Zurbel, Laura (2025) When Power Entails Responsibility: The Moderating Role of Power Construal in the Association between Leader-Employee Relationship Conflict and Conflict Management. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Conflict is an inherent part of organizational life. Leader-employee relationship conflicts, which center around interpersonal tensions beyond specific tasks between leader and employee, can significantly impact workplace dynamics. Depending on what extent leaders construe their power as responsibility (PaR), they may be more inclined to adopt one conflict management strategy over another. This study focuses on two conflict management strategies in the face of leader-employee relationship conflict: problem-solving, which reflects high concern for both self and others, and forcing, which reflects high concern for self and low concern for others. It examines how construing PaR may influence leaders’ preference for either approach. Using a multi-source, cross-sectional field design, data were collected from leaders and employees. Results revealed that leader-employee relationship conflict was significantly negatively related to problem-solving, but significantly positively related to forcing. Leaders’ power construed as responsibility did not moderate either relationship. These results suggest that relationship conflict between leaders and employees is associated with increased use of self-focused strategies and decreased problem-solving approaches on the part of leaders, regardless of leaders’ power construed as responsibility. The study discusses theoretical and practical implications of these findings. Strengths and limitations are also considered.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Supervisor name: | Fousiani, K. and Weigelt, O. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology (WOP) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 08 Jul 2025 11:54 |
| Last Modified: | 08 Jul 2025 11:54 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5360 |
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