The relationship between supervisors' emotional intelligence and their subordinates' styles of conflict management in SMEs

This study aims to explore the relationship between managers' emotional intelligence and their subordinates' conflict resolution style in SMEs. A group of 42 managers among 230 employees from 8 small and mid-size enterprises in Iran completed the survey questionnaire. The questionnaire measured employees' conflict resolution style using OCCI scale and mangers' emotional intelligence using ESCI and TMMS scales. Exploratory factor analysis, analysis of variance, and multivariate regressions were used to analyze the data at individual and group level. Findings show that though hypothesized, employees' problem solving and aggression styles at group level and their nonconfrontation and convenience styles at individual level had no significant relationship with managers' emotional intelligence dimensions. Based on findings of this research, managers' emotional intelligence plays no significant role in conflict management style of their subordinates. Though not hypothesized we found a significant relationship between convenience style and tenure. Therefore, other factors like personal characteristics, conflict situation, and other characteristics of managers should be addressed in future research.