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Article
Publication date: 11 August 2023

Burcu Aydin Küçük and Hizir Konuk

This study aims to reveal the association between task conflict and job satisfaction with the mediating role of incivility and the moderating role of self-esteem. In addition, the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to reveal the association between task conflict and job satisfaction with the mediating role of incivility and the moderating role of self-esteem. In addition, the data collected from the UK and Turkey were analyzed separately, and the aim was to contribute to the literature in this field by analyzing the research model in a cultural context.

Design/methodology/approach

This research focuses on the relationship between managers and subordinates in organizations. In this study, a survey method was applied to 708 subordinates, both UK and Turkish citizens, working in nine different industries. The obtained data were first analyzed in combination; then, the data of both countries were analyzed separately, and the effect of cultural differences on the research model was investigated.>

Findings

According to the results obtained, the relationship between task conflict and job satisfaction is negative, and subordinates’ perceptions of incivility play a mediating role in this relationship. In addition, subordinates’ self-esteem level has a moderating role in the effect of task conflict on job satisfaction through incivility. However, there is no evidence of an effect of culture on this model.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by presenting new evidence on the antecedents of job satisfaction. In addition, it is one of the pioneering studies that provides evidence of the impact of the perceptions and personal characteristics of disputants in a task conflict on task conflict outcomes. Furthermore, this study contributes to the limited cross-cultural studies in the conflict and job satisfaction literature.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 34 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1997

M. Kamil Kazan

This paper proposes a broad perspective for studying the influence of culture on the process of conflict management. Three models of conflict management are described, based on…

8530

Abstract

This paper proposes a broad perspective for studying the influence of culture on the process of conflict management. Three models of conflict management are described, based on the culture framework of Glen (1981). In the confrontational model, conflicts are conceptualized as consisting of subissues, and a sense of reasonable compromise aids resolution despite a confrontational style. In the harmony model, conflict management starts with the minimization of conflict in organizations through norms stressing observance of mutual obligations and status orderings. Conflicts are defined in their totality, and resolution is aided by avoidance and an accommodative style. Less emphasis is placed on procedural justice, as on maintenance of face of self and others. Third parties are used extensively, and their role is more intrusive. In the regulative model, bureaucratic means are used extensively to minimize conflicts or to aid avoidance. Conflicts get defined in terms of general principles, and third party roles are formalized. The implications of the differences among the three models for conflict resolution across cultures and for future research are discussed.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Article
Publication date: 11 September 2017

Jeanne Brett

The purpose of this paper is to discuss cultural causes of conflict in the workplace and call for research to address what happens when cultures collide generating workplace…

24154

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss cultural causes of conflict in the workplace and call for research to address what happens when cultures collide generating workplace conflict. The author assumes that because cultures differ in terms of functional solutions to problems of social interaction that there will be conflict when people from different cultures are interdependent in the workplace. The author discusses types of culture and their conflict management profiles with respect to three characteristics of conflict management: direct vs indirect confrontation; emotional expression, and third party conflict management. The author proposes what happens when cultures collide and calls for research on those collisions.

Design/methodology/approach

Application of the cultural literature on self-worth to three elements of workplace conflict: direct vs indirect confrontation of conflict, feelings and expressions of negative emotions associated with conflict and timing and type of third party intervention.

Findings

When people from dignity, face, and honor cultures are working together the fundamental differences in the logic of self-worth in these three types of culture may cause conflict. People from dignity and honor cultures are likely to confront conflict directly, while those from face cultures are more likely to confront conflict indirectly. Workplace conflict generates negative emotions, but culture seems to affect whether that emotion is anger, shame or both. The timing of third party intervention into workplace conflict, that is, how managers intervene in workplace conflict has some parallels with how community mediators act in that culture.

Research limitations/implications

There is limited research comparing management of workplace conflict in dignity, face, and honor cultures. The author generates propositions and suggests a research strategy for collecting data to test propositions.

Practical implications

Understanding what is culturally normative in terms of self-worth, confrontation, emotional expression, and managerial intervention can help people involved in workplace conflict understand what they are experiencing. It can also help managers intervene effectively.

Social implications

How people react to workplace conflict varies with culture as does how managers intervene. Knowing this provides people with the first element of cultural intelligence that may help them manage conflict to facilitate a more creative and effective multicultural work environment.

Originality/value

This paper integrates theory and research from cross-cultural psychology, the psychology of emotion and the literature on third party intervention into community conflict to explain the patterns of cultural conflict and conflict management in the workplace. It also suggests what it may take to manage cultural conflict in the workplace successfully.

