Strategies employed by education managers in managing and resolving conflicts in the Bulawayo Metropolitan province schools, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Conflict is an integral part of school management and its existence must not be shunned as it stimulates creative and innovative ways of thinking which enhance organisational growth and performance. The purpose of the study reported on here was to investigate how education managers executed Thomas and Kilmann’s model in managing and resolving conflicts in schools to avert chaos and anarchy with the ultimate intention of enhancing productivity. A constructivist, inductive grounded theory utilising a qualitative approach was employed. Qualitative data were generated using a semi-structured interview protocol from 4 information-rich education managers who were purposively selected. The inclusion criteria for the participants were age, experience, professional qualifications and the sample was determined by theoretical saturation. Data generated were thematically analysed. The study revealed that the conflict management and resolution model used by education managers in schools was contingent to their environment and perception. It also revealed that conflict was innovative and stimulated thought processes. As a result, schools must recruit education managers who are transformative, democratic and equipped with the appropriate strategies for managing and resolving conflict if teachers’ morale is to be boosted and productivity enhanced.