Conflict Management in Diverse Workplace: DHL Supply Chain Case Study

This research report, focusing on conflict management in a diverse workplace, specifically examines DHL Supply Chain. The report begins with an introduction, outlining the aims, objectives, research questions, and rationale for the study. A comprehensive literature review explores the meaning of conflict management, the adoption of cultural-based conflict management processes by international organizations, the links between conflict management and productivity, and the role of effective conflict management in future strategies. The methodology section details the research philosophy, approach, strategy, data collection methods (including qualitative and quantitative approaches), and data analysis techniques. The report includes findings and recommendations, culminating in a conclusion that summarizes the key insights. The report emphasizes the importance of conflict management skills, including communication, emotional intelligence, and empathy, for effective conflict resolution in multinational companies, like DHL Supply Chain. The research also highlights the impact of conflict on employee productivity and suggests strategies to mitigate negative effects and foster a more cooperative and productive work environment. The report stresses the significance of continuous employee training and cultural events to promote understanding and address conflicts arising from cultural differences.

Research Project

Table of Contents
TITLE: Conflict Management in diverse workplace study of different approaches of
resolving conflicts in multi-national company...........................................................................2
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................2
Aims.......................................................................................................................................2
Objectives...............................................................................................................................2
Research Questions................................................................................................................3
Rationale................................................................................................................................3
Literature Review.......................................................................................................................3
The meaning of conflict management....................................................................................3
The ways in which international organisations adopted cultural-based conflict management
process....................................................................................................................................5
The links between conflict management and productivity of DHL Supply chain.................5
Role of effective conflict management in the future strategy of DHL Supply chain............6
Methodology..............................................................................................................................7
Research philosophy..............................................................................................................8
Research approach.................................................................................................................8
Research strategy...................................................................................................................8
Methods of data collection.....................................................................................................9
Qualitative and quantitative...................................................................................................9
Data analysis..........................................................................................................................9
Research and Findings.............................................................................................................10
Recommendations....................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................12
Books and Journals..............................................................................................................12

TITLE: Conflict Management in diverse workplace study of different
approaches of resolving conflicts in multi-national company
INTRODUCTION
Conflicts refer to the disagreement between two or more people either in their
thoughts or in their actions. Conflict in an organisation can create a negative working
environment which is harmful for any business (Cristal-Lilov, Erez and Salmon, 2021) Hence
these conflicts should be managed by an organisation to run their business smoothly. Conflict
management refers to the process of stopping negative aspects a conflict and increasing the
positive aspects of them. It requires a great leaders and managers with a competency of
managing conflicts to properly establish conflict management in an organisation. DHL supply
chain is a supply chain management company which work as a global leader in this field.
DHL has its headquarter in Bonn, deutsche. They have 5,10,000 employees in their
headquarters. This report contains research on the topic conflict management and diverse
workplace with an aim to study several approaches which are used to resolve conflict in
multinational companies. The research helps to identify in details the meaning of conflict
management and the ways in which international organisations has adopted this cultural
based conflict Management process. This research also helps to identify various links
between conflict management and productivity of DHL supply chain and the role of effective
conflict management in their future strategy. In this Research report the researcher decided to
use secondary sources and contain various methodologies which are used and essential to
conduct a proper research. After all this it also contains findings which shows the
interpretation of data which has been collected in with this research process.
Aims
The main aim of this project is “To study different approaches to resolving conflicts in multi-
national company. A Case study on DHL Supply Chain”
Objectives
 To identify the meaning of conflict management
 To know the ways in which international organisations adopted cultural-based conflict
management process.