Details

Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-5794

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 February 2023

Nathalie Desrayaud and Carolyn M. Hurley

This study aims to understand how cultural variables – collectivism and face concerns – influence perceived and ideal organizational conflict cultures in two multicultural…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to understand how cultural variables – collectivism and face concerns – influence perceived and ideal organizational conflict cultures in two multicultural societies.

Design/methodology/approach

Individuals studying in Singapore (N = 162) and the USA (N = 216) completed an online survey. Hierarchical regression analyses tested the hypotheses.

Findings

Regardless of cultural background, individuals prefer agreeable conflict cultures, with over 95% scoring above the scale mid-point. Ideal passiveness varied; highly collective and mutual face concerned individuals were more likely to idealize active conflict cultures. Collectivism overall was associated with perceiving and idealizing active and agreeable conflict cultures, though some relationships were only significant for one sample. Self-face concerned individuals were more likely to perceive passive conflict cultures.

Research limitations/implications

Culture influences organizational conflict cultures, but not necessarily in stereotypical ways. Despite cultural and geographical differences, the data provide evidence for a universal preference for agreeable conflict cultures. This finding is encouraging, given the increase in workplace diversity and desire to be responsive to needs of equity and inclusion. Therefore, leaders and managers should strive to establish agreeable conflict norms, even in the most culturally diverse organizations. The young, college student sample may not represent all working people, although the authors only recruited students with jobs who worked 28 h per week on average.

Originality/value

This research demonstrates the value of considering multiple levels of influence on conflict, advances the theory and measurement of organizational conflict cultures and identifies powerful similarities among diverse employees.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 34 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1995

A.R. Elangovan

The rapid globalization of modern business and the multicultural nature of its workforce pose major challenges for leadership and human resource management in 1990s. One important…

1978

Abstract

The rapid globalization of modern business and the multicultural nature of its workforce pose major challenges for leadership and human resource management in 1990s. One important area that is yet to be fully explored is the managing of conflict in a multicultural organization where values, orientations, preferences, and attitudes differ significantly among the members. This paper explores the implications of cultural differences for managerial intervention in conflicts between subordinates in organizations using Hofstede's four‐dimensional framework.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 6 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Article
Publication date: 16 February 2010

Canchu Lin

The purpose of this paper is to propose a research agenda for studying Chinese culture and conflict.

4467

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a research agenda for studying Chinese culture and conflict.

Design/methodology/approach

Publications on Chinese culture and conflict are searched and reviewed to identify conceptualizations of Chinese culture and key findings on conflict.

Findings

A review of the scholarly literature on Chinese culture and conflict suggests that Chinese culture has been mainly conceptualized as Confucianism and collectivism. Inadequacies of such conceptualizations and their negative effects on empirical research on Chinese culture and management and organization in China have been addressed.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations were not being able to get an exhaustive list of research publications on Chinese culture and conflict.

Practical implications

The paper helps to reduce stereotypes about Chinese conflict management stemmed from previous research

Originality/value

On the basis of recognizing the importance of past research, new directions for researching Chinese culture and conflict that constitute a new research agenda have been proposed.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 April 2014

Kacey Shap

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine the components of a gang culture in conflict with society, and second, to explore how gangs, the community, and law…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine the components of a gang culture in conflict with society, and second, to explore how gangs, the community, and law enforcers externalize the gang problem from the vantage point of worldview and worldmaking.

Design/methodology/approach

The researcher gathered news articles from the Nexus-Lexis research database system within a one-year period (from February 2012 to February 2013). The data was randomly selected and representative of newspapers published throughout the USA. The news articles were coded based upon the aspects of culture (lens of perception, motives for human behaviors, criteria for evaluation, basis of identification, means for communication, justification for social stratification, and mode for production and consumption). A thematic analysis was also conducted to determine: the aspects of gang culture in conflicts with society; and how the gangs, the community, and the law enforcements externalize the gang conflict.

Findings

Results suggest that gang violence is largely due to issues of identity, values, and gang cohesiveness rather than the result of the pathologically based environmental conditions. Criteria for evaluation and issue of identity constituted 66 percent of the violent conflict with society. In the context of worldviews and worldmaking, gang members and law enforcement personnel are more likely to adopt a rigid, win-lose framework while members of the community are more likely to prescribe to a flexible and holistic perspective toward the gang problem. In sum, gang violence is not necessarily a deviant or antisocial act; rather, it is a result of the conflicting narratives between the gang cultures and the culture-at-large.

Research limitations/implications

In dissecting gang behavior from a cultural perspective, it is easy to categorize gangs as a collective subculture. However, gang members may not view themselves as a subculture nor consider themselves as belonging to a subculture community.

