Managing Cultural Diversity in the Workplace

This report discusses the impact of conflicts arising from cultural diversity in the workplace, with a focus on Unilever. It covers the concept of cultural diversity, its drawbacks, and the importance of managing it effectively. The report includes a literature review, methodology, analysis, and findings.

Research Project

ABSTRACT
Present report states about the identify impact of the conflicts which occur due to
diversity. The diversity arise the conflict at workplace because there are different culture and
backgrounds people are working at common place and they all have different opinions and
thinking. The aim of this research developed on the basis of specific area. Aim of present
investigation is “To identify impact of the conflicts which occur due to diversity.” A study on
Unilever. In doing literature review part, secondary sources have been used such as books,
articles, journals and others. In research methodology part, quantitative and qualitative both
method of research have been used. There has been positivism research philosophy and
deductive research approach used. For collection of data, there has been close ended and open
ended questions developed. For analyzing the findings, there has been thematic analysis method
used.

Table of Contents
ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................................2
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................4
Overview of Research.............................................................................................................................4
Background of Research..........................................................................................................................4
Rationale of Research..............................................................................................................................5
Research Aim..........................................................................................................................................5
Research Objectives................................................................................................................................5
Research Questions.................................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.....................................................................................................7
Introduction.............................................................................................................................................7
Equality and diversity at workplace.........................................................................................................7
Cultural diversity concept........................................................................................................................8
Drawbacks of diverse culture employees in retailing..............................................................................9
Impact of the conflicts which occur due to varied cultures of employees..............................................11
Summary...............................................................................................................................................12
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................................13
CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS...........................................................................................17
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................24
Research Limitation...............................................................................................................................25
Future research......................................................................................................................................25
Reflection..............................................................................................................................................25
Alternative research methodologies.......................................................................................................25
REFERENCES..........................................................................................................................................27

Topic: “Managing cultural diversity in the workplace”.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Overview of Research
The cultural diversity is group of the diverse people from various societies or cultures.
Cultural diversity arises at workplace when organizations are recruiting staff members from sorts
of various backgrounds, culture and religion. When firm hire and sustain the large number of
people then this brings about many advantages to firm along with staff members. A culturally
diverse team supports to represent both local as well as global mind-sets, and thence check that
their product and service are relevant to their marketplace and appeals to an international
audience. Approximately 172,000 people representing around 150 nationalities work for
Unilever (Unilever Shares 5 Ways Diversity is Good For Business, 2015). Under this, arisen of
conflict is one of the main issues that arise from the cultural diversity at workplace. Unilever is
British- Dutch consumer goods firm in United Kingdom. The product of this company consist
cleaning agents, personal care goods, beauty products, food and beverages. The present report
states about conflicts which arise at workplace because of the cultural differences among people.
The present report is going to discuss about different parts which considered in the research like
developing aim and objectives, literature review, methodology, findings, conclusion and
recommendation
Background of Research
Diversity at workplace is necessary for staff members because this manifest itself in
developing better reputation for an organization, leading to enhanced profitability and also
opportunities for staff. The workplace diversity fosters the mutual respect between staff
members. They work into the groups comprised of the co- workers with the different work styles
and disabilities. In this, cultural diversity can impact workplace by enhancing tendency of the
organizational personnel in order to indulge interpersonal conflicts. In context to Unilever,
culturally diverse teams assist to represent the local and global mindsets and assure the services
or products is relevant to market those appeals to global audience. The diversity is regarding
embracing all the differences across cultural and physical boundaries, management styles, life
stages and time horizons. Unilever believes that diverse business reinforces positive social

impact that assist in attract and also sustain the talented people which purchase goods. This part
of research is related with the literature review. It is stated about the cultural diversity concept
and the drawbacks of diverse culture employees in retailing. The cultural diversity arising the
complexities at workplace and this generate conflict among the staff members in an organization.
There has been included about the impact of the conflicts which occur due to varied cultures of
employees.
Rationale of Research
The present report is based on impact of conflicts that occur because of diversity. Given
research helps in provide the proper understanding regarding workplace cultural diversity and the
factors which impact for arising conflict at workplace. In collection of data in literature review,
there have been secondary sources used because through this researcher can able to find the
authentic data and information for gaining better understanding regarding the cultural diversity
and the conflict arise from this issue. From this, the research skills of an investigator will be
enhanced and from collection of data, it bridges the literature gap. This research is helpful in
improving and enhancing competencies and skills of an investigator effectively so that proper
outcomes can be attained effectively. Through this, learner can able to gain better understanding
about concepts and learn the steps for completing an investigation in an efficient manner.
Problem statement: There are number of issues of diversity in the workplace Unilever
such as acceptance and respect, ethnic and cultural difference, accommodation of beliefs, gender
equality, mental and physical disability, conflict, generation gaps, communication and language
etc. These are major issues that have negative impact on business performance as well as
productivity of employees. Therefore, management of diversity is important for company as it
help them in retention of employees for long time and also support them in improvement of its
growth and success (Samnani and Singh, 2012).
Research Aim
“To identify impact of the conflicts which occur due to diversity.” A study on Unilever.
Research Objectives
 To examine equality and diversity at workplace.
 To understand concept of Cultural diversity.

