Gender of Boss, Giving and Receiving Positive Strokes and Conflict Management Styles: A Study of Associates Working In Indian Organizations

Dr. Deepti Prakash, Dr. Shilpa Jain

Gender of Boss, Competing, Collaborating, Accommodating, Avoiding, Compromising, Verbal strokes, Touch Strokes, Giving Strokes, Receiving Strokes.

Positive stroking (recognition, compliments, and touch) is an identified driver of workplace motivation and healthy interpersonal relationships, but does this holds true in a cross gender scenario. Will a female employee like touch stroke by male boss or vice-versa? If no or yes; does this holds true for all females or males in general or they can still be differentiated? The present study was conducted with this premise. A sample of 160 associates working in various Indian organizations were taken. They were mapped on their conflict management styles and giving and receiving positive strokes with boss. The study revealed some very interesting results. Firstly overall, The Competing males and females enjoy to be bragged by boss of opposite gender. Collaborating and Competing males prefer positive touch stroke from boss irrespective of gender, while in case of females they do not prefer touch stroke from boss of even same gender. Both males and females irrespective of any conflict management style do not prefer to give strokes when they have boss of same gender, however Competing females prefer giving ‘Feel Good’ stroke to the boss of opposite gender while Competing males do not want to give ‘Feel Good’ stroke to female boss. Many such interesting results are found and discussed in details in the present study which gives insight in to boss-subordinate relationships in case of same gender and cross gender with respect to preferred conflict management styles of subordinates.

https://doi.org/10.31871/IJNTR.6.1.36