Residence hall directors' conflict style
Date
2014
Authors
Propes, Rebecca, author
Pendell, Sue, advisor
Williams, Elizabeth, committee member
Engelke, Terri, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
This study investigated how experience, personality and culture influence a residence hall director's conflict management style by having RHDs complete self-assessments that were administered through the website Survey Monkey. The participants were RHDs from various colleges and universities from across the United States who were chosen by both purposive and snowball sampling methods. The study hypothesized that RHDs would employ a collaborating approach to conflicts. The results supported the hypothesis, and RHDs predominately do employ a collaborating approach to conflicts. The results show that experience is significantly and negatively related to Avoiding; only Conscientiousness is significantly related to the Dominating conflict style with Neuroticism approaching a significant correlation to Dominating. Finally, culture was shown not to be significantly related to any conflict style. The results are important because they will help in the development of conflict management trainings for university housing employees--particularly RHDs. The more information hall directors have regarding how they are influenced when it comes to conflict the more effective conflict managers they can be. Additional research should look at how RHDs utilize their conflict management styles within their professional relationships as well as with their student staff members.