A Preliminary Study into
Intercultural Conflict Management and
Student Employee Success
Sarah J. MacKay
Weber State University
Especially when working in the field of higher education, the success of students is a common and important topic. The successful matriculation and graduation of a student is vital to the continuation of the system of higher education, as well as the overall economy, as are students who are willing to work while in school, commonly filling an employment gap (Roach, 1989). Many services for students wouldn’t exist without students being willing to fill the various job roles that are needed. From previous research, we know that student employees are gaining important skills while working (Sollitto, Martin, Dusic, Gibbons, & Wagenhouser, 2016), however, it is important to understand if their experiences within their student positions can impact their success as a student, thus impacting the success of the university as a whole.
Is there a particular type of communication and conflict management that better promotes student success? If so, is it the same regardless of culture or does intercultural communication need to be considered? This question deals with communication by looking at the different methods one can use to communicate to determine the outcomes and impacts of the various options while hoping to determine the best way to communicate in order to foster an environment of student success and create high impact learning opportunities for student employees.
To explore this problem, it is important to first understand conflict management and what can make it successful or unsuccessful. Additionally, we must look at the impact culture can have on conflict to determine if intercultural communication needs to be considered. An important factor to consider when looking at intercultural conflict management is the research and knowledge provided by face negation theory. After we have determined the impact of each of these variables, it is vital to also determine whether or not job satisfaction is indeed impacted by the conflict management methods used by supervisors and lastly, if this is the case can this information also apply to the very unique population that is made up of student employees?
Literature Review
When looking at conflict in the workplace it is important to consider whether or not effective conflict management impacts employee satisfaction. Additionally, one must consider if effective methods remain effective when dealing with people of other cultures. Once these determinations are made one can look at if student employees would be impacted in the same way as full-time employees. Face Negotiation Theory (FNT) helps to evaluate the cultural implications of conflict management by predicting the predispositions for conflict methods based on culture.
Conflict Management Methods
Conflict happens, regardless of how it is managed, it is an aspect of everyday life. Previous research shows that managers spend over 20% of their time dealing with conflict and often aren’t equipped with the necessary skills to do so effectively (Madlock, 2008; Song, Xie, Dyer, 2000). By not understanding the importance of proper conflict management, or what methods are proven to be most effective, these encounters can result in a negative experience for the supervisor and subordinate. According to Rook, negative events have a stronger influence on a person and often longer-lasting effects (as cited in Madlock, 2008, p. 16). Because of this, it is vital to understand more specific positive and negative methods for managing conflict, in addition to the role overall leadership plays in conflict management.
Managers who often engage in effective conflict management methods and avoid negative methods are also those that are often seen as leaders (Madlock, 2008). According to Tjosvold, effective leaders generally promote open lines of communication and are willing to discuss opposing viewpoints with employees (as cited in Madlock, 2008, p. 3). Transformational leaders are those that are charismatic and human-oriented, open, as well as careful listeners and transmitters. These are the leaders that have high self-esteem and are willing to admit their mistakes. All of these traits enable these leaders to accept the challenge of facing difficult issues instead of avoiding or dominating them (Brandt & Uusi-Kakkuri, 2016). Leadership traits are closely tied to conflict management traits, as such many successful methods of managing conflict are tied to general leadership practices, while others are more specifically focused on conflict management, however, it is important to understand that being an effective communicator is necessary to be successful at implementing positive techniques (Madlock, 2008).
Madlock (2008), has found that the task and relational leadership styles are positively related to the conflict management styles of collaboration and compromise and negatively related to non-confrontation and control. Additional research supports the idea that collaboration and compromise are commonly the most effective methods of conflict management (Brandt & Uusi-Kakkuri, 2016; Madlock, 2008; Oommen, 2014; Song et al., 2000). Researchers have found that non-confrontation and control, also referred to as avoidance and dominating, have the most negative results (Brandt & Uusi-Kakkuri, 2016; Madlock, 2008; Oommen, 2014; Song et al., 2000). It was also found that those that typically use the dominating and avoiding styles are unsure of their abilities as a manager and leader and often don’t understand the needs and goals of others (Madlock, 2008).
When taking into account the amount of time managers spend handling conflict, it is vital for a manager to understand who they are as a leader, as well as their confidence in that information and their role. Given that, one can better adapt their leadership and conflict styles to eliminate the avoiding and dominating conflict management methods and start implementing more effective alternatives, such as collaboration and compromise. By doing this, managers can decrease the lasting impact of negative encounters and increase their effectiveness at managing conflict.
