ASIA PACIFIC JOURNAL OF ADVANCED EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY
Leadership and Conflict Management Styles of Middle and New Level Managers of Selected Private HEIs: A Strategic Human Resource Management Program
Angelita Amor C. Baustista
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8450-4369
gel_bautista@yahoo.com
University of Perpetual Help System DALTA
Las Piñas City, Manila, Philippines
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54476/apjaet/74597
Abstract
This study examined the leadership behaviors and conflict management styles of middle and newly appointed managers in selected private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the National Capital Region (NCR). Using a descriptive–correlational design, data were gathered from 100 purposively selected respondents through validated questionnaires measuring transformational leadership dimensions—idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration—and conflict management styles, namely competing, accommodating, avoiding, collaborating, and compromising. Results revealed that managers demonstrated high levels of transformational leadership across all four dimensions, with idealized influence rated highest. In terms of conflict management, accommodating, competing, avoiding, and collaborating styles were frequently applied, while compromising emerged as the least used strategy. Correlation analysis showed that inspirational motivation was negatively associated with conflict management styles, while individualized consideration demonstrated a positive and significant relationship, leading to partial rejection of the null hypotheses. These findings highlight the importance of relational aspects of leadership in shaping constructive conflict management practices within academic institutions. The study recommends integrating leadership development and conflict resolution training into Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) programs to enhance institutional performance. Future researchers are encouraged to expand the scope to public HEIs, utilize mixed-method designs, and apply advanced statistical models for deeper analysis.
Keywords: Transformational leadership, conflict management styles, higher education institutions, middle managers, strategic human resource management