 To identify the links between conflict management and productivity of DHL Supply
chain
 To identify the role of effective conflict management in the future strategy of DHL
Supply chain
Research Questions
 What is the meaning of conflict management?
 How international organisation has adopted cultural-based conflict management
process?
 Explain the links between conflict management and productivity of DHL Supply
chain.
 What is the role of effective conflict management in the future strategy of DHL
Supply chain?
Rationale
The main aim of this research is to manage conflict in multinational company like
DHL supply chain. The research helps to understand the different approaches which are used
to resolve conflicts in multinational companies (Folger, Poole and Stutman, 2021). Conflicts
are something which effect the productivity of an organisation which can result in great
losses to the company. in DHL supply chain when researcher finds various conflict in the
organisation it finds it necessary tourist search on the conflict management which will help
the organisation to manage conflict within it. It is an interesting topic taken by the researcher
which will help the company in their recent problem of conflict management. Researcher
observes that it is an essential topic for each and every business as it can affect their
profitability and can further affect the economy of a country. In order to conduct this research
the researcher decided to conduct this research in qualitative manner which requires several
secondary sources. It is is clear from the title and aim of the research that it is an important
topic to be covered in a research so that many organisations can understand the value of
conflict Management process and follow them in their organisation.
Literature Review
The meaning of conflict management
As per the view point of Doyle, A. (2020), Conflict management is the process Idea or
technique which helps to limit the negative aspect of a conflict and increase their positive

aspects. In other words it is a practice which is used by managers to identify and handle the
conflicts which arose at workplace in sensible manner. Rise of a conflict is a natural
phenomenon at a workplace because when there are a lot of people working then it is natural
to have conflicts in their thoughts and actions. Instead of avoiding conflicts a management
should focus on various skills which are required to resolve them. In order to manage
conflicts at workplace it is essential for a manager or leader to have several conflict
management skills. Conflict management skills those skills which help an individual to grow
in their workplace because employees who have strong conflict resolution skills always get
priority in an organisation (Lee and Lee, 2020). Various types of skills which are required to
manage conflict at workplace are explained below:
Communication skills: Skills are very essential to resolve various skills as it helps to resolve
and address the problems of employees in quick manner. A good communication skill doesn't
mean that the person is able to communicate their thoughts only but it also includes active
listening mediating soft written and verbal communication and many more. It also includes
non verbal communication which plays a vital role to manage conflict in an organisation.
Emotional intelligence: It is an ability to understand feelings of a person and handle them in
a good manner. Emotional intelligence is the most important and required skill to manage
conflict at workplace. An individual who has high emotional intelligence can identify and
meet the needs of others by understanding their feeling. By having few qualities shows the
emotional intelligence skills in a person such as compromisation, being adaptable, curious,
forgetting transgressions, set in ground rules, modifying the behaviour, being motivated and
optimistic and many more.
Empathy: Empathy refers to the feeling which basis what others feel. It is the ability to see a
condition from the viewpoint of someone else and understanding their needs to motivate
them and to avoid possible misunderstandings. This is skill is very required for effective
conflict management (Leifels, 2020). Emotional empathy if it is alone can create complicated
scenarios sometimes that are why it is best applied in a work environment when it is paired
with emotional intelligence and critical thinking. Person who have this skill believe in
accountability building trust embracing diversity and inclusion managing emotions
identifying nonverbal cues has ability to recognise problems have good self control and many
more.

