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IJCMA
25,3
Leadership styles: relationship
with conflict management styles
Tahir Saeed
PTCL, Islamabad, Pakistan
214
Shazia Almas and M. Anis-ul-Haq
Department of Psychology, Quaid-i-Azam University,
Islamabad, Pakistan, and
GSK Niazi
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Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between leadership styles and
conflict management styles among managers, while handling interpersonal conflict (mangers and
subordinates).
Design/methodology/approach Middle-level managers (N 150) from different private sector
manufacturing industries were included in the study to seek responses through questionnaire based on
instruments for conflict management and leadership styles.
Findings Managers who perceived to exhibit more on transformational leadership style adopted
integrating and obliging style of conflict management. Those who perceived to exhibit more on transactional
style opted for compromising style of conflict management. Whereas, managers perceived to exhibit
laissez-faire leadership style adopted avoiding style to manage conflicts with subordinates.
Originality/value Despite the universal acceptance of leadership importance in corporate settings,
research so far investigated leadership styles as determinants of conflict management styles are
population-specific, including nursing managers (Hendel, 2005), university academic staff (Paul, 2006)
and healthcare professionals (Saeed, 2008). Furthermore, the findings in the referred studies are not
consistent, and this issue seems to be at an exploratory phase that requires further investigation to
establish the relationship. Blake and Mouton (1964) and Rahim (1992) tried to measure the strategies in
which individuals typically deal with the conflicts. This approach treated conflict styles as individual
disposition, stable over time and across situations. It is argued and supported by literature that
leadership styles or behaviors remain stable over time and are expected to be significantly related to
conflict management styles (Hendel, 2005).
Keywords Transactional leadership, Leadership styles, Transformational leadership, Conflict
management styles
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
International Journal of Conflict For an organization to be successful, the employees are required to work in harmony to
Management achieve its goals. Because leadership involves the exhibition of style or behavior by
Vol. 25 No. 3, 2014
pp. 214-225 managers or supervisors while dealing with subordinates, leadership is a critical
Emerald Group Publishing Limited determinant of the employees actions toward the achievement of the organizational
1044-4068
DOI 10.1108/IJCMA-12-2012-0091 goals.
The presence of emotional tensions and conflicts in the organization is one dimension Leadership
of organizational environment. The leaders may help to release tensions, harmonize
misunderstanding and deal with disruptive behaviors (Fisher, 2000). Leaders react to
styles
problems, resolve crises, reward and punish followers, provide encouragement and
support to followers. Leaders are also concerned about organizational innovation, seek
to foster organizational cultures that are conducive to creativity, innovation,
conflict-free and challenging environment. In the ideal and conducive environment, 215
leaders tend to influence strategies in conflict management and enhance people to work
together effectively. It becomes imperative for a leader to achieve organizational
objectives, accomplished by focusing on both the rational and emotional aspects of
conflicting issues while resolving disputes or conflicts that occur at any level in the
organizational hierarchy.
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Literature review
The strength of social systems lies partly in how managers prevent serious conflicts and
when conflicts do arise, how they address them to maintain system integrity and
preserve the well-being of their members. Organizations adapt to changes in the
environment by facing major conflicts, addressing them and reorganizing the necessity
to deal with them.
Conflict management is the practice of identifying and handling conflict in a sensible,
fair and efficient manner. Conflict management requires such skills as effective
communication, problem solving and negotiating with a focus on interests.
Conflict is a pervasive phenomenon, both in social circles and professional
interactions. It is put aptly by Landau et al. (2001) that conflict exists in all human
relationships: It always has and probably always will, or according to Boohar (2001),
individuals who never experience conflict at the workplace are living in a dream world,
blind to their surroundings or are confined to solitary confinement. Various definitions
of conflict have been provided by many researchers from multiple disciplines like
psychology, behavioral sciences, sociology, communication and anthropology. Rahim
(1983) considered conflict as an interactive process manifested in incompatibility,
disagreement, or dissonance within or between social entities (individual, group,
organization, etc.). Marquis and Huston (1996) define conflict as: the internal discord
that results from differences in ideas, values, or feelings between two or more people.
The definitions suggested by the scholars of different disciplines are looking at conflict
from different angles. However, the common theme that seems dominant in all these
definitions is the aspects of differing needs, goals or interests and the perceived or real
interference from one party to the other party.