 To examine drawbacks of diverse culture employees in retailing.
 To determine the impact of the conflicts which occur due to varied cultures of employees.
Research Questions
 What is equality and diversity at workplace?
 What is cultural diversity concept?
 What are the drawbacks of diverse culture employees in retailing?
 What is impact of the conflicts which occur due to varied cultures of employees?

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Literature review refers to comprehensive summary of the past investigation on topic.
Review should be enumerate, explain, summaries and evaluate the previous investigation. The
literature review is mainly addressed the research objectives by using the secondary sources such
as articles, magazines, books, journals and others. This part of research is helpful in providing
the detailed explanation and description about the research objectives effectively.
Equality and diversity at workplace
As per the view point of Kelly, 2019. Equality within the organization means that
employees prevailing at workplace is treated fairly as well as equally by the higher authorities of
company whereas diversity means an organization welcomes candidate in the organization who
belongs from different background as well as attitude. Adoption of this behavior and attitude
within the organization effects positive on the environment which is given to employees at
workplace. Equality and diversity plays vital role in an association as it builds healthy working
culture and reach company towards growth as well as success. Hiring of people of all races &
gender develops organization stronger and compatible. In order to become a leading company at
market, it is important for top level management to ensure that all the employees are treated
equally as well as fairly at the workplace.
An employee feel equality the organization if there inputs is equal to the achievements
they gain by the higher authorities of company. An employee feel motivated when they are
appreciated and treated fairly in front of all the staff members by the manager of the company as
per the efforts they give towards the attainment of goals within the time frame. Diversity
involves religion, culture, gender, mental abilities and so on. In today’s world, every
organization works globally or ant to work worldwide so it is important for them to hire
employees from diverse background so that employees can understand different markets and it is
easy for them to target as well as analyse their needs. In addition to this, it will also help
company to deal with any type of market or customers appropriately and gain the trust of

customers which not only increases company profitably but also enhance positive word of
mouth.
Selection as well as acquisition of people from various background brings more
creativity and innovation within the organization which leads to raise in sales and profit level of
company. It has also been stated that diverse teams resolve issues and problems effectively and
rapidly as compare to similar teams. Equality and diversity at workplace assist companies to
understand customer needs and issues in a better way. This will also allow companies to
emphasize more on customer requirements and then fulfill it (Reguera-Alvarado, de Fuentes and
Laffarga, 2017). Equality at workplace motivate, influence employees to take interest in business
activities and carry out with full potential. Moreover, it builds an enthusiasm among the
employees towards the attainment of goals within the specified time frame. This will also
enhance employee’s performance which further in turns increases company profits as well as
market share. In addition to this, it also helps company to compete with their rivals and gain
leading position at marketplace.
Cultural diversity concept
According to the Kwame molden, 2016 it has been stated that the group of people
belongs from different culture as well as societies exist at same place for working is refer as
cultural diversity. Cultural Diversity involves various factors such as language, age differences,
sexual orientation, gender, religion, racism, ethnicity and many more factors as well. Due to
continuously change in trends as well as perception of employees prevailing at the workplace,
many companies adopts the concept of cultural diversity within the organization. Along with
this, there are also more factors which is part of diversity such as personality, culture, social
status and so on. In companies, there are employees who belongs from different places, from
different culture, having different language, different way of perceive the things and many more
as it is a tough task for higher authorities of an organization to develop as well as maintain
positive culture on environment at the workplace.
It is also essential for a company to have non-judgmental as well as open minded
employees which builds healthy environment at the workplace that is beneficial for both
employees and for the company also. The behavior as well as attitude of employees changes
because of cultural diversity which in turns effect on their performance negatively. Difference in