Understanding Cultural Differences
Having a good foundation in positive conflict management is vital to successfully resolving conflict and eliminating the potential for lasting negative effects. However, once that foundation is established, it is important to consider how intercultural conflict management can potentially differ and what, if any adaptations need to be made to continue to successfully resolve conflict. There are many studies on conflict; however, many of them don’t take situational factors, such as culture, into account as they should, rather than simply assuming that it is of little importance or impact (Song et al., 2000).
According to Lewis, communication differs between cultures (as cited in Brandt & Uusi-Kakkuri, 2016), given those differences, conflict is more likely to happen (Lee, 2006). However, it is the way in which conflict is handled that makes an impact, not how frequently it happens or how likely it is to happen. Conflict also provides a unique opportunity to better understand another’s culture and unique viewpoint (Lee, 2006).
While there are benefits to conflict and particularly intercultural conflict, there are also many challenges that need to be considered. Oommen (2014), has found that people entering a new culture tend to have communication anxiety, which can lead to general anxiety and depression. This can have an impact on a person’s predispositions towards conflict management techniques. Typically, these predispositions include dominating, avoiding, or obliging (Oomen, 2014), which, as previous research has shown are some of the least successful methods of conflict management (Brandt & Uusi-Kakkuri, 2016; Madlock, 2008; Oommen, 2014; Song et al., 2000). According to Ting-Toomey, many cultures, especially Eastern, still consider avoidance perfectly acceptable because of their high value of “relational harmony” (as cited in Oomen, 2014, p.217). However, regardless of avoidance being socially acceptable, more recent research from Zhang, Hardwood, and Hummert shows that people valuing harmony and equality can benefit from collaborative methods of conflict management. Rather than avoiding the problem, they can find a solution that values both of their interests while maintaining their view of equality (as cited in Oomen, 2014, p. 217).
While research shows that collaboration is typically the most effective method of conflict management (Brandt & Uusi-Kakkuri, 2016; Madlock, 2008; Oommen, 2014; Song et al., 2000) it is important to understand that what works in one culture may not always be effective in another ( Brandt & Uusi-Kakkuri, 2016). Because of this, it is important to employ a few general techniques that can aid in successful intercultural conflict management, and determine the best ways to manage conflict on a situational basis. Oommen (2014) found that having a perception of social support reduces the anxiety felt by someone of a different culture. This can make that person more willing to collaborate and effectively manage conflict. Additionally, by using Hofstede’s theory, and the research available on each culture’s predisposition to being more individualist or collectivist one can better understand the conflict management needs of someone from another culture (Song et al., 2000). As Lee (2006) states “to succeed in both our personal and professional lives, we must learn how to relate, in face-to-face contexts, with people from other cultures (p. 4),” and by employing these strategies we are well on our way to more successful interactions.
Satisfaction from Positive Communication
By implementing positive conflict management techniques and considering cultural differences, attempts at conflict resolution will be more successful, however, the impact is significantly larger than that. Research shows that job satisfaction increases when positive conflict management techniques are used (Madlock, P., 2008; Wheeless, L. R., & Reichel, L. S., 1990).
Oommen (2014) found that that psychological well-being is enhanced and stress is relieved when a person feels supported. Additionally, Chen, Tjosvold, and Su found that managers are able to build quality and supportive relationships through effective conflict management (as cited in Madlock, 2008, p. 3). Because of this, it is important for a subordinate to have positive task attractiveness to a superior to be satisfied in the workplace.
Collaborating, an effective method of conflict management has been positively related to employee satisfaction (Madlock, 2008). Task attractiveness, which can impact a subordinate’s willingness to work with a specific manager, is directly related to whether or not an employee has positive or negative conflict management encounters with a superior. By using the collaborating method of conflict management, a subordinate would likely have positive task attraction to a manager (Wheeless & Reichel, 1990). While collaborative conflict management has been positively related to job satisfaction, avoidance and dominating have been negatively related to job satisfaction (Madlock, 2008). It is important to consider both the positive and negative effects of conflict management because job satisfaction is directly related to job performance (Gruneberg, as cited in Madlock, 2008, p. 9). According to Wheeless and Reichel (1990), the way in which supervisors communicate can ultimately impact the overall outcome of an organization. Employee satisfaction is a vital component to the overall success of an organization and can be greatly impacted by how conflict is managed.
