Impact of Leadership Styles on Conflict Management Strategies in Educational Institutions in Kenya

Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of leadership styles on conflict management strategies in educational institutions in Kenya. Materials and Methods: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study revealed that the approach and effectiveness of managing conflicts are significantly influenced by the leadership style adopted by administrators and educators. Transformational leadership, characterized by inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration, tends to foster a collaborative and proactive conflict management environment. Leaders who embrace this style encourage open communication, promote mutual respect, and involve staff in decision-making processes, which helps in resolving conflicts amicably and constructively. Conversely, transactional leadership, which focuses on structured tasks, rewards, and penalties, may lead to a more reactive and control-oriented approach to conflict management. This style can sometimes suppress conflicts temporarily without addressing the underlying issues, potentially causing long-term discord. Additionally, laissez-faire leadership, marked by a hands-off approach, often results in unmanaged conflicts, as the absence of direct intervention and guidance can lead to unresolved disputes and a lack of cohesive conflict resolution strategies. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: Transformational leadership theory, transactional leadership theory and contingency theory may be used to anchor future studies on assessing the impact of leadership styles on conflict management strategies in educational institutions in Kenya. Educational institutions should design and implement comprehensive leadership training programs that include components of transformational, transactional, distributed, servant, charismatic, and democratic leadership styles. Educational policymakers should develop and enforce leadership standards and guidelines that emphasize the importance of transformational, servant, and democratic leadership practices in conflict management.