the culture and perception develops hurdles, miscommunication which leads to decline in the
performance level of both the staff members and the company. This will also builds an effective
communication channel between the higher authorities and the employees of the company. In
context to company, if cultural diversity is effectively managed by the top level management of
an organisation than it will leads to rise in the profitability and productivity level of the
company. Development of cultural diversity positively within the organization declines the
overall cost as company has not to hire new candidates. Along with this, it reduces employee
turnover rate as well as absenteeism rate of subordinates.
Moreover, Cultural diversity assists senior management of an association to engage
employees for longer time frame. This will only take place when higher authorities gives a
chance to employees to participate in decision making and works as per employees opinions as
well as suggestions. In addition to this, valuing diversity helps an organization to find potential
and skilled employees who have the capability to effectively perform activities and operations of
the company and enhance their sales level (Shemla and et. al., 2016). Having diverse workforce
assist Company to enter into different markets and gain an insight regarding customer needs and
requirements. It will automatically raises the level of customer base that affect in company sales
positively as well. It is significant for every organisation to maintain cultural diversity at
workplace so that business activities can be performed and the goals is achieved within the
specified time frame. Stereotypes employees prevailing in the organisation creates
miscommunication as well as hurdles at workplace as it can only be remove if HR manager of
company have the ability to maintain healthy relationship with all the staff members.
Cultural diversity also leads to the development of innovation which enhance the
productivity and profitability level of company. Furthermore, managing of cultural diversity
motivates workforce to work with full zeal and contribute towards the attainment if
organisational goals effectively. Along with this, a company can gain competitive advantage
within the market if it embrace diversity appropriately.
Drawbacks of diverse culture employees in retailing
As per the view point of Sawyer, (2018), it has been said that within an organization there
are ample number of employees working within the organization mainly belongs to different
background. Cultural diversity plays very essential role in the overall growth and development of

the company at the competitive marketplace. Due to difference in the background of employees,
there might be disputes and conflicts arise within the workplace. This highly affect the
performance as well as efficiency of the organisation which leads towards the reduction of
profitability of the company.
Each & every individual working within the organization has their own background and
religion. Therefore, it is very essential for the management team to consider each and every
aspects and develop strategies as well as products which might not affect the belief of
individuals. It has been said that in today’s competitive world, cultural diversity is increases
rapidly. There are various drawbacks of diverse culture staff members which affect the overall
business functions as well as working environment of the company in a negative manner. It is
said that cultural diversity is increasing rapidly due to business expansion which is done by large
number of business organisations in the present competitive marketplace (Srikanth, Harvey and
Peterson, 2016).
It has been said that there are various drawbacks of cultural diversity which includes
communication barrier, difference in the understanding of people, resistance to change,
workplace issues and many more. It has been said that one of the major disadvantage of diverse
culture is language or communication barrier. Due to language barrier sometimes staff members
does not understand the actual meaning of the words which directly affects the overall outcome
of the project. if a manager of an organisation belongs to different culture and speak in other
language might create problem for the staff members in order to understand their direction. Apart
from this, it has also been said that due to communication barrier overall productivity of the
company might get reduce which affects the profit margin or goodwill in a negative manner.
Furthermore, it has been said that due to difference in culture of employees it is required
by the staff members to change themselves and the way of there working. In addition to this, it is
also very important for the managers to modify their strategies and policies in such manner that
no individual feel neglected. This will assist them in performing their tasks and goals in an
effective manner so that they can produce best and high quality products and services. It has also
been said that some of the staff members or investors face harassment as well as negative attitude
of the managers towards different cultural background of employees. This might affect the whole
image of the company in a negative manner as it is considered as one of the major drawback.

Impact of the conflicts which occur due to varied cultures of employees
According to the view point of Seidel, (2019), it has been identified that due to different
cultural employees working within the organisation there might be arising of disputes and
conflicts. It has been said that in every business organization there must be arise of some
conflicts and issues which affect the working of the company in a negative manner. It has been
said that the impact of conflict might be both positive as well as negative which influences the
performance of business organization. Some of the negative impact of the conflicts are reduce in
performance and productivity, increase in employee turnover, affect the mental health of the
individual and soon. All these influence the overall result or outcome of the company in a
negative manner. It has also been said that due to conflicts and disputes arise within the
organization, employees lose their motivation which affect the effectiveness of the company.
According to the Martin and et. al., 2017, conflict is a main issue faced by an
organization due to diversity at workplace. There are several negative effects of workplace
conflict such as work disruptions, project failure, absenteeism, decreased productivity, turnover
and termination. Along with this, emotional stress can be both a cause as well as an effect of
workplace conflict. As it has negative impact on business as well as employees performance. It is
very essential for the management team to develop conflict free environment in order to reduce
the negative impact on the performance of the company. For this, manager needs to motivate
their staff members on a regular basis as well as provide them ample number of growth
opportunities. Along with this, managers need to listen all the issues and problems faced by the
staff members so that they can resolve their problems and create positive working environment.
This might increase the level of motivation among the employees which leads towards the
enhancement of efficiency of workers. It is also very important for the management team of the
company to examine the environment of the company on a regular basis so that they can resolve
any kind of issues within given time frame (Schleussner and et. al., 2016).
It has also been said that sometimes the reason behind conflicts and dispute is difference
between the culture of employees. In an organisation there are ample number of employees who
belongs to different cultural background which might create negative impact on the performance
of the company. Along with this it has also been identified that there conflicts sometimes creates
positive impact which helps in accomplishing pre define goals and objectives. Positive impact of

