CREATIVE CONFLICT MANAGEMENT APPROACHES: PREDICTORS OF
SUSTAINABLE ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
IN CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA
Samuel Ibanne Andor & Aniah Solomon Agwanyang
Department of Educational Management,
Faculty of Education,
University of Ibadan, Ibadan
Edeh Stephen Olenye
Department of Educational Foundation Studies,
University of Calabar

Abstract
Conflict is an inevitable aspect of human interaction, and Nigerian Colleges of Education are no exception. Internal and external crises between staff and management have continued to challenge the system’s stability and productivity. This study therefore examined creative conflict management approaches as predictors of sustainable organisational culture in
Colleges of Education in Cross River State. A descriptive survey design of correlational type was adopted, and a convenience sample of 428 respondents comprising administrators, academic and non-academic staff, and education policy makers was selected. A self developed and validated instrument, Creative Conflict Management Strategies (CCMS), with reliability coefficients ranging from 0.83 to 0.88, was administered. Three research questions guided the study, and one hypothesis was tested at the 0.05 level of significance. Data were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that organisational culture in the Colleges of Education is sustainable despite frequent conflicts, particularly between non-teaching staff and administrators (over 90 percent), and between non-teaching staff and government. Major causes of conflict included non-payment of salaries and bonuses, imposition of decisions, inadequate facilities, management’s failure to honour agreements, and allegations of
corruption. The consequences included disruption of academic calendars and delayed promotion arrears. Results further indicated that avoidance and forced methods were the most commonly used conflict management styles. However, rulemaking (r = 0.514), integrated conflict management (r = 0.855), and conflict transformation (r = 0.775) significantly
predicted sustainable organisational culture, jointly accounting for 80.6% (Adj. R² = 0.806) of the variance. The study concluded that integrated conflict management, conflict transformation, and rulemaking are effective creative approaches for sustaining academic, teaching, and research culture. It recommended that college administrators adopt these strategies to enhance productivity and institutional harmony.
Key words: Conflict DOWNLOAD FULL PDF