The Contingency Theory of Strategic Conflict Management: Review from Three Decades of Theory Development, Extension, and Application

Contingency theory explains how theory can explain, relate, and capture interactions between an organization and its multiple publics regarding real-world issues. Over the past three decades, it has emerged as an empirically tested perspective, grounded on how intuitive, nuanced, and textured strategic conflict management is practiced. It represents a paradigmatic shift in thinking from normative thought. This essay first consolidates the theoretical development and explication by mapping out the key tenets of the theory, and then discusses the growth of the theory through extension and application. The last section contemplates new directions as the theory develops.