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Article
Publication date: 5 May 2020

Stephen M. Croucher, Stephanie Kelly, Hui Chen and Doug Ashwell

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between face concerns, articulated (upward) dissent and organizational assimilation. In this study, articulated dissent…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between face concerns, articulated (upward) dissent and organizational assimilation. In this study, articulated dissent was conceptualized as a type of dissent.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was distributed to 370 working adults in the USA via Qualtrics. The questionnaire measured five face concerns, namely, self, other and mutual-face, articulated dissent and organizational assimilation. Before hypothesis testing, each measure was subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis to ensure that the hypothesized factor structure held. Pearson correlation and ordinary least squares estimation were used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

Conceptualizing dissent as a type of conflict, the findings of the current study are as follows: self-face and assimilation are positively correlated, other-face and assimilation are positively correlated, mutual-face and assimilation are positively correlated, assimilation and articulated dissent are positively correlated and organizational assimilation mediated the relationship between mutual-face and articulated dissent.

Research limitations/implications

Theoretically, the self-presentation process (face) is more critical as a person becomes part of an organization; it is through assimilating into an organization that members become familiar with the norms of an organization and more comfortable dissenting to their superiors (articulated dissent); and the more the authors integrate with the work colleagues the more the authors engage in mutual face-saving.

Practical implications

The results of this study demonstrate that self-presentation is critical as a person becomes part of an organization, particularly when it comes to managing conflict.

Originality/value

This is the first study to link facework with organizational dissent. The results add to the understanding of how face affects whether we choose to express this kind of conflict behavior.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 32 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 September 2013

Stephen Michael Croucher

– This paper aims to explore the relationships between self-construals, religious identification, and conflict styles in India.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the relationships between self-construals, religious identification, and conflict styles in India.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered in India (n=1,108) among Hindus (n=744) and Muslims (n=364) in various organizations throughout India. Conflict styles were measured using Oetzel's conflict style measure. Self-construal was measured using Singelis' self-construal measure. Pearson correlations and multiple regressions were conducted.

Findings

Correlation analysis showed significant negative correlation between the independent and interdependent self-construal. Multiple hierarchical regression modeling demonstrated significant interactions between religious identification, self-construal, and conflict style. Hindus are more likely to dominate in conflict situations, while Muslims are more likely to avoid conflict and prefer more group-oriented conflict styles.

Research limitations/implications

Self-report measure is a possible limitation and the sample is religiously homogeneous.

Practical implications

The results of this study could assist community organizers and others who work in conflict mediation resolve conflict among religious groups.

Originality/value

Few studies have examined conflict styles in India and this study employs a macro and micro-level approach to the study of conflict.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 24 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 February 2011

Stephen Croucher

This study seeks to examine the influence of national and religious identification on conflict styles among Christians and Muslims in Western Europe.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study seeks to examine the influence of national and religious identification on conflict styles among Christians and Muslims in Western Europe.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered in France, Germany and the UK (n=909) in 2008. Conflict was measured using Oetzel's Conflict Style Measure. To test the hypothesis and answer the research questions, multiple regression models were constructed.

Findings

National and religious identification had a significant influence on conflict style preference. Muslims prefer more compromising and obliging conflict styles, while Christians prefer the dominating style. France is more dominating than Germany or the UK. Significant interactions revealed how individuals' religion and national identification influence conflict styles.

Research limitations/implications

The use of self‐report instruments is the primary limitation.

Practical implications

Individuals' lived experiences have a significant influence on their conflict preference. The results in France, Germany and the UK point to varied ethnic and religious lived experiences.

Social implications

The primary social impact of this paper is that it informs individuals and governments of the effects of religion on individuals' management of conflict. In the wake of the bombings of September 11, the 2005 French riots, and the 2005 London bombings, understanding the potential influence of religion on the management and conceptualization of conflict offers vast societal impacts for society at large.

Originality/value

There are few studies in conflict that examine the influence of religion and/or national identification. Moreover, this is one of the few studies to examine how Muslims manage conflict.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 February 2011

Stephen M. Croucher, Kyle J. Holody, Manda V. Hicks, Deepa Oommen and Alfred DeMaris

This study sets out to examine conflict style preferences in India and the predictive effects of various demographic variables on conflict style preference.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study sets out to examine conflict style preferences in India and the predictive effects of various demographic variables on conflict style preference.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered in India (n=827) among Muslims and Hindus. Conflict was measured using Oetzel's Conflict Style Measure. To answer the research questions, repeated measures ANOVA and multiple regressions were conducted.