conflict is that employees feel encouraged in order to perform their task in an effective manner.
Threats for the company which might arise from the conflicts is that there is increase in the
overall turnover ratio as well as poor communication. This affects the overall profitability of the
company in a negative manner. Apart from this, positive impact of disputes and conflicts is that
it helps in increasing the innovativeness as well as provides ample number of growth and
development opportunities to the staff members. This will enhance the overall brand image of
the company at the competitive marketplace (Desmet, Ortuño-Ortín and Wacziarg, 2017).
Summary
It has been stated that literature review provides the detailed explanation and address the
research questions in a systematic manner. There has been discussed about the equality and
diversity concepts and also about the cultural diversity. It is necessary to treating the different
backgrounds people in equal way so that they can perform in better manner. There has been
studied about the drawbacks of diverse culture employees in retailing such as communication
barrier, difference in the understanding of people, resistance to change, workplace issues etc.
Impact of conflicts which occur due to varied cultures of employees has been discussed in
literature review part. There has been included the negative effects of workplace conflict such as
work disruptions, project failure, absenteeism, decreased productivity, turnover and termination.

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
Research methods refer to a collection of techniques that are used for gathering primary
and secondary resources in systematic way. In this, Research onion is used specifically in the
explanation of research methodology in relation to research onion analysis. Approaches to use
research onion are moving from the outer layer to the inner layer of the research onion. This
provides progression through which the methodology of research can be designed properly.
There are various layers considered in research onion mention below:
Research Philosophy- It is explained as belief that helps in collect, examine and then use
the data and information regarding specific phenomenon.
Within investigation positivism type of philosophy will be considered because it helps in
gain the proper understanding about topic. This philosophy will also support researcher in
collection and analysation of quantitative and numerical information about the cultural diversity
(Flick, 2015).
Research Approach- Under this, two various kinds of research approaches are inductive
and deductive to efficiently carry out a research.
Based on the current research area, the researcher will use deductive approach to promote
the collection of reliable information on the particular topic as well as obtaining positive results.
Main reason behind using this approach as it helps an investigator in analysation of quantitative
information about the topic (Gioia, Corley and Hamilton, 2013). Deductive approach is more
appropriate because it save time and cost of researcher and also not require maximum resources.
There are some advantages and disadvantages of deductive approach which are explained as
below:
Advantages Disadvantages
 Allow maximum time for practice and
application.
 Time saving approach that will be
useful for researcher in analysation of
 It is a one way communication that
create more difficulties for researcher
in analysation of information.

data in for of quantitative and timely.
Research Choice- This consists two different types of research methods, such as
quantitative and qualitative. For this study, both are helpful in carrying out an investigation.
Researchers will use quantitative method under this research because it gives the detailed
information. Using this, a researcher can make the right decision and also draw valid conclusions
as well (Green, Camilli and Elmore, 2012).
Research strategy: This is an important and useful part of research methodology that have
number of strategies such as interview, questionnaire, focus group, observation and many other.
These are effective research strategy but for gathering information regarding the cultural
diversity and importance of its management, questionnaire will be going too applied. Main
purpose for using this strategy as it support investigator in gathering of reliable as well as
quantitative information (Kumar, 2019).
Time horizon- Longitudinal and Cross- sectional are two different kinds of time
horizon.Cross sectional timing was use with research conducted over period of year, month and
weeks. On the other hand, cross- sectional approach from time horizon is related to focus on an
investigation on current situation (Mackenzie and et. al., 2012).
Time and Cost - To perform research activities appropriately, time and cost both factors are
considered by researchers under present project. For this purpose, they have taken Gantt chart
technique to frame each activity in a proper time duration (McCusker and Gunaydin, 2015).
Along with this, cost is also distributed systematically to conduct research activity by utilising
available resources effectively.
Access: It includes academic and ethical practices, which are used for including respondents
in conducting primary research. For this purpose, prior information before conducting research,
is provided to company’s employees by e-mail, to invite them to give their participation for
investigation.
Ethical issues- Investigating a research on an emerging topic i.e. Impact of conflicts due to
cultural diversity, arise difficulties in gathering primary information. Because selecting people

from a large population sometime may create biased, due to unethical ways. Therefore, to deal
with such unethical issues, researchers have chosen random sampling method and also get
consent forms which are signed by chosen respondents, to inform them about purpose of
conducting research (Miller and et. al., 2012).
Data collection sources- The collection of data is an effective method to collect data
from various sources in order to create a valid conclusion. Two different types of data collection
methods are primary and secondary. The key form primary data collection sources are
evaluation, focus groups, survey, etc. Secondary sources are books, journals, etc. Questionnaire
will be developed in conducting this investigation by using primary method of data collection
(Mackey and Gass, 2015).
Sample size and Selection- The sample size mainly represents the number of respondents
which selected from the overall population that used in research. There have been 15 respondents
chosen through using the Convenience Sampling. The main reason behind using this sampling
method is that it takes less time and cost to selection of respondents. This is easy method to carry
out few rules which governing how to sample should be gathered.
Data analysis- It is process of applying the logical and the statically techniques in
systematic manner to explain and examine data. A necessary component of ensuring the data
integrity is accurate as well as effective analysis of the research findings. In this present research,
for analysis of data, Content analysis is a method used to analyze quantitative information on the
subject. In a short period of time, the researcher must create topics for increasing problem and
study data. There are several measures which must be used, such as the frequency table, the
presentation of graphs and primary data interpretation, and their relationship with secondary
data, to evaluate and interpret quantitative data.
Time and Cost - To perform research activities appropriately, time and cost both factors are
considered by researchers under present project. For this purpose, they have taken Gantt Chart
technique to frame each activity in a proper time duration (McCusker and Gunaydin, 2015).
Along with this, cost is also distributed systematically to conduct research activity by utilising
available resources effectively.

