Designing an Organizational Conflict Management Model Based on Social Responsibility among Healthcare Staff

Background. Organizational conflict in healthcare centers can reduce productivity and service quality. In Iran’s health system, factors such as resource shortages, weak interprofessional relations, and job stress contribute to conflict. Social responsibility and stress-coping skills are pivotal in conflict management; however, limited research has explored their integration within a comprehensive model. This study aimed to develop a conflict management model that incorporates social responsibility and includes stress coping strategies as mediators among healthcare staff in northwest Iran. Methods. This applied research employed a correlational design using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population included 35,133 healthcare personnel across medical centers in northwest Iran in 2023. Using Cochran’s formula and a stratified random sampling method, 380 individuals were selected. Data were collected through three standardized questionnaires: Robbins’ Conflict Management Questionnaire, Carroll’s Social Responsibility Questionnaire, and Endler & Parker’s Stress Coping Strategies Questionnaire. Validity was confirmed through expert review (content validity index and ratio), and reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. 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±6.8 years. Descriptive statistics showed the mean scores for conflict management (M=143.5/210), social responsibility (M=76.8/100), and stress coping strategies (M=161.2/240). Pearson correlation analysis indicated significant positive relationships between social responsibility and conflict management (r=0.62, p<0.001), and between stress coping strategies and conflict management (r=0.80, p<0.001). Stress coping strategies also significantly mediated the relationship between social responsibility and conflict management. The proposed model demonstrated good fit indices (CFI=0.998, RMSEA=0.017) and explained 66% of the variance in conflict management. Conclusion. Although social responsibility did not directly predict conflict management, it significantly influenced it through the enhancement of stress coping skills. The findings suggest that interventions targeting both social responsibility and coping competencies can effectively improve conflict management in healthcare settings.