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Evaluation of the Conflict Resolution Questionnaire

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Thesis(558.24 KB)

Date

2003

Authors

Supervisor

Le Fevre, Mark
Matheny, Jonathan

Item type

Thesis

Degree name

Master of Business

Journal Title

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

Many questionnaires used in the measurement of conflict are expensive and difficult to obtain. In addition, instruments of this kind are usually associated with diagnosis rather than intervention and education. The present thesis evaluates the recently developed questionnaire that is easily accessible through the Internet, the Conflict Resolution Questionnaire (CRQ). The CRQ was developed as a measure of the conflict resolution ideas presented by Weeks (1994), and Fisher and Ury (1991). It has been used to measure a person's ability to create mutually beneficial resolutions to conflict for all participants. In addition, the CRQ items measure respondents' perceptions regarding how often they engage in certain conflict-related behaviours, and their level of awareness regarding conflict issues. The CRQ is also designed to promote understanding of conflict, and has been used as an educational tool. Participants were asked to fill in the CRQ alongside an established questionnaire, the Rahim Organisational Conflict Inventory, part two (ROCI-II) (Rahim, 1983a). The responses of 338 participants to the CRQ and ROCI-II were statistically analysed. Hypotheses were tested regarding the CRQ's reliability and validity. CRQ reliability was statistically appraised through exploration of internal consistency and split-half reliability scores. CRQ validity was examined by evaluating the CRQ in terms of content, construct and concurrent validity. Establishing content validity was a qualitative process. Corroborating construct validity essentially relied on factor analysis procedures. Decisions regarding CRQ's concurrent validity were based upon correlation measures between the CRQ and the ROCI-II, which was used as an established standard measure of conflict. The results confirmed that two of the McClellan's (1997c) factors were reliable and that the CRQ had content validity. There was marginal support of construct validity, whereby from the factor rotation it was shown that two of the CRQ factors were matched by their derived counterparts. In addition, the results showed modest support for concurrent validity based on the comparisons of three CRQ factors against two factors from a well-established questionnaire. These findings also lend support for the methods of conflict resolution presented in the works of Weeks (1994) and Fisher and Ury (1991).A modified version of the CRQ is presented, the 'CRQ-II'. A posthoc analysis suggests that the CRQ-II can satisfy psychometric requirements, although further research is recommended to confirm the CRQ-II. Practice implications regarding the development of the CRQ-II are discussed, and future research considerations are explored.

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Keywords

Conflict management, Business

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https://hdl.handle.net/10292/49

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Masters Theses