Hierarchical Status and Conflict Styles in the Taiwanese Workforce and Their Relationships to Chinese and Universal Values

[[abstract]]Hierarchy plays an important role in Taiwanese organizations. Therefore, this study investigated the conflict style preferences of superiors, peers and subordinates in their most common, hierarchical relationships. Additionally, to understand the specific cultural influences on conflict handling in Taiwanese organizations better, the relationships of universal and Chinese values with conflict styles were investigated in order to see which values can predict conflict styles. Taiwanese individuals who work full time in Taiwan (N =410) were separated by an item into three groups (superiors, N = 81; peers, N = 194; subordinates, N = 135), and took an online survey about conflict style, universal and Chinese value preferences. It was found that superiors do not prefer dominating conflict style significantly more than avoiding [t = - 1.811, p = .074] or obliging [t = 2.447, p = .017] when handling conflict with their subordinates. For the groups of peers a significant preference for compromising over dominating [t = -19.922, p = .000], avoiding [t = -12.024, p = .000], and obliging [t = -11.052, p =.000], when handling conflicts with their peers was shown. As expected, subordinates showed a significant preference for avoiding [t = .14.403, p = .000] and obliging [t = .27.971, p = .000] over dominating conflict styles when handling conflicts with their superiors. Via using multiple regression, it was found that universal and especially Chinese values such as harmony with others, having few desires, protecting your face, ordering relationships by status and observing this order, self-cultivation or filial piety can predict how conflicts are handled within Taiwanese organizations. Further research should focus more on variables specific for Chinese cultures