Organizational Conflict Management: The All Important Public Universities Performance Strategy Under Neglect in Kenya

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Date
2021Author
Mwaniki, Gertrude Muthoni
Muathe, Stephen, M. A.
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Show full item recordAbstract
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.
URI
https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/14216http://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/22474
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- RP-Management Science [148]