Student Employees are a Unique Group
When researching conflict resolution, intercultural communication, and employee job satisfaction, a “situational factor” that should be considered (Song et al., 2000, p. 62), is whether or not the data holds true for student employees. Student employees differ from traditional employees in many ways. In 2015 “43% of full-time students and 78% of part-time students were employed (NCES, 2017, p. 1). While students make up a large component of the workforce, as found by Ballard, Gossett, and Feldman, there is little research on student employee’s professional experiences (Sollitto, Martin, Dusic, Gibbons, & Wagenhouser, 2016).
Student employees are working for significantly different reasons than traditional employees. While working, students are developing their own identity and establishing a sense of self-belonging (Perozzi, 2009), as well as building their self-confidence and practical skills that correspond to their classwork (Sollitto et al., 2016). There are many additional differences to consider in addition to why students are seeking jobs. A student’s main focus is their education and because of their full course load, their schedules are very challenging to work around (Slagel & Langendorfer, 2008).
Because student employees typically haven’t worked before, or have done so minimally (Slagell & Langendorfer, 2008), they are commonly learning how to balance their school and work schedules (Slaggel & Langendorfer, 2008; Sollitto et al., 2016). Employing students also commonly comes with high turnover rates (Slagell & Langendorfer, 2008; Roach, 1989), as well as the need for extra supervision mainly rooted in the student’s lack of work experience and desire to test boundaries (Slaggel & Langendorfer, 2008). Student’s clearly vary greatly from their traditional employee counterparts and should be studied accordingly. Additionally, while some of their unique traits make employing students more challenging, it is important to see that they are providing value to the workforce and building their skill set which will make them even more valuable in the future (Roach, 1989).
Face-Negotiation Theory
Regardless of whether you’re looking at the intercultural conflict between traditional employees, student employees, or even friends, face negotiation theory is something that should always be considered when looking at intercultural conflict. Face negotiation theory is a culturally inclusive addition to politeness theory. Face negotiation theory (FNT) tries to explain how members of each culture have their own methods of conflict management based on various cultural dimensions. FNT looks at Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and uses those as a way to categorize different cultural predispositions for conflict management. From there, FNT uses the idea of ‘face’ from politeness theory (PT) to determine various conflict management tendencies for different cultures (Dainton & Zelley, 2015).
More specifically, PT introduces us to the idea of ‘face,’ which is “your desired self-image, the identity you wish to present to others (Dainton & Zelley, 2015, p. 109).” Additionally, there is ‘positive face,’ and ‘negative face’. This is essentially how you feel you should act, or what you need to do to present a positive impression, and what you actually would like to do regardless of anyone else’s opinion. These are important concepts of face negotiation theory. FNT looks at whether various cultures are more likely to present positive face or negative face in conflict management, based on Hofstede’s classifications of the culture (Dainton & Zelley, 2015).
According to Fletcher, Nakazawa, Chen, Oetzel, Ting-Toomey, Chang, and Zhang (2014), “Face is the claimed sense of positive social worth (p. 150).” Essentially, face is incredibly important to a person, which is why it is important to maintain face during conflict. Maintaining face can mean different things to people of different cultures, which is why mindful communication, which is essentially considering all of the mental and emotional the needs of oneself, while simultaneously considering those of the other party, is vital to successful intercultural conflict management (Oommen, 2014). This is an incredibly challenging task that enables successful interactions by allowing the affected parties to benefit from the cultural understandings of another (DeWitt, 2006).
FNT can better explain the cultural predispositions of conflict management, which can aid in understanding the needs of the other party ((Dainton & Zelley, 2015). By using FNT, intercultural conflict management can be better understood. It can be seen that culture plays a vital role in not only successfully solving conflict, but also creating it. FNT shows that by better understanding the culture and feelings of another, one can not only be more successful at managing conflict but at communication as a whole.
By reviewing the research, it can be seen that conflict management is a necessary and time-consuming part of a manager’s workload. While managers are often ill-equipped to handle conflict, it is something they should spend more time understanding because it has a direct impact on the job satisfaction of their subordinates. Managers also need to understand that their subordinates job satisfaction is directly correlated to job performance, which in turn means their success as a superior and the success of their organization can be directly impacted by the way conflict is handled. Additionally, it is vital to consider the cultural differences between both parties involved in conflict in order to be successful at handling the situation. Face negotiation theory can provide valuable insight toward the best method of handling conflict as well as the methods each party may be predisposed to based on culture. Additionally, research has shown that student employees are vastly different than traditional employees. However, there is no data to show if conflict management also impacts student employee satisfaction and success and if student employee satisfaction directly relates to job performance as it does with their traditional counterparts.
