The study investigated conflict and Innovative Management Styles for Enhanced Performance in Public Universities in Rivers State, Nigeria. Conflicts in public universities are growing in number, kind and complexity. The current university context is clearly more challenging than in the past. The range of conflicts and the forums available for their management are much more far-reaching than ever before. University-based conflicts vary from campus to campus and reflect university size, location, student population, mission, specialization governance and unionization. Conflicts have made management of educational institutions to be the spotlight throughout the state. The study xrayed the meaning of conflicts, identifying conceptual framework, theoretical perspectives of conflicts as Marxism social theory and interactionism theory as it were, moreso, types of conflicts, sources, effects, concept of Management and Educational Management, Conventional and Innovative Management Styles of conflict were considered. The study concluded that conflict in the universities cannot be avoided as far as there is human interaction. The outcome of a conflict can mar or enhance teaches performance depending on the nature of the conflict and management styles or strategies adopted.