Extended Abstract
Background
Occupational conflict is a common and pressing issue in healthcare organizations, often leading to decreased productivity, job dissatisfaction, and lower quality of care. Iran’s healthcare system faces numerous structural challenges that contribute to organizational conflict. These include shortages in the workforce, limited resources, tension between professionals, unclear roles, and high job pressure. In this context, social responsibility as an organizational value and stress-coping strategies as individual psychological mechanisms may play critical roles in improving conflict management. However, previous studies have mostly examined these variables in isolation, and integrated modeling of their relationships within the healthcare setting remains underexplored. This study aimed to develop and validate a conflict management model based on social responsibility, with the mediating role of stress coping strategies, among healthcare staff in northwest Iran.
Methods
This applied study followed a quantitative correlational research design using structural equation modeling (SEM). The target population consisted of 35,133 healthcare personnel employed in medical centers across four provinces in northwest Iran during 2023. A total of 380 participants were selected through stratified random sampling based on Cochran’s formula. Data were collected via three standardized instruments: 1) Robbins’ Conflict Management Questionnaire (1991), 2) Carroll’s Social Responsibility Scale (1991), and 3) Endler and Parker’s Stress Coping Strategies Questionnaire (1990). The content validity of the tools was evaluated using expert panels and confirmed through Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR). Internal consistency reliability for all instruments was verified using Cronbach’s alpha, with values exceeding 0.70.
Results
The findings showed that among the 372 participants who fully completed the questionnaires and were included in the final analysis, 62% were female and 38% were male. The mean age of the participants was 34.5 years, with a standard deviation of 6.8 years. Descriptive statistics indicated moderate to high levels across all variables: conflict management (M = 143.5 out of 210), social responsibility (M=76.8 out of 100), and stress coping strategies (M=161.2 out of 240). Pearson correlation results revealed significant positive relationships between social responsibility and conflict management (r=0.62), as well as between coping strategies and conflict management (r=0.80) (P<0.001). The mediating effect of coping strategies in the relationship between social responsibility and conflict management was statistically significant (standardized indirect effect β=0.413), whereas the direct effect of social responsibility on conflict management was not significant. The structural model showed excellent fit indices (CFI=0.998, RMSEA=0.017), and accounted for 66% of the variance in conflict management outcomes.
Conclusion
The findings indicate that social responsibility does not directly predict conflict management effectiveness among healthcare staff, but it exerts a strong indirect influence through enhancing coping mechanisms. Thus, improving conflict management in medical settings requires dual attention to organizational-level values such as social responsibility and individual-level competencies such as stress coping strategies. The proposed model can serve as a practical framework for designing training programs, staff development initiatives, and organizational policies aimed at reducing workplace conflict and psychological stress in healthcare environments.
Practical Implications of Research
This study aims to develop a new management model focusing on social and psychological aspects in healthcare. It explores how stress-coping skills act as a mediator in managing occupational conflicts among healthcare workers. Since this issue is important for improving psychological and organizational well-being in hospitals and clinics, the results can significantly influence policymaking and enhance human resource management quality.