INTRODUCTION Confict is a natural occurrence in the workplace because of the dynamics and interdependency amongst employees and with customers. With increased diversity regarding gender, culture, and socioeconomic background, the potential for conficts becomes inevitable in today’s workspace. It’s evident that the above reasons in itself bring in a lot of disagreements on an interpersonal level during work-related interactions; hence, conficts and management of conficts become a topic of keen interest in organizations. Confict styles that individuals chose to negotiate while they have disagreements is an area which fnds a lot of applications in workplaces. The style that a person chooses often may be functional as well as dysfunctional in approach. Modern theorists opine that when confict is recognized and managed properly, personal and organizational benefts are seen (Silverthorne, 2005; Rahim, 2002). Several studies have reported that confict, if not managed, leads to destructive forms of behaviour and lack of trust amongst employees (Ayoko, 2007; Liu, Klein, Chen & Jiang, 2009) and reduced productivity (Boddy, 2014). Though it is said that choosing a confict resolution style is dependent on the situation, by and large, confict management styles preferred by individuals are mostly predetermined by individual characteristics (Antonioni, 1998; Gunkel, Schlaegel & Taras, 2016). An understanding of the dynamics of adoption of confict management styles regarding gender would be of great value in organizations as many researchers have overlooked this. Confict represents the largest reducible cost in many businesses; yet, it remains mostly unrecognized (Dana, 1999; Slaikev, 1998). Addressing confict is a critical component in increasing organizational effectiveness and productivity (Gross & Guerrero, 2000). According to the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study (WERS) survey, managers play a central role in creating, avoiding, or resolving confict; the study has found that unfair treatment or poor relationship with line managers is the single most commonly, cited trigger for employee grievances (Wood, Saundry & Latreille, 2014). Lack of requisite skills to nip confict in the bud (CIPD, 2015) itself is another reason. Chronic patterns of unresolved confict are costly and lead to a dysfunctional organization. A manager is undoubtedly an integral part of any confict-resolution process and managing these conficts often becomes a critical responsibility and activity of them. Therefore, developing constructive or functional confict GENDER ROLE IDENTITY AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES OF MANAGERS IN THE SERVICE SECTOR Smarty P. Mukundan*, Zakkariya K. A.** * Assistant Professor, Deen Dayal Upadhay Kaushal Kendra, CUSAT, Kochi, Kerala, India. Email: smarty123@cusat.ac.in ** Professor, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India. Email: zakkariya@gmail.com Abstract Resolving a confict constructively has often been a challenge for managers and it is found that it varies across gender and personal characteristics. This paper examines confict management styles adopted by practicing managers and their confict management approach, in terms of gender and gender role identity. The study was done with 449 managers employed in the service sector in select cities of Kerala, India. The tools used for measurement were Confict Resolution Inventory (CRI) and Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). Statistical tools like independent sample t-tests and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used for the analysis of data. It was revealed upon analysis that managers are shedding of the typical gender stereotypes and being more androgynous. Signifcant difference in confict management style was found only in confrontation style with respect to gender but found to be signifcant with all confict management styles across the various gender role identities. Unlike the feminine category, androgynous and masculine managers used more of approach modes of confict styles. As both concepts confict management and gender role identity under study are culturally ascribed to an extent, a study of this kind in an Indian context adds on to the existing research work and throws light on the variations. Keywords: Confict Management Styles, Gender Role Identity, Masculinity, Feminity, Androgyny, Managers, Service Sector Journal of Organisation & Human Behaviour 7 (1) 2018, 11-19 http://publishingindia.com/johb/