Supporting resolution
The impact of supervisors on workplace conflict management
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21620150 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kim McCarthy, Jone L Pearce (0000-0002-1386-9739) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 650-674 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Conflict Management (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1044-4068 • E-ISSN: 1758-8545 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/ijcma-10-2024-0276 |
| OpenAlex | W4409563743 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 65 |
Purpose This study aims to investigate the role of supervisors in managing workplace conflict, with a focus on introducing and empirically testing a new construct called Supervisor Conflict Management Support (SCMS). The results confirm a preliminary theory of how SCMS influences conflict resolution and organizational outcomes, including contextual factors such as conflict severity and expression norms. Design/methodology/approach This study uses survey data collected from a sample of 5,123 employees within the Federal Aviation Administration who reported experiencing workplace conflict. SCMS was measured alongside organizational constructs, including organizational commitment, conflict resolution and intent to stay. Data was analyzed using hierarchical regression and moderation analyses to test hypotheses and explore contextual effects. Convergent validity was tested using exploratory principal component analyses and was confirmed via average variance extracted tests for all constructs, whereas discriminant validity was supported through the Fornell–Larcker criterion and heterotrait–monotrait ratios. Findings The results demonstrate that SCMS significantly improves conflict resolution outcomes and enhances organizational commitment while increasing employees’ intent to stay. Moderation analyses revealed that SCMS is most effective when conflict is less severe and expression norms are open. Research limitations/implications This study focuses on supervisor conflict management in a safety-critical organization. Future research could explore different applications of SCMS and examine supervisors’ dual role as both conflict mitigators and contributors. Practical implications This study has practical implications for training managers on effective conflict management intervention and resolution strategies. Originality/value This study introduces SCMS as a novel construct and highlights supervisors’ critical role in fostering conflict resolution. By examining SCMS in a high-stakes organizational context, the findings contribute to advancing conflict management theory and offer practical insights for supervisory training that improves workplace conflict resolution
Business · Conflict management · Conflict resolution · Political science · Public relations · Applied Psychology · Computer Science · Conflict Management and Negotiation · Family Business Performance and Succession · Law · Organizational Learning and Leadership · Psychology · Social Psychology · Artificial Intelligence
Moderating effects of initial leader–member exchange status on the effects of a leadership intervention.
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Meta-Analytic review of leader–member exchange theory
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The Emergence of Norms in Competitive Decision-Making Groups
A Multimethod Examination of the Benefits and Detriments of Intragroup Conflict
A Qualitative Analysis of Conflict Types and Dimensions in Organizational Groups
The Effects of Conflict Types, Dimensions, and Emergent States on Group Outcomes
Models of conflict, negotiation and third party intervention
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The bright and dark sides of individual and group innovation
The role of affective traits and affective states in disputants' motivation and behavior during episodes of organizational conflict
Self‐interest
The conflict‐positive organization
Themes in the Mediation of Social Conflict
An Analysis of Conflict in Decision-Making Groups
Perceptions of Inequity, Satisfaction, and Conflict in Task-Oriented Groups
The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research
Kinds of Third-Party Effects on Trust
Identifying Shame and Anger in Discourse
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |