Mereish, S. 2026. Conflict Management Styles in the Construction Industry: A Systematic Literature Review. 2nd Global Scholarship for Sustainable Built Environment Research. South Africa 03 - 04 Sep 2026
| Title | Conflict Management Styles in the Construction Industry: A Systematic Literature Review |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mereish, S. |
| Type | Conference paper |
| Abstract | Conflict represents an inherent and pervasive organisational phenomenon within the construction industry, which is distinguished by its complex multi-stakeholder environments, demanding project timelines, and significant resource constraints. Despite growing scholarly interest in conflict management, no systematic review has previously synthesised the empirical evidence on the dominant conflict management styles adopted within this sector. This study addresses that gap by conducting the first systematic literature review on conflict management styles in the construction industry, following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A structured search of the Web of Science database yielded 530 papers in total, of which 16 empirical studies published between 2015 and 2026 met the inclusion criteria and were subsequently analysed using narrative synthesis. Three principal themes emerged from the review. First, cultural dimensions — particularly individualism, collectivism, and power distance — were identified as significant determinants of conflict management style preferences. Second, a methodological concern was identified regarding the pervasive reliance on the Rahim Organisational Conflict Inventory-II (ROCI-II), a Western-developed instrument, across predominantly collectivistic construction settings, raising questions about its cultural sensitivity and contextual suitability. Third, integrating and compromising styles emerged as the most preferred and effective approaches within the construction industry, consistently associated with positive relational, project, and organisational performance outcomes. The findings underscore the need for culturally contextualised conflict management training within professional development programmes and highlight a significant geographic imbalance in the existing literature, with individualistic Western construction contexts remaining largely underexplored. |
| Keywords | Conflict Management Styles · Construction Industry · Culture · Performance |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | 2nd Global Scholarship for Sustainable Built Environment Research |
| Publisher's version | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |