Managers’ conflict management styles and employee attitudinal outcomes: The mediating role of trust

Abstract

This study examines the mediating effects of trust on the relationships between manager's conflict management styles (CMS) and employee attitudinal outcomes, as well as identifies the potential deviations in the areas of CMS and trust from the west in Chinese culture. One hundred sixty-nine employees in Guangzhou of China participated. As predicted, Integrating CMS of managers is found significantly correlated to trust and subordinates' job satisfaction and turnover intention. Trust fully mediates the link between Integrating CMS and subordinates attitudinal outcomes. Results also support the expectations concerning the deviations on the impacts of the uncooperative CMS on subordinates under Chinese culture. Discussion and implications are presented.Keywords Conflict management styles . Trust . Turnover intention . Job satisfaction . Chinese culture Conflict is part of organizational life. Managers spend up to 20% of their time in the workplace dealing with conflict or its aftermath (Schermerhorn, Hunt, & Osborn, 1998;Thomas & Schmidt, 1976). Conflict is considered to be a "natural process between people and, as such, is an inevitable aspect of a manager's job" (Markowich Asia Pacific J Manage DOI 10.1007/s10490-007-9037-4 The authors appreciate the valuable comments of the editor and the two anonymous reviewers on an earlier version of this paper. We would also like to thank the research committee of the University of Macau for funding this project.

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