Managing Conflicts & Diversity: Hanger Cafe HRM Research Project

This report examines the effects of staff conflicts and diversity on Human Resource Management (HRM) at Hanger Café in Melbourne. It identifies factors causing conflicts, assesses diversity management approaches, and examines the impact of diversity on staff relationships. A qualitative study involving interviews and questionnaires with 12 employees was conducted, and thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings highlight key issues influencing conflict rates and their impact on HRM practices. Recommendations include developing HRM strategies to reduce conflicts, providing focused training, and promoting diversity through affirmative action policies and equal employment opportunities. The research aims to provide insights for improving HRM practices and fostering a more inclusive and productive work environment at Hanger Café. Desklib provides a platform for students to access similar solved assignments and research reports.

Effects of staff conflicts and diversity on Human Resource Management and the
Organization
1

Title: Effects of staff conflicts and diversity on Human Resource Management and the
Organization
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Workplace conflicts has been a major topic of debate in business in the era of rising
globalization. This is because it impacts the efficiency and productivity of the workforce of any
organization. Issues regarding workplace are one of the major concerns followed by workplace
conflict among the employees of the organization. In this scenario, the human resource function
holds major responsibility for the benefit of the employees of an organization. It helps in
developing the planning the procedures and policies concerning the diversity and equality issues.
However, debates on how human resource function could act as the main driver for changing the
issues related to conflict and equality within the organization still exists. The paper thus attempts
to highlight the issues related to conflict among the employees that affect the human resource
management of Hanger Café.
Aim
To examine the ways for managing the conflicts among the staff and their effects on the
human resource management of the organization.
Objectives
 To identify the major factors that are causing conflicts among the employees of the
Hanger Café
 To assess how management of Hanger Café adopt to the diversity.
 To examine the impact of the diversity on the staff relationship in Hanger Café
2

For carrying out the study, a qualitative type of investigation had been done focusing on both
the primary and the secondary data. For conducting this particular study, a total number of 12
employees including the 3 managers and 3 cooks and 5-floor employees and 1 cleaner of the
Hanger Café have been selected for gathering information. The data or the information have
been collected by one to one interview sessions with the employees of the café and the by the
help of the questionnaire method that has been distributed to the employees in the organization.
Thematic analysis has been used for in-depth analysis of the findings that have been derived
from the primary and the secondary data.
The findings of the study state some of the major issues that influence the conflict rates that
furthermore enhances the HRM practices within the Hanger café. Some of the recommended
strategies that have been suggested in the research paper include HRM strategies that need to be
developed for decreasing the conflicts among the members, focused training with the external
facilitators that are needed for the achievement of the higher level of the productivity from the
members of the organization in a shorter time. One of the major recommendation that the
research suggest is the propagation of diversity among the organization. Owing to these, it has
thus been suggested that there should be some of the major emphasis regarding the affirmative
actions and the policies related to the equal employment for ensuring the workplace diversity
management and the advantages of the opportunities of the diversity by the facilitation of the
enabling of the environment.
3

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................6
1.1 Background.......................................................................................................................6
1.2 Overview of Hanger Café.................................................................................................6
1.3 Research problem..............................................................................................................7
1.4 Research Questions................................................................................................................7
1.5 Research aim and objectives..................................................................................................8
1.6 Structure of the report............................................................................................................8
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................10
2.1 The theoretical review.........................................................................................................10
2.2 Main factors creating conflict in the HRM practice of Hanger Café..................................12
2.3 Diversity and HRM practices..............................................................................................14
2.4 Conceptual framework.........................................................................................................16
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................................................17
3.1 Research methodology.........................................................................................................17
3.2 Research approach...............................................................................................................17
3.3 Sampling..............................................................................................................................18
3.4 Data collection.....................................................................................................................18
3.5 Data analysis........................................................................................................................19
3.6 Ethical consideration...........................................................................................................20
CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH FINDINGS.......................................................................................21
4.1 The demographic profile – Qualitative............................................................................21
4.2 The Quantitative results....................................................................................................25
4

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION........................................................................................................37
CHAPTER 6: RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................................................41
CHAPTER 7: LIMITATIONS AND CONCLUSION..................................................................44
7.1 Limitations of the researcher...............................................................................................44
7.2 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................44
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................46
APPENDIX....................................................................................................................................52
5

