Managerial Level Differences on Conflict Handling Styles of Managers in Thai Listed Firms

This study aimed to compare the differences of managerial levels on preference for conflict handling styles of managers in Thai listed firms. Data were collected from 76 managers who worked at the companies listed in Stock Exchange of Thailand 100 by using modified version of conflict handling styles questionnaire as the instrument. The results of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated the significant differences among managerial level groups on a linear combination of the five conflict handling styles (Wilk’s ? = .72, F(10, 138) = 2.50, p <.05, multivariate ?2 = .15). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed the significant difference in competing style. Using Turkey HSD test for pairwise comparison revealed statistically significant differences between first-line managers and top managers indicating that first line managers reported significantly lower preference for competing style than top managers. Limitations and recommendations for further studies were also discussed.