The ROCI-II, as one of the more recently developed instruments, is distinguished by its emphasis on individual predispositions, its belief in maintaining a balance in the amount of conflict in the organization, and its concern for effectiveness in managing conflicts. The scale treats communication implicitly as a set of strategies used to achieve interpersonal goals and as a way of equalizing the amount of conflict in the system. This article commends the internal reliabilities of the scale but questions the factor structure of the items. It calls for research on the predictive validity of the instrument and on the way to determine the appropriateness of a style in a particular situation.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Blake, R. R. , & Mouton, J. S. (1964). The managerial grid. Houston, TX: Gulf.
2.
Blake, R. R. , & Mouton, J. S. (1970). The fifth achievement. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 6, 413-436.
3.
Carmines, E. G. , & Zeller, R. A. (1979). Reliability and validity assessment. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
4.
Crowne, D. P. , & Marlowe, D. (1960). A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 14, 349-354.
5.
Eschelman, D. (1982). The relationship between innovation and the styles of handling interpersonal conflict. Unpublished master's thesis, Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH.
6.
Folger, J. P. , & Poole, M. S. (1984). Working through conflict. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.
7.
Hart, R. P. , Carlson, R. E., & Eadie, W. F. (1980). Attitudes toward communication and the assessment of rhetorical sensitivity. Communication Monographs, 47, 1-22.
8.
Hodges, J. E. (1987). Tolerance for conflict and communication competence as predictors of conflict styles in organizational members. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Georgia, Athens.
9.
Mitchell, J. V., Jr. (Ed.) (1985). The ninth mental measurements yearbook. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.
10.
Nunnally, J. M. (1978). Psychometric Theory (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
11.
Patrick, S. (1987). Equity sensitivity and its relationship to reactions to inequity and to conflict management styles. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia, Athens.
12.
Psenicka, C. , & Rahim, M. A. (in press). Integrative and distributive dimensions of styles of handling interpersonal conflict and bargaining outcome. In M. A. Rahim (Ed.), Managing conflict: An interdisciplinary approach. New York: Praeger.
13.
Putnam, L. L. , & Poole, M. S. (1987). Conflict and negotiation. In F. M. Jablin, L. L. Putnam, K. H. Roberts, & L. W. Porter (Eds.), Handbook of organizational communication (pp. 549-599). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
14.
Rahim, M. A. (1983a). Rahim organization conflict inventories: Professional manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
15.
Rahim, M. A. (1983b). A measure of styles of handling interpersonal conflict. Academy of Management Journal, 26, 368-376.
16.
Rahim, M. A. (1985). A strategy for managing conflict in complex organizations. Human Relations, 38, 81-89.
17.
Rahim, M. A. (1986a). Managing conflict in organizations. New York: Praeger.
18.
Rahim, M. A. (1986b). Referent role and styles of handling interpersonal conflict. Journal of Social Psychology, 126, 79-86.
19.
Rahim, M. A. , & Bonoma, T. V. (1979). Managing organizational conflict: A model for diagnosis and intervention. Psychological Reports, 44, 1323-1344.
20.
Rahim, M. A. , & Buntzman, G. F. (1987, August). Relationships of leader power to styles of handling conflict with subordinates, compliance, and satisfaction. Paper presented at the Academy of Management Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana.
21.
Richardson, D. R. , & Hammock, G. S. (1987, June). Interpersonal conflict management in close relationships: Motivation versus skills. Paper presented at the First International Conference of the Conflict Management Group, Fairfax, Virginia.
22.
Thomas, K. (1976). Conflict and conflict management. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 889-935). Chicago: Rand McNally.
23.
Weider-Hatfield, D. , & Hatfield, J. D. (1987, June). Relationships among conflict management styles, levels of conflict, and reactions to work. Paper presented at the First International Conference of the Conflict Management Group, Fairfax, Virginia.
24.
Young, C. M. (1985). The relationship between rhetorical sensitivity and conflict management style. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Georgia, Athens.
