Determinants Of Conflict Management In Organizations With Matrix Organization Structure

Abstract

In matrix organizations, conflicts between the functional manager and the project manager in terms of time lines and human resource is inevitable. This is due to the fact that they both have different duties. The functional manager deals with how to do the job while the project manager deals with whom to do the job. In such organization, team work by all parties (team members and both managers) is mandatory for the success of the project and usual functional operation. Furthermore conflict among workers occurs and need to be addressed. The research project was undertaken to investigate the determinants of project conflict management in Kenya, a case of commercial banks in Machakos Town with matrix organization structure. The study was anchored on the following objectives: Establishing how the leadership style influences project conflict management in commercial banks; Determining the extent to which individual attitudes influences project conflict management in commercial banks; and assessing how employee relations influence project conflict management in commercial banks. The study employed use of descriptive research design, with Machakos town commercial bank employees from various branch outlets providing the required target population. Data collection was done qualitatively through semi structured questionnaires that were administered by the respondents. The study found out that the manager organizes a meeting of all interested parties providing them with an opportunity to work out and makes what he himself feels is the appropriate decision and emphasizes that the workers have no choice but to comply, that there is a difference when resolving conflicts with a colleague having a negative attitude, that the most common organizational structure used in their organization was functional structure and that management - employee relationship in their organization has been good. The study concluded that organizational conflict structure had the greatest effect on the project conflict management, followed by individual attitudes, and then relationship between the management and the employees while leadership style had the least effect to the project conflict management in Kenya. The study recommends that the management should always organize a meeting of all interested parties providing them with an opportunity to work out their differences, that the management of the commercial banks in Kenya should take bold step on trainings on conflict management to have the knowledge of managing conflict and that the commercial banks should embrace the fact that workers come from different backgrounds, faith and different cultures.