final report of avari

8/7/2019 FINAL REPORT OF AVARI

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vari Towers, Fatima Jinnah Road, Karachi 75530, Pakistan

AN: +92-21-5660100 | Fax: +92-21-5680310

mail: [email protected] | Web: www.avari.comAN: +92-21-111-AVARIs (282747)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

BISMILLAH-ER-RAHMAN-ER-RAHEEM

First of all we would thank Allah for giving us the guidance and knowledge in writing thisreport.

We would also like to thank Capt. Shehzad Zafar Qureshi (Chief Security Officer) and Miss.Sabita Mushtaq (The Human Resource Manager) for providing us with all the necessary

information and knowledge necessary in the formulation of this report and taking out time

from their busy schedules for us.

We would also thank our sir, Mr. Zeeshan Ali, for providing us with an opportunity and for

building in us a professional and practical approach to write this report which helped us gain

lot of q`2information which will prove very much useful in our professional lives ahead.

Last but not the least, we would like to thank our parents who were very helpful in makingthis report, arranging our trips to Avari Towers Karachi and providing us with coffees and

teas when we were busy making this report!

Without the help and support of all the people we mentioned above, this report would never

have taken the shape in which it is now.

We thank all of them again in making this report “Really Complete”!

Sehrish Shehzad,

Anum Rashid Ashrafi,

Madiha Ahmed,

Sanober Khero,

Maheen Dawood

(BBA-6D)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

S.No CONTENTS Page No.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Letter of Authorization

Letter of Transmittal

Introduction

Executive Summary

Conflict/Conflict Resolution Process

Analysis of The Questionnaire

Articles On Conflict Management

Causes of Policy Conflict At Avari

Conclusion

Recommendations

Appendix (Questionnaire)

Bibliography

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05

06

08

10

16

20

28

30

34

39

43

ss

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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

May 25, 2009.

Dear Mr. Zeeshan Ali,

We are thankful to you for providing us this opportunity to write a report on “The Major Problems in Resolving Conflicts Facing an Organization in Pakistan”. This report has been

prepared by us as per your requirements.

We have selected Avari Towers Karachi as our ideal organization and have discussed allthose practices which are being followed by their management in resolving conflicts. It runs

these practices in very effective fashions. And, therefore it has always been one of the top

names in the hotel industry of Pakistan.

This report has been prepared after we have done some reasonable research work through the

interviews which we conducted during our course of visit and the questionnaire (a copy of which is attached in this report).

We hope that this project report would suffice your requirements and all our efforts for this

report will be fruitful.

Yours truly,

Sehrish Shehzad,

Anum Rashid Ashrafi,Madiha Ahmed,

Sanober Khero,

Maheen Dawood,

(BBA-6D),

Bahria University,

Karachi Campus.

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INTRODUCTION OF AVARI TOWERS KARACHI (ATK)

Avari Towers Karachi is one of the well reputed names in the Hotel and Resorts Industry of Pakistan. Though it’s a Multi-national organization, but it is having a huge response by the

local community. Avari Towers is not a new name in the Corporate Arena, it has a hugebackground. Since 1944 the Avari family has built, owned & managed hotels in Karachi,

Lahore, Dubai and Toronto (Canada). Inside Pakistan, the group owns and operates the 5-star "Avari Towers" in Karachi, the 5-star "Avari Lahore" and the seafront "Beach Luxury" in

Karachi. The Group also manages a 4-star deluxe property in Dubai, i.e. "Avari Dubai".

At every Avari Hotel you can be sure to receive the same warm welcome, be offered

comfortable and well planned accommodation alongside a varied choice of Food & Beverageoptions all delivered will local flair and finesse.

At Avari Towers Karachi (ATK) the average retention period of an employee is 12.5 years,

which is certainly an amazing figure. As the employees are getting more and more degreesand specialization in their respective fields, they try their best to get themselves inducted in

such an organization where not only their expectations are being met with, but also theyshould be given some other major perks and benefits, are provided with the latest trainings

for their fields and where they have to encounter the minimum level of individual and

organizational conflict.

Most organizations fail to provide all these thins at the same time, due to which the

employees tend to leave the organization within a period of 1-3 years.

We chose Avari Towers Karachi because of its wonderful reputation of retaining theemployees for a minimum of 12.5 years as an average. There are certain employees at ATK

who have been serving their since the first foundation stone of ATK has been laid and areserving their till date.

As our report is on “MAJOR ISSUES IN RESOLVING CONFLICTS IN AVARI TOWERS

KARACHI AND THEIR CONFLICT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES”, we are going to digdown deep in the management practices of ATK and discover that hoe they are able to have

such a long retention period of every employee, how do they deal and resolve the conflicts

among the employees and the organization and what trainings are being offered by Avari to

its employees.

Development is growth at ATK. If a person is growing in his career domain and being

promoted, it is his development. They develop a person in its true essence. One of its biggestproves is that the retention period of a single person at ATK is an average of 12.5 years.

When people become a part of ATK, they don’t want to leave. It’s a biggest achievement in

today’s scenario where the biggest problem the companies are facing, it is customer andemployee retention. Training and Development counts a lot and at ATK it means a lot.

Because of this one factor and of course, many others which are discussed further in this

report, ATK has reached huge levels of success and have also gained excellent employees,retained them and have developed them to what they actually wanted to be.

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GRIEVANCE HANDLING

ATK possess huge number of employees, from different territories, cultures, backgrounds

and off-course having different languages, so there is an enormous probability of grievances.This is not with the labor sector only; grievances might come across by any means from any

department because of the factors which are mentioned above. ATK has its own way to

rectify these grievances, they usually arrange dialogue sessions in which both the parties areinvited in front of the rectifiers and they get the equal chance for their justifications of their

points of view and the rest of the matter is worked out by the team. ATK believes that it is

the best way to resolve the problem no matter how critical the problem is, because of this

professional attitude in the entire history of ATK not a single unlike case has come across.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Owing to the paradigm shift in the global business environment, the organizations in Pakistan

are becoming more and more challenging and dynamic. For the new entrants and also for the

existing multinational giants and other companies which are contributing towards Pakistan’seconomy, it is a big necessity to have such management practices which are not only

dynamic but also are flexible enough that they can easily adopt any change in them without

having any resistance and conflicts from the employees. If you are successful in managingchange without having conflicts from the employees, or in other words, it is more likely to

say here that if you possess the best conflict resolution processes only then you will not only

be able to generate huge profits and returns but also you will keep up much comfortably with

the pacing world.

Now the question here is: How do these companies operate? Why are they so successful?

How are they bringing such great profits for our country? How they manage to meet the

challenges? What are their conflict resolution processes etc?To carry out our research for this report, we managed to consult some senior management

professionals and ultimately decided to choose Avari Towers Karachi which, as we foundout, has no doubtedly one of the best management practices and conflict resolution processes

among the companies operating in Pakistan.

Avari Towers Karachi is one of the well reputed names in the Hotel and Resorts Industry of

Pakistan. Though it’s a Multi-national organization with a population of 465 employees andis having a huge response by the local community. Avari Towers is not a new name in the

Corporate Arena, it has a huge background. Since 1944 the Avari family has built, owned &

managed hotels in Karachi, Lahore, Dubai and Toronto (Canada). Inside Pakistan, the group

owns and operates the 5-star "Avari Towers" in Karachi, the 5-star "Avari Lahore" and theseafront "Beach Luxury" in Karachi. The Group also manages a 4-star deluxe property in

Dubai, i.e. "Avari Dubai".

