ABSTRACT
Conflict is an unavoidable part of every institution. Educational institutions are saddled with conflicts among employees and sometimes with management which invariably influence their overall output. At the workplace, it is important that measures are put in place to ensure employees are comfortable and happy in their work environment to function well. The purpose of this study is to explore how unresolved conflicts between employees in educational institutions affect productivity. This study identifies some causes of conflict in two educational institutions (universities) and suggests possible ways of effectively resolve them for improved sustainable productivity.
A qualitative research method was used, whereby semi structured interviews were conducted to collect data for analysis. The participants were asked certain question to determine the causes of conflict, and how they manage it. In analyzing the results, the responses were grouped into themes and then examined according to the questions asked during the interview. Based on the results, it was determined that a common cause of conflict in educational institutions is poor communication. With regards to managing conflict, it was determined that people prefer to talk to the other party and would only involve a third person if they are not able to solve the issue. Another reason they would also involve a third person is if the person is a colleague or an employer they are not friendly with. I recommend that superiors in educational institutions should be approachable, and should also provide a formal complaint process that employees can use when they have any issues.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION…………………………………………………………………………………………………… i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT……………………………………………………………………………………… ii
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………………………………… iii
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………… 1
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………………………. 9
2.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
- The Marxist Theory of Conflict……………………………………………………………………. 10
2.5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 20
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY………………………………………………………………………… 21
- Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21
3.9 Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 25
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS…………………………………………………………………………………….. 26
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………… 35
REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 38
- Background of the Study
Educational institutions in our society play a vital role in equipping students with the requisite knowledge, skills and the right attitudes via the curricula for healthy lifestyles. Accordingly, the responsibilities of educational institutions include shaping the attitudes of students for the real world by preparing them to deal or handle all manner of situations they may encounter in life, including courtesy and good manners. Also, lecturers in such institutions are required to influence and contribute to the development of society. In effect, educational institutions aim to make individuals useful members of society (Bahrami, 2018).
Just like any other corporate entity, educational institutions like the universities, have categories of employees with different roles and responsibilities and when played well, contribute to their effectiveness and growth. It is without doubt that these employees would not get along from time to time due to differences in perspectives, communication, values, personalities and experiences in life (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2006; Kudonoo, 2016). When such things happen, it is usually given the term conflict, because there is some disagreement between two employees or parties.
In the university, lecturers are expected to work closely with their heads of departments and with their teaching assistants. Unavoidably, conflicts spring up in these working relationships once a while because of the differences mentioned earlier on.
According to Ghaffar (2009), school principals use the authoritative approach like pressurizing lecturers to complete specific tasks which can bring about conflict. Conflict
can also occur between a lecturer and a teaching assistant. And most importantly, conflict can occur within an individual. For example, a lecturer that is experiencing internal conflict might find it difficult to relate well with his/her students as well as effectively teach them in most cases.
