Conflict management style in Uganda: a gender perspective

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to investigate whether differences exist in the conflict management styles exhibited by male and female managers at different organizational levels in Uganda.

Design/methodology/approach

Using samples from organizations within Uganda, the paper utilizes the Rahim Organization Conflict Inventory to collect data.

Findings

Independent sample t‐tests of the hypotheses reveal that basically no statistically significant differences exist in the way men and women in Uganda handle conflict when dealing with subordinates, peers, or supervisors.

Research limitations/implications

Research is restricted to a convenience sample of educated working men and women in the greater Kampala urban area. The findings serve to dispel the widely held myth that women in Uganda use significantly different management styles than men because of the patrilineal nature of the male dominated society.

Practical implications

The paper shows that Ugandan women exhibit little difference from their male counterparts in how they deal with conflict. They also have much in common with their female counterparts in the developed world in confronting gender based discrimination in the workplace.

Social implications

The findings of this paper neutralize some of the negative connotations about women in Uganda and may help lead to a protracted campaign to change the attitudes toward women in this patriarchal society.

Originality/value

Little is known in Africa about the conflict management styles of women because they are only now becoming a significant element in the economies of developing countries. This paper fills some of gaps.

Citation

Manyak, T.G. and Wasswa Katono, I. (2010), "Conflict management style in Uganda: a gender perspective", Gender in Management, Vol. 25 No. 6, pp. 509-521. https://doi.org/10.1108/17542411011069909