Rationale and Research Questions
Is there a particular type of communication and conflict management that better promotes student success? If so, is it the same regardless of culture or does intercultural communication need to be considered? To explore this problem, it is important to first understand the various conflict management methods. Additionally, it should be determined if intercultural communication needs to be considered. After which, it is vital to also determine whether or not job satisfaction is indeed impacted by the conflict management methods used by supervisors and lastly, if this is the case can this information also apply to the very unique population that is made up of student employees?
The purpose of this study is to offer additional insight into the cause and effect of student success through employment on campus by specifically looking at the impact communication and conflict management styles have on the student employee experience. Additionally, this research can extend the application of face negotiation theory towards the generally understudied audience of student employees.
Research Questions
RQ1: How does conflict management impact the satisfaction of student employees?
Conflict management plays a large role in the satisfaction of traditional employees (Madlock, P., 2008; Wheeless, L. R., & Reichel, L. S., 1990). As a supervisor of students, it is important to understand if this is also true for them, given that they are a very unique group of employees. If this is indeed true, it is important for supervisors to understand this and better train themselves to handle conflict in a way that meets the students personal and cultural needs.
RQ2: How does student employee satisfaction relate directly to job performance?
Job performance is something of great importance to supervisors as it is vital to the success of an organization, and thus the success of the supervisor. Supervisors spend a great deal of time learning how to increase job performance and training others on the information. It is important for supervisors to know if student employee satisfaction from conflict management is related to job performance, as it is for traditional employees (Gruneberg, as cited in Madlock, 2008, p. 9), so they can spend an appropriate amount of time learning how to implement successful intercultural conflict management techniques.
RQ3: Are student employees more successful academically if they are more satisfied within the workplace?
Regardless of workplace, a large part of a student’s job is to focus on their academic success (Slagel & Langendorfer, 2008). If a student’s satisfaction increases their job performance, would this also increase their academic performance? By being successful and satisfied in a student job, a student could potentially be more successful overall. Meaning a student could potentially have better grades and higher graduation rates because of a part-time job. This is something incredibly important for not only student supervisors to know and understand but the university as a whole.
Anticipated Results
It is important to continually look for ways to develop oneself as a supervisor, especially as a supervisor of students, in order to better provide opportunities to student employees to be successful. I am very interested in determining if successful intercultural conflict management can better promote student success and to see if the same methods would work within a more general way or if different methods should be considered when working with international students.
More specifically, if my interactions, as a supervisor, and styles of conflict management can impact my student’s success. I hope to gain better insight into whether or not the research of traditional employees relates to student employees by looking at the student’s perceived job satisfaction based on their perception of their supervisor’s conflict management style as well as their cultural predispositions and how that relates to their GPA and successful matriculation.
I hope to provide insight into how intercultural conflict management impacts student employees. By doing this, supervisors of student’s can better understand the importance of general communication practices when working with student groups. This study will offer additional insight into the cause and effect of student success through employment on campus by specifically looking at the impact communication and conflict management styles have on the student employee experience. Additionally, this research can extend the application of face negotiation theory towards the generally understudied audience of student employees.
Methods
Participants and Procedures
In this IRB approved study (17-ADC-27), a total of 5 participants were recruited, using network sampling, for audio-recorded interviews. The target participants for this study were college students employed on campus, making network sampling the best choice to ensure that candidates meeting the inclusion criteria were found. Initial contact was made via email, specifying the details of the study and including an informed consent document detailing the purpose, procedures, risks, and confidentiality of the study. The 5 student employees were engaged in semi-structured interviews about their experiences with conflict management within their workplace. Out of convenience for the participants, interviews were conducted face-to-face in an office at Weber State University. Additionally, the face-to-face, one-on-one setting allowed the interviewer to gain additional insight and better utilize follow-up and probing questions to gather additional data.
