Principals’ Conflict Management Styles in Relation to Organizational Climate in Public Secondary Schools in Nyeri South Sub-County, Kenya

Abstract

Contrary to some of the human relations movement adherents who postulate that organisations should be conflict free, practical experience and research demonstrates that conflicts permeate all types and levels of organisations. The rational approach to conflict avers that it is natural to expect conflicts and best to be prepared to manage them so that they do not adversely affect organisational productivity and working relations. This study sought to identify the types of conflicts that exist in secondary schools and their effects on organizational climate; to analyse secondary school principals’ conflict management styles and the effect of such styles on organizational climate. The study adopted descriptive survey design, questionnaires for principals, teachers, and students. The data was presented in form of percentages, frequencies, means and correlations. The correlation coefficients revealed that conflict management styles had a significant relationship with students and teachers’ satisfaction with school climate. The study established that controlling, accommodating, collaborating, and compromising styles are widely used at varying degrees in the sampled school. This however was not the case with avoiding style. The study also established that members of school communities associated positive school climates with fewer behavioural and emotional problems. It was concluded that goal, behaviour, cognitive and affective conflicts existed in secondary schools. It was established that owing to the conflict management styles used by principals, students and teachers had good rapport with the rest of the school community. The study recommended that the principals should be able to identify a link of four types of conflict management styles carefully to achieve all goals set in their school performance through a positive climate.