A Comparative Analysis of Organizational Conflict in Schools

Conflict is analyzed as a function of the organizational conditions of school size, teaching, specialization, and the centralization of authority. The inter-relationships among these explanatory variables and two forms of organizational conflict are explored with data from thirty-eight elementary and fifteen secondary schools. Conflict is classified as either intraor inter-stratum contingent upon the parties involved in the conflictual situation. A single theoretical model is developed, and then estimated separately for elementary and secondary schools. The major determinant of intra-stratum conflict in elementary schools is the centralization of authority whereas in secondary schools intra-stratum conflict is primarily a function of school size. Inter-stratum conflict is found to be a function of all the explanatory variables in elementary schools with school size assuming some greater importance. In secondary schools inter-stratum conflict is increased by school size and the centralization of authority, but decreased by the specialization of teaching.