A helping hand? : the moderating role of leaders' conflict management behavior on the conflict-stress relationship of employees

M. Römer, S. Rispens, E. Giebels, M. Euwema

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

34 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Interpersonal conflict between colleagues within organizations negatively affects employee well-being (e.g., stress). It is unclear how leaders' third-party conflict management behaviors influence the relationship between employee conflict and well-being. In this study, we examine the effects of leaders' perceived conflict management behaviors on the relationship between relationship, task, and process conflicts and the conflict-related stress (as a measure of well-being) that employees experience. We tested our expectations using a survey of 145 employees of an insurance company in the Netherlands. The results confirmed our expectations that the perception that leaders engaged in third-party forcing behavior and avoiding behavior amplified the effects of conflict on conflict-related stress. Furthermore, we found that leaders' third-party problem-solving behavior had a buffering effect on the association between relationship conflict and conflict-related stress. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)253-277
Number of pages25
JournalNegotiation journal : on the process of dispute settlement
Volume28
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012

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