common and in most cases unavoidable. Because of this, it has become critical for managers to start evaluating the styles they use in managing conflict and to assess the implications of these styles to the benefits and costs of conflict. In order to meet this challenge, managers must understand the nature, sources and the outcome of conflict. It is by reflecting on the above, that managers may become more informed about the right conflict management approach to apply. This research deals with an investigation into the conflict management styles used by managers in organisations. It seeks to identify the styles currently used and to establish whether there is any correlation between these styles and the conflict management styles identified in the literature survey. The study targeted six health institutions in the Northern Region of the Eastern Cape Province. Findings from the literature study revealed two main approaches to managing conflict. These were: the Resolution and the Stimulating approaches. Five conflict management styles were identified when the resolution technique is used. These included: Collaboration, Avoidance, Accommodating, Compromise and the Dominating styles. Five approaches for stimulating functional conflict in organisations were also identified.They included the following: use of programmed conflict, manipulation of communication channels, encouraging competition among employees, encouraging the use structured debates and changing the organisational structure and culture. A research questionnaire and personal interviews were used for collecting data. The Questionnaire sought to establish the conflict management styles currently used in organisations while the interview’s aim was to probe deeper and to establish the participants’ view of the factors which determine one’s preferred conflict handling style and also to assess to what extent managers understand contemporary approaches to managing conflict such as conflict stimulation. The study revealed that the conflict management styles used by managers are similar to those identified in the literature review. It also emerged that managers are not very knowledgeable about the view of managing conflict by stimulating it. This highlighted the importance for further research into managing conflict by means of the stimulation approach.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:10911 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Bwowe, Patrick W |
| Publisher | Port Elizabeth Technikon, Faculty of Management |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MBA |
| Format | x, 107 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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