Access: It includes academic and ethical practices, which are used for including respondents
in conducting primary research. For this purpose, prior information before conducting research,
is provided to company’s employees by e-mail, to invite them to give their participation for
investigation.
Ethical issues- Investigating a research on an emerging topic i.e. Impact of conflicts due to
cultural diversity, arise difficulties in gathering primary information. Because selecting people
from a large population sometime may create biased, due to unethical ways. Therefore, to deal
with such unethical issues, researchers have chosen random sampling method and also get
consent forms which are signed by chosen respondents, to inform them about purpose of
conducting research (Miller and et. al., 2012).

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
For analyzing research findings, thematic analysis has been chosen, where project makers
have arranged the data observations into graphical manner first then interpreted systematically.
Self-questionnaire for conducting qualitative and quantitative research -
Quantitative research – A closed-ended research questions
QUESTIONNAIRE
Q1) Are you aware with the concept of equality and diversity at workplace?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) What are the main benefits that Unilever can gain by introducing cultural diversity at
workplace?
a) Increased productivity
b) Foster innovation
c) Creating a strong brand culture
Q3) Which process helps in increasing cultural diversity at workplace?
a) Hire workers of different background
b) Focus on retention
c) Boost cultural competencies
Q4) What are the major challenges that Unilever can face due to cultural diversity?
a) Conflicts among workers
b) Increase labour turnover
c) Gender inequality
Q5) How diversity conflict impact on workplace of Unilever?
a) Positive
b) Negative
Q6) What is the negative impact of diversity conflict for Unilever?
a) Delay in decision making process
b) Inappropriate behaviour

c) Competitive disadvantage
Qualitative Questions – An Open-ended research questions
Q1) Do you think that introducing diversity at workplace, will help Unilever in achieving
competitive advantages?
Q2) What are the best ways through which negative impact of diversity conflicts can be
managed?
Q3) Which strategy Unilever needs to adopt for enhancing cultural diversity?
THEME 1: Concept of equality and diversity at workplace
Q1) Are you aware with the concept of equality and diversity at
workplace?
Frequency
a) Yes 12
b) No 3
Interpretation: Equality and diversity are the most emerging aspects today, where to
increase competitive advantage every firm introduce both at its workplace. In context with
Unilever that operates business at large level, it has been interpreted from this graph that among
15 respondents, 12 are familiar with importance of equality and diversity. While remaining 3 do
not have much information about these concepts.
THEME 2: Benefits that Unilever can gain by introducing cultural diversity at workplace
Q2) What are the main benefits that Unilever can gain by introducing
cultural diversity at workplace?
Frequency
a) Increased productivity 5
b) Foster innovation 6
c) Creating a strong brand culture 4

Interpretation:Cultural diversity helps a firm in getting a number of benefits like foster
innovation, increased productivity of workplace, creation of strong brand culture etc. In this
regard, from above graph it has been interpreted that among 15 chosen stakeholders of Unilever,
5 believed that increased productivity is the main benefit of cultural diversity. While 6 are in
favour with foster innovation due to different perspective of workers. Other than this, remaining
4 are believed that creation of a strong brand culture is the most beneficial part of cultural
diversity.
THEME 3: Process helps in increasing cultural diversity at workplace
Q3) Which process helps in increasing cultural diversity at workplace? Frequency
a) Hire workers of different background 6
b) Focus on retention 4
c) Boost cultural competencies 5
Interpretation:It has been interpreted from this figure that for increasing diversity, a number of
approaches can be taken by management of Unilever. From perception of 6 respondents among
15 ones, hire workers from different geographical areas will help in increasing cultural diversity
more easily. While among remaining ones, 4 respondents believe that focus on retention refers to
best procedure for the same. Other than this, rest 5 participants assist this firm to concern on
boosting cultural competencies, for enhancing diversity at workplace.
THEME 4: Challenges that Unilever can face due to cultural diversity
Q4) What are the major challenges that Unilever can face due to cultural
diversity?
Frequency
a) Conflicts among workers 7
b) Increase labour turnover 4
c) Gender inequality 4
Interpretation: Apart from various benefits, to introduce cultural diversity, a number of
challenges can also be faced by a firm, such as conflicts among workers, threat of increasing
labour turnover, gender inequality etc. From above statistical analysis, it has been interpreted that
7 respondents among chosen 15 stakeholders of Unilever, that conflicts at workplace arise main

