A comparison of conflict management styles of male and female managers in a bank in South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT A comparison of conflict management styles of male and female managers in a bank in South Africa Aaron Farai Muchenje University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg The study was conducted as a case study within a bank in South Africa. The research, by using gender as a construct to study conflict management styles, sought to determine whether there were significant differences between male and female managers’ prevalent conflict management styles in a bank in South Africa by administering an already developed and tested questionnaire called the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) which, through plotting the responses from the administered questionnaires, determined the prevalent conflict management styles of respondents. The instrument was used to assess and categorize the conflict management styles of 45 male managers and 45 female managers in a major bank in South Africa. The key findings were that there is no significant difference in the prevalent conflict management styles of the two gender groups and in fact the results mirrored one another showing great homogeneity as a group of managers rather than within the respective gender groups. The key indication from the research was that gender does not act as a strong determinant toward the prevalence of conflict management styles. This finding contributed to the understanding of the dynamics of gender conflict management styles, specifically as an example of a bank studied in South Africa.