Conflict in organizations is often avoided and suppressed because of its negative
consequences and to seek to preserve consistency, stability and harmony within the
organization (Nadler and Tushman, 1999). Such situations necessitate conflict to be
studied empirically focusing on its appearance, causes, consequences, emotional,
cognitive, motivational and behavioral aspects (Nauta and Kluwer, 2004).
To function effectively at any level within organizations conflict management skills
are important prerequisites. Therefore, being aware of the extent of conflict at various
levels of an organization is crucial for the management of organizations. Too little
conflict results in organizational stasis, while too much conflict reduces the
organizations effectiveness and eventually immobilizes its employees (Marquis and Leadership
Huston, 1996).
Conflict management has grown into a major subfield of organizational behavior.
styles
Conflict resolution is prescribed not simply as a mechanism for dealing with differences
within an existing social system, but also as an approach that can facilitate constructive
social change toward a responsive and equitable system (Fisher, 2000). Today,
successful organizations need to develop the processes, cultures and behaviors capable 217
of accommodating and resolving conflicts in ways that benefit consumers and
employees (Nadler and Tushman, 1999).
A number of scholars have developed typologies of conflict management styles using
the conceptual model by Blake and Mouton (1964). The two dimensions have been
variously labeled desire to satisfy ones own concern and desire to satisfy others
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concern (Thomas, 1976), or concern for self and concern for other (Rahim and
Bonoma, 1979). Typologies presented by Rahim are integrating, obliging,
compromising, dominating and avoiding.
Integrating or collaborating style involves openness, exchange of information and
examination of differences to reach an effective solution acceptable to both parties.
When people use the integrating style, they have concerns for themselves and for others,
are problem-solving and solution-oriented (Rahim, 2000). Studies have shown that
supervisors who use an integrating style achieved more behavioral compliance, less
likely to experience persistent conflict at work and have less disputes (Rahim and
Buntzman, 1990).
The obliging or accommodating style is associated with attempting to play down the
differences and emphasizing commonalities to satisfy the concerns of the other party.
Accommodating is an appropriate strategy when two people cannot agree, but a
decision is required to be made. Like the collaborating style, the accommodating style is
cooperative, but unlike the collaborating style, the accommodating style is indirect and
passive (Blake and Mouton, 1964).
In the dominating or competing style, people are more concerned with their own
interests than their partners interests. This style is assertive and uncooperative.
Managers who use the competing style typically are ineffective in meeting their goals
and inappropriate in their treatment to subordinates and escalation of conflict and are
less likely to comply with directives of management (Rahim and Buntzman, 1990).
The avoiding style has been associated with withdrawal or sidestepping situations
based on having little or no concern for oneself or others. As such, it is uncooperative and
indirect. This style has also been called non-confrontation, inaction and withdrawal that
is shown to be inappropriate and ineffective (Gross and Guerrero, 2000).
The compromising style involves give and take, whereby both parties give up
something to make a mutually acceptable decision, characterized by moderate levels of
both cooperation and assertiveness. The available research suggests that the
compromising style is generally perceived to be moderately appropriate and effective
(Gross and Guerrero, 2000).
Leadership
One of the current approaches to leadership that has been the focus of much research in
the recent decade is the bass model approach. In fact, this model is part of the new
leadership paradigm, which gives more attention to the transformational element of
IJCMA leadership. Bass and Riggio (2006) suggested that its popularity may be due to its
emphasis on intrinsic motivation and follower development.
25,3 Transformational leaders rather than focusing solely on current needs of their
employees or themselves focus on future needs. These leaders rather than being
concerned with short-term problems and opportunities faced by the organization are
more concerned with long-term issues, rather than viewing intra- and extra-
218 organizational factors as discrete, view them in a holistic perspective. The
transformational leadership is not a substitute for transactional leadership, rather a
complement to it. Research has proven that transformational leadership augments the
effects of transactional leadership (Bass, 1990). These components of transformational
and transactional leadership are predicted to effect organizational outcomes, followers
satisfaction and leaders performance. Bass (1990) observed that a leader generally
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exhibits both styles, with one being more predominant. In an attempt to identify the
behaviors underlying these leadership styles, Bass developed the multi-factor
leadership theory. This model has been generalized across a wide variety of
organizations, cultures and hierarchical levels of management (Bass and Avolio, 1993).
The transformational leadership has consistently been linked to high levels of effort,
performance and satisfaction (Bass, 1990). Epitropaki and Martin (2005) examined the
impact of transformational and transactional leadership perceptions as important
predictors of employees reported organizational identification, performance, affective
organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behaviors, burnout and
employees health (Lewis, 2003; Saeed, 2008). Rafferty and Griffin (2004) developed a
series of hypotheses suggesting that certain sub-dimensions of transformational
leadership that are uniquely associated with a number of outcomes include affective and
continuance commitment, role breadth self-efficacy, interpersonal helping behaviors
and intentions to turnover.