Findings

The findings reveal that conflict style preference among Hindus in India differs significantly and that Hindus prefer the integrating and dominating styles, whilst showing the least inclination towards the avoiding and obliging styles. Muslims prefer the integrating and compromising styles and least prefer the dominating and avoiding styles. Analyses of the demographic variables' predictive influence reveal that age and sex are significant predictors for all five conflict styles for both Muslims and Hindus. Education has a mixed predictive influence on conflict style among Hindus and Muslims.

Research limitations/implications

Use of self‐report instruments and the majority of the participants coming from middle‐class backgrounds could limit the generalizability of the study.

Practical implications

The study calls for conflict mediators to consider the influence of group membership and educational level on conflict management/resolution. The research also discusses national/international conflict intervention.

Social implications

This paper informs individuals regarding the way in which two large religious and cultural groups differ in their approaches to conflict. For a nation that has experienced a history of conflict between these two cultural/religious groups, this paper can help shed light on how to bridge the conflict between them.

Originality/value

There are no studies directly comparing the conflict styles of Muslims and Hindus.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 4 February 2014

133

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Article
Publication date: 15 December 2017

Stephen Michael Croucher, Stephanie Kelly, Shawn Michael Condon, Elsa Campbell, Flora Galy-Badenas, Diyako Rahmani, Cheng Zeng and Elvis Nshom

This study aims to first explore the extent to which argumentativeness changed during the adaptation process among Muslim immigrants to France from 2006 to 2015 and, second, to…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to first explore the extent to which argumentativeness changed during the adaptation process among Muslim immigrants to France from 2006 to 2015 and, second, to examine the cultural fusion process. The study investigates the influence of intercultural contact on communication traits by exploring the extent to which members of the dominant cultural group adapt their argumentativeness over time.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a longitudinal panel study, the paper investigates the influence of intercultural contact on communication traits by exploring the extent to which members of the dominant cultural group adapt their argumentativeness over time. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling are used to assess the hypotheses and research question.

Findings

Results revealed a curvilinear relationship between argumentativeness and time. Argumentativeness increased from 2006 to 2009, remained constant from 2009 to 2012 and then decreased after 2012. Furthermore, data analysis revealed argumentativeness levels among members of the dominant culture did not change.

Research limitations/implications

The results are potentially limited by the sample being a convenience sample and the presence of extenuating factors.

Originality/value

Argumentativeness is viewed by many researchers as a functional form of communication. However, few studies have longitudinally studied how this trait can change over time.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 June 2020

Stephen Michael Croucher, Stephanie Kelly, Mark Burkey, Anthony Spencer, Oscar Gomez, Carmencita Del Villar and Nadirabegim Eskiçorapçı

The argumentativeness measure has been used in more than a 100 studies since 1982. The measure was developed and validated within a US university/college student sample. Despite…

Abstract

Purpose

The argumentativeness measure has been used in more than a 100 studies since 1982. The measure was developed and validated within a US university/college student sample. Despite its intended use, the measure is regularly used outside of the US and outside of the university/college setting without tests of validity. There is also intense debate as to the dimensionality of the measure, with one camp defending the bi-dimensionality of the measure and another proposing uni-dimensionality. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the utility of the measure outside of its intended population.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of seven samples were collected (n = 1860) from the UK, Germany, France, Turkey, the Philippines, Nicaragua and the US. In this study, Infante and Rancer’s (1982) original 20-item argumentativeness measure was used to assess argumentativeness. Confirmatory factor analyses was used to test content validity.

Findings

Fit statistics were consistently poor for the unidimensional factor structure. As there is debate as to whether the measure is uni or bi-dimensional, a bi-dimensional fit was also analysed. The measure performed slightly better in each sample using a bi-dimensional factor structure. However, fit statistics were still poor for each sample.

Research limitations/implications

Specifically, the seven samples are convenience samples. While such a sampling technique does limit the generalizability of a study’s findings, convenience samples are common when using the argumentativeness measure. These results present avenues for exploring the dimensionality of the argumentativeness measure and for revisiting cross-cultural examinations of argumentativeness.