Here, in this report we have gone through a number of research articles, did our analysis of the questionnaire, explained their practices through a conflict resolution process and had a

thorough understanding of their processes and management practices.

We selected two articles of conflict management. In these articles we concluded some very

important findings. We concluded that conflict is an unavoidable part of our lives, whether we are at our homes, at the work place or may it be any where in this world, we have to

encounter conflicts some where or the other and also in different forms and at different

levels. The process of conflict resolution should be taken as an opportunity for growth andchange in a work environment rather than be taken as a hurdle or obstacle lying in the path of

growth and success. If you want to succeed on the individual level, then you should have the

ability to solve conflicts in a very appropriate manner. In the same way, the overall ability of

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a company to solve problems through collaborative efforts which acts as synergy, has a

strong impact on the organization's bottom line and overall success.

The second article talks about the emotions of the people involved in the conflict. We chosethis article because the decision to choose between the emotions and the organization’s

decisions is really very hard. The article has discussed this point in a much greater detail andit also includes the issues pertaining to the emotional view point of conflicts and also

discusses a case study in detail.

The questionnaire discusses the conflict resolution processes and the management practices

at Avari Towers Karachi as we discussed earlier. It includes the analysis of the questionnaire

and covers issues like conflicts on the dress code policy, communication processes, different

types of powers being exercised by Avari Towers etc

We discuss the policy-driven conflicts and finally the recommendations and our conclusion

of the entire research report which we made.

From our research we concluded that at Avari Towers Karachi, they are truly people

oriented. Not only do they maintain the highest standards in operational and managementpractices and enrich peoples’ lives through their services, they also honor their commitment

to their employees and to the members of the community within which they operate. They

strictly adhere to their policies and management practices and continue to serve their customers, and our community through their initiatives and their relentless drive towards

“Making a Better World.”

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WHAT IS CONFLICT?

We define conflict as a disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to

their needs, interests or concerns. Within this simple definition there are several important

understandings that emerge:

Disagreement

Generally, we are aware there is some level of difference in the positions of the two (or

more) parties involved in the conflict. But the true disagreement versus the perceiveddisagreement may be quite different from one another. In fact, conflict tends to be

accompanied by significant levels of misunderstanding that exaggerate the perceived

disagreement considerably. If we can understand the true areas of disagreement, this willhelp us solve the right problems and manage the true needs of the parties.

Avari Hotels in this concern pays great deal of attention to solve the disagreements between

its parties as soon as possible through discussions and mediation. Often the discussions arefacilitated through face to face in front of conflict management committee.

Parties involved

There are often disparities in our sense of who is involved in the conflict. Sometimes, people

are surprised to learn they are a party to the conflict, while other times we are shocked tolearn we are not included in the disagreement.

According to the HR manager:

“On many occasions, our employees are seen as part of the social system (e.g., work

team, family, company) who are influenced to participate in the dispute, whether they

would personally define the situation in that way or not”

In the above example, people very readily "take sides" based upon current perceptions of the

issues, past issues and relationships, roles within the organization, and other factors.

Perceived threat

People respond to the perceived threat, rather than the true threat, facing them. Thus, while

perception doesn't become reality on people's behaviors, feelings and ongoing responsesbecome modified by that evolving sense of the threat they confront. If we can work to

understand the true threat (issues) and develop strategies (solutions) that manage it

(agreement), we are acting constructively to manage the conflict.

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Needs, interests or concerns

Workplace conflicts tend to be far more complex than that, for they involve ongoing

relationships with complex, emotional components. Simply stated, there are always

procedural needs and psychological needs to be addressed within the conflict, in addition to

the substantive needs that are generally presented. And the durability of the interests andconcerns of the parties transcends the immediate presenting situation. Any efforts to resolve

conflicts effectively must take these points into account.

Although conflict is a normal part of organization life, providing numerous opportunities for

growth through improved understanding and insight, there is a tendency to view conflict as anegative experience caused by abnormally difficult circumstances. Disputants tend to

perceive limited options and finite resources available in seeking solutions, rather than

multiple possibilities that may exist 'outside the box' in which we are problem-solving.

A few points are worth understanding before proceeding:

A conflict is more than a mere disagreement - it is a situation in which peopleperceive a threat (physical, emotional, power, status, etc.) to their well-being. As

such, it is a meaningful experience in people's lives, not to be shrugged off by a mere,

"it will pass…"

Participants in conflicts tend to respond on the basis of their perceptions of the

situation, rather than an objective review of it. As such, people filter their perceptions

(and reactions) through their values, culture, beliefs, information, experience, gender,and other variables. Conflict responses are both filled with ideas and feelings that can

be very strong and powerful guides to our sense of possible solutions.

As in any problem, conflicts contain substantive, procedural, and psychologicaldimensions to be negotiated. In order to best understand the threat perceived by those

engaged in a conflict, we need to consider all of these dimensions.

Conflicts are normal experiences within the work environment. They are also, to alarge degree, predictable and expectable situations that naturally arise as we go about

managing complex and stressful projects in which we are significantly invested.

Creative problem-solving strategies are essential to positive approaches to conflictmanagement.

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AVARI’S CONFLICT RESOLUTION PROCESS

1) ”Know yourself” and take care of self

The first step towards the resolution includes Self-awareness and care which are essential toan effective approach to conflict management. The more the people of Avari are aware of

own biases and "hot buttons," the more likely they can prepare mentally, emotionally and

physically to respond in a preferred way. In addition, if they take good care of themselves byexercising, eating properly and getting adequate sleep, that can help them listen well and

clearly express their needs in attempting to work out a solution to the conflict.

To take its employees care, Avari has its excellent lunch facility which is of superb taste and

hygiene to also maintain each employee’s and management health. It also provides discount

to its employees to take advantage of the amenities at its best!

According to HR specialist:

“We all have different ways of responding to conflicts, and those responses lead to

understandable consequences. These responses include our behaviors, feelings,

thoughts, and physical reactions”

2) Clarify Personal needs threatened by the dispute

The Avari manager added to our knowledge:

“Whenever we are confronted by a conflict, we have three sets of needs to be negotiated”

Substantive needs

Substantive needs have to do with the "stuff" of the conflict, often the problem that we feel

needs to be solved.

Procedural needs

Procedural needs relates to the process of addressing these substantive needs. Ground rules, for

example, are a process step that can help ensure that all stakeholders of Avari feel included in

a meaningful way.

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http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/onlinetraining/resolution/step2.htm#groundrules

http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/onlinetraining/resolution/step2.htm#groundrules



Psychological needs

Psychological needs relate to a fostering a safe environment, one in which people are willing

to take the risks involved in honestly communicating their differences, concerns and potentialsimilarities to one another.

In any dispute, all three types of needs are present and must be addressed. . If we are going toreally try to build a meaningful agreement, we will need to understand how these variousneeds are present for each person in the situation.

These are some of the points which are relying upon Avari’s policies and thus they arenegotiated according to their needs the employees trust are formulated within the organization.

