Conflict in inevitable in an interpersonal interaction in an organisation. Resolving conflict in a functional manner is what a manager needs to work on. Though it is said that choosing a conflict resolution style is dependent on the situation, conflict styles preferred by individuals are largely predetermined by individual characteristics. This paper examines conflict management styles adopted by practising managers and their conflict management approach, across male and female managers. The study was done with 449 managers employed in the service sector in select cities of Kerala, India. The tools used for measurement were Conflict Resolution Inventory (CRI) proposed by Pareekh and Purohit. Means, Standard Deviations and Independent sample T tests were used for the analysis of data. The analysis reveals that both male and female managers reported highest mean values for negotiation and compromise styles but reported no significant differences across gender. Significant differences were found in the confrontation style with males reporting a higher mean value. The study provides a detailed analysis on the conflict style preferences of managers across gender. Managerial implications are also discussed.
Volume 11 | 03-Special Issue
Pages: 1140-1143