Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya

Omayo Moraa Faith; Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing

doi:doi:10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11

| Peer-Reviewed

Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya

Omayo Moraa Faith, Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing

Published in Science Research (Volume 6, Issue 5)

Received: 10 October 2018 Accepted: 24 October 2018 Published: 15 November 2018

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

Conflict is an inevitable occurrence in any human interaction setting and organisations are no exception as they are involved in conflict management on a daily basis. Conflict is often viewed as being destructive, but when managed properly it can be constructive, especially in the workplace. Conflict hinders healthy working relations between peer co-workers and the general organisational performance can be affected as well. Peer co-worker conflict is common in organisations and therefore the aim of this article was to explore the causes of conflict among peer co-workers in a non-governmental organisation in Kenya. A qualitative research approach was adopted and semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data from fifteen employees of the same hierarchical level who were selected using purposive sampling. The data collected was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis model. The findings revealed that there were various causes of conflict among peer co-workers in the organisation, and the peer co-workers were aware thereof. It was evident that conflict frequency differed among the peer co-workers with the conflict occurrences being from daily to weekly and at times monthly intervals. The findings further revealed that these conflicts hinder healthy working relationships between the peer co-workers. Therefore, the study concluded that peer co-workers should be trained and equipped with skills to aid in conflict management between themselves.

Published in	Science Research (Volume 6, Issue 5)
DOI	10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11
Page(s)	54-60
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Conflict, Peer Co-Workers, Interpersonal Conflict, Non-Governmental Organisation