3) Identify the safe place for negotiation

Safe Space

In order to have a constructive conversation, Avari’s employees and management generally

needs to feel that they are in a "safe place," which generally means a place where they cantake the risks involved in honest communication about meaningful issues.

Therefore Avari ensures that their interaction is surrounded by looking at their concerns!

Appropriate Time

To be sure that the time is also acceptable and appropriate Avari does not even try tonegotiate a complex agreement in fifteen minutes! If time is limited, they agree on a scope

for the discussion and then set up an opportunity for follow-up.

4)Take a listening stance into the interaction

There is a listening stand at Avari to facilitate interaction between all of the parties involved.

5) Asserting needs clearly and specifically

At this point, it is important to get the Avari’s management concerns communicated as

clearly and specifically as possible. The challenge, of course, is to do so in a manner that islikely to be heard and understood by the other person. Assertive communication is the

process of conveying one's needs and concerns clearly and specifically, while respecting theneeds of the other party.

Be prepared for a defensive, even hostile, response to your assertions. Just because you have

demonstrated your ability to listen well doesn't mean the other person is able to do so!

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6) Avari’s approach towards problem-solving with flexibility

The following outcome occurs when the stage is reached of the problem solving at Avari:

At this stage of the discussion, good rules for problem solving and analysis apply. Using

whatever tools and processes Avari may have at their disposal in order to engage in a creative,and productive process, as well as the use of an external facilitator or mediator if they feel itwould be beneficial to the group engaged in negotiations.

The HR manager said:

“Be sure to take one issue at a time, starting with an issue that both of you agree is

worthy of discussion. Try to make it a "bitable bite," rather than the most difficult

issue of conflict”

Avari generating other possible solutions to the problem,

"Brainstorming" ideas or otherwise making sure that all parties participate in the process. At

this stage, it is important to defer judgments and evaluations of potential solutions, for to do

so prematurely risks creating a "chilling effect" on the further generation of ideas. If one ideais rejected too quickly, other ideas may be similarly rejected without appropriate

consideration. Even if they quickly identify an acceptable solution, it is useful to explore a

few additional ideas before settling on the best answer to the problem.

Clarify the criteria

Avari tries to clarify the criteria that are used for evaluating options, sometimes this can bean important insight for parties as they negotiate, because they may have different notions of what they value in a good solution. For example, one person may value a quick solution,

while the other wants one that is longer lasting. One person may want to do something that is

inexpensive, staying within our current budget, while the other person may feel that it is okayto spend more today to save money and stress in the future.

Avari believes:

“Good solutions to problems emerge from mutually acceptable criteria being applied in

a clear decision-making process”

It may be important to acknowledge the larger issue or another concern that is beyond your

control, but it is important to prevent such concerns from becoming "tangents" that take up

the time and energy in less constructive ways. If it feels like the discussion has drifted intoanother area, check for clarification of the agenda at hand

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http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/onlinetraining/resolution/resources.htm#toolsandprocesses

http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/onlinetraining/resolution/resources.htm#toolsandprocesses



7) Avari managing deadlock with calm, patience, and respect

It may also be true that certain issues will not present immediate solutions, and an impasse

will be reached regarding such issues. Impasse is the point within a dispute in which the

parties are unable to perceive effective solutions.

It does happen at Avari that employees feel sometimes stuck, frustrated, angry, and

disillusioned. As a result, they might either dig their heels in deeper, anchoring themselves in

extreme and rigid positions, or they might decide to "take their marbles and go home,"

withdrawing from negotiation. Either way, impasse represents a turning point in our effortsto negotiate a solution to the conflict. As such, rather than avoiding or dreading it, impasse

should be viewed with calm, patience, and respect which Avari tries to achieve at our best

possible efforts.

8) Avari Agreement Building That Works:

If unexpected problems or challenges come up (for example, someone gets sick or

unexpected workload changes make it difficult to pay attention to the agreement for a few

days), Avari communicates openly with every person involved about these challenges.

As appropriate, Avari has its way by sitting down again in order to renegotiate solutions onthe basis of new information.

People generally try their hardest to make things work, and it is important to communicate

with each other about potential pitfalls before they fester and become crises.

It is often useful to build into the agreement an opportunity to "check back" with each other

to evaluate progress towards implementation. In this way, any concerns about the agreement

can be uncovered in a timely way, rather than waiting for problems to worsen. Such ameeting also provides an opportunity to recognize the good work and progress together.

Finally, such a meeting can be quite important for providing a safe space in which to explore

additional issues and concerns, especially those that were not viewed as "safe" to explore inthe previous conversation.

According to HR manager:

“By peeling away another "layer of the conflict," we may get to importantconversations, even if they prove to be difficult. In that event, it is important to return

to the first steps of the process, and proceed with patience, flexibility and respect”

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ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONNAIRE

Q1) What is Avari’s policy on professionalism? For which designation does your dress code

policy applies? Explain.

In few departments wearing of uniforms is made compulsory (like in gas department). It does

creates conflict. People wear uniforms who are from lower class (mostly) but we

(management of Avari) think it is convenient for them, because wearing new clothes onregular basis will cost them more. But to avoid discrimination at the same time, we ensure

them that they will be treated equally.

Q2) Inconsistency in communication always creates conflict. How does your organizationsupport this aspect? Explain

Yes, communication barrier is present because the Avari’s General Manager

is Scottish and that is why employees feel difficult to interact with him. His PA plays a roleof interpreter.

Q3) Do you exercise coercive power? In which situations ? The conflict if created, how do

you resolve it?

In some cases the management of Avari used coercive power which also has its reasonswhich is evident from one incident that took place at Avari’s locker rooms where lower level

employees changes uniform. Employees started a very unethical act that is they carry spitting

over there, so to prevent that we have started doing physical search.

Management also tries to resolve conflict with mediation and having discussions with

employees to know their point of view. If the conflict arises between the employees then wetry to resolve it among them.

Q4) Does the management of Avari gives such flexibility to employees that they canchallenge them for any dispute that occurs?

Employees have the right to say and give their suggestions against the conflict they have, to

have a way through the management of Avari organizes meetings on monthly basis.

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Q5) How does the management makes employees trust them at Avari?

(a) Changing its own behavior (b) Improving its management process

(c) Setting clear standards

(d) Offering training and help(e) All the above.

Management uses all of the above tools to develop employee’s trust on them. Training anddevelopment is very important and also plays a major role in building trust of employees on

management. It also helps as motivational tool and also increase overall productivity of

organization.

Q6) Does your organization practice bonus policy/ reward policy for any desired behavior to

minimize the conflict?

Yes, the management of Avari does give bonuses for such behavior shown by employees.Giving away rewards to employees for such things always provide positive results, and

employees participate actively in resolving conflict which helps management to resolveconflicts quickly and also motivate employees in future to take active part in resolving

conflict.

Q7) Resolving conflict and working together leads to improved communication, whichmeans that employees now surface their underlying basis causing additional conflict? Do you

agree?

Yes, the management of Avari totally agreed with it. And for that purpose management

organize monthly communication meetings with Hod’s in these meetings employees are free

to talk about the problems they are facing regarding workplace or any other thing. Because of these meetings interaction between employees and management increases.

