CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND SECONDARY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS’ EFFECTIVENESS IN ALIMOSHO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, LAGOS

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CHAPTER ONE

 INTRODUCTION

 Background to the Study

Conflicts have become part and parcel of human organizations world over. This indeed is a paradox because of the amount of energy and resources expended by organizations to prevent and resolve conflicts. Flippo (2000) remarked that, “a total absence of conflict would be unbelievable, boring, and a strong indication that conflicts are being suppressed”.

Albert (2001) averred that there are productive and destructive conflicts. According to Albert (2001), “a conflict is said to be positive when it is constructively discussed by the parties and amicable terms for settlement reached”.

Constructively managed conflict induces a positive performance while poorly managed conflict heats up the environment to bring about dislocation of the entire group and polarization, reduced productivity on job performance, psychological and physical injury, emotional distress and inability to sleep, interference with problem activities, escalation of differences into antagonistic position and malice and increased hostility (Akanji, 2005).

Through conflict management a cooperative atmosphere is created for promoting opportunities and movement directed towards non-violent, reconciliation or basic clashing interest. However, no matter how one looks at conflict, it is important to realize that conflict is one of the best ways in the world to turn the tide and improve unsatisfactory conditions. As a matter of fact, sometimes there may be no real dispute to be managed, but there may be need for greater understanding, cooperation and team work to promote interpersonal harmony and good organizational climate for teaching and learning. Therefore, conflict should not always be seen as something undesirable but rather as a necessary outcome that can bring positive consequences if properly managed (Fabunimi and Alimba, 2010).

The inevitability of conflict was also established by Harold (1998) that conflict is part of change and therefore inevitable, It is therefore; not an aberration to expect conflicts in the administration of secondary schools in Lagos State, The nature and types of conflicts that occur in secondary school administration vary from one school to another. The common types of conflicts usually occur between the students on one hand and the school authority on the other. Other forms of conflict include interpersonal conflicts among staff and as well as the students. Higher levels of conflicts include those that involve the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and the State Government.

This study was particularly relevant at a time when Lagos State workers (teachers inclusive) had to embark on a prolonged strike over the non implementation of the Harmonized Salary Structure (HSS) announced by the Federal Government, The partial implementation of HSS for workers-in the state after a long delay did not help matters. All of these became potential sources of industrial conflicts not only in the educational sector, but also in the entire civil service in the state.

The inability of the state government to effect payment of salaries promptly and the subsequent forceful retirement of teachers and other civil servants further aggravated the problem. Some have attributed the problems of conflicts in secondary schools to poor salaries and facilities.

In every human society, normal individual persons and groups engage themselves in different work activities in order to make ends meet. It is a common knowledge that the more people attain their desired goals and objectives by performing a particular job or another, the more their interest would be aroused, and the more input they will make to promote their individual standards and most importantly, to the growth and sustenance of the organizations where they work. Thus, in order to win the interest and support of workers, good organizational managers or leaders usually employ one kind of motivational approach or another.

The situation in the teaching profession generally experiences very poor payment in terms of remuneration, coupled with large classes of students to handle and family problems or responsibility. Thus, teachers often provide themselves especially at the public secondary and primary schools, another means of sustenance at the expense of teaching students and pupils under their care.

The need for making workers feel belonged in organizations like the schools in terms of good salaries and better welfare packages is crucial because, workers are the strength and support for the existence of every organization even though the management directs and monitors the activities of the employees and affairs of the business. Many organizations do not seem to have realized that it is cheaper and safer to motivate workers than treat rather to contempt and disdain. The more satisfied a worker is, the more devoted the workers would be to the organization and may not bother looking elsewhere for better jobs. Such consistency certainly, would promote the productivity of the workers and boost the revenue and profit of the school and other organizations or establishments (Torrington and Taylor, 2005).

Motivating workers would help schools and other industrial outfits compete favorably with; their other competitors in the business. Perhaps, the school management ought to be properly guided on the relevance of attaching much importance to the well being of their employees. This would help in not only, increasing the work performance of individual teachers and good academic productivity, but also in achieving good relationship between the school management and teachers.

