Trust and Power as Determinants of Conflict Resolution Strategy and Outcome Satisfaction

Relationships provide the context for conflict resolution. Rubin and Brown (1975) hypothesized that equal power and high trust situations would induce participants to choose more cooperative strategies and to attain more satisfactory outcomes than low trust or unequal power situations. Gaylard (1994) postulated that personal and situational variables could have both direct and indirect effects on conflict outcomes. This study was designed to test these hypotheses, with 40 pairs of management students participating in a negotiation simulation. Results supported Rubin and Brown's hypotheses. A path analysis indicated the beneficial effect of trust was indirect and could be accounted for by greater use of the integrating strategy. The effect of the power differential was direct and not based on an increased use of a particular conflict resolution strategy. These results suggest that enhanced trust might be considered one marker of success of conflict resolution training in a particular social context, such as a workplace. Copyright © 2004, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.