According to our analysis monthly communication has its valued employees for theorganization to prosper as a whole.

Q8) Surprises are not accepted by the employees its better to make them understand earlier to

accept the upcoming change. What do you think?

Yes, surprises are often disliked by the employees so we have to make them beware of it. At

Avari we make employees aware of upcoming change 1 year before, to reduce the risk of arising of conflicts.

Q9) Right workforce also plays an important role in minimizing conflict, what do you thing?

Yes, it plays an important role in minimizing conflict, at Avari the management tries to hire

right person for right job, and also maintain right workforce to minimize conflicts.

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Q11) Do you follow an open door policy?

Yes, Avari have open door policy for all employees. This means, literally, that every

manager's door is open to every employee. The purpose of our open door policy is to

encourage open communication, feedback, and discussion about any matter of importance toan employee. Our open door policy means that employees are free to talk with any manager

at any time.

Q12) If any policy is creating conflict among employees how do you handle the situation?

(a) Change the policy

(b) Change the attitude of the employees toward it

Avari does not have any policy that creates conflicts. But if any conflict occurs then we will

discuss it with employees, and will first go for changing the attitudes of employees towards

the policy, if we fail to do so then only we go changing the policy.

Q13) Do you have any separate department which handles conflict situations?

Avari does not have any separate department to handle or resolve conflicts, all conflicts come

to Hr department and they resolve it.

Q14) Do you have a fixed group of people who handle the conflict situation or different

related groups are formed at the time of conflict?

Avari tries at its best to resolve conflicts at department level. It all depends on situation ,

firstly it comes to Hr manager then to General manager and in last to Head of department

(HODs). Hr manager GM and HOD all are together to resolve the conflict then it is calledconflict department committee.

Q15) When management wants to bring the change in organization, employees resist thechange. In your opinion they resist it because they think change is not fruitful for the

company or they are afraid of loosing their jobs?

Dealing with human capital is very difficult, in our opinion employees resist the changebecause of both the factors mentioned above, but they are more worried about loosing their

jobs, so Avari have to explain them which type of benefit they will get from it. Like

employees where so much attach with their old uniform they don’t want to change it thenAvari make them agree on it.

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Q16) Some policies reduce the control employees have over their life, is it correct?

Yes it is absolutely correct, but at Avari they don’t have such type of policies and we are

totally against of these types of policies. According to them they doesn’t’ likes to spy on their

employees and they wants the employees to have trust on them and employees trust is veryimportant for us.

Q17) Is 360- Degree evaluation for performance practiced in your organization?If yes, than how do you resolve conflict arising from the unfair evaluation of any employee

by his peer or boss etc?

360- Degree is not practiced whereas there is 180- Degree evaluation.

Q18) If condition such as theft, fighting, harassment, fraud etc occur in your company, how

do you resolve this conflict?

These types of conflict are handled by security department. And in case of fighting and

harassment we try to resolve it the discussion but in case of theft and fraud Avari try toresolves with discussion but if it is of serious nature then they directly go for firing the

person.

Q19) How do you handle the conflicts arising from brain storming session in your company?

Avari gives preference to resolve conflict among the employees and if it remains unsolved

then concerned departments work together to resolve it.

Q20) Keeping in mind the present economic condition how you people are dealing with

overstaffing or understaffing?

Avari is not touching the number of staff. They are not doing rightsizing or downsizing;

instead they are carrying a wonderful practice that is they are increasing the salaries by 25%to motivate employees to work hard to fight with recession.

According to them:

Because of this policy we are getting revenues in this recession period.

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ARTICLES

Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

by Christine Kemp-Longmore

Conflict is an inevitable aspect of life. If the process of conflict resolution is viewed as anopportunity for growth and change in a work environment, the potential for a positive

outcome is great. On an individual level, the ability to solve problems or manage change

plays an important role in one's success. In the same way, the overall ability of a company to

solve problems through collaborative efforts, has a strong impact on the organization'sbottom line and overall success.

When conflict is unresolved, it takes on a life of its own and eventually produces damage that

could have been prevented. As an example, consider the NBA lock out last basketball season.The players may never have anticipated such a dispute and in that way failed to identify a

problem. Because of whatever communication breakdown there was, defining the problembecame impossible because it self-destructed. On the surface, the problem was about money

but obviously there was more to the story and more than enough money to go around. Theproblem was not managed effectively, so the opportunity to decide to work together was lost.

Everyone ended up losing out as a result, even the fans. A more extreme and unpleasant form

of unresolved conflict is war.

As a college student preparing to graduate, you can attest to the fact that the life of an

African-American student is challenging, rewarding, fun, and full of obstacles to overcome.

As you prepare to enter the work world, be armed not only with the many academic

accomplishments and credentials you have painstakingly earned. Take with you the

additional skills you have developed from solving problems and resolving conflicts thatyou've encountered along the way. Whether it was facing discriminatory attitudes, figuring

out how to balance the work with the study of a work-study job or transforming the four walls of your dorm room into a home away from home, you have undoubtedly exercised

creative problem-solving and conflict management skills.

When you began your academic career, you began by planning. Just as living up to the

requirements of your chosen major has required a detailed plan of accomplishment, your career planning will require a carefully thought out series of steps to get you where you want

to be. During the course of carrying out your career plans and in the day-to-day routine of

working, you will encounter difficulties and obstacles that you can begin preparing for now.

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Richard Duran, senior director of Human Resources for Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc. had

this to say regarding the topic of conflict resolution; " I have come to expect it {conflict} as a

part of my everyday routine in dealing with business issues. If we walk away from conflictand don't understand it, we are doomed to repeat and recreate the conflict. Not working

through problems just slows down the process of understanding. Avoiding conflict creates

tension and frustration. On the other hand, if I work through the conflict, I can bothunderstand the other person's point of view and express my perspective. The process then

begins to build trust and understanding. I would not be successful, nor a survivor, if I did not

deal with conflict openly. It would eat me up inside or cause me political problems within theorganization."

What Does a Company Stand For?

Being familiar with your current or prospective employer's grievance policies, statements of

commitment to diversity, and equal opportunity practices is very important. Most companies

have policies that provide guidelines for conflicts. Unfortunately, many of these policies

were created from a reactionary perspective, not a preventative one. They have beendesigned to address problems and conflicts at the point that a problem requires intervention

for damage control. Forward-thinking companies strive to create an atmosphere with built-inopportunities to voice concerns and participate in the process of change on a continual basis.

A wise person once said, "you learn more from listening than speaking," It seems rather

obvious but it's amazing how many people don't know how to listen effectively. Because

communication skills are essential in conflict resolution, taking it upon yourself to improvethese skills should rank high on your list of things to do upon entering into today's

workplace. The fine art of listening is a great starting point for increasing your

communication skills. Aside from understanding whatever information is being presented, an

important second outcome of effective listening is that the person speaking feels heard. Whensomeone feels heard, positive rapport begins to develop. When it comes time for this person

to listen to you, you will have a willing listener.

Important Do's and Don'ts for Active Listening

• Do maintain appropriate eye contact.• Don't look down.

• Do paraphrase at the appropriate time (for example…Is what you're saying?…).

• Don't interrupt.

• Do be aware of your own body language and your tone of voice.

