A comparative study of conflict management styles for an intergenerational workforce: A law enforcement perspective.

摘要

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine the preferred conflict management styles as perceived by veteran, baby boomer, Generation X, and millennial generational law enforcement personnel. An additional objective was to determine if significant differences existed based on gender, years of experience, and educational level.;Methodology. This was a descriptive quantitative study, utilizing ex post facto research. The study was based on the 5-factor Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory II (ROCI-II). The ROCI instrument, Form C, with 28 questions specifically designed to assess organizational conflict with peers, was administered to participants. An additional 7 questions were included to ascertain the demographic information. The surveys were sent electronically to participating law enforcement agencies. Based on the research questions, combinations of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) test (utilizing the least significant difference [LSD] post-hoc test) and the Independent-Samples t-Test were used to analyze the data.;Findings. The analysis of the data revealed that all generational cohorts ranked the conflict management styles in the following order: integrating, compromising, obliging, dominating, and avoiding. Baby boomer, Generation X, and millennial generational cohorts were analyzed; each reported significant differences in conflict management styles. Veterans were not analyzed due to limited participants. The other variables analyzed were gender, years of experience, and educational levels, which reported significant differences as well.;Conclusions. The study supported the argument that generational law enforcement personnel prefer different conflict management styles. In addition, the other variables, such as level of education, gender, and years of experience, reported differences in conflict management preferences. Therefore, generational cohorts should be a factor to consider when addressing conflict in the workforce, particularly in law enforcement organizations.;Recommendations. It is recommended that the quantitative study be replicated using a larger population and law enforcement agencies throughout the state of California or nationwide. Further research should be conducted using qualitative or mixed-methods research to introduce personal knowledge of law enforcement personnel, as it relates to generational studies. Future research should include other ranks and classifications, civilians, and ranks above lieutenant. The findings would provide additional data to understand generational workplace research and conflict management studies.