Transactional leaders identify and clarify subordinates job tasks and communicate to
them how successful execution of tasks will lead to the receipt of desirable rewards.
Transactional managers determine and define goals for their subordinates, suggest how to
execute tasks and provide feedback. Previous investigations suggest that transactional
leadership can have a favorable influence on attitudinal and behavioral responses of
employees (Bass, 1990).
Laissez-faire leaders abdicate their responsibility and avoid making decisions.
Subordinates working under this kind of supervisor basically are left to their own
devices to execute their job responsibilities. Although laissez-faire leadership is
observed infrequently, managers still exhibit it in varying amounts. Prior research has
found that laissez-faire leadership has an adverse effect on work-related outcomes of
employees (Yammarino and Bass, 1990).
Blake and Mouton (1964) and Rahim (1992) tried to measure the strategies in which
individuals typically deal with the conflicts. This approach treated conflict styles as
individual disposition, stable over time and across situations. It is argued and supported
by literature that leadership styles or behaviors remain stable over time and are
expected to be significantly related to conflict management styles (Hendel, 2005). A
schematic model can be sketched to explain the overlapping role of both models of
leadership and conflict management styles (Figure 1).
In the proposed model, the conflict style constructs are shown in the top row of each
entry whereas the leadership constructs are shown in parentheses on the bottom row.
Keeping in view the above literature, the following hypotheses are formulated: Leadership
H1. The transformational leadership style is predicted to exhibit positive styles
relationship with constructive (integrating and obliging) and negative
relationship with destructive (dominating and avoiding) styles of conflict
management.
H2. The transactional leadership is anticipated to have positive relationship with 219
compromising conflict management style.
H3. The laissez-faire leadership would have positive relationship with destructive
(dominating and avoiding) and negative relationship with constructive
(integrating and obliging) styles of conflict management.
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Method
Participants
The sample of the present study consisted of 150 managers (34 women and 116 men)
from the private-sector manufacturing industries. The sample was selected by using a
simple random sampling technique. The participants were informed about the purpose
of the study and assured to secure the confidentiality of the information provided. A
total 180 questionnaires were distributed and 150 were received back completed in all
respects, with 80 per cent response rate.
Measures
The organizational conflict management inventory (OCMI) consisted of 37 items
including five dimensions: integrating, obliging, compromising, dominating and
avoiding by Anis-ul-Haque (2004) was used to assess the conflict management styles of
managers. Instrument reliability (Cronbachs alpha coefficient) based on the sample was
0.91. The Urdu-adapted version of the multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ)
(Almas, 2007) originally developed by Bass (1985) was used to assess the leadership
styles of managers. The MLQ consisting of 36 items has three dimensions including
transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership. Cronbachs Alpha for the
instrument was found to be 0.83.
(obliging and integrating) and negative with the laissez-faire style (Table II). The
transactional leadership style exhibits a significant positive relationship with
compromising and negative relation with dominating conflict management styles. On
the other hand, the laissez-faire style depicts significant positive relation with avoiding
and negative with integrating style of conflict management (Table III).
The results of the multiple regression analysis show that the transformational style
has significant relationship with the integrating style of conflict management, whereas
the transactional and the laissez-faire do not show significant relationship. The value of
R2 0.153 shows that 15.3 per cent of variance is explained by independent variables
Variables 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Transformational (0.92)
Transactional 0.40*** (0.84)
Laissez-faire 0.18* 0.11 (0.71)
Obliging 0.18** 0.12 0.02 (0.81)
Integrating 0.23** 0.07 0.19* 0.06 (0.93)
Compromising 0.01 0.21** 0.06 0.06 0.06 (0.72)
Dominating 0.08 0.16* 0.05 0.13* 0.17* 0.02 (0.81)
Table II. Avoiding 0.11 0.06 0.22** 0.03 0.27** 0.02 0.16* (0.75)
Correlation matrix of all
study variables (N 150) Notes: *p 0.05, ** p 0.01; Boldface shows alpha reliability values of variables
(leadership styles) in dependent variable (conflict management) with (F 4.01, p Leadership
0.001). Beta values of 0.35 (p 0.003) shows that transformational style contributes
more among these variables to affect the integrating style (Table IV).
styles
The results show that only transformational style is significantly affecting the obliging
style. The results also depict that 6.5 per cent of variance is explained by leadership styles in
obliging style (F 12.01, p 0.05) and beta value equals to 0.22 (p 0.01).
