RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEACEKEEPERS AND NGO WORKERS: THE ROLE OF TRAINING AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES IN INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING

• Published in: The International journal of conflict management Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 167 - 191
• Main Authors: Ramarajan, Lakshmi, Bezrukova, Katerina, Jehn, Karen A, Euwema, Martin, Kop, Nicolien
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bowling Green Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01.02.2004
• Subjects: Communication and conflict; Conflict; Conflict management; Cooperation; Humanitarianism; Hypotheses; International conflict; Management Styles; Negotiation; Negotiations; NGOs; Nongovernmental Organizations; Peace; Peace studies; Peacekeeping; Peacekeeping forces; Regression analysis; Roles; Studies; Training; International conflict; Peace studies; Communication and conflict
• ISSN: 1044-4068; 1758-8545
• DOI: 10.1108/eb022911

To examine the effect of negotiation training and conflict management styles on the relations between third-party actors involved in international peacekeeping situations, we analyze data from a sample of Dutch military peacekeepers on missions between 1995 and 1999 (N = 850). We predict and find, contrary to the traditional "contact hypothesis" (Allport, 1954), that peacekeepers' contact with Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) workers was positively associated with conflict between them, and this increased if the peacekeeper possessed an avoiding conflict management style. When sufficiently trained in negotiations, peacekeepers who had intensive contact with NGO personnel and possessed a dominating conflict management style were less likely to become personally involved in conflicts with NGO workers. Implications for conflict management and training are discussed.