Workplace Conflicts and Their Effect on the Organizational Performance: The Case of Ethiopia, Amahara Region, Amhara Mass Media Agency

Abstract

Maintaining good working environment without unresolved conflicts is important for the survival of a company in a competitive environment since it is inevitable. Nevertheless, most employees and management members looks unaware of its negative and positive impact at workplace. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of workplace conflicts on the performance of Amahara Mass Media agency, Amahara region, Ethiopia. The study employed both descriptive and explanatory research designs with quantitative approach, and questionnaires were collected from 236 samples size which were selected out of 577 Amahara Mass Media agency Head office core processes owners by using both simple random probability and stratified purposive non-probability, sampling techniques. Both descriptive and inferential multiple regressions analyses were performed to test the hypotheses based on the gathered data. Descriptive analysis finding revealed that the employees’ perception toward conflict inclined to dysfunctional view in addition to that communication problems, unfair treatment, and poor leadership were identified as the main causes, corresponds to; collaboration, accommodating, and compromising as the main strategy respectively. Besides, an inferential analysis shows that a positive and significant effect existed between task-conflict, process-conflict, intergroup conflict and performance, while relation conflict and intergroup conflict have negative and significant effect with the performance. The recommendation from the study was that the agency should give training to employees on conflict while the agency management should work to assure fairness, good leadership, and proper allocation of resources with having work guidelines.