The relationship between faculty conflict management, emotional intelligence, leadership and quality in higher educatio

The purpose of this quantitative descriptive correlation research study was to determine if relationship existed between faculty conflict management, emotional intelligence, leadership, and quality in higher education. The conception of service quality in higher education is complex, multifaceted, and disputable. As a result there is no best way to measure service quality in higher education. The research study identified a combination of quality indicators used in analyzing quality in higher education and attempted to explain how these factors affected student satisfaction. Faculty conflict management style, emotional intelligence competencies, and leadership styles were measured against five service quality dimensions, and eight student evaluation of educational quality dimensions. The research instruments included the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory, the Emotional Competence Inventory, and the Leadership Style Survey for the faculty. The Service Quality (SERQUAL), and the Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) surveys for the students. The findings included a high correlation between academic and nonacademic service quality dimensions with faculty conflict management styles, emotional intelligence competencies, and leadership styles. The findings supported conclusions that appropriate faculty conflict managing styles, adequate emotional intelligence competencies, and appropriate leadership styles contributed to quality and service quality in higher education. Consensus defining service quality would clearly include student satisfaction constructs. Recommendations for future research included attempting to evaluate the level of service quality and understand how different factors impact overall service quality is crucial so that higher education institutions can plan and design their service in the upmost possible manner.