Insights into life skills : a targeted evaluation of constructive conflict strategies in the workplace

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dc.contributor.advisorSoudien, Crainen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorFreitas, Dixieen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-10-25T17:10:12Z
dc.date.available2015-10-25T17:10:12Z
dc.date.issued2010en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 89-95).en_ZA
dc.description.abstractHow individuals respond to and handle conflict in the workplace is one of the growing areas of interest and concern among scholars and professionals working in a wide range of disciplines. However, prior work situated as an effort to understand how training people on conflict theory can manifest behavioral change in the workplace is rare. Few published works exist on identifying the behaviors associated with developing constructive conflict handling skills in the workplace. South African institutions need a solution to the widespread challenge of developing their employees' conflict handling skills. In South Africa, these are considered 'life skills.' To address the gap in theoretically supported business education curricula, this evaluation study seeks to explore the link between the constructs of self-awareness and cooperative conflict. The primary aim of this study is to gain a sense of learner's current level of self-reported conflict handling skills and then measure whether the Insights into Lifeskills Project curriculum facilitates the transition to more complex levels. These measures are taken through the use of a primary survey instrument. Additionally, through a process of balancing the program curriculum with the South African National Qualifications Framework, this study explores and measures how participants make vital connections between theory and practice. Post results of a six-week utilization-focused intervention construct an argument that individuals oriented to these constructs are better able to regulate conflict in the workplace through exercising self-awareness and cooperative conflict skills. As a result of explicit instruction in self-awareness skills and conflict response styles, during the period of February 2009 to April 2009, findings report that the Volunteer Participants of the workplace targeted intervention showed pronounced gains in their ability to handle conflict constructively. The twenty-seven Volunteer Participants of the targeted teams were identified for their experience in high levels of interpersonal workplace conflict. The participant-managers of these teams all shared a desire to develop their team's conflict handling skills. The study's Volunteer Participants are professionals of both functional and management designations in a large-scale South African retail organization.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationFreitas, D. (2010). <i>Insights into life skills : a targeted evaluation of constructive conflict strategies in the workplace</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14347en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationFreitas, Dixie. <i>"Insights into life skills : a targeted evaluation of constructive conflict strategies in the workplace."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14347en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationFreitas, D. 2010. Insights into life skills : a targeted evaluation of constructive conflict strategies in the workplace. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Freitas, Dixie AB - How individuals respond to and handle conflict in the workplace is one of the growing areas of interest and concern among scholars and professionals working in a wide range of disciplines. However, prior work situated as an effort to understand how training people on conflict theory can manifest behavioral change in the workplace is rare. Few published works exist on identifying the behaviors associated with developing constructive conflict handling skills in the workplace. South African institutions need a solution to the widespread challenge of developing their employees' conflict handling skills. In South Africa, these are considered 'life skills.' To address the gap in theoretically supported business education curricula, this evaluation study seeks to explore the link between the constructs of self-awareness and cooperative conflict. The primary aim of this study is to gain a sense of learner's current level of self-reported conflict handling skills and then measure whether the Insights into Lifeskills Project curriculum facilitates the transition to more complex levels. These measures are taken through the use of a primary survey instrument. Additionally, through a process of balancing the program curriculum with the South African National Qualifications Framework, this study explores and measures how participants make vital connections between theory and practice. Post results of a six-week utilization-focused intervention construct an argument that individuals oriented to these constructs are better able to regulate conflict in the workplace through exercising self-awareness and cooperative conflict skills. As a result of explicit instruction in self-awareness skills and conflict response styles, during the period of February 2009 to April 2009, findings report that the Volunteer Participants of the workplace targeted intervention showed pronounced gains in their ability to handle conflict constructively. The twenty-seven Volunteer Participants of the targeted teams were identified for their experience in high levels of interpersonal workplace conflict. The participant-managers of these teams all shared a desire to develop their team's conflict handling skills. The study's Volunteer Participants are professionals of both functional and management designations in a large-scale South African retail organization. DA - 2010 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2010 T1 - Insights into life skills : a targeted evaluation of constructive conflict strategies in the workplace TI - Insights into life skills : a targeted evaluation of constructive conflict strategies in the workplace UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14347 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/14347
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationFreitas D. Insights into life skills : a targeted evaluation of constructive conflict strategies in the workplace. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education, 2010 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/14347en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Educationen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherOrganisational Psychologyen_ZA
dc.subject.otherConflict handling skillsen_ZA
dc.subject.otheren_ZA
dc.titleInsights into life skills : a targeted evaluation of constructive conflict strategies in the workplaceen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMEden_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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