The Role of Conflict Management in Libraries

Conflict is a social experience among human beings. It arises as a result of differences in personal and biological characteristics such as age, sex, status, values, attitudes and ability levels. Though always seen as negative and something that must be avoided, “conflict has been traditionally viewed as destructive, a state of affairs to be suppressed or eliminated (Bryson 2006, 180), the study reveals that conflict can contribute and lead to improved service provision in libraries. Recognizing the inevitability of conflict in any human community, a collaborative way of resolving it is advocated for.