THE MEDIATING ROLE OF CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOB CHARACTERISTICS AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE

The COVID-19 virus leading to the pandemic has highly impacted many sectors, including the business sector. The pandemic and all forms of movement control orders by the authorities affecting low employee performance affect the Malaysian economy significantly. Therefore, this study examines the possible factors leading to high employee performance within SMEs. They are critical to work future, not only for creating jobs and developing the economy but also for driving market competition and innovation. The study’s respondents consist of employees in the SME sector. This study employs a quantitative method. A set of questionnaires was distributed to 287 respondents. This study used AMOS’s Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to analyse the data. The study’s findings indicate that job characteristics and conflict management styles are significantly associated with employee performance. Moreover, conflict management styles mediate the relationship between job characteristics and employee performance. In this study, employee performance is essential to every organisation and helps increase productivity and improve customer service quality.