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ABSTRACT
The study is entitled the impact of conflict management on employee performance of manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. This research is a case study. The study is focused on selected manufacturing firms which include Berger Paints = 50, Oasis Preforms Synergy Limited = 40 and Wesly Paints = 30 all in Port Harcourt, Rivers State which form a total population of 120 staff and a sample size of 92 was determined using Taro Yamen formula. Data was collected using a survey questionnaire. 92 copies of questionnaires were distributed to the staff of the firms and 80 were filled and returned. From the analysis, the research reveals that the impact of conflict management helps top managers to achieve their organizational goals, boost the employee’s morale and also increase productivity. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made among others that The universal declaration govern by conflict management on the premise management of organization should ensure and equitable treatments of employees and that the fulcrum of any organization is dependent on the level of human capital performance. It behaves management to treat the intellectual capital as being rather than as robot.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study:
The issue and need for workforce diversity has become imminent to many business organizations and the manufacturing firm is not an exception to that. Companies now have taken it upon itself to employ diverse workers in the manufacturing firm. Since the individuals have diverse backgrounds and culture their interests, goals and values may not be compatible with that of the organization hence conflict may arise. The word conflict brings to mind images such as antagonism, struggles between parties, opposition processes and threats to cooperation. But not all conflicts come in these forms especially in the construction industry. They come in form of needs to be met or desires to be satisfied, disagreements to be settled and ideas to be shared that eventually lead to change of attitudes, feelings and perceptions.
Fadipe (2000) sees conflict as a form of disagreement in an establishment between two individuals or groups who have cause to interact formally or informally. Similarly, Miller and King (2005), see it as basically a disagreement between two or more individuals or groups over compatible goals. Conflict therefore is a process of incompatible behaviours. It may involve the interference or disruption by one person or group of persons, or in some way or ways which make another action less likely to be effective.
According to Deutsch (1973), conflict inevitably means that people are working against each other, in such a manner that what one wants is incompatible with that which another wants. It could bring about competition in the pursuit of goals. What the competitor gets comes at the expense of others or the job. It is therefore counterproductive, disruptive, unnatural, and produces a deviation from the free flow of events.
A major factor that can throw parties into a state of incompatibility is their perception of the issue at hand or issue of interest. There are other factors that can contribute to the creation of conflict in organizations like task interdependence, scarce resources, goal incompatibility, communication failures, individual differences and poorly designed reward system (Mgbekem, 2004).
Conflict is a necessary and useful part of organizational life. It is inevitable and an integral part of the process of change. Indeed, it is an aid to cooperation, not an obstacle. There are two sides to conflict, one is destructive and unhealthy and the other has a problem-solving base where those involved are willing to sublimate personality differences, to listen to others’ views and to be open and candid to each other, to be supportive and helpful whereas the former defeats cooperation.
Albert (2001) averred that there are productive and destructive conflicts. According to him, “A conflict is said to be positive when it is constructively discussed by the parties and amicable terms for settlement reached”.
Constructively managed conflict induces a positive performance while poorly managed conflict heats up the environment to bring about ‘dislocation of the entire group and polarization, reduced productivity on job performance, psychological and physical injury, emotional distress and inability to sleep, interference with problem activities, escalation of differences into antagonistic position and malice and increased hostility (Akanji, 2005). Through conflict management a cooperative atmosphere is created for promoting opportunities and movement directed towards non-violent, reconciliation or basic clashing interest. However, no matter how one looks at conflict, it is important to realize that conflict is one of the best ways in the world to turn the tide and improve unsatisfactory conditions. As a matter of fact, sometimes there may be no real dispute to be managed, but there may be need for greater understanding, cooperation and team work to promote interpersonal harmony and good organizational climate for teaching and learning. Therefore, conflict should not always be seen as something undesirable but rather as a necessary outcome that can bring positive consequences if properly managed. It is against this background that it becomes pertinent to examine conflict management and employees performance in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt. The main aim of this researcher is to examine the relationship between conflict management strategies and the performance of workers in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt.
