Managing conflict with emotional intelligence: abilities that make a difference

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret M. Hopkins ◽  
Robert D. Yonker
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Conflict Management ◽  
Impulse Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the critical relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) abilities and conflict management styles in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach – Totally, 126 participants completed a measure of EI and an assessment of conflict management styles. Regression analyses were then performed. Findings – Results of regression analyses indicate several significant relationships between EI abilities and participants’ conflict management styles. The EI abilities of problem solving, social responsibility, and impulse control were the most directly related to how participants managed conflict at the workplace. Research limitations/implications – Future research should attempt to replicate these findings in other samples. In addition, researchers should investigate other significant variables that explain people’s choices in conflict management styles. Practical implications – Implications of these findings suggest that for management development purposes, people should attempt to improve on the EI abilities of problem solving, social responsibility, and impulse control in order to manage workplace conflict effectively. Originality/value – This investigation contributes to the literature by identifying specific EI abilities, rather than a macro measure of EI, that are associated with different styles of conflict management.

Emotional intelligence, conflict management styles, and innovation performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 450-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su Juan Zhang ◽  
Yong Qiang Chen ◽  
Hui Sun
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Conflict Management ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the relationship among emotional intelligence (EI), conflict management styles (CMSs) and innovation performance, and test the mediating effects of various types of CMSs. Innovation is playing a more and more critical role in the survival and development of companies. EI is assumed to be an antecedent of employees’ innovation performance. Conflict is an inevitable phenomenon in organizations, and different CMSs have different impacts on individual performance. Design/methodology/approach – Research data were obtained from 159 employees in the construction industry in China. SPSS 19.0 was used to test and verify the hypotheses concerning the relationship among EI, CMSs and innovation performance. The authors also conducted a 500-times bootstrapping to verify the mediating roles of different CMSs. Findings – Results indicate that EI is positively and significantly associated with integrating, compromising and dominating styles, as well as innovation performance in the construction industry. In addition, the integrating style has a significantly positive relationship with innovation performance. This research also confirms the mediating effect of integrating style on the relationship between EI and innovation performance. Practical implications – The authors recommend that managers, especially in the construction industry, who are willing to maintain high levels of innovation performance of employees can provide EI training programs. In addition, to improve innovation performance, companies should provide employees with appropriate training emphasizing the importance of conflict management strategies, especially the integrating style. Originality/value – Limited research has focused on the antecedents of conflict management strategies or the relationship between EI and innovation performance. A framework integrating EI, CMSs and innovation performance is put forward and empirical evidence of the relationship between EI and employees’ innovation performance is provided. This research helps to have a better understanding of the relationship between EI and innovation performance by introducing the integrating style as a mediating variable.

Unpacking the relationships between conflicts and team innovation

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1533-1548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanqiong He ◽  
Xiu-Hao Ding ◽  
Kunpeng Yang
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Team Performance ◽  
Cognitive Conflict ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Innovation ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – Teamwork is important for innovation, but it often incurs conflicts. Previous literature has reported inconsistent relationships between conflicts and team performance. The purpose of this paper is to clarify this relationship and explore how to improve team innovation using conflict management styles. Design/methodology/approach – This study collects data in China and the survey covering 436 participants from 126 project teams. Then, structure equation model by AMOS and moderated regression analyses are used for hypotheses testing. Findings – This study finds that cognitive conflict and affective conflict have positive and negative effects on team innovation separately, and cognitive conflict positively affects affective conflict, with the total effect of cognitive conflict on team innovation being negative. Moreover, this study suggests that cooperative conflict management styles and dominating style (one of competitive conflict management styles) moderate the relationship between cognitive conflict and affective conflict negatively and positively. Research limitations/implications – First, this study did not consider features of organizations as control variables. Future research can advance in this direction. Second, the data were collected from a single marketing innovation program. Further research might use more diversified teams to test the hypotheses. Practical implications – Firms should realize that cognitive conflict promotes team innovation directly, but it also harms team innovation through affective conflict. Then, cooperative conflict management styles are effective in weakening the relationship between cognitive conflict and affective conflict. Originality/value – This study fulfills an identified need to clarify the relationship between conflict and team performance, as well as how conflict management styles moderating the relationship between cognitive conflict and affective conflict.

scholarly journals Emotional intelligence and conflict management styles

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen X. Chen ◽  
Xuemei Xu ◽  
Patrick Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Conflict Management ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Intelligence Scale ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Chinese Managers

