CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN HEIS: FOCUS ON UNIT HEADS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Conflict is inevitable in organizational life, particularly in higher education institutions (HEIs), where effective leadership is essential for maintaining productivity and harmony. This study investigates the conflict management styles employed by unit heads in HEIs in Negros Occidental, Philippines, during the academic year 2021-2022 to support the development of targeted intervention programs. A descriptive-comparative research design was applied, with 94 unit heads from three state universities participating. Conflict management styles were assessed using the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) and categorized as competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, and accommodating. The study explored the influence of demographic variables—age, sex, length of service, and educational qualifications—on using these styles. The findings reveal that the avoiding style was most preferred while competing, collaborating, and accommodating were moderately utilized, and compromising was the least favored. No significant differences were found across age, sex, or length of service. However, educational qualifications had a notable impact, with respondents holding master’s degrees showing significantly different preferences in the compromising style than those with bachelor’s or doctorate degrees. A Friedman one-way repeated measures analysis highlighted significant differences among the conflict management styles, with avoiding being rated significantly higher than competing. These results suggest that educational qualifications play a more substantial role in conflict management than other demographic factors, underscoring the need for tailored conflict management training based on educational backgrounds in HEIs.