Leaving job due to the conflict: Narrative analysis Cover Image

Išėjimas iš darbo dėl konflikto: Naratyvinė analizė
Leaving job due to the conflict: Narrative analysis

Author(s): Jolanta Sondaitė, Asta Stunžėnaitė
Subject(s): Psychology, Business Economy / Management, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Lietuvos verslo kolegija
Keywords: conflict; organization; employees; qualitative research; narrative;

Summary/Abstract: Contemporary literature in managament and psychology offers numerous conflict definitions, various theories and different concepts. Conflicts at work are also a very popular and frequently analyzed subject, which is especially liked by foreign authors. Yet, the relevance of the present study in Lithuania is defined by a pioneering narrative analysis based on the experience of the people who left their jobs due to the conflicts they had to deal with. The present study features a qualitative research, the goal of which is to describe and analyze the narratives of former employees who left their jobs due to conflicts at work. The narrative analysis method, which is based on the model of Kellet and Dalton (2001) conflicts‘ narrative analysis structure (interpreting and quality of dialogue and negotiation, interpreting narrative and conflict dynamics, interpreting representations of Self, other , and context) was employed in order to achieve the goal. 7 informants participated in the research, all of whom were 23-to-38-year-old women. The collection of the narratives was followed by the analysis of the collected data. The analysis revealed that people who abandon their employment places due to conflicts experience the stages in a predicted sequence. The people noticed the first signs of conflict in their close work environment; the original reasons for leaving jobs were rather diverse; all the former employees felt continuous anxiety during the period between the primary indications of conflict until the leaving of the job; most of the people went through the delitescence stage of the conflict, only the duration of this stage differed; all the former employees refused to change their values, they chose to leave their jobs; finally, all the former employees who left their jobs due to conflicts at work eventually achieved positive results. Thus, based on the obtained results, it is possible to make a conclusion that people who leave their jobs because of conflicts at work, experience diverse emotions and at first apply smoothing strategy during the deitescence stage of the conflict. Later they use restatement, compensatory or pressure tactics in order to achieve certain changes, but they are not successful. Then they use act of retribution-leaving the job.

  • Issue Year: 17/2010
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 95-99
  • Page Count: 5
  • Language: Lithuanian