Purpose This paper aims to use a multi-level approach to examine the effects of emotional intelligence (EI) components on conflict management styles of Chinese managers when the respondents were in conflicts with their subordinates, peers or superiors. Design/methodology/approach The primary research was conducted in Dalian, China, via a personal survey resulting in 885 usable observations for analysis. EI was measured using the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS; Wong and Law, 2002), which is made up of 16 questions measuring four dimensions. The conflict management component was measured via Rahim’s (1983) five conflict management styles, which are avoidance, dominating, collaboration, compromise and integration. Findings The data analyses suggested that managers at different levels possess different EI and adopt different conflict management styles when dealing with their subordinates, peers and superiors. Specifically, when subordinates were involved in a conflict, junior managers and female managers were more likely to use the dominating style, while when peers were involved in a conflict, male managers were more likely to use the dominating style. When peers were involved in a conflict, managers working in public sectors were more likely to adopt the integrating, avoiding, obliging and compromising style. The Chinese managers were found to regulate their emotions and use of their emotions effectively in conflict with their peers and supervisors and thus they tended to adopt the avoiding, integrating and obliging style. Self-emotions appraisal and others emotions appraisal were significant to the adoption of the obliging style to handle conflict with their peers and supervisors. Use of emotions effectively was significant for the Chinese managers adopting the compromising style in conflicts with their peers, superiors and subordinates. Research limitations/implications The authors could only reach employees working and living in one city, which affects the generalizability of the paper. Practical implications Training should be provided to managers at different levels on the awareness of the impact of EI on conflict management at workplace. Originality/value There is little existing research on how employees across different levels within organisations in China moderate their EI according to the party they are interacting with. The objective of this paper is to stimulate further debate on the matter, thereby improving the understanding of EI moderation.

Intentions for cooperative conflict resolution in groups

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 259-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabi Dodoiu
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Resolution ◽  
Conflict Management ◽  
Planned Behavior ◽  
Management Style ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Volitional Control ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Norms

Purpose – The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to test to what extent a cooperative conflict management style can be related to attitudes, norms and perceived volitional control. Second, because conflict resolution is an activity that unfolds at the team level, the validity of the theoretical model was tested at the team level of analysis. The aim was to extend the understanding we have on antecedents of conflict management styles and to build a bridge between two different levels of analysis. Design/methodology/approach – This was done by building on the theory of planned behavior, which, to the authors’ knowledge, has neither been related to organizational behaviors nor to small group dynamics. A questionnaire was distributed to subjects that have experienced working together in teams. In total, 131 team members (grouped in 33 teams) provided answers on the key concepts of the model. Findings – First, perceived norms and high volitional control relate to individuals’ intentions to engage in cooperative conflict management activities, with intentions not mediating to role of norms on behavior. Second, at the team level, a high level of perceived norms relates to a higher occurrence of a cooperative resolution style. Additionally, high diversity on the attitudes over the value of this style negatively impacts its occurrence. Research limitations/implications – This study offers a cross-sectional image of an important process in the team. Additionally, relying on the subjects’ self-reports represents a limitation in the current study, considering the goal of the model is to predict behavior. Future research could address this, and additionally, consider team characteristics or individual traits that could add to the model of planned behavior. Originality/value – This paper adds to the literature as an attempt the bridge individual level constructs team-level processes. Moreover, it provides evidence for potential antecedents of conflict management styles. This latter contribution can be relevant for practitioners as well, that could invest in the institutionalization of favored resolution style to benefit from it.

scholarly journals The mediating roles of psychological safety and employee voice on the relationship between conflict management styles and organizational identification

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakan Erkutlu ◽  
Jamel Chafra
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Organizational Identification ◽  
Psychological Safety ◽  
Employee Voice ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Mediating Effects ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between conflict management styles (CMS) used by leaders and organizational identification of their followers as well as to test the mediating effects of psychological safety and employee voice on that relationship. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected on site from 1,023 employees in 13 multinational companies in Turkey. The mediating roles of psychological safety and employee voice on the CMS and organizational identification relationship were tested using ordinary least squares regression analyses. Findings – The results show that cooperative CMS is positively and significantly correlated with organizational identification. In addition, the results of the hierarchical multiple regression analyses support the mediating effects of psychological safety and employee voice with regard to the relationship between CMS and organizational identification. Practical implications – Given that cooperative CMS are associated with valued organizational outcomes such as higher employees’ commitment, trust and satisfaction in leaders and citizenship behaviors, organizational efforts to foster cooperative CMS should prove fruitful. Moreover, focussing on efforts to improve leader-follower relationship and to create a trust-based work environment could increase the likelihood that CMS will increase level of employees’ identification with their organizations. Originality/value – The value of this study is its original contribution to the research literature, as no previous studies, which incorporated CMS, organizational identification, and psychological safety and voice behavior as mediating variables were found during the exhaustive literature review.

Personality traits and conflict management styles in predicting job performance and conflict

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 671-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nailah Ayub ◽  
Suzan M. AlQurashi ◽  
Wafa A. Al-Yafi ◽  
Karen Jehn
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personality Differences ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Personality differences may be a major reason of conflict, as well as the perception of conflict and preference for handling that conflict. This study aims to explore the role of personality traits in determining conflict and performance. The authors also studied the moderated mediated relationship between personality and performance through conflict and conflict management styles. Design/methodology/approach A field survey was conducted with a sample of 153 employees to test the hypotheses. Findings As hypothesized, agreeable persons perceive less conflict and extraverts are more likely to use integrating, obliging, compromising and avoiding styles. Emotionally stable people opt for integrating style whereas neurotics opt for dominating style. Conscientiousness, openness and emotional stability have a direct effect on performance, but the interactions between conflict and conflict management styles determine the relationship between personality traits and performance. Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional nature of data and somewhat reliable coefficients for personality measures reduce confidence in the results. Future research should use different or multiple measures of personality. Personality traits may be explored in view of the degree of each personality trait or interactions between personality traits. Practical implications People are sensitive about engaging in conflict and handling conflict differently because of their personality characteristics. The personality traits should, therefore, be understood and considered for conflict experience, conflict management and performance. Originality/value The paper adds to management research by investigating the relationship between personality traits, conflicts, conflict management styles and performance.