challenges in front of management while introducing cultural diversity. While remaining 4 are in
favour with increase in labour turnover and other 4 towards gender inequality for the same.
THEME 5: Impact of diversity at workplace
Q5) How diversity conflict impact on workplace of Unilever? Frequency
a) Positive 7
b) Negative 8
Interpretation: From this figure, it has been interpreted that conflict due to diversity will impact
in both positive and negative manner of Unilever, where developing competition among workers
to perform at best level is the advantage part of it, while delay in decision making process due to
different perception refers to be drawback of same. In this regard, from this graph, it has been
interpreted that 7 respondents among 15 are agreed that diversity conflict will impact positively
on respective firm. While remaining 8 believe that it will arise various challenges therefore, will
impact negatively on workplace.
THEME 6: Negative impact of diversity conflict for Unilever
Q6) What is the negative impact of diversity conflict for Unilever? Frequency
a) Delay in decision making process 6
b) Inappropriate behaviour 5
c) Competitive disadvantage 4
Interpretation:From this figure, it has been interpreted that delay in decision making is the most
negative impact of cultural diversity for Unilever as per perception of 6 respondents. While 5
respondents state that inappropriate behaviour is the main drawback of diversity conflict and
other 4 give perception towards competitive disadvantage.
Thematic Analysis of Qualitative Questions (300)
Q1) Do you think that introducing diversity at workplace, will help Unilever in achieving
competitive advantages?
Interpretation: From the information, collected from various individuals during the research, it

has been interpreted that more than 50% of respondents said that introduction of diversity at
workplace will definitely support Unilever in get competitive advantage because with help of
equality and diversity company can create and maintain positive environment at workplace
which improve productivity of employees at workplace. Further equality help in retain
employees for long time period that remove cost of company’s operations. In addition to this, it
offer various other benefits to firm through which company can better satisfy the needs of its
customers and can get competitive benefit.
Q2) What are the best ways through which negative impact of diversity conflicts can be
managed?
Interpretation: From the information gather from respondents through the investigator it has
been concluded that various strategies are there that could be implement by Unilever to deal
with the negative impact of diversity conflicts. Some respondents said that company require to
follow the concept of equal pay for every gender in order to deal with the issue of quality at
workplace. further, equal opportunities should be offer to both men and women working at
workplace as this create positive environment, enhance morale of employees, remove the
grounds of rising conflicts at workplace and offer various other additional benefits.
Q3) Why it is essential for Unilever to consider and work on the concept of equality?
Interpretation: From the information collected from respondents, it has been summarised that
various respondents given their responses that Unilever require to consider the concept of
equality because as company operate in various areas of world and number of employees from
different nations and culture work in enterprise. In that situation, it is very important for
company to create and maintain the culture of equality as through this company can retain the
employees for long time period and can attain its set goals and objectives in an effective
manner.
Discussion on the basis of primary research: Equality refers to the offer equal
opportunities and pay to every individual for the work which they do at workplace. in today’s
business environment, employees are known as one of the most important and valuable assets for
every enterprise as these are the one who perform various activities at workplace and support
entity in better satisfy the needs of its customers. Retain a skilled workforce is very significant

for a firm in today’s competitive environment. Culture exist in organisation play a big role in that
and also affect the productivity of employees at workplace. So it is very important for every
enterprise to maintain equality at workplace there should be no discrimination at workplace on
basis of age, gender or on any other factor. Equal treatment should be offer to all men and
women working at workplace. Equality enhances employee’s productivity; motivate them to
come up with new ideas at workplace that provide competitive benefit to entity. Further, it help
company in create and maintain a positive brand image that support in attain set goals and
objectives. In order to maintain and encourage equality at workplace Unilever requires boosting
cultural competencies and requiring valuing the employees from different culture. Various issues
are there that company face during the process of creating and maintain equality at workplace
such as conflicts among employees and many more. It is essential to deal with all the issues in an
appropriate manner to implement business activities in an appropriate manner. Unilever require
offering equal pay to both men and women working at workplace. Further equal opportunities of
growth should be there for all the employees working in enterprise. With this company can retain
its skilled workers for long time period and can sustain in market for long time period.
Discussion on the basis of secondary research: Various researcher present their point of view
on the topic of equality and diversity at workplace. Unilever is an global enterprise that have
various branches around the world in which number of employees from various culture work
together to help company to attain its set goals and to fulfil the requirements of its customers. In
order to implement its commercial activities in an efficient manner and to get competitive
benefit, it is essential to create and maintain a culture of equality at workplace. For this, training
should be offer to employees in order to make them aware about the benefit of equality at
workplace. It is essential for all employees to work each other’s culture and each other’s value
to work with each other and maintain diversity at workplace. Diversity offer number of benefit to
company as this help in maintain large number of employees from variety of culture that bring
innovation at workplace which help company in attract large number of customers towards its
products and services. Researcher said that diversity brings number of benefits to company as
this encourage innovation at workplace and at the same time enhance cultural competencies that
help company in better satisfy the needs of its target customers. Another strategy that could be
use by Unilever to develop the concept of equality at workplace at workplace is that use of
proper and effective communication channels. Proper communication channels should be use at

