Employees’ conflict management in the hospitality industry: an empirical study on the importance of sociodemographic variables

Abstract

This research focuses on the analysis of conflict management styles from a constructive perspective. Its main objective is to identify and reflect on the styles of conflict management in the hospitality industry in Portugal. The specific objective is to analyze the relationship between conflict management styles and sociodemographic variables among employees in Portuguese hotel units. The sample consists of 798 employees, mainly male, between 30 and 34 years old, with secondary school education, who are mostly operating staff or undifferentiated employees, and with middle levels of seniority in the organization. The results suggest that employees use different strategies to manage organizational conflicts, with an emphasis on compromising and integrating styles. At the same time, conflict management styles are differently determined by certain sociodemographic variables of the employees. This research helps in the design and implementation of constructive conflict management strategies for managers, which contribute to the formulation of management systems focused on behaviors and attitudes of professionals in the context of the hotel sector.