Managing Conflicts in Relationships and Networks : A case study of IT-Firms in Nigeria and Uganda

Abstract: ABSTRACT Title: Managing Conflicts in Relationships and Networks. A case study of IT-firms in Nigeria and Uganda. Level: Master thesis in Business administration. Author: Kudirat Toyin Alade. Supervisor: Dr. Sarah Philipson. Examiner: Dr. Maria Fregidou-Malama. Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate on how the information technology (IT) firms in Nigeria and Uganda manage conflicts, to understand how conflicts among employees can be minimized with the help of managerial training, and to also understand how improved performance of their employees can influence the network performance. Method: This study uses a qualitative method, the data was collected through interviews with top employees from AfriLabs (Nigeria), Hive Colab (Uganda), and Wennovation Hub (Nigeria). The interviews were conducted through Skype, respondents were selected using purposive sampling technique. The analysis was done with the help of a grounded theory. Result & Conclusions: The findings from this study are that Managerial training can help minimize conflicts among employees, if the training is been administered properly. Conflicts among organizations in business relationships and networks are properly managed through negotiations, and by signing a valid contract with their members with whom they have formed relationships and networks. The study also reveals that, when employees put in too much effort in accomplishing a task, or too few or too many employees are chosen for task, this will affect the network performance. Suggestions for future research: Future studies should delve more on managerial training to minimize issues of conflicts, as there are few established theories on this. It may be interesting to use different countries in Africa, to test the results of this study. Contribution: This study provides business managers with strategies to minimize issues of conflicts among employees. It also provides ways in which they can manage conflicts in organizational relationships and networks.   Keywords: Business Relationships, Business Networks, Conflicts, Managerial training,  Performance.