Conflict management in the indigenous community of Batad in the Philippines: A system dynamic perspective

Abstract

Conflict management has been widely examined, with research focusing on different conflict management styles, strategies, and factors that influence effective conflict resolution. However, despite the significant research attention dedicated to this field, the search for new insights and discoveries continues to discover how best to resolve and manage conflicts. The present study contributes to the literature by applying a system dynamic perspective to gain understanding of conflict management and constructs a theorized leadership model based on the experiences of leaders in an indigenous community in the Philippines. We utilize a phenomenological approach to involve multiple indigenous leaders and obtain their experiences of the conflict management process and system dynamics in their indigenous communities. Our results achieve the following: (a) demonstrating the complex nature of conflict management, validating the utility of the system dynamic perspective; (b) demonstrating that conflict management occurs on and involves multiple levels; and (c) revealing the importance of the humility and unbiasedness of leaders in the conflict management process. These findings provide novel insights into alternative mechanisms for effective management of conflicts in modern workplaces and organizations.