• Don't assume.

• Do listen.

• Don't mismatch your style.

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A slightly more involved aspect of active listening is developing the skill of recognizing

personality types and styles of communication. Many communication consultants and

trainers have over the years used charts that categorize people into groups of personalitytypes. While I have always found these personality type charts to be too complicated, there is

a lot of value in being familiar with the information. The art of "speaking someone's

language" and adjusting your style appropriately to fit or blend with someone else's style(sometimes referred to as 'matching') is a good strategy for producing a positive outcome of

any interaction.

Communication is the key to managing conflict, solving problems, and producing your

desired outcome of any interaction. Here are some suggestions that can be useful in a varietyof situations such as interviews, sales meetings, and communicating in difficult situations.

Start with any basic question such as, "Do you have a pen I can use?" Asking for help puts

people at ease and most people like to feel helpful. Initially, let the other person do thetalking by asking relevant questions and listen. Through your eye contact, responses, and

body language, let the person know that you are listening. Avoid chit-chat and refocus the

conversation with a question if the person strays from the topic at hand. Make a mental noteof the person's communication style. Does he or she speak fast or slow, quiet or loud? Whatis her tone? Is she upset, excited, unenthusiastic, or upbeat? After making a quick assessment

of these few details, adjust your style appropriately. If you tend to be more relaxed in your

style of communication and this person has a quicker pace, pick up your pace a bit. Make anote of whether the person is asking you or telling you something. A person, who asks in

general more than he/she tells, likes to be asked rather than told.

During the course of your conversation with someone you are negotiating and/or working

with, pick something out about the person you notice such as, "What seems to be importantto this person? Is it attention to detail, compliance, or productivity, for example?

At the point in the conversation where the person begins asking you the questions, he/she is

prepared to listen. Whatever you have to present at this point will most likely be received

favorably. A request, constructive criticism, sales pitch, or identification of a problem now isbest because you have engaged the person, assessed his/her style, and gotten the person's

interest in what you have to say or offer.

If you are attempting to resolve a conflict, the process can be simple or complex. It can takeno more than a single meeting of the minds while other conflicts may take an ongoing

process and in some cases the use of outside mediators. The importance of creativity in

resolving problems cannot be emphasized enough. Having spent a number of years assisting

people with disabilities in employment, creativity has been a necessity. Sometimes beingcreative means taking a look at a problem from a different perspective.

22



Taking a creative approach to conflict management often results in simplifying the problem

so that the solution becomes obvious. Whatever approach is taken, if it is well thought out, it

will at least begin to move the situation toward resolution.

Use Documentation as a Tool Whenever you find yourself in a conflict on the job,

documentation is important for many reasons. If solutions are tried and don't work,documentation of the process that led up to that point can serve as a tool for going back to "

square one." Concerning issues of harassment, discrimination or otherwise unfair labor practices, documentation can make or break a case should it turn into a legal matter.

Documenting the process of conflict resolution when it has worked well can produce a

format that can be used again.

Moving On Always be prepared to compromise and/or move on. Everyone involved in theprocess of change should be prepared for the possibility that things won't go their way.

Moving on may be difficult, but it is completely necessary. The world of work is moving and

changing at an incredible rate and none of us can afford to get stuck in the yesterday's

problems. Conflict is a very natural part of our lives. If we expect positive outcomes of change, we'll create and find them ourselves. If we don't, well you know the saying, "stuff

happens." Choices about how we learn and grow from changes on the job or in any aspect of life are ours to make. The question is, " Do we want to let things happen, or make them

happen?"

.

23



Conflict Managementby Prof. M.S. Rao

“Never look who is right and wrong. Always look what is right and wrong.” –

Prof.M.S.Rao

When you look at individuals there will be involvement of egos and emotions. On the

contrary, when you look at the issues there will be no individual preferences and prejudices.

Better judgment prevails.

Susan was working in a multinational company in India as an Human Resource (HR)

Manager. Her role was to recruit the candidates for the company and to ensure smoothfunctioning of office administration. She was a smart worker and built a reputation for

herself from superiors by working for six years. The top management also respected andconsulted her on several occasions. She did not talk to anyone unnecessarily at the work place and she meant business. She was 33 years old. She was bold and beautiful. She was

polite and well mannered. She was a woman with strong character. But she was stubborn by

nature. She disliked office politics.

Ron joined in the same company who was hard working and was yet to prove his abilities

and establish his credentials. Prior to joining this organization, he had 18 years of industry

experience in several companies and he was 39 years old. As per the rules of the company,Ron had to work with Susan initially. He was a hard worker and rose from ranks. He learnt

bitter lessons in his life and knew the value of life. But he was adamant by nature. Both Ron

and Susan respected each other and had been working together.

Susan was introvert, by nature, and hardly mingled with other employees. At the same time,

she never kept ill will against anybody. She was a principled woman having exposure to

outside world. She was combination of education, intellect and beauty with grace which wasa rare combination. She was good at heart and helpful. Seeing the close and cordial relations

between Susan and Ron, a few people working in the office felt jealousy. Since Susan never

socialized with others and her cordial relations with Ron upset a few of their colleagues.

Ron also never socialized with anyone as he believed in his office work although he was an

extrovert by nature. Ron initially moved closely with a colleague by name John. But John

started speaking ill of Susan to Ron which Ron did not like. Gradually Ron distanced himself away from John who tried to settle his scores with Susan as they worked together in the past.

Ron was basically an independent thinker and never listened to others and he followed his

heart rather than looking things from the mind of others.

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Ron’s gelling with Susan in a friendly manner upset a few and especially two femalecolleagues. They tried to create rift between them by talking ill of Susan with Ron. Ron never

liked to entertain negative people and was totally against office politics. Since the plan failed

to work, they attempted to poison the mind of Susan who initially resisted the same. But over

a period of time, Susan stopped talking to Ron and the latter did not know the reasons butRon sensed some problem. However he began interacting with Susan with the same spirit to

keep the things going on smoothly. Since Susan began neglecting Ron, he also began

concentrating on work and avoided Susan totally except whenever there was need for officialinteraction and communication.

In fact, Susan touched the subconscious mind of Ron. As a result, Ron began thinking about

Susan frequently and deeply. Ron was not able to concentrate on his work properly. For Ron,Susan was the second woman to enter in his life and the first woman was his wife.

At heart, Ron was thankful to Susan as she helped him to groove within the system. Hedeveloped admiration towards her but never revealed to others at the workplace even to

Susan. In fact, Susan touched the heart of Ron.

One day, Susan told Ron to collect resumes from the candidates who came in for walk-in

interview. Ron got up from his cubicle and asked her whether to give the same to Senior

Manager. She said, “Yes”. Ron was energetic by nature; he rushed immediately to get theresumes and collected from the candidates. Subsequently, Ron rushed to the Senior Manager

and handed over the resumes and chatted with him for some time.

Susan who was waiting outside the Senior Manager’s cabin took Ron to nearby room with

anger and shouted at him. Both had heated conversation for some time.

Susan questioned Ron, “Who told you to hand over the resumes to Senior Manager?”

Ron replied, “When I asked you, you told to hand over to Senior Manager. Therefore, I

handed over to him.”

Susan shouted, “You rushed inside the room. But I told you to hand over to Jim.”

