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1 – 4 of 4M. Kamil Kozan and Canan Ergin
This study aims to extend cross‐cultural conflict management research to the intra‐cultural level. Schwartz's (1992, 1994, 1996) values measure, designed to be used at both the…
Abstract
This study aims to extend cross‐cultural conflict management research to the intra‐cultural level. Schwartz's (1992, 1994, 1996) values measure, designed to be used at both the societal and the individual levels, was related to styles of conflict management and preference for third party involvement Data were collected from 435 employees of 40 organizations in Turkey, a country where subcultural differences have resulted from Westernization efforts. Among conflict management styles, avoidance was found to be preferred by those having strong tradition and conformity values. In the subsample that reported conflicts with peers, the forcing style was used more by those strong in power values. When third parties were involved in the conflict, subjects high in achievement and stimulation were less likely to be the ones who invited their involvement. The tendency to leave the initiative to the third party was stronger among subjects that had high universalism and benevolence values. The implications of these findings for conflict management practice and future cross‐cultural research are discussed.
M. Kamil Kozan, Canan Ergin and Kadir Varoglu
This study aims to develop an influence perspective for managerial intervention in subordinates conflicts, which helps to represent various strategies identified in the literature…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop an influence perspective for managerial intervention in subordinates conflicts, which helps to represent various strategies identified in the literature in a single model. Managers' power base was then related to their intervention strategies. Drawing upon Social Judgment Theory, anchoring of subordinates positions is studied as a moderating variable.
Design/methodology/approach
Thirty nine supervisors and their 165 subordinates from several organizations in Turkey filled out a questionnaire reporting power base of supervisor and their intervention strategy utilizing the critical incident technique.
Findings
Referent power of superior led to mediation in subordinates' conflicts. However, mediation decreased while restructuring, arbitration, and educative strategies increased with increased anchoring of subordinates' positions. These latter strategies mostly relied on reward power of manager. Subordinate satisfaction was highest with mediation and lowest when supervisors distanced themselves from the conflict.
Research limitations/implications
The present study could only test the moderating effect of escalation as an anchoring variable. Future studies may look at the anchoring effect of whether the dispute is handled in public or in private, and whether the parties have a competing versus collaborative or compromising styles.
Practical implications
Training of managers in mediation may be essential in cultures where they play a focal role in handling subordinates conflicts. Such training may have to take into account their broader influence strategies and use of power.
Originality/value
An influence perspective is useful in integrating the vast array of managerial intervention strategies in the literature. Furthermore, the anchoring effect provides a theoretical explanation for managers' use of more forceful intervention with less cooperative subordinates.
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M. Kamil Kozan, Canan Ergin and Demet Varoglu
The purpose of this paper is to investigate strategies used by managers when intervening in subordinates' conflicts and the factors affecting choice of strategy in Turkish…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate strategies used by managers when intervening in subordinates' conflicts and the factors affecting choice of strategy in Turkish organizations, where heavy emphasis is placed on intermediaries in managing conflicts.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected by means of a questionnaire from 392 employees of a convenience sample of 59 organizations, most of which were located in Ankara.
Findings
Factor analysis results showed that managers utilize as many as five strategies: mediation, inquisitorial (similar to arbitration), motivational tactics, conflict reduction through restructuring, and educating the parties. The conditions under which these strategies are used were analyzed by regression. Harmony emphasis in the organization led to increased use of mediation. However, harmony emphasis, when coupled with a low degree of delegation of authority to subordinates, resulted in increased use of the inquisitorial strategy. Harmony emphasis, when combined with substantive (as opposed to personal) conflicts and with high impact conflicts led to educating the subordinates. Motivational tactics were used more when the conflict had high impact at the workplace and had escalated or threatened to get out of control.
Research limitations/implications
Readers are cautioned on possible common factor bias; relations between variables may have emerged as a result of the data being reported by the same respondent.
Originality/value
The findings have research implications for future studies and for training of managers for conflict intervention in collectivistic cultures.
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Mojtaba Labibzadeh, Mojtaba Zakeri and Abdol Adel Shoaib
The purpose of this paper is to present a new method for determining the input parameters of the concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) model of ABAQUS standard software. The existing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a new method for determining the input parameters of the concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) model of ABAQUS standard software. The existing available methods in the literatures are case sensitive, i.e., they give different input parameters of CDP for a unique concrete class used in different finite element (FE) simulation of concrete structures. In this study, the authors attempt to introduce a new approach for the identification of the input parameters of the CDP model, which guarantees the uniqueness and precision of the model. In other words, by this method, the input parameters obtained for a specific concrete class with a unique characteristic strength can be used for FE simulation of the different concrete structures which were constructed by this concrete without the need to additional modifications raised from any new application.
Design/methodology/approach
For the input parameter identification of the CDP model, different standard tests of plain concrete are simulated by the ABAQUS standard software. These test simulations are performed for various set of input parameters. In the end, those set of input parameters which represents the best curve fitting with the experimental results is chosen as the optimum parameters.
Findings
By comparison of the FE simulation results obtained from the ABAQUS for two different concrete structures using the proposed input parameters for the CDP model with the experimental results, it was shown that the presented method for determining those parameters can guarantee the uniqueness and precision of the CDP model in simulation.
Originality/value
The method described for determining the input parameters of the CDP model of the ABAQUS standard software has not been previously presented.
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