Conflict Management Methods of Managers: An Empirical Study of the Turkish Tourism Industry

Although considered unwanted by the tourism industry, it has been acknowledged that conflict can foster new ideas which contribute in a positive way by providing an opportunity for self-critique and maintaining internal dynamism through change and innovations. For these reasons how to manage conflict is a crucial skill for managers. This research aims to determine the extent to which conflict management methods change according to demographic characteristics or the characteristics of the enterprises. It examines the preferences of managers on integrating, obliging, compromising, dominating and avoiding methods. Survey research has been conducted on 1098 tourism enterprise managers in Turkey. The first part of the survey includes questions on the personal characteristics of managers and the general characteristics of their enterprises. The second part includes 28 statements to explore the conflict management strategies of the managers. Percentage, frequency, t-test for independent samples, one-factor variance analysis (Anova) and Bonferroni test have been used in the research. The survey analysis establishes a significant relationship between conflict management methods of managers, their demographic characteristics, and the characteristics of the enterprises they work at