Comparison of the Effectiveness of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Transactional Analysis on Interpersonal Conflict Resolution of Managers

Background and Purpose: Resolving interpersonal conflict for establishing dynamic and effective workplace is one of the most important skills of managers. Thus, it's essential to know the effectiveness of different ways in this area. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of teaching Neuro-Linguistic Programming strategies and Transactional Analysis on resolving interpersonal conflict of managers. Methodology: The present study was applied and quasi-experimental in terms of method with control and experimental groups. The participants of this study consisted of 66 middle managers of Pars Khodro Company and were randomly selected and placed in groups. The used tools were a conflict resolution questionnaire, Transactional Analysis Training Protocol, and Neuro- Linguistic Programming Training Protocol. In order to analyze the data, repeated measures ANOVA was conducted using SPSS Software Version 16. Findings: Both methods had a significant effect on increasing the scores of managers' conflict resolution compared to the control group, however, the effectiveness of the transactional analysis training was greater. Conclusion: Training of both methods can help managers to resolve interpersonal conflicts effectively by recognizing communication patterns, job design, and forming work teams in accordance with the concepts of both methods, and organizations can provide these trainings to their managers and benefit from the waste of organizational resources due to the reduction of conflicts.