These interviews ranged from 9.87 minutes to 14.1 minutes. Of the 5 participants 60% were male (n=3) and 40% were female (n=2). The participants ranged in age from 19 to 32 with a mean of 24.8, two of the participants are not originally from the US. Of those, the time they have been living in the US includes four years and five years and the countries of origin include Thailand and Ethiopia. The participants current GPA’s range from 3.5 to 3.75 with a mean of 3.63, of those three respondents, reported an increase in GPA since becoming employed on campus with an average increase of .16. Of the five participants, all of them reported that they were very satisfied with their current position, or a 5 on a scale of 1-5. When asked how their supervisor would rate their performance at work on a scale of 1-5, five being above average, respondents reported a range of four to five with a mean of 4.8.
Instrumentation
Within the semi-structured interviews, participants were asked to answer questions in three main categories, including Academic success, job satisfaction, and conflict. These questions helped to provide detailed information on the participant’s degree continuation, the things they enjoy and dislike about their student position, as well as their overall workplace satisfaction. Participants were also asked questions regarding a conflict they had experienced at work. Including describing details of a specific event, how it was managed, and the impacts the experience has had on their overall job satisfaction.
Additionally, students were asked to complete a brief survey, which covered general demographic information such as age, gender, country of origin, and length of time in the US. As well as more direct questions including GPA, GPA fluctuations, job satisfaction, and work performance, which a participant may feel more comfortable answering honestly in survey form.
Data Analysis
All of the interviews were audio recorded and individually transcribed for analysis totaling 20 pages. Using the method of Grounded Theory (Keyton, 2011), the pages of data were read through during the open coding process. This was an initial pass to understand all of the data presented through the interviews. After the initial pass, many more passes were made through each interview transcript in the axial coding method. During each pass, as themes became apparent each statement and theme was highlighted and color coordinated. Within this phase of coding, data were compiled into themes until the data was theoretically saturated (Glaser & Strauss, 1967 as cited in Keyton, 2011 p. 313 ). During axial coding, seven main themes were found. These themes are detailed in the results section of the article.
Results
Research Question One
Responses to RQ1, “How does conflict management impact the satisfaction of student employees?” included high job satisfaction, positive growth, no negative impacts from the experiences, and a lack of conflict with colleagues.
Four out of five respondents reported having a conflict at work, of that, three reported conflicts with colleagues. Within all of these conflict experiences, all respondents reported positive growth, for example, “[The experience] was good.” “I have a lot of respect for… [my] supervisors.”
Additionally, all respondents reported either no impact on job satisfaction or a positive impact and learning experience, such as “[The experience] was positive ‘cause it put me in a situation where I had to perform.” Two of five respondents had no conflict with colleagues. One respondent stated that it was “the opposite, kind of,” because of all of the friendships they had established and another stated that they “never have conflict,” with coworkers, supervisors, or anyone else. On average the respondents reported that they were very satisfied with their student jobs. Given this information, it can be seen that whether a student has no conflict or a positively resolved conflict experience within the workplace they can maintain a high level of job satisfaction.
Research Question Two
The second research question, “How does student employee satisfaction relate directly to job performance?” responses presented findings of high job satisfaction and performance as well as positive growth and benefits from student employment positions.
As illustrated in Table 1, on a Likert scale of 1-5, one being ‘Very Dissatisfied’ and five being ‘Very Satisfied,’ all student employees self-reported being very satisfied within their current student position. Additionally, on a Likert scale of 1-5, one being ‘Very Poor’ and five being ‘Above Average,’ four of five respondents reported a five, the remaining respondent reported a four with a mean for all respondents of 4.8 for self-reported job performance.
Table 1
Comparison of Job Satisfaction to Job Performance by Respondent
| Student | Job-Satisfaction | Job-Performance |
| Student 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Student 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Student 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Student 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Student 5 | 5 | 5 |
Respondents were very satisfied with their work environment and felt because of that they were able to perform better. One respondent stated that they perform a “9 out of 10,” because of the flexibility and ability to self-manage they have to ability to get all of their work finished for school and their job. Additionally, respondents were satisfied with “helping people,” and the “room for growth.” All respondents showed that through their satisfaction within the workplace they were driven to higher performance from their self-reported data as well as their qualitative explanations of environment they are clearly performing better because they are enjoying their position.
Research Question Three
Lastly, RQ3 asked, “Are student employees more successful academically if they are more satisfied within the workplace?” The key theme found within this question included improvement in GPA or degree continuance because of campus employment. As seen in Table 2, three respondents self-reported an increase in GPA during their student employment, with an average of .16, while two respondents reported no increase.
