Gender behavior in managing conflict within the small firms context in Malaysia

This paper discusses on a research that was purported to investigate the relationships of five dimensions of conflict handling style: dominating (instrumentality traits); compromising, obliging, avoiding (expressiveness traits); and integrating (androgyny traits) with employers´ gender. Data (N= 57) for this study were collected on the basis of a questionnaire survey of various small firms/businesses in Malaysia. Individuals from upper and lower status organizational positions completed the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-II, to reflect two organizational conflicts that they had experienced and the Bem Sex Role Inventory to investigate their gender roles. After controlling for biological sex, masculine individuals were measured highest on instrumentality traits (dominating conflict style), whereas feminine individuals were highest on expressiveness traits (avoiding, obliging, and compromising styles), and androgynous traits (integrating style). Further, upper organizational status individuals were measured higher on integrating style, while lower status individuals demonstrated greater use of avoiding and obliging styles. In this paper the differences among gender and its relationships with conflict handling styles in small firms/businesses in Malaysia are noted. In addition, the organizational implications of those research findings are discussed.