Practical implications

By examining the function of culture – in this case, the gang culture – as it conflicts with society at large, one may better able to develop an action plan that emphasize identities, cultures, and values rather than crime and punishment. Also, it may help shed light on how the various stakeholders (i.e. the gangs, law enforcements, and the community) perceive the conflict, which may assist researcher to develop a comprehensive and holistic approach toward intervention. Finally, implementing a culturally based gang violence intervention may reduce cost.

Originality/value

This research is unique in that it analyzes the function of gang violence in relation to the society-at-large. Also, the research addresses the issue as to how the various stakeholders interpret the “gang problem.” Finally, this research is innovative in that it employs news articles as units of analysis rather than the traditional qualitative interviews or quantitative surveys.

Details

Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, vol. 6 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-6599

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 August 2010

Rex E. McClure

This study aims to review three recognized culture types: bureaucracy, supportive, and innovative, then to develop a model describing how intra‐organizational conflict mediates…

5197

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to review three recognized culture types: bureaucracy, supportive, and innovative, then to develop a model describing how intra‐organizational conflict mediates the relationship between these cultures and market orientation.

Design/methodology/approach

Using survey data from over 200 corporate managers, a model of the mediating effect of conflict was examined. First, the model was tested using structural equation modeling, and then a series of linear regressions was used to confirm mediation.

Findings

The study found that conflict mediated the relationship between culture and market orientation. The findings also suggested that conflict was positively associated with bureaucratic organizations and negatively associated with innovative and supportive organizations.

Practical implications

The results point out potential pitfalls that some organizations may encounter in maintaining market orientation or in trying to become market‐oriented. The results suggested that innovative and supportive organizations were less likely to experience dysfunctional conflict, and thereby would be better able to maintain market orientation.

Originality/value

The study offers a model that extended previous research on the relationship between organizational culture and market orientation by examining the mediating role of conflict. By including conflict, the study offers insight into the importance of the interaction of culture, conflict and market orientation.

Details

Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, vol. 25 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0885-8624

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2007

Wasita Boonsathorn

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the preferences for conflict management styles of Thais and Americans in multinational corporations in Thailand. Gender and the…

6233

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the preferences for conflict management styles of Thais and Americans in multinational corporations in Thailand. Gender and the length of exposure to other cultures were also taken into account as influences on the preference for conflict management styles. Design/methodology/approach – Quantitative methodology was used. A total of 250 Thais and 64 Americans from 73 multinational companies were asked to complete the questionnaires consisting of conflict management style instrument and a set of demographic information. ANOVAs and Pearson's correlations were used for data analysis. Findings – Thais, compared with Americans, preferred avoiding and obliging conflict management styles and exhibited no differences in preferences for other styles. Males and females did not exhibit differences in preferences for conflict management styles. There was a negative correlation between length of stay abroad for Thais and preference for avoiding and obliging conflict management styles, and a positive correlation between length of stay abroad for Thais and preference for a dominating conflict management style. Research limitations/implications – The language of the instrument, the small number of American female participants, and the positions of the participants may limit the generalization of the findings. Practical implications – The paper presents a very useful source of information for people working in multinational corporations and trainers in the area of intercultural communication. Originality/value – This paper provides new insight into the preference of conflict management styles in a multinational context, the entity in which people from many cultures directly interact (intercultural perspective). The length of exposure to other cultures was also investigated in relation to the preference of conflict management styles.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 June 2012

Amy McMillan, Hao Chen, Orlando C. Richard and Shahid N. Bhuian

The current study seeks to provide predictions for task conflict in supervisor‐subordinate dyads and to test empirically the mediation effects of task conflict between…

1782

Abstract

Purpose

The current study seeks to provide predictions for task conflict in supervisor‐subordinate dyads and to test empirically the mediation effects of task conflict between organizational culture/subordinate values and subordinate outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modeling was employed to test the theoretical model.

Findings

It was found that task conflict mediates the relationship between a clan culture and intention to quit. Additionally, support was also found for the mediating effect of task conflict on the relationship between individualistic values and intention to quit.

Research limitations/implications

More research is needed to take into consideration the variables influencing task conflict in both vertical and horizontal dyadic relationships. A dynamic view of conflict may further contribute to the existing literature.

Practical implications

More remedies are needed in organizations to foster positive employees' attitudes and wellbeing through the generation of task conflicts. For example, fostering a clan culture instead of a hierarchy may be vital.

Originality/value

The current study demonstrates that organizational culture/subordinate's values may be linked to different subordinate outcomes through task conflict.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

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