The ways in which international organisations adopted cultural-based conflict management
process
As per the view point of Miller, D. (2021), international organisations operates in
various parts of the world which requires dealing with people of different cultures in the
organisation. When a company expands its business in international markets, they need to
deal with various cross cultural development in their employees in order to deal with the
cultural based conflict management in the organisation. DHL Supply chain is an international
organisation which deals in management of supply chain all over the world. Company has
over 5,10,000 employees all over the world who belongs to different countries and different
cultures has been followed by them (Magrath, 2020). In this situation there are high chances
for the company to face conflicts between them and they need to follow a process of conflict
management in the organisation. It requires providing a continuous and timely training to the
employees for their development which will help the organisation to develop the employees
to deal with people of different languages. In order to adopt cultural based conflict
management process the company DHL supply chain can also held some cultural events in
the organisation which has several benefits to the organisation. it helps them to retain talented
employees in the organisation by motivating them and make them feel connected to the
organisation. On the other hand, the employees of the organisation will get to know the
different cultures and can enjoy various cultures which are followed in different parts of the
world. It will help in the entertainment of employees and distress them from the work
pressure which is also sometimes a cause of conflict in the organisation.
The links between conflict management and productivity of DHL Supply chain
As per the view point of Krumina, K. (2020), Conflict management is directly
connected or interrelated with productivity of an organisation. It has been analysed that
conflict positive for the progress of an organisation but if they are handled poorly they can
negatively impact the productivity of a business and is able to create an comfortable working
environment. According to a study the employees have most common reaction to the conflict
in the workplace which creates anger of frustration in 83% of employees, stress in 57% of
employees and anxiousness and nervousness in 47% of employees and loss of self esteem in
25% of employees. 25% among those employees trouble sleeping due to the conflict at
workplace. It has also been analysed that the impacts of these conflicts are different in men as
well as women. It has been reported that women are more stressed than men with conflict in a
workplace. These emotional stresses cannot be measured but negatively impact the

performance of employees in an organisation. In case of DHL supply chain conflict
management is very essential as it affects the productivity of the company which for the
results in downfall for a company. Conflicts at workplace take focus of the employees on
there were and they get distracted from that (Perna, 2020). They lose their motivation and
confidence and sometimes even miss their deadlines of completing that work full stop
conflicts at workplace effect both mentally and emotionally to the Employees which is not
good for any organisation. If these conflicts are managed successfully by the management
team then it will not create such problems for the workplace and the work will go smoothly.
Conflict management will also help to motivate and make employees confident to perform
their work it will help them to complete their work on deadline which is good for the
productivity of accompany. DHL supply chain being a large company also focus on various
conflicts Management process which helps them to have good productivity from their
employees the above description helps to understand the value of conflict management and
their impact on the performance of DHL supply chain.
Role of effective conflict management in the future strategy of DHL Supply chain
As per the view point of Tools, T. (2018), Effective conflict management is very essential in
each and every organisation to achieve success. In case of DHL Supply chain also it is
essential to manage conflicts in the organisation. There are several points which can help to
explain the role of effective conflict management in the future strategies of DHL supply chain
which are given below:
Build Cooperation in Employees: An effective conflict management in an organisation
build cooperation between employees and Management of an organisation which helps the
organisation to make effective strategies for development of business in future. In case of
DHL supply chain effective conflict management is very essential because of the Global
presence of the company which helps the company to have cooperation between employees
of various parts of the organisation. As a result of this the company is able to supply more
effectively and make more effective strategy for their future purpose also.
Reduces costs: Effective conflict management process used in an organisation helps to build
effective teams and Groups for a workplace which work with better cooperation and
coordination in the organisation. It helps a business to increase their productivity. It also
helps to reduce recruitment as well as training cost for the retention of employees in the
organisation. In order to retain employees in DHL supply chain the organisation needs to

adapt effective conflict Management process which will in hands the capability of
Management to make better decisions for the business and reduces recruitment as well as
training cost of organisation (Siegel and Sawyer, 2020).
Increase Productivity: Conflict management in an organisation reserve in increase in
productivity which is good for future organisational strategies. In case of DHL supply chain
also effective conflict management increase productivity in various ways which give the
company a good profitability. These profits help the management of DHL supply chain to
make effective and better strategies for the future of the company
Retain top talent: In the case of effective conflict management in the organisation the
employees feel safe and connected in the organisation. To retain talent it is essential to
provide them a good working environment. DHL supply chain follows cultural vs conflict
management in the organisation which helps them to retain top talents in the organisation bye
providing them a good working environment.
Manage Risk: There are several risks which are associated with a business. Conflict
management helps to prevent the risk which is associated with aggression violence sabotage
and ventilation among this granted staff in the organisation. Management of conflict in the
organisation also mitigates legal risk which is associated with high conflicts which can arise
in the organisation. In case of DHL supply chain employees are engaged who belongs to
different culture and the organisation have high risk of conflicts. Conflict management will
help to increase the small conflicts into aggression violence and promoted in the staff which
attracts legal risk to the organisation. Hence it also mitigates and manage legal risk which is
associated with the conflicts.
Methodology
Research methodology referred to the methods which are used by a researcher to conduct
research and make a proper conclusion from it. This part of a research depicts the facts on
which a research is based and shows the people and approaches which are used during
performance of the result. Research methodology is essential to understand the importance
and reliability of data which is used in the research. It is a technique which shows the
methods to collect information about the research topic which helps in overall study. It helps
to ensure that the data which is collected is reliable and validate and a critical analysis of the
research topic. Research methodologies are broadly categorised in two parts that are

