Influence of Conflict Management Practices on Performance of Public Hospitals in Kenya: A Case of Kenyatta National Hospital

Proper conflict management is of paramount importance to the public health system in Kenya which is currently in a state of crisis. Particularly, though Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has effectively provided medical care for the Kenyan citizens for many years, there has been a worrying trend of staff conflict in the hospital. This has been caused by a variety of issues such as communication breakdowns, limited resources and poor management. To reduce the incidence of conflicts, it is important to work on improving communication among staff, providing more resources for the hospital and training staff members in conflict resolution techniques. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of conflict management practices on performance of public hospitals in Kenya: case study of Kenyatta National Hospital. The study specific objectives were to determine how communication in conflict management influence performance of Kenyatta National Hospital, to establish the influence of conflict management policies on performance of Kenyatta National Hospital, to assess the influence of organization conflict management styles on performance of Kenyatta National Hospital, to evaluate the influence of conflict management culture on performance of Kenyatta National Hospital and to determine the influence of conflict resolution practices on performance of Kenyatta National Hospital. The study was guided by four main theories including Contingency Theory, Theory of Conflict Transformation, Conflict Resolution Theory and Organizational Culture Model. The study followed a descriptive research design. The population for this study comprised of top management, health workers, and support staff employed at KNH. Fisher’s formula was used to obtain a sample population of 376 respondents who were selected using stratified random sampling coupled up purposive sampling. The study used primary data methods including questionnaires and interviews. The study results suggested that effective conflict management practices were positively associated with the performance of Kenyatta National Hospital. However, the relationship between organizational culture practices and performance is weak and slightly negative, while human resource policies practices show a moderate positive correlation with performance. The model demonstrates a strong correlation (R=0.800) between the selected independent variables, and the dependent variable. The R Square value of 0.639 indicates that approximately 63.9 percent of the variance in KNH performance can be explained by the predictors. The overall model, as indicated by the ANOVA test, is statistically significant (F=109.140, p<0.001), suggesting that at least one of the predictors has a significant impact on KNH performance. The study concluded that there is a significant positive relationship between the conflict management styles employed at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and its overall performance. The study concluded that effective conflict resolution practices are associated with higher performance at KNH. The study recommended that KNH should invest in training programs and workshops to enhance the skills of its staff in various conflict management styles. The study also recommended that KNH should establish clear and effective communication channels within the organization.