Organizational Conflict and Employee Job Performance: A Case Study of Akwa Ibom State University

This study investigated organizational conflict and Employee job performance in Akwa Ibom State University. Survey research design was adopted for the study. Participants comprised 226 employees selected through the use of random sampling technique. Data were generated through the use of validated structured questionnaire. Descriptive and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Statistics were employed to analyze data collected from the respondents. The results of the empirical tests showed a significantly positive relationship between Causes of organizational conflict (goal differences, common resources, task interdependence and specialization) and employee job performance. Also, the result of the Pearson product Moment Correlation indicated that specialization displayed the highest significant positive correlation with organizational harmony. In addition, the study findings revealed that conflicts arose over multiple factors of organizational experiences based on economic and goal incompatibility orientations in the workplace. Union-management conflict was discovered as the most prevalent type of industrial conflict in the organization. The study concluded that conflict was an unavoidable phenomenon in organizational life and it could contribute to or detract from organizational performance depending on the conflict management methods adopted in the workplace. Moreso, the study recommend that management of Akwa Ibom State University should ensure a credible channels of communication and open discussion of conflict in work relation, must be encouraged with an attempt to avoid confrontation, competition and domination as conflict management strategies.