qualitative as well as quantitative research (Skinner, Leavey and Rothi, 2021). Both types of
researches are essential to carry out figures and facts for the research topic.
Research philosophy
Research philosophy refers to the faith as well as accuracy which is carried out by the
researcher during the research process. Research philosophy is based on ontology and
epistemology which defects above the proper information and data which is collected for the
purpose of research. There are two types of philosophies interpretivism and positivism.
Positivism philosophy is based on the assumption that the data which is collected is
authenticate and relevant whereas interpretivism philosophy is depend upon personal
observation which includes theoretical assumptions. For the purpose of this research
positivism approach or philosophy is used so that reliable figures and Facts can be observed.
One limitation which exists in positivism approach is that it is completely based on scientific
research and does not include any practical assumption.
Research approach
Research approach is a necessary element of research methodology to complete whole
research in a particular manner. Research approach is classified into parts that is inductor as
well as deductive research approach (Stoycheva and Favero, 2020). Inductive research
approach is the part of interpretivism which helps to carry out observations on personal
theoretical concept. Deductive approach is utilising to analyse scientific as well as statistical
data. For the purpose of this research deductive approach is used because it is observed that
inductive approach is not reliable due to unavailability of seat ability of observation to know
the concept of overtime working for employees.
Research strategy
Research strategy is the action plan which will be used by researcher in order to conduct this
research. It consists of a plan for suitable study of various sources from which information
will be collected. To conduct research in timely manner it is essential to prepare a research
strategy which will help the research to go smoothly. There are various methods to conduct a
research such as interview questionnaire survey method observation literature review of
several authors and many more. For the purpose of this research literature review of various
sources which are secondary sources are used and data is collected from that only.

Methods of data collection
Methods of data collection are the useful methods which are used to collect data about the
objective of a research in order to complete the research in suitable manner (Tamunomiebi
and John-Eke, 2020). The technique and sources which will be used to choose the method of
Data Collection is depend on the philosophy and approach which is used in research. There
are two methods of data collection which are given in detail below:
Qualitative and quantitative
Qualitative: Qualitative method of Data Collection focuses on the collection of information
and data by looking for theoretical aspects as well as source books and journals. With the
help of qualitative research the data can be presented in the form of literature review with
proper citation of resources in order to prove the facts and arguments are reliable. It is known
as qualitative method of Data Collection because the data which is used in this method cannot
be measured because it does not consist any number or statistical data. For the purpose of this
research qualitative type of Data Collection is used which helps the researcher to form a
literature review with the help of various books journals and articles. Qualitative method uses
online articles which help to show the actual state of conflict management at DHL supply
chain.
Quantitative: Information which is connected with the quantitative Tai of Data Collection is
in the form of statistical data and numerical information. This data can be compared and
rectified because it is not contained theoretical aspects. Quantitative type of research helps to
analyse quantitative data so that it can be presented in a clear manner with the help of survey
and questionnaire. This data also helps to present clear finding and interpretation which can
be made from this statistical and numerical content. The most common advantage of
quantitative data is that it can be measured so that modifications can be made as per the
requirements in future (Tsang and Lee, 2020).
Data analysis
Data analysis is a method to utilise the collected data in order to fulfil the aims and targets of
the surge. At the first stage data has been collected through various sources and to get
suitable findings it is to be analysed in a proper manner. Data analysis is a process which
includes collection analyzation and interpretation of data. In order to collect the data the
methods which are used are categorised in two parts which are primary source of Data
Collection as well as secondary source of Data Collection. It is the main part of the research