scholarly journals Ten years of conflict management research 2007-2017

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Caputo ◽  
Giacomo Marzi ◽  
Jane Maley ◽  
Mario Silic
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Intellectual Structure ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Previous Decade ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

Purpose The purpose of this study is to map the intellectual structure of conflict management studies by investigating the key themes, concepts and their relationships for the period 2007-2017. The study updates the previous decade (1997-2006) investigation by Ma et al. (2008) to reflect the increased publication efforts in the field. Design/methodology/approach Bibliometric analysis was used to trace the development path of the extant literature. The study included activity indicators such as distribution of articles and most-cited journals; relationship indicators such as co-author analysis and keyword analysis; and the mapping of the theoretical foundations. Findings The analysis identified five key themes that help track the direction of conflict management research: negotiation, mediation, trust, conflict management styles and performance. Originality/value These themes show a wider diversification of topics in the field than in the past, corroborating previous results about the reputation and maturity of conflict management as an independent scientific field of research. This study will help scholars to improve their understanding of the evolution of conflict management studies and the direction that conflict management research is taking, in particular, identifying available avenues for future research.

Limiting fear and anger responses to anger expressions

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-605
Author(s):  
Laura Rees ◽  
Ray Friedman ◽  
Mara Olekalns ◽  
Mark Lachowicz
Keyword(s):  
Conflict Management ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Behavioral Activation ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Simulation ◽  
Anger Expressions ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to test how individuals’ emotion reactions (fear vs anger) to expressed anger influence their intended conflict management styles. It investigates two interventions for managing their reactions: hot vs cold processing and enhancing conflict self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested in two experiments using an online simulation. After receiving an angry or a neutral message from a coworker, participants either completed a cognitive processing task (E1) or a conflict self-efficacy task (E2), and then self-reported their emotions, behavioral activation/inhibition and intended conflict management styles. Findings Fear is associated with enhanced behavioral inhibition, which results in greater intentions to avoid and oblige and lower intentions to dominate. Anger is associated with enhanced behavioral activation, which results in greater intentions to integrate and dominate, as well as lower intentions to avoid and oblige. Cold (vs hot) processing does not reduce fear or reciprocal anger but increasing individuals’ conflict self-efficacy does. Research limitations/implications The studies measured intended reactions rather than behavior. The hot/cold manipulation effect was small, potentially limiting its ability to diminish emotional responses. Practical implications These results suggest that increasing employees’ conflict self-efficacy can be an effective intervention for helping them manage the natural fear and reciprocal anger responses when confronted by others expressing anger. Originality/value Enhancing self-efficacy beliefs is more effective than cold processing (stepping back) for managing others’ anger expressions. By reducing fear, enhanced self-efficacy diminishes unproductive responses (avoiding, obliging) to a conflict.

Testing activity reduces conflict associated strain (ARCAS) model

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay Kuriakose ◽  
Sreejesh S. ◽  
Heerah Jose ◽  
Shelly Jose
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Conflict Management ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Management Style ◽  
Relationship Conflict ◽  
Management Styles ◽  
Conflict Management Styles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conflict Management Style ◽  
Affect State

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the activity reduces conflict associated strain (ARCAS) model with the aid of AET examining the direct effect of relationship conflict on employee well-being and also discussing the mechanism through which relationship conflict influences employee well-being, and also to test the ARCAS model examining whether passive and active conflict management styles influence this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Responses were collected from 554 software engineers using structured questionnaire and postulated relationships were tested using Process Macros. Findings The study established that relationship conflicts are detrimental to employee well-being. It also established the indirect effect of relationship conflict on employee well-being through negative affect state. Negative affect state is an intra-personal mechanism linking relationship conflict and employee well-being. The study also extended the ARCAS model by establishing that passive ways of handling conflict amplify and problem-solving conflict management style mitigates the adverse impact of relationship conflict. Contrary to the prediction, forcing conflict management style was found to amplify the adverse effect of relationship conflict on well-being through negative affect state. Practical implications The findings of the study highlight the detrimental effect of relationship conflict on well-being and highlight the vital role of individual affective states in the conflict process. Furthermore, the study provides valuable insights for managers on how individuals’ conflict management styles influence the effect of relationship conflict on well-being. Originality/value The study specifically examined the effect of relationship conflict on employee well-being and explored the psychological process through which relationship conflict diminishes well-being. Moreover, the study tested and extended ARCAS model with the aid of Affective Events Theory.

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