Management strategies of conflict between academic and non-academic staff

Project Abstract

<p> This study investigated management strategies of conflict between academic andnon-academic staff of federal universities in South East, Nigeria. The study was<br>guided by nine research questions and nine null hypotheses. The design of the<br>study was descriptive survey. The population of the study was 16,387 respondents.<br>A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select a sample of 1,025 subjects,<br>comprising 527 academic and 488 non-academic staff from the universities.<br>Purposive sampling technique was also used to select another 10 academic and<br>non-academic staff for the focus group discussion (FGD). The instrument for data<br>collection was a questionnaire titled Management Strategies of Conflict<br>Questionnaire (MSCQ) and focus group discussion guide which was put in prose<br>form. The research questions were answered using mean and standard deviation<br>while t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance.<br>Findings of the study were that interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts,<br>interdependence conflicts, breakdown in communication, subordinate conflicts<br>and breakdown of collective bargaining, among others are the nature of conflicts<br>experienced in the federal universities. It was also found that breach of<br>communication, poor human relationship, unequal attention to staff welfare,<br>differences in staff perception, inadequate representation of staff in decision<br>making, competition for scarce resources and their allocations, were among the<br>sources of conflicts. The study revealed that conflict increases disunity,<br>communication gap, bitterness, helps staff to voice out their dissatisfactions,<br>reduces motivation, decreases productivity. The responses of academic and nonacademic<br>staff did not differ significantly (p&lt;0.05) with regard to the strategies<br>suitable for managing conflicts in federal universities. Among the<br>recommendations were that university management should adopt the identified<br>management strategies of conflict which, among others, include mediation,<br>negotiation, dialogue, and effective communication that will tackle conflict<br>between academic and non-academic staff in universities so as to enable them<br>work together in peace and harmony for the effective and efficient achievement of<br>the university goals. University management should organize conferences,<br>workshops and seminars to create awareness on the adverse effects of conflicts in<br>the universities and on their staff and students. This will encourage peaceful coexistence<br>and team spirit for smooth running of the universities. Also university<br>management should constitute conflict management committee who would be<br>trained and guided on management strategies of conflict. This will help prevent<br>and check any form of biased tendencies and will create synergy in order to<br>achieve educational goals and objectives. <br></p>

Project Overview

<p> <strong>INTRODUCTION</strong><br><strong>Background of the Study</strong><br>Conflicts are inevitable in any organization. This is more so in an<br>organization as a university with a structure that allows two or more units or<br>groups to share functional boundaries in achieving its set objectives. In<br>universities, people with differing nature -students, lecturers and administrative<br>staff – have to work harmoniously together. The organizational structure is such<br>that staff and staff, students and students, staff and students share functional<br>boundaries to exchange knowledge.<br>The goal of university education is pursued through its main functions and<br>activities of teaching, research, dissemination of existing and new information,<br>service to the community, and being a storehouse of knowledge (Federal Republic<br>of Nigeria, 2004). In carrying out these functions, there are always conflicts within<br>and among the categories of people within the university community, namely<br>students, academics, non-academics and their unions. These categories of people<br>have different purposes and expectations from the university. In pursuance of their<br>individual and group purposes and expectations they sometimes disagree with one<br>another due to their differing ideals which result to conflict.<br>Several definitions of conflict have been given by different scholars.<br>According to Enyi (2001), conflict can be regarded as a situation where disputants<br>are hostile to each other in their efforts to achieve goals which are at variance with<br>each other. Best (2006) defined conflict as pursuit of incompatible interests and<br>goals by different entities. It is the struggle over values or claims to status, power,<br>and scarce resources in which the aims of the groups of individuals involved are<br>not to obtain the desired values but to neutralize, injure or eliminate rivals (Louis<br>and Coser, 1996). Conflict is a disagreement between two or more parties who<br>perceive that they have incompatible concerns. This incompatibility can be about<br>needs, interests, values or aims (Bloisi, 2007). Nye (2001) conceived conflict as<br>‘mutual hostility’ at interpersonal, inter-human, inter-group, inter-ethnic, intercultural<br>and inter-national level. From the above definitions, conflict is a fact in<br>human existence and a natural part of our daily lives.<br>Conflict means to come into collision, clash or being in opposition or at<br>variance with other person or group of persons. It equally mean strife, controversy,<br>discord of action, disagreement in opinions and antagonism of interest or principle<br>(Harks, 2001). Conflict could also be seen as a disagreement over social issues,<br>beliefs and ideologies (Horowitz and Borden, 1995). Adejuwon and Okewale<br>(2009) defined conflict as the result of interaction among people, an unavoidable<br>concomitant of choices and decisions and an expression of the basic fact of human<br>interdependence. Ejiogu (1998) postulated that conflict is a condition of<br>disharmony or hostility within an interaction process which is usually the direct<br>result of clash of interests by the parties involved. Whenever an action by one<br>party is perceived as preventing or interfering with the goals, needs or actions of<br>another. <br></p>