Ron said, “You told me to hand over to Senior Manager. Therefore, I handed over the same.”

And he added, “Why do you make it a big issue?”

Susan shouted, “You did not listen properly and your behavior is not good”.

Ron did not want to hurt her and asked, “Ok! Tell me in which way my behavior is bad? And

25



I will change my behavior.” And he added further, “You keep something else in your heartand talk something else outside. I don’t like this. I am straightforward. I respect you a lot

from the core of my heart. But every time, you listen to negative people and rush to wrong

conclusions about me.”

Susan said, “Stop talking all that! Next time don’t repeat like this.”

Ron pacified, “Ok! I will not do like this. But it all happened due to your miscommunication

and let us close the issue here itself.”

Susan cooled down her temper and said, “Now you go outside the room.”

Ron left the room puzzled, shocked and it was first time in his life a woman took him to task

for none of his mistakes. But since he respected Susan at the core of his heart he didn’t like tohurt her in any way.

Outside the room, a few office friends asked Ron to find out what had happened. He did notreveal what really happened inside the room as he was basically a confidential person by

nature.

After some time, Ron called Susan telephonically and explained his stand that things went

wrong due to improper communication. And he apologized her for the incident. Susan said

that she was in a position to take action against him but said that she would not initiate any

action against him. Ron asserted that he was not bothered for any kind of action but moreworried if Susan was hurt.

The issue depressed Ron for many days as he failed to analyze where he went wrong. He wasnot worried about the incident but more worried as he liked Susan very much. Ron kept

internalizing her and thinking of Susan all the time. It disturbed his peace and sleep. He tried

to communicate the same with Susan number of times but the latter never gave such anopportunity.

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After reading this, please post your valuable comments directly on the blog itself:

Was it a conflict?

If it was a conflict, what led to this conflict?Was it due to miscommunication?

Was it due to improper communication of Susan?

Was it due to lack of understanding of Ron?Was it due to clash of egos?

Who was responsible for this conflict - Susan or Ron?

Was there anything hidden between these two personalities?Did the real issues come up or anything still hidden between them?

Was there any role of third person for this rift?Was the conflict worth calling for attention?

Who was wrong?What were the other hidden reasons?

27



CAUSES OF POLICY CONFLICT

UNFAIR AND UNREASONABLE REQUIREMENTS

Avari towers goes beyond this point. Avari has its fair policies and reasonable requirements

that are in confrontation with socially accepted norms and culture and for that reason there isan employee retention rate of 12 1/2 years.

Looking at the situation in Pakistan where there is no guarantee of violent activities to occur,

Avari has its employees to leave at their standard time and not make them sit for long hoursto avoid in- competency and lack of concentration.

For which employees feel a sense of strong bond with the organization and they live like a

family.

LOSS OF CONTROL

Avari does not make such policies that focus on loss of control of employees, insteademployees feel a sense of ownership in the organization as a whole which leads to

increased motivation and acknowledgement.

UNHEALTHY COMPETITION

Avari towers have policy such as pay for performance or bonus programs that allow

employee action to determine the allocation of rewards are often used provide incentives for desired behavior. They may be healthy and encourage improved organizational by:

• Communicate what management believes is important.

• Communicate the need for excellent performance.

• Provide incentives for excellent performance.

• Communicate the need for poor performers to improve.

Avari tower have health competition that’s why there is so high retention rate otherwise no

any other organization have such a high retention rate for 12 years. They give rewards andincentives to motives employees.

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POOR COMMUNICATION

Avari tower not have poor Communication but they have effective Communication withemployees Avari management always try that there Communication should be clear to all

employees as they all get them. Avari tower’s General Manager is Scottish so for employees

it became difficult to interact with him that’s why his PA plays a role of predictor.

For effective Communication Management organizes monthly communication meetings with

Hod’s. In these meetings employees are free to talk about the problems they are facingregarding workplace or any other thing. Because of these meetings interaction between

employees and management increases.

INFLEXIBLE APPLICATION

Policies typically cover future, so its necessary to make policies which can be altered

according to the change of environment. At Avari all policies are flexible enough; they can

be change or altered with the passage of time. If employees want any change in the policythen they are free to discuss it with the management in monthly meetings. Because of having

flexible policies Avari not have to face conflicts regarding policies.

DISCRIMINATORY APPLICATION

When too much flexible applications are formed, and specific individuals are exempted from

following some policies from their discrimination started taking place and can create

conflicts among employees or between employees and management

Like at Avari uniform wearing is compulsory for lower staff, this can create conflict, because

they might think that they are not being equally treated by the management. But managementof Avari says that they discuss this matter with the employees and they make them

understand the advantages of wearing uniform at workplace. By this way they eliminate the

root cause of conflict.

29



CONCLUSION

At every Avari Hotel you can be sure to receive the same warm welcome, be offered

comfortable and well planned accommodation alongside varied choices of Food & Beverageoptions all delivered with local flair and finesse. The Avari Towers Karachi is the most

exclusive hotel for the distinguished business leaders on the move.

Wherever there are choices to be made, differences may provide challenges or opportunities.

One difficulty is the possibility that differences will result in increased contention.Supervisors may have to act as mediators and arbitrators from time to time. The advantage of

mediation is maintaining responsibility for problem solving and conflict resolution at the

level of those who own the challenge. Selecting an outside mediator often makes sense.

Several roles taken on by the mediator include understanding each participant’s perspective;

setting ground rules for improved communication; coaching participants on effectiveinteraction styles; equalizing power; and helping participants plan for future interaction.

Avari has its mediation practices and resolves through discussions to actually eliminate the

conflict. They consider that in due issues which cannot be resolved easily there should be asupervisor that acts in the role of an arbitrator, it is more important to make a fair judgment

than to try to please all workers involved.

The ability to resolve conflict in the workplace is a valuable skill to have. When workplace

conflict is not managed efficiently this can lead to disastrous repercussions. Employer-

employee resentments create office politics and unpleasant workplace atmospheres. When

faced with conflict, employees are faced with a notion to either fight or flight.

The best thing to focus on when faced with resolving conflict in the workplace is your mainobjective and the relationship at stake. How important is your goal and to what lengths are

you willing to go in order to achieve this?

Similarly, consider the relationship with the person you are conflicting with. At best in anychallenge there is a winner and a loser. How do you feel about possibly damaging an

important work relationship? While faced with such a paradox you will eventually have to

come to a conclusion.

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Conflict resolution is an ideal term but it is now being frequently used because it gives a

sense of hope to those people who are under the shadow of endless sense of insecurity and

fear. When human mind tends to be violent, aggressive, egocentric and chauvinistic, theoutcome has been the frequent outbreak of wars and other forms of hostility. Does it mean

that unless human mind is restructured and is made peaceful, we will continue to face the

outbreak of conflicts? Is it possible to change the psychological and sociological behavior of people so that aggressive, chauvinistic and violent tendencies of human mind are

neutralized?