Table 2
Increase of GPA During Student Employment by Respondent
| Respondent | GPA Prior to Student Employment | Current GPA |
| Student 1 | 3.5 | 3.75 |
| Student 2 | 3.5 | 3.69 |
| Student 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Student 4 | 3.49 | 3.54 |
| Student 5 | 3.67 | 3.67 |
While some respondents showed no increase in GPA during student employment, they still believe their student position “helps in classes,” because they have the ability to do homework and study during free time. Another respondent stated the value of the “study type environment,” and the benefit of “surrounding [themself], with other people that are concentrated on [their] studies.” Campus employment was also found to benefit students academically by getting them to go to their classes. For example, when one student “couldn’t find the motivation to come to my classes, I still wanted to come to work,” because they were “very satisfied” and found what they were doing to be “rewarding.” As seen in table one, all respondents interviewed showed high job satisfaction, that along with the information above shows that a student’s academic success can be impacted by their employment and that being satisfied and supported at work can make a lasting impact.
Discussion
Through this preliminary study, positive support can be seen for each of the posed research questions. It can be seen that conflict management can impact the satisfaction of student employees, given that all employees that reported conflict also reported that it was handled positively and that they were satisfied with their current student employment. All respondents reported high job performance and satisfaction, and students showed that their academics directly benefited from their employment.
When looking at all of the research from this study together, it shows that the findings regarding student employees are similar to the same research conducted on full-time non-student employees, or traditional employees. Previous research on traditional employees has shown that managers, or supervisors, spend a great deal of time handling conflict and don’t necessarily have the skills to do so successfully (Madlock, 2008; Song, Xie, Dyer, 2000). Research has also shown that positive conflict management techniques increase job satisfaction (Madlock, P., 2008; Wheeless, L. R., & Reichel, L. S., 1990). This is especially important given that job satisfaction is positively related to job performance (Gruneberg, as cited in Madlock, 2008, p. 9).
Because there is a lack of previous research on how these topics relate to student employees, these findings add a new understanding of the topic. This new understanding that the results of studies on traditional employees are congruent with this study on student employees can provide significant insight to student employee supervisors. In such that they also should place great value on proper communication methods and conflict management techniques in order to promote an environment with high employee satisfaction and job performance.
Additional findings were made in this study that supports current research on Face-Negotiation Theory. One respondent, an international student, which research has shown is more likely to experience conflict because of intercultural communication and cultural differences (Lewis as cited in Brandt & Uusi-Kakkuri, 2016; Lee, 2006), stated that they “never have conflict.” This response could potentially be due to the collectivist nature of the respondent’s culture (Song, Xie, Dyer, 2000), which could cause the respondent to avoid conflict altogether, including the discussion of conflict, in order to maintain “relational harmony” (Ting-Toomey as cited in Oomen, 2014, p.217). However, regardless of culture, discussing conflict seemed to be challenging for all subjects. This corresponds to the research of face negotiation theory in that respondents could be attempting to maintain ‘face,’ or “the identity you wish to present to others (Dainton & Zelley, 2015, p. 109).” While it is beneficial to provide further support for current research, this topic is also addressed in the limitations and future research section of this report, as it can interfere with the ability to gather research.
Limitations and Future Research
Given that there are very few studies focusing on students within their part-time campus positions, there are many areas that could be explored in the future and further add to the results of this study. Some of those include the specific and common reasons for conflicts with coworkers and supervisors, especially those that arise from intercultural communication and cultural differences.
The limitations of this study include that this preliminary study had five participants working in similar areas at the same university. Future research should examine the results of this study with a larger sample size from a larger overall population so the information can be more generalizable. Additionally, the participants desire to maintain face made it challenging for respondents to discuss conflict with an interviewer. Some ways that may help this would include having an interviewer from the same culture and gender asking questions in order to make the respondent more comfortable or by hosting a focus group as a respondent may feel more comfortable discussing conflict in a group where others are as well, which could provide more clear information for future research on student employees.
Conclusion
The research from this study shows that student’s in part-time campus employment show similar characteristics to existing studies on traditional full-time employees. This information can help supervisors to better understand the importance of providing positive conflict management experiences to subordinates. It is also incredibly important that supervisors of students understand their actions are not only impacting the employee’s job satisfaction and thus job performance but that the supervisor has the ability to make a lasting impact on a student’s academic performance. A supervisor of student employees can impact a student’s GPA and persistence to graduation in turn impacting their overall academic success.
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Sarah MacKay 