Abstract

The purpose of this research is to investigate the role of individual/cultural differences, specifically religious motivation and nepotism, in the selection of conflict management styles (obliging, avoiding, forcing, integrating, and compromising), in the Middle-Eastern context. The research surveyed a sample of 588 individuals (both Muslim and Christians), representative of the Jordanian population. Data were analyzed through multiple ANOVAs and Multiple Regressions. Results suggest that both religious motivation and nepotism affect the choice of conflict management styles, while demographic variables, such as age and gender, do not seem to play an effect. This paper constitutes one of the first attempts to investigate the conflict management style preferences of a Middle-Eastern society and the role of two important cultural variables, such as religious motivation and nepotism, which were neglected in previous conflict management research.