In Table V, the transactional style has significant relationship with the 221
compromising style. Variance of 5.6 per cent has been explained by the transformational
style in compromising strategy. The corresponding beta value is 0.25 for transactional
(F 12.01, p 0.05).
Results show beta value 0.26 (p 0.05) for transactional and 0.19 (p 0.01) for
transformational styles of leadership have significant negative impact on dominating
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style of conflict management. Model explains 6.4 per cent variance in dominating style
(F12.14, p 0.05) (Table VI).
Model B SE B t p
Model B SE t p Table V.
Transformational 0.042 0.037 0.10 1.144 0.255 Regression analysis for
Transactional 0.083 0.028 0.25 2.944 0.031 leadership styles and
Laissez-faire 0.015 0.076 0.01 0.194 0.846 compromising style of
conflict management
Notes: R2 0.056, R2 0.037, F 12.01, p 0.05 (N 150)
Discussion
222 Negotiation and dispute resolution are among the core tasks of management and are
central to strategic decision-making and operation of organizations. While tensions and
conflicts occur naturally in organizations, some people may act in ways that resolve
these conflicts and stimulate cooperative behavior, while others may act in ways that
leave conflicts unresolved and stimulate antagonistic behavior.
The results of the study supported the first hypothesis, anticipating that the
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transformational leadership style would have positive relationship with constructive styles
of management and negative relation with destructive styles. Standardized beta weights
revealed that transformational leadership style contributed a significant positive effect on
integrating style ( 0.35, p 0.01), obliging style ( 0.22, p 0.05) and negative impact
( 0.19, p 0.05) on the dominating style of conflict management.
These findings are in accordance with the results of prior research demonstrating
that transformational leadership has significant influence on integrating and obliging
styles of conflict management (Hendel, 2005).
Transformational leadership is effective and facilitative leadership style and is positively
related to subordinate satisfaction, motivation and performance (Gasper, 1992). In turbulent
environments and conflicting situations, transformational leaders are likely to be more
effective because they seek new ways of working, positively managing conflicts, seek
opportunities in the face of risk and are less likely to support the status quo.
The second hypothesis is also substantiated that transactional leadership style
would exhibit a positive relation with compromising style of conflict management. The
findings are consistent with the theory that transactional leadership is an exchange
process based on the fulfillment of contractual obligations and transactional leaders
offer rewards conditional on their behaviors (Bass and Avolio, 1994).
The compromising style of managing conflict in the organizations involves
give-and-take to attain a mutually acceptable agreement. Research has indicated that
transactional leaders identify and clarify for subordinates their job tasks and
communicate to them how successful execution of those tasks will lead to receipt of
desirable job rewards (Bass and Avolio, 1994).
The third hypothesis is partially verified that the laissez-fair leadership style has
significant positive effect on the avoiding ( 0.26, p 0.01) style of conflict
management. These findings are consistent with the prior research (Rahim, 1992;
Bushyacharu, 1996) that avoidance style may take form in postponing an issue until a
Model B SE t p
Table VII. Transformational 0.148 0.129 0.10 1.145 0.254
Regression analysis for Transactional 0.069 0.098 0.06 0.712 0.478
leadership styles and Laissez-faire 0.686 0.000 0.26 3.611 0.001
avoiding style of conflict
management (N 150) Notes: R2 0.131, R2 0.112, F 3.14, p 0.01
better time or withdrawing from a threatening situation. In addition, laissez-faire Leadership
leaders are also avoiders and withdrawn in dealing with issues related to their
subordinates (Bass, 1990).
styles
Organizations should train leaders to ensure that their primary focus is on people
management. This means reducing anxiety and anger among employees, promoting
optimism and confidence, developing peoples skills, helping them manage conflict,
building trust within and across teams and ensuring alignment around achieving the
best possible organizational aims and objectives (Michie and West, 2004).
While developing training modules, in the light of the study recommendations, the
management should emphasize the importance of different domains of transformational and
transactional leadership as a fundamental aspect of sound supervisory practices due to the
impact it seems to have on perceptions of effective human resource management.
References
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IJCMA Bass, B.M. and Avolio, B.J. (1993), Transformational leadership: a response to critiques, in
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Corresponding author
Tahir Saeed can be contacted at: dr_tahirs@yahoo.com
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