Conflict Resolution/Management and the Contemporary Manager's View in Nigerian Work Place; A Case Study of Selected Public Enterprises in Cross River State

This study seeks to ascertain how contemporary Nigerian managers in the public sector of the economy perceive conflict resolution and its management in the organizations. The study is a survey research and the main instruments of data collection are the questionnaire and documentary analysis. Frequency counts/simple percentages as well as the chi-square statistical techniques were used for data analysis. The study found that the traditional view, which sees conflict in a negative light, is still predominant. Both inter-personal and inter-group conflicts were indicated as the most common sources of conflicts in the organizations selected for the study. Also, it was found that the contingency approach is the most preferred strategy for resolving conflicts in the organizations and that the conflict stimulation techniques has low acceptance among the respondents. Following these findings, it was recommended that: there should be a shift in focus from conflict resolution to conflict management, the interractionist view of conflict should be canvassed, the popularity of the contingency approach to resolving conflicts should be further fostered, the use of the conflicts stimulation techniques should be encouraged, but with caution and the human relation skills of Nigerian public sector managers should be improved