workplace so that there should be effective communication among all the employees working in
company so that there should be no confusion among the employees and no ground should be
there that rise conflicts at workplace. equality not only help company is sustain in market for
long time period but at the same time boost workers to come up with new and innovative ideas
at workplace that make the offering of company more attractive and help in attract large number
of customers towards it and increase the chances of company to survive in market for long run.
So to main the culture of equality and diversity at workplace proper communication channels
should be use at workplace to ensure proper flow of communication among all the workers.
Further, training should be offer to employees to make them aware about the benefits of diversity
so can value the culture of others.

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Conclusion
With the help of above mentioned research report, it is concluded that in today’s
competitive environment every business organization expand their business functions at
international marketplace which creates cultural differences. The literature review has been
conducted on the basis of research objectives. There has been discussion about the equality and
diversity at workplace. There have been different drawbacks of diverse culture employees in
retailing. There has been discussed about the negative effects of conflicts which occur due to
varied cultures of employees such as work disruptions, project failure, absenteeism, decreased
productivity, turnover and termination. It has also been identified that the researcher adopts both
primary as well as secondary method for collecting data and information. Along with this, in the
present report researcher prepare a questionnaire so that they can gather information which is
authentic and appropriate. In addition to this it has been said that in order to gather information
from various sources, researcher collect information from the point of view of various authors. It
has been concluded that in the present research, Gantt chart is developed so that time duration of
all the activities will be identified. In this report, in context of primary method questionnaire is
prepared so that authentic and appropriate information will be gathered by the researcher.
Recommendations
Recommendations are given to the management team of the company so that they can
modify their strategies according to the changing environment and requirements. There are some
recommendations mentions below:
 It is necessary for an organization to develop the open communication at workplace so
that different backgrounds and culture employees can understand the culture of each
other and able to work together.
 Company should provide the training to employees so that their skills can be improved
and they can focus on attaining the set objectives.
 Firm should develop the equality and diversity related policies in order to treat all
employees equally at workplace.

Research Limitation
There is cost and time two different research limitation that mainly faced through
researcher in order to conducting an investigation. Time was not sufficient to conducting the
information and it arise the complexity in front of the researcher. Other than this, on the basis of
research activities the money was not sufficient to research and face the problem of conducting
an investigation and getting the positive outcome. These both the factors developed a negative
impact in research outcomes.
Future research
The present research helps in providing the detailed information about the impact of
conflict that occur because of the diversity. From this research it has been learnt that managing
the diversity at workplace develop the positive impact on employee performance and it reduce
the chance of conflict arises at workplace. Through conducting the investigation the skills and
knowledge of research and enhanced and with the help of this researcher can able to conduct the
similar type of research in future.
Reflection
While doing the present research it has been observed by me that there are various factors
which might affect my whole working in both positive as well as negative manner. In order to
conduct the whole research in an effective manner primary and secondary sources of data is used
by the researcher so that effective conclusions will be conducted. Major issues faced by me is
related to the time period and cost. Along with this, it has been said that in order to maintain
ethics it is very essential for the management team to sign consent forms from the respondents. It
has also been said that due to my weak communication and team management skills, I feel
nervous while talking with respondents in order to gather information. But on the other hand, it
has been observed by me that at the end of this whole research my communication skill is
enhanced which will help me in grabbing ample number of opportunities in both personal and
professional level. Primary as well as secondary method both assist in collecting required
information and data in an effective manner and within given time period.
Alternative research methodologies
In the current research, questionnaires method is used by the researcher so that authentic
and appropriate information will be gathered. But in order to collect information which are

