The impact of emotional intelligence on conflict management styles used by Saudi nurse managers—a cross sectional, correlational study

Abstract

Background: Two very important ideas for fostering harmony in the workplace are conflict management and emotional intelligence (EI). For nurse managers, controlling one’s emotions and knowing how to handle disagreement are critical skills. Objective: The purpose of this research is to evaluate how emotional intelligence (EI) affects conflict resolution techniques and how it can help Saudi Arabian nurse managers. Methods: A Correlational, quantitative cross-sectional design was employed in the study. Five regions in Saudi Arabia were selected for 500 Saudi nurse managers using convenience sampling. The study was conducted for between November 2023 and January 2024. The Vanderpol Emotional Intelligence Scale and the Rahim Organisational Conflict Inventory-II were the two items that the participants answered online. Descriptive statistics like mean and standard deviation was used to analyse the emotional intelligence and conflict management among the participants. Regression analysis was used to find the correlation between the variables. Results: Most participants had a moderate level of emotional intelligence, with the mean and standard deviation (Mean—3.80, SD—0.67) and collaborating and compromise were the most often employed conflict resolution techniques with the mean 3.89 & SD 3.79, respectively. The least was employed of the competent style with mean 2.89. Emotional intelligence was found having significant positive relation with all the conflict management styles. Regarding the application of conflict management techniques, age group, years of experience, and educational background did not significantly differ from one another statistically with p = 0.05. Conclusion: The emotional intelligence of Saudi nurse managers affected all dispute resolution techniques. Programmes for nurse managers to develop their emotional intelligence may enhance their ability to resolve conflicts and function as an organisation.