Statement of the Problem

The economic downturn in Nigeria in the last two decades has led to poor salaries and wages for workers and introduction of minimum wage. The attendant disparity in incomes and inflation has produced great dissatisfaction and agitations among Nigerian workers, which has often resulted in industrial disputes and conflicts in almost every work place. This has become a major concern for school administrators in both public and private sectors. However, such conflicts are more pronounced in state owned secondary schools than in federal schools because of the disparity in salaries and remunerations that exist between the iv/o. Specifically, secondary school workers in Lagos State have had cause to protest against poor pay, and unsatisfactory conditions of service. Most often, the conflicts were suppressed with the neglect of other methods of conflict resolution.

Consequently, this has dampened the morale of teachers and other workers in the educational sector in the state. This in effect has affected their performances. To accumulate a series of conflicts without devising appropriate means of managing them, is like sitting on a keg of gun powder which could explode at any time. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF, 1995) lent credence to this point: “conflicts when not dealt with constructively often explode into violence”.

The attitudes of school administrators in Lagos State have not helped much as some of the conflicts centered on their personality, administrative and leadership style. Just as the principals were involved so also were the other members of staff. The significance of this study is predicated on the need for a peaceful atmosphere conducive for learning and academic exercises. It is against this backdrop that the study attempt to investigate an assessment of organizational conflict management strategies employed by secondary school principals in Lagos metropolis.

 Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of study was to assess the conflict management strategies and secondary school administrators’ effectiveness in Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos. Other purposes of this study were as follows:

1. To ascertain whether conflict resolution management could influence administrators’ attitude to work in secondary school in Lagos state.
2. To determine whether conflict resolution management could influence administrators’ morale to work in secondary school in Lagos state.
3. To determine if there is any relationship between conflict resolution management and administrator effectiveness in terms of management of school finance.
4. To determine if there is any relationship between conflict management and administrators effectiveness in terms of maintenance of discipline.

Research Questions

The following research questions were raised in the study as follows:

1. Is there any relationship between conflict management and administrators’ attitude to work in secondary schools in Lagos State?
2. Is there any relationship between conflict management and administrators’ morale to work in secondary school in Lagos state?
3. Is there any relationship between conflict resolution management and administrators’ effectiveness in terms of management of school finance?
4. Is there any relationship between conflict management and administrators effectiveness in terms of maintenance of discipline?

Research Hypotheses

The following research hypotheses were formulated and tested as follows:

H_o1:      There is no significant relationship between Conflict management and administrators’ attitude to work in secondary school in Lagos state.

H_o2:        There is no significant relationship between Conflict management and administrators’ morale to work in secondary school in Lagos state.

H_o3:      There is no significant relationship between conflict resolution management and administrators effectiveness in terms of management of school finance.

H_o4:      There is no significant relationship between conflict management and administrators effectiveness in terms of maintenance of discipline.

Significance of the Study

This study would be of much benefit to the entire school administrators of secondary schools and other educational institutions and industries in Nigeria with regard to developing positive attitude towards the motivation of teachers and workers. Also, the teachers will benefit from the awareness on the relevance of motivation to teachers productivity, which this study will create among schools and school administrators.

Schools and institution output would also increase since teachers and workers are expected to put in their best, after being motivated, thus promote the profit margin of the organizations and academic excellence in schools.

Furthermore, the whole society will enjoy relative peace as teachers, other workers and employers clash would have been curtailed as a result of the good treatment the former would received from the latter.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study covered the members of the teaching staff of secondary schools in Alimosho local government area of Lagos and focus mainly on five selected schools from the area. This was because the researcher did not have sufficient time and money to conduct a state wide study on all the secondary schools in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Operational Definition of Terms

1. Conflict: This refers to war, revolution or other struggles, which may involve the use of force as in term of armed
2. Secondary School: Secondary School education is the education children received after primary education and before the tertiary stage.
3. Conflict management: Conflict management is the process of limiting the negative aspects of conflict while increasing the positive aspects of conflict.
4. Administrator: Administrator is a person responsible for the performance or management of administrative business operations.
5. Education: It is the aggregate of all the processes by means which a person develops abilities, skills, and other factors of behaviour of positive (and sometimes of negative) value in the society which he lives.
6. Training: Differs from education. While the skills, knowledge and attitude acquired in training are directed to improve performance in a specific vocation, that of education is a broad knowledge, skills and attitude not directed to any particular job.

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