References

[1]	Pearson, A, Ensley, M & Amason, A. (2002). An assessment and refinement of Jehn’s Intragroup Conflict Scale (ICS). International Journal of Conflict Management 13(2): 110-127.
[2]	Omayo, FM. (2016). The role of interpersonal communication in managing peer co-worker conflict in a non-governmental organisation: a case study of SILC Kenya, Eldoret. Masters Dissertation. South Africa: University of South Africa.
[3]	Sias, PM., (2009). Peer Co-worker Relationships, in Organizing Relationships: Traditional and Emerging Perspectives on Workplace Relationships, edited by MP Sias. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications: 57-89.
[4]	Kram, KE & Isabella, LA. (1985). Mentoring alternatives: the role of peer relationships in career development. Academy of Management Journal 28: 110-132.
[5]	Brass, J. (2010). Surrogates for government? NGOs and the state in Kenya. Doctorate thesis. Berkeley. University of California.
[6]	Folger, J, Poole, M & Stutman, R. (2005). Working through conflict: Strategies for relationships, groups, and organisations. 5th edition. Boston: Pearson.
[7]	Nicotera, A. (2009). Conflict communication theories, in Encyclopedia of communication theory, edited by S Littlejohn & K Foss. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage publications: 165-171.
[8]	Baron, RA. (1990). Conflict in organisations, in Psychology in organisations: Integrating science and practice edited by KR Murphy & FE Saal. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum: 197-216.
[9]	Rahim, AM. (2001). Managing conflict in organisations. 3rd edition. London: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
[10]	Jehn, KA & Mannix, EA. (2001). The dynamic nature of conflict: A longitudinal study of intragroup conflict and group performance. Academy of management journal 44(2): 238-251.
[11]	Tonder, VC, Havenga, W & Visagie, J. (2008). The causes of conflict in public and private sector organisations in South Africa. Managing Global Transitions: International Research Journal 6(4): 373-401.
[12]	Buss, H. (2009). Measuring and reducing the cost of conflict at workplace in UNHCR. Master’s dissertation. Switzerland: Institut Universitaire Kurt Bosch.
[13]	Grace, N. (2012). What causes conflict between employees in an organisation? http://smallbusiness.chron.com/causes-conflict-between-employees-organisation-157.html (Accessed 16 August 2015).
[14]	Mughal, MR & Khan, M. (2013). Impact of conflict and conflict management on organisational performance. International Journal of Modern Business Issues of Global Market 1(3): 01-19.
[15]	Cropanzano, R & Mitchell, M. (2005). Social Exchange Theory: An Interdisciplinary Review. Journal of Management 31(6): 874-900.
[16]	Xerri, M. (2013). Are committed employees more likely to exhibit innovative behaviour: A social exchange perspective. A doctorate thesis. Lismore, NSW: Southern Cross University.
[17]	Leedy, P & Ormrod J. (2001). Practical research: Planning and design. 7th edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
[18]	Kothari, CR. (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. 2nd edition. New Delhi: New Age International.
[19]	Creswell, JW. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five traditions. 2nd edition. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage.
[20]	Yin, R. (2009). Case Study Research: Design and Methods. 4th edition. Sage Publications.
[21]	Braun, V & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology 3(2): 77-101.
[22]	Creswell, JW. (2014). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, & mixed methods approaches. 4th edition. Thousand oaks, Calif: Sage publications.
[23]	Lincoln, YS & Guba, EG. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
[24]	Salleh, MJ & Adulpakdee, A. (2012). Causes of conflict and effective methods to conflict management at Islamic secondary schools in Yala, Thailand. International Interdisciplinary Journal of Education 1(1): 15-22.
[25]	Femi, OT. (2014). Causes and effects of conflict in the Nigerian construction industry. International journal of technology enhancements and emerging engineering research 2(6): 7-16.
[26]	Ongori, H. (2009). Organisational Conflict and its Effects on Organisational Performance. Research Journal of Business Management 3: 16-24.
[27]	Hotepo, OM, Asokere, ASS, Abdul-Azeez, IA & Ajemunigbon, SSA. (2010). Empirical study of the effects of conflict on organisational performance in Nigeria. Business and economics journalBEJ-15. http://astonjournals.com/bej (Accessed 15 October 2015).
[28]	Yorid, AZ & Pakiza, HS. (2013). An Exploratory Study into the Causes of Conflict and the Effect of Conflict Management Style on Outcome in a Competitive Workplace. Journal of Managerial Sciences 7(2): 299-315.
[29]	Bankovskaya, V. (2012). Development of conflict management strategies to increase the organisational effectiveness in Nordic companies. Master’s dissertation. Iceland: Reykjavik University.
[30]	Hotepo, OM, Asokere, ASS, Abdul-Azeez, IA & Ajemunigbon, SSA. (2010). Empirical study of the effects of conflict on organisational performance in Nigeria. Business and economics journalBEJ-15. http://astonjournals.com/bej (Accessed 15 October 2015).
[31]	Barmao, C. (2012). Causes and effects of conflict on teacher morale in public primary schools in Eldoret municipality, Kenya. Journal of education and human development 1(1): 22-29.
[32]	Omisore, BO & Abiodun, AR. (2014). Organisational Conflicts: Causes, Effects and Remedies. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences 3(6): 118-137. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJAREMS/v3-i6/1351 (Accessed 18 October 2015).
[33]	Ramani, K & Zhimin, L. (2010). A survey on conflict resolution mechanisms in public secondary schools: A case study of Nairobi province Kenya. Educational research and reviews 5(5): 242-256. http://www.academiajournals.org/ERR2 (Accessed 18 October 2015).
[34]	Elmagri, MI. (2013). The causal factors of interpersonal conflict in the Libyan cement industry. Doctorate thesis. United Kingdom: University of Salford.
[35]	Dwomoh, G, Kwarteng K, Frempong E & Frempong RA. (2014). Assessing the effect of demographic factors on conflict situations in Ghana government hospitals. Research journal of business management 1(3): 305-317.
[36]	Hasani, K, Boroujerdi, SS, Sheikhesmaeli, S & Aeini, T. (2014). Identity of organisational conflict framework: Evaluating model factors based on demographic characteristics in Iran. Journal of industrial engineering and management 7(5): 1013-1036.
[37]	Ikeda, AA, Veludo-de-Oliveira, MT & Campomar, CM. (2005). Organisational conflicts perceived by marketing executives. Electronic journal of business ethics and organisation Studies 10(1): 22-28.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Omayo Moraa Faith, Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing. (2018). Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya. Science Research, 6(5), 54-60. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Omayo Moraa Faith; Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing. Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya. Sci. Res. 2018, 6(5), 54-60. doi: 10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Omayo Moraa Faith, Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing. Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya. Sci Res. 2018;6(5):54-60. doi: 10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11,
  author = {Omayo Moraa Faith and Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing},
  title = {Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya},
  journal = {Science Research},
  volume = {6},
  number = {5},
  pages = {54-60},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sr.20180605.11},
  abstract = {Conflict is an inevitable occurrence in any human interaction setting and organisations are no exception as they are involved in conflict management on a daily basis. Conflict is often viewed as being destructive, but when managed properly it can be constructive, especially in the workplace. Conflict hinders healthy working relations between peer co-workers and the general organisational performance can be affected as well. Peer co-worker conflict is common in organisations and therefore the aim of this article was to explore the causes of conflict among peer co-workers in a non-governmental organisation in Kenya. A qualitative research approach was adopted and semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data from fifteen employees of the same hierarchical level who were selected using purposive sampling. The data collected was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis model. The findings revealed that there were various causes of conflict among peer co-workers in the organisation, and the peer co-workers were aware thereof. It was evident that conflict frequency differed among the peer co-workers with the conflict occurrences being from daily to weekly and at times monthly intervals. The findings further revealed that these conflicts hinder healthy working relationships between the peer co-workers. Therefore, the study concluded that peer co-workers should be trained and equipped with skills to aid in conflict management between themselves.},
 year = {2018}
}