Practical implications

Factor structure is a critical issue in validity. Whether authors specify their prediction or not, factor structure is always hypothesized as part of a study when measurements are used, and therefore, should be examined in every study as part of the scientific process. Making claims about human behaviour based upon measures with mis-specified factor structures or other validity issues can lead to the perpetuation of misinformation within the literature.

Originality/value

This is one of the few studies to empirically explore the psychometric properties of one of the most used measures in argument/conflict research. In doing so, this study enhances the understanding of decades of argumentativeness research.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 32 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 September 2021

Stephen Michael Croucher, Stephanie Kelly, Chen Hui, Kenneth J. Rocker, Joanna Cullinane, Dini Homsey, George Guoyu Ding, Thao Nguyen, Kirsty Jane Anderson, Malcolm Green, Doug Ashwell, Malcolm Wright and Nitha Palakshappa

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aims to explore how working remotely might impact the superior–subordinate relationship. Specifically, this study examines how…

Abstract

Purpose

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study aims to explore how working remotely might impact the superior–subordinate relationship. Specifically, this study examines how immediacy explains articulated dissent, considers how an individual’s attitudes toward online communication predicts immediacy and articulated dissent and compares these relationships in England, Australia and the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

Three nations were examined: Australia, England and the USA (n = 1,776). Surveys included demographic questions and the following measures: organizational dissent scale, perceived immediacy measure, computer-mediated immediate behaviors measure and measure of online communication attitude.

Findings

The results reveal supervisors’ computer-mediated immediate behaviors and perceived immediacy both positively predict dissent. Some aspects of online communication attitudes positively predict computer-mediated immediate behaviors and perceived immediacy. In addition, attitudes toward online communication positively predict dissent. National culture influences some of these relationships; in each case the effects were substantively larger for the USA when compared to the other nations.

Originality/value

This study is the first to cross-culturally analyze dissent and immediacy. In addition, this study considers the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic influences the superior–subordinate relationship.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2023

Beth Tootell, Stephen Michael Croucher, Joanna Cullinane, Stephanie Kelly and Douglas Ashwell

This study aims to examine the extent to which organizational dissent predicts perception of workplace bullying. As previous studies have reported inconsistent and sometimes…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the extent to which organizational dissent predicts perception of workplace bullying. As previous studies have reported inconsistent and sometimes contradictory results regarding the interaction between the reporting of bullying and demographic variables, these variables are examined in the New Zealand context. Organizational communication research provides considerable insight into the ways individuals make sense of and resist workplace bullying through juxtaposition with the concepts of dissent and intragroup conflict.

Design/methodology/approach

A nationally representative sample of managers in New Zealand (n = 239) was conducted. Surveys included demographic questions and the following measures: Organizational Dissent Scale and Negative Acts Questionnaire Revised Scale.

Findings

Key results and indications for further research are highlighted by the third model in this study. First, workers who reported they engaged in either articulated dissent or latent dissent were more likely to perceive workplace bullying. Second, workers who are more likely to express contrary opinions in the workplace are more likely to recognize, acknowledge and tolerate less positive interactions in the workplace such as bullying.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to analyze dissent and bullying in the New Zealand context. Second, this research raises the question of whether there is a conflation of work-related bullying behaviors and bad leadership styles that may not be targeted (e.g. authoritative leadership and micromanaging). Finally, communication research provides a distinctive contribution by exploring the narrative form of worker responses to perceived bullying. In this manuscript, the authors examine potential predictors on the perception of workplace bullying in the context of New Zealand, particularly focus on the relationship between dissent and the perception of workplace bullying.

Details

International Journal of Conflict Management, vol. 34 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1044-4068

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2007

Anthea Tinker, Hannah Zeilig, Fay Wright, Julienne Hanson, Ruth Mayagoitia and Hede Wojgani

Extra care housing has developed from sheltered housing and has increasingly been seen as a popular option by policy‐makers for a number of reasons. These include the inability of…

Abstract

Extra care housing has developed from sheltered housing and has increasingly been seen as a popular option by policy‐makers for a number of reasons. These include the inability of conventional sheltered housing to be an adequate solution for a growing population of very old people, the decline in popularity and high costs of residential care and perceived problems with older people staying in mainstream housing. There is, however, no agreed definition of extra care housing, even though a growing number of government grants are becoming available for this type of housing. This is causing confusion for providers and for older people and their families who are not sure exactly what is provided. This lack of clarity means that this form of housing has become an erratic and piecemeal form of provision.

Details

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults, vol. 8 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-7794

Keywords

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