Abstract

The literature of conflict in organizations has dealt mainly with industry and politics, some- what with industrial research, but has almost ignored organizations in conflict within academia. It is highly unlikely that academic theorists are unaware of organizational conflict on their home playing fields. The models examined herein must not be regarded as prescriptions or ideal patterns for conflict resolution but as characterizations of behavior by less-than-rational humans in competitive and conflict-laden environments. Norms for dealing with conflicts are at best somewhat fugitive, and no theorist hypothesizes consistent rationality as a factor in the resolution of conflicts or in the making of organizational decisions. The purpose here is to examine the phenomena of conflict and conflict resolution in the field of higher education administration and in other administrative settings and to determine by analysis and case examination how conflict in academia conforms to certain conceptual models.