REFLECTING ON GROUP DYNAMIC APPROACH TO MANAGEMENT OF CONFLICT IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

Abstract

Conflict can result into a crisis in an organization if there is no best approach to resolve conflict. Conflict may

arise when educational philosophies, treatment approaches or service delivery strategy is incompatible. This

often lead to prevalence conflict between communities, departments within institutions of higher learning and

student who are the main consumers of education product. Organization with structure that allows at least two

units to share functional boundaries are bound to experience conflict. Conflicts are almost inevitable in public

universities due to organizational structures for both staff and students who share functional boundaries

through exchange of knowledge. In Universities situations, conflicts occur between “functional Partners”

academic and administrative staff; academic staff of departments with faculty; administrative staff and the

workers’ unions and also between administrative and students performance. Understanding the consequences

of organizational conflict as well as its antecedent provides the organizational designer or manager with

additional insights necessary to achieve optimal performance. This paper discusses conflict episodes in relation

to antecedent and consequences; Identifies approaches used by the Vice chancellors in resolving conflict and

also its presents an approach that can be used by universities in Kenya in dealing with conflicts that involves

two intra – organization units. The paper presents a hypothetical treatment of an academic staff and registrars’

conflict as a test on whether group dynamic approach can work.