process because accuracy of data is essential and significant to attain objective of a research.
Both the methods of data collection are explained below:
Primary: In this method of Data Collection data is collected either through personal visit or
from service or from interviews and questionnaire. It involves contacting with number of
people or grows in order to collect a particular data. Primary research is necessary to observe
accurate and relevant data for the purpose of research but it is a time consuming as well as
cost taking process because it needs transportation cost time for personal visit and analyze the
data collected to make any clear judgement. In this process researcher prepare questionnaire
to provide to the Employees of DHL supply chain in order to get responses about several
questions which need to be asked with them to find out the effective results for the result
(Yee, Miquel-Romero and Cruz-Ros, 2020).
Secondary: Data is collected from previously published primary sources which is is
conducted by another researcher or author. It includes Collection of data from article journals
books and other secondary sources. For the purpose of this research secondary sources are
used to collect valuable information in order to conduct this research effectively and
efficiently. This is a qualitative types of research as it does not contain any number past
records.
Research and Findings
Adaptation of best research methodology is very necessary to conduct a research which
includes wise decision regarding Collection of data full stop it help to collect proper figures
and Facts which are needed to the Rise and outcome of the research. From the collected data
it is analysed that conflict management is an essential process which needs to be followed by
each and every organisation as it has a great impact on the working environment of an
organisation. It is analysed that an organisation cannot avoid conflict in workplace as they are
good for their progress but they need to resolve both conflict as they can also put adverse
effect on their working. In the situation of covid-19 when every business and individual
suffered from great losses there are high chances of conflict in the organisation. It is essential
for management to manage these conflicts in diverse workplace where a lot of people belongs
to different culture. These different cultures are also reason behind the conflict in the
workplace. DHL supply chain being a large organisation have employees which belongs to
various cultures and have high chances of having conflicts in the workplace full stop in order

to effectively manage the working of DHL supply chain it is essential to manage these
cultural based conflicts in the organisation. Effective conflict management have a great role
in formulation of future strategy of DHL supply chain which results in success of the
organisation (Yee, Miquel-Romero and Cruz-Ros, 2020)..
Recommendations
As per the analysis above it is recommended to DHL supply chain to work more on the
strategy which are formulated for the management of conflict in the workplace. They need to
analyse various cultures of employees which are present in the workplace to analyse the
possible conflict and ways to motivate them. It can be achieved by recruiting leaders who
have efficient skills for conflict management in the workplace. There are several skills which
are discussed above required to manage conflict in efficient manner. DHL supply chain
should ensure that their leaders and managers have those capabilities and skills. If those skills
are not found in their leaders and managers they should provide a proper training for the
development of their skills full stop it will help the organisation in effective conflict
management in the organisation which will depicts in their productivity. With this the
management needs to provide training and development programme to the employees in
timely manner so that unnecessary of conflicts can be avoided at workplace. Conflict creates
a lot of mental pressure on the employees of DHL supply chain it is is essential to lower
down that pressure by analysing the source of conflict on early stages and resolves them in
timely manner.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion it has been concluded that conflict management is an essential part
which needs to be focused by each and every organisation. In order to manage conflict in the
organisation leaders and managers should have competency of managing conflicts so that
they can manage them in effective manner. There are various international organisations who
adopted these cultural waste conflict Management process because there is a High link
between conflict management and productivity of a company. It is also concluded that
effective conflict management has a great role in the future strategy of DHL supply chain.