Conflict management refers to the long-term management of intractable conflicts. It is the

label for the variety of ways by which people handle grievances—standing up for what they

consider to be right and against what they consider to be wrong. Those ways include such

diverse phenomena as gossip, ridicule, lynching, terrorism, warfare, feuding, genocide, law,mediation, and avoidance. Which forms of conflict management will be used in any given

situation can be somewhat predicted and explained by the social structure—or social

geometry—of the case

One particularly damaging form of conflict avoidance is to send someone else to deliver amessage or confront another on our behalf. At best, the individual not spoken to directly will

be hurt that such a tactic was taken. At worst, the go-between person cherishes the power trip

involved, allowing himself to become a sort of arbiter in the conflict.

We often are too quick to assume that a disagreement has no possible mutually acceptable

solution. Talking about disagreements may result in opportunities to strengthen relationships

and improve productivity. Obviously, talking problems through is not so easy.

Confronting an issue may require:

(1) Exposing oneself to ridicule or rejection

(2) Recognizing we may have contributed to the problem,

(3) Willingness to change.

Team conflicts at Avari:

At Avari there are no as such team conflicts, but if so it's important to move in a positive and

proactive way to reduce conflict and get the team back on-track. Remember, all teams go

through the Storming Stage. If a team says they haven't, they're kidding themselves, and you,too! To get beyond this stage, it is critical to encourage and facilitate honest and open

discussion about disagreements. The Storming Stage can be marked by high levels of

frustration and/or apathy, so addressing these issues quickly can be the difference betweentrue conflict management and just "sweeping it under the rug," the old "Let's agree to

disagree." High performing teams successfully address these issues and then move on to the

next stage of team development.

31

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict



According to Avari manager

There are several foes often combine to create contention:

• Our first enemy is the natural need to want to explain our side first. After all, we

reason, if they understand our perspective, they will come to the same conclusions wedid.

• Our second enemy is our ineffectiveness as listeners. Listening is much more than

being quiet so we can have our turn. It involves a real effort to understand another person's perspective.

• Our third enemy is fear. Fear that we will not get our way. Fear of losing something

we cherish. Fear we will be made to look foolish or lose face. Fear of the truth ... that

we may be wrong.• Our fourth enemy is the assumption that one of us has to lose if the other is going to

win: that such differences can only be solved competitively.

Conflicts created by Misuse of power are eradicated at Avari:

Conflict can also arise as a result of the misuse or abuse of power (for example in the case of bullying or harassment). At certain times at least, therefore, preventing conflict is likely to

involve making sure that policies and procedures in relation to bullying and harassment are in

place and are actively used, rather than simply being pieces of paper on a shelf gatheringdust. The same can be said of discrimination. Where an individual or group is being unfairly

discriminated against, we should not be surprised if the situation leads to conflict.

Value Differences are eliminated at Avari to minimize conflict:

Conflict can also be closely associated with value differences. For example, it is often said inrelation to particular teams that there is a lack of teamwork because of personality clasheswithin that staff group. However, it can be argued that differences in value positions play a

much greater role in team conflict than individual personality differences. For example, it is

not uncommon for people to be able to get on well together socially (and therefore have noapparent personality clashes), but still not be able to work effectively together because of

their different approaches to the work task. These differences of approach are likely to owe a

great deal to differences of value perspective. A further important way of preventing conflict,therefore, is to be clear about the value base of a team's work and attempt to deal

constructively with any differences of perspective.

32



Policy Driven Conflict At Avari:

When inquired with the HR manager at Avari:

According to her ,

“Avari hotels do not have any such policy which is a way through for conflicts, but if still there is, they resolve it through meetings and discussions involving management

and employee under the supervision of conflict department committee."

But if still there is any problem or any disagreement that leads to conflict they solve it

through discussions and mediations and in serious cases arbitration is also used at Avari

Hotels.

COMMUNICATION MEETINGS AT AVARI

Avari has its monthly communication meetings with head of department where employees

freely can convey their concerns by challenging the management as well. Avari hotels have

completely eradicated the worst form in communication by not sending someone else todeliver a message or confront another or behalf. Which is not avoided could hurt the

individual not spoken directly that such a tactic was taken and would ultimately leads toconflict.

At Avari Conflict resolution is an ideal term but it is now being frequently used because itgives a sense of hope to all those people who are under the shadow of endless sense of

insecurity and fear.

33



RECOMMENDATIONS

The good news is that there are simple and effective tools to spin positive solutions andstrengthen relationships out of disagreements. But let not the simplicity of the concepts

obscure the challenge of carrying them out consistently. Certainly life gives us plenty of opportunities to practice and attempt to improve

Each circumstance is different, but, generally speaking, there are three levels at which value-laden conflicts can be addressed, and this should be done through the use of skilled,

experienced facilitators. They can:

Assist stakeholders to discover and agree on shared principles and interests,

Help participants reach agreement on processes for relating to each other, making

decisions, gathering and releasing information, and managing disagreements, and

Guide ongoing and fundamental shifts in participants’ view of themselves and their

values as specific decisions are framed and negotiated.

For such objectives to achieve Avari should practice:

• ACTIVE LISTENING AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Avari has its inconsistency in communication due to Scottish GM, employees find it difficult

to understand that is why they should try to deal with the underlying reasons for conflict;

• UNDERSTAND AND THEN UNDERSTOOD

Use your active listening skills. With a clear understanding of how the other person seesthings, you are now in a position to go further into a discussion and bring forward some of

you criterion, needs and goals.

• FOCUS ON OPTIMISM

Focus on the positive side of each person's differences. Each person brings a different

strength to the table.

HIGH PERFORMANCE MODE

If you want your team to be high performance, then you also need to be in a highperformance mode, especially if you're the Team Leader or Facilitator.

34



REDESIGN THE JOB

If possible, redesign the job or role to maximize group effectiveness.

IF MULTIPLE CONCLICTS

If you are dealing with multiple conflicts, start with the one that seems easiest to resolve. Gofor the quick victory. That will set a tone of success in conflict management.

AVOID OVERLOOKING

Do not overlook the possibility that you may be causing or exacerbating the conflict.

THIRD PERSON INTERVENTION

If necessary, bring in a third person to act as a mediator.

REMEMBER THAT ALL CONFLICTS ARE NOT BAD

A moderate amount of conflict is healthy and essential to a well-functioning team.

FOCUS “OUT” BEFORE FOCUSING “IN”

Focusing "out" means understanding the other party's point of view before expressing your

own. Why does this matter? Because it puts the other person at ease knowing that their

concerns have been heard and validated

DON’T COMPROMISE THE ORGANIZATION’S PRINCIPLES

If Avari considered everything and believe that some things must stay the way they are, they

should explain their reasons and then stick with it. This applies both to a situation betweenmanagement and workers and between workers themselves. Not every rule or every situation

will be loved by all. Trying to please everyone is both impossible and unhealthy.

AVOID FAVOURTISM

Of course managers have favorites. But don't let that change how they deal with people inthese situations. Don't let personal favoritism color your impartiality. It's not wrong to likesome people more. It's wrong to act on that in an unfair way.

35



COUNSELLING

When personal conflict leads to frustration and loss of efficiency, counseling may prove to be

a helpful antidote. Although few organizations can afford the luxury of having professionalcounselors on the staff, given some training, managers may be able to perform this function.

Nondirective counseling, or "listening with understanding", is little more than being a goodlistener—something every manager should be.