authentic, interview is the another method which can be used by the researcher. By using this
method, researcher will be able to collect more appropriate information by examining the point
of view of respondents so that appropriate conclusion will be formulated. This is considered as
one of the most time consuming as well as lengthy process which might affect the whole cost of
the research. Along with this, some other methods for gathering information are observation and
survey method which might help in producing positive conclusions related to the research aim.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Ahammad, M. F. and et. al., 2016. Knowledge transfer and cross-border acquisition
performance: The impact of cultural distance and employee retention. International
business review. 25(1). pp.66-75.
Ahern, K. R., Daminelli, D. and Fracassi, C., 2015. Lost in translation? The effect of cultural
values on mergers around the world. Journal of Financial Economics. 117(1). pp.165-
189.
Besharov, M. L. and Smith, W. K., 2014. Multiple institutional logics in organizations:
Explaining their varied nature and implications. Academy of management review. 39(3).
pp.364-381.
Chua, R. Y., Morris, M. W. and Mor, S., 2012. Collaborating across cultures: Cultural
metacognition and affect-based trust in creative collaboration. Organizational behavior
and human decision processes.118(2). pp.116-131.
Corrigan, P. W., Druss, B. G. and Perlick, D. A., 2014. The impact of mental illness stigma on
seeking and participating in mental health care. Psychological Science in the Public
Interest. 15(2). pp.37-70.
De Mooij, M., 2019. Consumer behavior and culture: Consequences for global marketing and
advertising. SAGE Publications Limited.
Franks, D. M. and et. al., 2014. Conflict translates environmental and social risk into business
costs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111(21). pp.7576-7581.
Giroux, H. A., 2012. Disturbing pleasures: Learning popular culture. Routledge.
Nishii, L. H., 2013. The benefits of climate for inclusion for gender-diverse groups. Academy of
Management Journal. 56(6). pp.1754-1774.
Samnani, A. K. and Singh, P., 2012. 20 years of workplace bullying research: a review of the
antecedents and consequences of bullying in the workplace. Aggression and Violent
Behavior. 17(6). pp.581-589.
Martin, A. R. and et. al., 2017. Human demographic history impacts genetic risk prediction
across diverse populations. The American Journal of Human Genetics. 100(4). pp.635-
649.
Reguera-Alvarado, N., de Fuentes, P. and Laffarga, J., 2017. Does board gender diversity
influence financial performance? Evidence from Spain. Journal of Business Ethics.
141(2). pp.337-350.

Shemla, M. and et. al., 2016. A review of perceived diversity in teams: Does how members
perceive their team's composition affect team processes and outcomes?. Journal of
Organizational Behavior. 37. pp.S89-S106.
Srikanth, K., Harvey, S. and Peterson, R., 2016. A dynamic perspective on diverse teams:
Moving from the dual-process model to a dynamic coordination-based model of diverse
team performance. Academy of Management Annals. 10(1). pp.453-493.
Schleussner, C. F. and et. al., 2016. Armed-conflict risks enhanced by climate-related disasters in
ethnically fractionalized countries. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences. 113(33). pp.9216-9221.
Desmet, K., Ortuño-Ortín, I. and Wacziarg, R., 2017. Culture, ethnicity, and diversity. American
Economic Review. 107(9). pp.2479-2513.
Flick, U., 2015. Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research
project. Sage.
Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G. and Hamilton, A. L., 2013. Seeking qualitative rigor in inductive
research: Notes on the Gioia methodology. Organizational research methods. 16(1).
pp.15-31.
Green, J. L., Camilli, G. and Elmore, P. B. eds., 2012. Handbook of complementary methods in
education research. Routledge.
Kumar, R., 2019. Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage Publications
Limited.
Mackenzie, J., Tan, P. L., Hoverman, S. and Baldwin, C., 2012. The value and limitations of
participatory action research methodology. Journal of hydrology. 474. pp.11-21.
Mackey, A. and Gass, S. M., 2015. Second language research: Methodology and design.
Routledge.
McCusker, K. and Gunaydin, S., 2015. Research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed
methods and choice based on the research. Perfusion. 30(7). pp.537-542.
Miller, T.,and et. al ., 2012. Ethics in qualitative research. Sage.
Quinlan, C. and et.al ., 2019. Business research methods. South Western Cengage.
Riedl, R., Davis, F .D. and Hevner, A. R., 2014. Towards a NeuroIS research methodology:
intensifying the discussion on methods, tools, and measurement. Journal of the
Association for Information Systems. 15(10). p.4.

Online
Sawyer, K., 2018. The Importance of Cultural Diversity in the Workplace. [Online]. Available
through: <https://www.deputy.com/blog/the-importance-of-cultural-diversity-in-the-
workplace>.
Seidel, M., 2019. Top 10 Diversity Issues at Work. [Online]. Available through:
<https://smallbusiness.chron.com/top-10-diversity-issues-work-24939.html>.
Dr.kelly, 2019. Equality and Diversity at workplace. [Online]. Available through:
<https://work.chron.com/equality-diversity-workplace-18485.html>
Kwame moden, 2016. Why cultural diversity is important today. [Online]. Available through,
<https://www.springbreakwatches.com/blogs/dreamers/75931589-why-cultural-diversity-
is-important-today>
Unilever Shares 5 Ways Diversity is Good For Business. 2015. [Online]. Available through:
<https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/2015/09/unilever-shares-5-ways-
diversity-is-good-for-business>.