1.2 Statement of the Problems:
Conflict emerges in an organization when an individual perceives that his goals are threatened or hindered by the activities of another person. Most conflicts in manufacturing firms, arises from the inability of the company to fulfill its collective agreement with its employees resulting in employees embarking on industrial action which may be work-to-rule or total strike. Employees’ industrial action usually results in loss of man-hours, machine-hours, output, skilled personnel, employees’ morale and organizational reputation. Though, manufacturing firms, it becomes pertinent to examine its conflict management strategies and employees performance from the perception of the managerial and non-managerial employees of the company.
1.3 Objectives of the Study:
The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between conflict management and employee performance. The specific objectives of the study are to:
1. Examine the relationship between conflict avoidance and employee performance in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt.
2. Determine the relationship between Collaboration and employee performance in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt.
3. Ascertain the relationship between Compromise and employee performance in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt.
1.4 Research Question
The following research questions were proposed to guide the study.
1. Does conflict avoidance associate with employee performance in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt?
2. Does Compromise enhance employee performance in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt?
3. Does Collaboration associate with employee performance in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt?
1.5 Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses were postulated to guide the study.
H01: There is no significant relationship between conflict avoidance and employee performance in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt.
H02: There is no significant relationship between Collaboration and employee performance in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt.
H03: There is a significant relationship between Compromise and employee performance in selected manufacturing firms in Port Harcourt.
1.6 Significant of the Study
The importance of this study is being includes an analysis of the most important themes of work, and define attributes general methods of managing organizational conflict on the effectiveness of regulatory. The importance of the results which expect to determine the relationship between organizational conflict and effective regulatory, and offers practical solutions to rationalize the organizational conflict, including serving achieve effective organizational structure, in order to raise the level of performance and the advancement of your devices administrative, to achieve the lofty goals of the highest efficiency and effectiveness.
The significance of this study is to deal with administrative problems faced by managers every day in their management of organizations and considers. This study is essential from the scarcity of studies that addresses this important issue in Jordan ministry of higher education. In daytime of the foregoing, therefore, aimed to determine the relationship between each method of managing organizational conflict in effective regulatory workers from their point of view terms constitute methods behavioral and administrative disparate and varied.
Consequently, administrators who deal with multiple conflicts follow the difference that occurs within organizations for its effects on the effectiveness of rise or fall regulatory in terms of its level and its impact on the achievement of the desired goals
1.7 Scope/Limitation of the Study
The study is delimited under the following headings; content scope, geographical scope and unit of analysis
Content Scope: The content of this study involves on investigation to ascertain the relationship between conflict management and employee performance.
Geographical Scope: This study is delimited to selected manufacturing firms which include Berger Paints, Oasis Preforms Synergy Limited and Wesly Paints all in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Unit of Analysis: The unit of analysis involved the staff at the terms of carrying this study. The scope of this study is to ascertain the relationship between conflict management and employee performance.
In carrying out an investigation of this nature the researcher must of necessity be faced with some constraints.
Firstly, the time constraints, the time frame provided for this study was short.
Secondly, Financial constraints. Usually, a study of this nature involved some level of expenditure therefore; finance was also a limiting factor.
Thirdly, Poor response from the respondent and inability to access the entire population of the study.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Avoidance
This study argues that “avoidance” in some instances, be recognized as an active form of conflict resolution. That adopting avoidance as a method of conflict resolution can be an active method of team building demonstrated if the organization considers the staff.
Competition
It reflects a desire to meet one’s own needs and concerns at the expense of the other party. As the model illustrates, the most assertive and least co-operative people use the competitive style. If the stakes are high, enough, a very competitive person’s use of power may well be limit only by some greater external power such as the law or social taboos.
Cooperation
Cooperation is the most appropriate tool for managing organizational conflict if do not suffer the parties from time pressures.
Conflict Avoidance
This attempts to keep the conflict surfacing at all or would simply ignore the conflict or impose a solution.
Adaptability
Is an aspect of resilience that reflect clearing flexibility to experiment and adopt novel solutions and the development of generalized response to broad classes of challenges.
Dynamic Capabilities
By contrast refers to the capacity of an organization to purposely create extend or modify it resources base.
Conflict
This refers to a solution in which there are incompatible goals recognition or emotion within or individual or group that lead to opposition.
Conflict Management
This can be defined as attempt to control or regulate conflict through numbers of measures.