NEGOTIATION

Although it is difficult to negotiate with someone when that person doesn’t want to do so bytransform the situation into one where the resistant person recognizes the potential benefits of

a negotiated process, it may be helpful.

If Avari personnel could encourage others to explain their side first, they will be more apt to

listen to them.

TRAINING

Avari should teach everyone conflict-resolution skills and expect people to use them

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

If we come right out and tell someone, "I disagree," we are apt to alienate that person.

Successful negotiators are more likely to label their intentions, such as a desire to ask adifficult question or provide a suggestion, and are less prone to label disagreement.3 Problems

are likely, however, to increase if we put all our needs aside to focus on another person’s

perspective. The other party may think we have no needs and be quite taken back when weintroduce them all of a sudden, almost as an afterthought.

That is the easy part. The difficulty comes in fulfilling such a resolution to really listen to

resist the tendency to interrupt with objections no matter how unfounded some of the

comments may be.

Instead of telling someone that we understand (just so they can finish and give us a turn topresent our perspective), Avari may have to refine our statement until the other stakeholder

approves it as a correct understanding of his position or need. It is necessary not only to

understand, but for the other person to feel understood . Only now can they begin to explain

our perspective and expect to be fully listened to. Once they have laid out our concerns, wecan focus on a creative solution. If they have had no history with someone, or a negative one,

we need to use more caution when disagreeing.

The potential for a disagreement to be side-railed into contention is always there. It helps if Avari have made goodwill deposits over time.

36

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frustration

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficiency

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counseling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization

http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/ucce50/ag-labor/7labor/13.htm#3


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frustration

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficiency

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counseling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization




MEDIATION AT AVARI

Mediators facilitate the process by:

• Understanding each participant’s perspective through a pre-caucus.

•

Increasing and evaluating participant interest in solving the challenge throughmediation.

• Setting ground rules for improved communication.

• Coaching participants through the joint session.

• Equalizing power (e.g., between persons in different organizational levels).

• Helping participants plan for future interaction.

BE PROACTIVE

Instead of waiting for a conflict to occur before practicing these eight simple rules, why not

start today by enhancing your working relationships and applying the concepts in this articleto the smaller, more manageable office issues and disagreements. After all, the goal here is to

develop some momentum and patterns of success now so that you'll be better prepared totake on any bigger, more volatile issues and conflicts in the future.

Keys:

• Be proactive both individually and as a work group, as follows:

Individually:

a. Solicit feedback from others on your strengths and weaknesses as it pertains tomanaging conflict.

b. If there are areas to improve, enroll others in supporting you by helping you

manage conflict more effectively as well as providing you with feedback

when you're not.

c. Handle any and all issues when they occur.

d. Periodically check in with coworkers to assess how your working relationship

is going and could be improved.

37



As a work group:

f. Schedule biannual teambuilding sessions to further develop your working

relationships, established norms, group communication, and team cohesion. Allow for any specific issues brought up by or affecting the whole group to be raised as well.

g. Incorporate more humor in the workplace. Do fun activities as a work unit together periodically. You'd be surprised at the impact laughter can have on creating cohesion

in a group.

h. Learn more about each other's personalities and communication styles. The Myers-

Briggs Type Indicator and the True Colors Personality Profile are great in helping

your work group better understand each other.

i. Should an incident/conflict occur within the group, don't be afraid to debrief it withthe group after it has been resolved. This will provide an opportunity to assess how it

was handled and to reinforce the group norms in the future.

Conflict, if managed effectively, can be a tremendous asset in helping individuals and groups

maneuver through issues, disagreements, and problems that are common in today'sworkplace. Hopefully Avari Hotels will pave way through and fly with its wings and

eradicate the evils of counterproductive conflicts at workplace and ensure employee safety

and their individual concerns at their outmost priority which will lead to organizationalexcellence as a whole.

38



APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIRE

Q1: What is Avari’s policy on professionalism? For which designation does your dress code

policy applies? Explain.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q2: Don’t they differentiate in dress code policy applying to different designations createsconflict?

a) Yes

b) No

Q3: Inconsistency in communication always creates conflict. How does your organization

support this aspect? Explain

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q4: Do you exercise coercive power? In which situation? The conflict if created, how do you

resolve it?

a) Yes

b) No

(Explain)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q5: Does the management of Avari gives such flexibility to employees that they can

challenge them for any dispute that occurs?

a) Yes

b) No

39



Q6: How does the management makes employees trust them at Avari?

(f) Changing its own behavior

(g) Improving its management process

(h) Setting clear standards(i) Offering training and help

(j) All of the above

Q7: Does your organization practice bonus policy/ reward policy for any desired behavior to

minimize the conflict?

a) Yesb) No

Q8: Resolving conflict and working together leads to improved communication, which

means that employees now surface their underlying basis causing additional conflict? Do youagree?

a) Yes

b) No

Q9: Surprises are not accepted by the employees its better to make them understand earlier toaccept the upcoming change. What do you think?

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Q10: Right workforce also plays an important role in minimizing conflict, what do you

thing?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Q11: Do you follow an open door policy?

a) Yesb) No

40



Q18: If condition such as theft, fighting, harassment, fraud etc occur in your company, howdo you resolve this conflict?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Q19: How do you handle the conflicts arising from brain storming session in your company?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q20: Keeping in mind the present economic condition how you people are dealing with

overstaffing or understaffing?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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“THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION”

42



BIBLIOGRAPHY

• INTERVIEWED:

We the group members paid our personal visit at Avari towers Karachi and took the interview from the HR managerNamed MISS SABITA MUSHTAQ. She assisted us all through our whole visit. Adding to our knowledge was the

Security officer Capt. Shehzad Zafar Qureshi.

• Conflict Dispute Resolution process

www.academicleadershipsupport.com

• Articles

) Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

by Christine Kemp-Longmore

About the Author Christine Kemp-Longmore has been an employment specialist for 15 years. After managing a community-based

mployment program called Project Hire, she founded Human Solutions, an organization specializing in consulting,

diversity awareness and sensitivity training, and workshops for human service professionals in the state of VermontShe also provided employment development and support services for people with disabilities and their employers.

Currently, she works as a freelance writer.

2) Conflict Management

by Prof. M.S. Rao

Author's Bio

The author, Prof. M.S.Rao, has 27 years of experience. He is a trainer, teacher, writer, orator, editor, mentor and researcher. He has 6 qualifications - MBA, MA, PGDBM, PGDCLL, BSc, DME (Aeronautical). He is a

Freelance Corporate Trainer in Leadership Development conducting training programs for various corporate

and educational institutions. He is a Motivational Speaker and delivers 'Guest Lectures' upon request. He is

a specialist in Soft Skills and Leadership Training. His areas of interest include Soft Skills, CorporateTraining, Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development.

He is currently working as a ‘Consulting Editor’ in IBS Research Center, Hyderabad, India. He successfully

dited books titled “Soft Skills for Better Employability” and “Secrets for Successful Public Speaking”. Hehas number of articles to his credit published in various global websites, magazines and journals. He can be

eached at: [email protected], [email protected]. His hobbies are traveling and gifting. He has aBlog: profmsr.blogspot.com

43

http://www.academicleadershipsupport.com/

http://profmsr.blogspot.com/


http://www.academicleadershipsupport.com/


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