Copy | Download

TY - JOUR
T1 - Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya
AU - Omayo Moraa Faith
AU - Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing
Y1 - 2018/11/15
PY - 2018
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11
DO - 10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11
T2 - Science Research
JF - Science Research
JO - Science Research
SP - 54
EP - 60
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2329-0927
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11
AB - Conflict is an inevitable occurrence in any human interaction setting and organisations are no exception as they are involved in conflict management on a daily basis. Conflict is often viewed as being destructive, but when managed properly it can be constructive, especially in the workplace. Conflict hinders healthy working relations between peer co-workers and the general organisational performance can be affected as well. Peer co-worker conflict is common in organisations and therefore the aim of this article was to explore the causes of conflict among peer co-workers in a non-governmental organisation in Kenya. A qualitative research approach was adopted and semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data from fifteen employees of the same hierarchical level who were selected using purposive sampling. The data collected was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis model. The findings revealed that there were various causes of conflict among peer co-workers in the organisation, and the peer co-workers were aware thereof. It was evident that conflict frequency differed among the peer co-workers with the conflict occurrences being from daily to weekly and at times monthly intervals. The findings further revealed that these conflicts hinder healthy working relationships between the peer co-workers. Therefore, the study concluded that peer co-workers should be trained and equipped with skills to aid in conflict management between themselves.
VL - 6
IS - 5
ER -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Omayo Moraa Faith

Department of Communication Science, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing

Department of Communication Science, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Omayo Moraa Faith, Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing. (2018). Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya. Science Research, 6(5), 54-60. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Omayo Moraa Faith; Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing. Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya. Sci. Res. 2018, 6(5), 54-60. doi: 10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Omayo Moraa Faith, Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing. Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya. Sci Res. 2018;6(5):54-60. doi: 10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11,
  author = {Omayo Moraa Faith and Mbatha Thuthuka Blessing},
  title = {Causes of Conflict Among Peer Co-Workers in a Non-Governmental Organisation in Kenya},
  journal = {Science Research},
  volume = {6},
  number = {5},
  pages = {54-60},
  doi = {10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sr.20180605.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sr.20180605.11},
  abstract = {Conflict is an inevitable occurrence in any human interaction setting and organisations are no exception as they are involved in conflict management on a daily basis. Conflict is often viewed as being destructive, but when managed properly it can be constructive, especially in the workplace. Conflict hinders healthy working relations between peer co-workers and the general organisational performance can be affected as well. Peer co-worker conflict is common in organisations and therefore the aim of this article was to explore the causes of conflict among peer co-workers in a non-governmental organisation in Kenya. A qualitative research approach was adopted and semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data from fifteen employees of the same hierarchical level who were selected using purposive sampling. The data collected was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis model. The findings revealed that there were various causes of conflict among peer co-workers in the organisation, and the peer co-workers were aware thereof. It was evident that conflict frequency differed among the peer co-workers with the conflict occurrences being from daily to weekly and at times monthly intervals. The findings further revealed that these conflicts hinder healthy working relationships between the peer co-workers. Therefore, the study concluded that peer co-workers should be trained and equipped with skills to aid in conflict management between themselves.},
 year = {2018}
}

Copy | Download