Influences of personality on the adoption of conflict-handling styles and conflict outcomes for facility managers

Abstract

Although conflict can be both functional and dysfunctional, unresolved conflict results in dissatisfaction and stress, thus reducing efficiency and productivity. However, personality affects the ability to handle conflict. The relationships of personal traits (extraversion and agreeableness), conflict-handling styles, and functional/dysfunctional conflicts are examined from a sample of facility managers in Hong Kong by using Rahim’s conflict style model and the Big Five personality traits of extraversion and agreeableness. In this study, extraversion shows positive correlation with the integrating and compromising styles, which are conducive to functional conflict incidents. The integrating style is the most commonly adopted style among facility managers in Hong Kong. Dysfunctional conflict is associated with the three styles of obliging, dominating, and avoiding; in particular, the avoiding style is a significant predicting variable of dysfunctional conflict incidents. Although conflict is inevitable, it is suggested that personality is an important variable in selecting project team members, as the combined traits of high extraversion and low agreeableness encourage the integrating style, which is conducive to functional conflict outcome.