Conflict Management Styles Used by Secondary School Heads in Public and Private Sector; a Comparative Study

Abstract

When there is disagreement inside an organization, conflict arises. The heads of the schools have a crucial role in effectively handling the conflict. The purpose of this study is to examine secondary school heads’ styles of handling conflict in the public and private sectors. A questionnaire was used in this study to gather data. A multistage random sample technique was employed to collect data from 100 teachers in public schools and 100 teachers in private schools. To gather data an adapted questionnaire was used. The opinion of experts was used to validate the instrument. The reliability of the questionnaire was determined using Cronbach alpha, and its internal consistency score was 0.74. The findings of the research showed that conflict management styles are influenced by demographic characteristics. On the other hand, the preferred styles of school heads are not greatly affected by the type of school (private versus public). There was a minor difference in the accommodating style, heads of public schools showing a little higher inclination for this style than heads of private schools. It is advised that male heads should receive specific training in order to enhance their capacity for compromising and collaborating styles in both the public and private sectors. It is also advised that courses be held to improve the abilities of female heads in the public and private sectors to compromise and work together.