conflict among the subunits of formal organizations are identified: (1) bargaining conflict among the parties to an interest-group relationship; (2) bureaucratic conflict between ...
PDF Conflict Management in The Workplace: a Case Study in A Technical and
I, Vusiwana Dorris Makamu, student no. 30632307, declare that the dissertation, Conflict Management in the Workplace: A Case Study in a TVET College in Mpumalanga Province, presented to obtain a Master of Education at UNISA, is my own work and that no one has presented it before to any other institutions of higher learning.
Leadership Strategies to Manage Workplace Conflict
team/group performance, the cost of conflict resolution at the workplace, involving all parties in the conflict resolution process, and being mindful of employee behavior. A key recommendation is to explore how leaders can use collaboration as a significant conflict management strategy to reduce workplace conflict.
PDF Conflict Resolution and Management in Contemporary Work Organizations
Conflict Resolunon and Management in Contemporary Work Organizations 181. to commit oneself to these aspirations, seek ways to reconcile both parties' aspirations, and, if necessary, lower one's own aspirations and continue to search for a common solution (Pruitt and Rubin 1986).
The Relationship of Principal Conflict Management Style and School Climate
The researcher found no significant correlation between principal most. preferred conflict management style and the four process indicators of school. climate: percent of teachers satisfied with the learning environment, percent of. teachers satisfied with the social and physical environment, percent of.
A Systematic Approach to Effective Conflict Management for Program
A program conflict management model is developed for the effective management of program conflicts. The model provides a systematic view of the learning cycle of program conflict management, including conflict identification, resolution, feedback, and prevention, of which many patterns are found distinct from project conflict management.
Exploring the relationships between team leader's conflict management
The conflict management theory is mainly originated from Management Grid Theory proposed by Blake and Mouton, which the management model is divided into five different degrees based on two dimensions. Rahim (1983) summarizes five types of CMSs in work teams, i.e., integrating, dominating, avoiding, compromising, and obliging.
PDF Leadership Orientations and Conflict Management Styles of ...
conflict management from a more inclusive perspective that involved the Bolman and Deal four-frame leadership theory: Structural, human resources, political and symbolic frames and Rahim ... dissertation; Dr. Gerald Blakely thank you for your words of encouragement through the process and finally, Dr. Richard Hartnett thanks for the support ...
PDF Conflict Management
Finally this thesis aims to contribute with further knowledge of how to effectively manage functional conflicts and to inspire others to do supplementary research and case studies within this area. Research questions: 1) What triggers conflict and how does conflicts evolve? 2) Explore different conflict management approaches.
Conflict Resolution Masters Theses
Theses/Dissertations from 2010. PDF. The Creative Use of Dance/Movement Therapy Processes to Transform Intrapersonal Conflicts Associated with Sexual Trauma in Women, Emily Fern Dayton. PDF. Music and Conflict Resolution: Exploring the Utilization of Music in Community Engagement, Mindy Kay Johnston. PDF.
Dissertations
Dissertations. The full dissertations of the PhD in International Conflict Management alumni may be found at KSU Digital Commons . "Modeling Peacekeeping: The Case of Canada Examined" (2015) "Assets or Liabilities? Civil Society Organizations and Peacebuilding in Bawku East Municipality of Ghana" (2014) "A Preventive Approach to Post-Election ...
Managing Conflict for Effective Leadership and Organizations
Conflict management styles researchers propose five alternative approaches to dealing with conflict (Rahim, 1983, 1995; Thomas, 1976; Van de Vliert & Kabanoff, 1990). ... Doctoral dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Deutsch, M. (1973). The resolution of conflict. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
(PDF) Conflict Management in Organization
CONFLICT MANAGMENT IN ORGANIZA TION 1. Željko T urkalj, Full Professor. Ivana Fosić, T eaching Assistant. Davor Dujak, T eaching Assistant. J.J. Strossmayer University in Osijek. Faculty of ...
PDF Conflict Management in the Workplace: Case Study of Centro Comunitário
resolution skills and conflict management techniques in the case of workplace conflict in Centro Comunitário S. Cirilo. Conflict is a normal and natural aspect of life. Conflict ... the success of my master's degree thesis would not have been achieved without God on my side through His divine inspiration, comfort, strength, sound mind, good ...
Effect of Conflict Management on Organizational Effectiveness
Abstract This Study is an investigation on the Effect of Conflict Management on Organizational Effectiveness (A Case Study of Kogi State University) Anyigba. ... (2006). Conflict management styles of cabinet-level community college Administrators in North Carolina (Doctoral dissertation, East Carolina University). Retrieved from Dissertations ...
(PDF) NATURAL RESOURCES, CONFLICTS, AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
TITLE: NA TURAL RESOURCES, CONFLICTS, AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT. MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Sajal Lahiri. This dissertation examines, both theoretically and empirically, the eﬀects of international ...
PDF Conflicts and Conflict Management Mechanisms in Selected Districts in
conflict management mechanisms in the Northern Region of Ghana towards a comprehensive and sustainable management of the conflicts. The study is purely qualitative, employing the multiple case study design. Sixty-two participants were, purposively, selected for the study. Interview guide, focus group discussion
Dissertations / Theses: 'Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management
Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Conflict Prevention and Conflict Management.'. Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA ...
Ph.D. in International Conflict Management
The PhD in International Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University (KSU) is an interdisciplinary program that emphasizes both theory and practice. ... and a dissertation proposal colloquium. Vision. To become a leading PhD program preparing scholar-practitioners for the complex challenges of preventing, managing, and transforming ...
An Assessment of Practice of Conflict Management in Ethiopian ...
realities provoke this research to assess the conflict and conflict management practice of Madda walabu University so that some useful recommendations will be forwarded. 1.3 Objective of the study The general objective of this study is the assessment of practice of the conflict management in Ethiopian Higher
(PDF) Conflict Management in School
The majority of teachers were in higher levels of conflict and administrators. were in initial level of conflict. 95 (38.6%)of teachers in level 1 and 11, and (26.2%) teac hers in level 2 in work ...
PDF Conflict Management in Secondary Schools in Tanzania: Municipal Council
conflict management in secondary schools in tanzania: a case of selected secondary schools in shinyanga municipal council, shinyanga emmanuel victor a kaluma a dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of master of education, administration, planning and policy studies of the open university of tanzania 2017
128 Conflict Management Essay Topic Ideas & Examples
Conflict management is one of the essential qualities of a good manager especially in a world that has a wide range of challenges to be confronted. Toolkit for Conflict Management. Change is the process of improving the organizations processes and employees performance with the intention of increasing productivity.
Intralogistics Control and Fleet Management of Autonomous Mobile Robots
The contributions of this dissertation, including the kinematic-enabled simulator, the fleet management protocol, and the MRPP protocol, are intended to pave the way for practical enhancements in autonomous vehicle-based material handling systems, fostering the development of solutions that are both innovative and applicable in industrial ...