This study aimed at studying conflict management styles influencing employees’ organizational commitment at Kenya Seed Company, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to investigate whether accommodating, avoiding, collaborating, compromising and competing styles influence organizational commitment. This study was anchored on the Dual Concern Model for determining the conflict management styles of disputants in conflict situations. The organizational commitment was studied as it has been discovered that institutions benefit most from this paradigm because it mainly improves productivity, organizational climate and enhance team cohesiveness. Case study research design was used and the target population comprised of 82 Seed companies registered in Kenya. Organizational Conflict Inventory–II (ROCI–II) was applied to assess the conflict handling styles, and adopted Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ), developed by Mowday, Steers, and Porter (1979) to measure employees’ commitment. Data was analyzed using descriptive techniques. The findings were presented in frequency distribution tables and bar graphs. The results of the study reveal that integrating, compromising and accommodating styles enhance commitment towards the organization. On the other hand, employees perceived dominating and avoiding styles as lowering the sense of employee organizational commitment. The study recommends the need to institutionalize conflict management policies in employment contracts that guide employee participation.
Adler, N. J. (2008). International dimensions of organizational behavior. 5th Ed. Mason,
Thomson Southern Western.
Ahmad, A. R. & Marinah, A. (2013). Learning organization and organizational commitment in
primary school. International Proceedings of Economics Development and Research, 60
(12).
Allen, N. J. & Meyer, J. P. (1996). Affective, continuance, and normative commitment: An
examination of construct validity. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 49, 252-276.
Brahnam, S. D., Margavio, T. M., Hignite, M. A., Barrier, T. B., Chin, J. M. (2005). A bender-based
categorization for conflict resolution, Journal of Management Development, 24(3): 197-208
Boonsathorn, W. (2007). Understanding conflict management styles of Thais and Americans in
multinational corporations in Thailand (Abstract). International Journal of Conflict
Management, 18(3), 196–221.
Copley, R., 2008. Conflict management styles a predictor of likability and perceived
effectiveness among Subordinates. M.S.Thesis. Indiana Univ., S A.U.
Gross M.A & Guerrero, L.K (2011). Managing conflict appropriately and effectively: An
application of the competence model to Rahim's organizational conflict styles. The
International Journal of conflict management. Leadership effectiveness: The moderating
effects of gender.
Dobkin, A., & Pace, C. (2006). Communication in a changing world: An introduction to theory
and practice. New York: McGraw Hill.
Green, B., & Marks, M. (2001). Maximizing the benefits of task conflict: The role of conflict
management. International Journal of Conflict Management, 12(1), 4-22.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/eb022847
Havenga, W. & Visagie, J. (2011). Managing conflict in a South African non-profit
organization: An analysis of conflict generating factors and conflict management
styles. Journal of International Management Studies, 6 (1). Hawkins, Wilbert, D.(1998) Predictors of Affective Organizational Commitment among High
School Principals. Virginia Polytech Institute and State University.
Iravo, A.M., (2011) Conflict Management in Kenyan Secondary Schools. Nairobi, Kenya
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) Annual Report and Financial Statements July
2010 – June 2011. KEPHIS, 2012: 5.
Kinnander, M., 2011. Conflict management: how to manage functional conflicts within projects
teams. M.S.Thesis. Nurthumbria Univ., Sweden.
Kothari, C.R. (2011), Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques (Second Revised
Edition), New Age International Publishers, India.
Kramer. (1991), Educational Research: Competencies for Analysis and Application. New York
Lewis, J.P., (2007) Fundamentals of Project Management (3rd ed) New York. American
Management Association
Lussier, R.N. (2010). Human relations in organizations: Applications and skill building.
Singapore: Mc Graw Hill/Irwin
Maier, N.R.F. (2010) Problem solving and creativity in individuals and groups. Belmont:
Brooks/Cole.
Meyer, J. Pand Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational
commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1(1), 61-89.
Montoya-Weiss, M. M., Massey, A. P., & Song, M. Getting it together: Temporal coordination
and conflict management in global virtual teams. Academy of Management Journal, 44,
(2001), 1251-1262.
Mowday, R. T., Steers, R. M. and Porter, L. W. (1979). The measurement of organizational
commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 14(2), 224-247.
Olekalns, M., Putnam, L.L., Weingart, L.R., Metcalf, L. (2007). Communication Processes and
Conflict Management. In C. K.W. De Dreu, & M. J. Gelfand (Eds.), The psychology of conflict
and conflict management in organizations. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum. Patzak, R.., (2012) Project Management: Guidelines for the Management of Projects, Project
Portfolios, Programs and Project-Oriented Companies. Linde International Pennsylvania State University World Campus (PSUWC) (2013). Lesson 12: Work and
Organizational Commitment: Am I attached to the organization? PSYCH 484: Work
Attitudes and Motivation.
Rahim, M. A. & Bonoma, T. V. (1979). Managing organizational conflict: A model for
diagnosis and intervention. Psychological Reports, 44, 1323 – 1344.
Rahim, M.A., (1983). A Measure of Styles of Handling Interpersonal Conflict. Academy
of Management Journal, 26, 368-376
Rahim, M. A. (2002), Toward a theory of managing organizational conflict.
The International Journal of Conflict Management, 13(3): 206-235,
Rahim, M. A. (2011). Managing conflict in organizations. Third Edition. Transaction Publishers.
Schermerhon, J.R., Hunt, J.G., & Osborn, R.N.(2000) . Organizational behaviour (7th ed.)
New York: John Wiley and sons Inc
Shapiro, D.L., Kulik, C.T. (2004). Resolving disputes between faceless disputants: New challenges
For conflict management theory. In M.J. Gelfand & J.M. Brett (Eds). Handbook of
negotiation and culture. California: Stanford university press.
Somech, A., Desivilya, H.S. and Lidogoster, H. (2009) „Team conflict management and team
effectiveness: the effects of task interdependence and team identification?, Journal of
Organizational Behaviour
Thomas, K. W., & Kilmann, R. H. (1974). Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, Consulting
Psychologists Press, Palo Alto, CA.
Wilmot, W. W., & Hocker, J. L. (2001). Interpersonal conflict. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill
Yuan, W. (2007).Conflict management among American and Chinese employees in
multinational Organizations in China, Cross Cultural Management: An International
Journal, 17(3), (2010), 299 – 311.
Wanyonyi, B. E., Kimani, C., & Amuhaya, I. M. (2015). Conflict Management Styles Influencing Organizational Commitment among Kenya Seed Company Employees, Kenya. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 5(11). 229-239.
Copyright: © 2015 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