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Conflicts and workplace diversity issues in the organization focuses on the similarities and
the differences that employees bring in their employment organization. It is basically the melting
pot or a stew. The increasing rate of diversity issues of the workforce has been one of the most
essential challenges of management towards the emerging era. Initiated in the year 1980s, in the
United States, the issues related to the diversity and workplace conflict among the employees
came in light. According to the reports, mostly the traditional minority groups like the people of
dark color, women consist of the bigger portion of the labor force facing the challenges and the
issues related to diversity. Researches furthermore included the instances regarding the model of
diversity management after several decades of the minority and discrimination policy of the
United States (Sadgrove, 2016). The affirmative actions and the opportunity of the equal
development for the rectification of the past discrimination was the main aim for the
development of the structures of the policy which is still not fruitful towards effective application
in the current scenario. Diversity in the broader aspect is generally defined as the understanding,
accepting and valuing the differences among the people in respect to the domain of class, age,
gender, mental ability and status of the public assistance. As per the insight of Gajjar and
Okumus (2018) in the research, diversity as one of the essential and integral feature related to
individual differences and the recognition of the differences that the employees of the
organization are not homogenous and tends to focus on the multiplicity of the differences on the
basis of the factor of diversity.
6

1.2 Overview of Hanger Café
Located in the heart of the city of Melbourne, the Hanger Café brings one of the electric
menus as per the international platform with a wide variety of food and finest Schibello coffee in
a relaxed environment that is family friendly across various stores of Melbourne. CBD F214, 201
Spencer Street, Docklands, VIC 3008, the café is located right above the southern cross station
over the outlet of Spencer. The café is one of the most popular Cafés in the center of the city's
heart since it is one of the café offering the experience of fine dining and live piano music
experience within the café for the customers. The Café is furthermore famous for the meal menu
of $10. One of the other factor that makes the Café, the most unique among the others is that
they offer delicious steak for $10 as well.
1.3 Research problem
Social issues leading to conflicts and challenges of diversity are the rising factors affecting
the productivity of the organization. The issue of the indifference and diversity that creates
barriers in communication and language is an important challenge in the current decade. This is
because it is hampering the environment of the workplace at the Café. The evidence of the
problem lies in the lack of coordination among the kitchen and the waiter’s staff that is very
much crucial for smooth functioning in the Café. The research targets to recommend some of the
factors for the improvement of the current scenario and the implementation of the new ideas and
effective utilization of the factor of diversity for the promotion of new perspectives to reboot
team performance and reduce conflicts. The main research problem that will be discussed
through this assignment is the challenges of diversity at the workplace that is affecting the
organization.
7

1.4 Research Questions
 What are the major factors that are causing conflicts among the employees of the Hanger
Café?
 How does the management adopt to the diversity?
 What is the impact of the diversity on the staff relationship in Hanger Café?
1.5 Research aim and objectives
The objectives and the aim of the research are as follows:
Aim
The aim of the research paper to analyze the major factors that are affecting the human
resource practices of the Hanger Café.
Objectives
 To identify the major factors that are causing conflicts among the employees of the
Hanger Café
 To assess how management of Hanger Café adopt to the diversity.
 To examine the impact of the diversity on the staff relationship in Hanger Café
1.6 Structure of the report
The study of the research will be beneficial for both the employer of the café and the
employees in the café since the mutual respect among the employees of the organization tends to
accelerate the marketing opportunities, the productivity and the improvement of the image of the
business and creativity. The research report will be structured with the following characteristics.
The report will contain a brief overview of the abstract, an essential introduction including the
background of the study, the overview of the café, the research aim and the statement of the
8

problem. The next chapter will contain a thorough literature review regarding the topic of the
impact of the conflict and the diversity issues towards the human resource management of the
organization. This will be followed by the methodology of research, findings, and analysis of the
collected data. The final chapter will include recommendations and conclusion to the research
study.
9

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
This particular chapter reviewed both the empirical and theoretical review of the
literature concluding a summary and a conclusion and with the identification of the research gaps
and finally the outline of the conceptual framework. The material and the source of the literature
that were used are from the textbooks, the dissertations, the scholarly journals, thesis and
conference paper.
2.1 The theoretical review
The study includes some of the main theories of the diversity including the self-
categorization theory, the social identity theory, the informed decision-making theory, the
Ibrahim Maslow theory and standpoint theory
Social Identity and Self categorization theory:
In the field of the cognitive social psychological theory, this theory postulates that how the
people tend to classify themselves in some of the social categories shaping the ways of the
interactions towards their own identity and other groups. According to Chelladurai and Kerwin
(2017), social comparison is prevalent in the practice of the process that the people generally use
for the evaluation of themselves with the effective comparison of the members of their group
with the others. The social identity theory is the benchmark that illustrates the factor of the self-
categorization that exists when the people stereotype themselves by the attribution of behaviors,
attitudes and some of the other attributes with the members of the particular group.
Informational and decision making theory
10

The theory as suggested by Guillaume et al. (2017) suggested the scenario that more of the
distinct individuals are more aware of themselves regarding what they will be. The basic concept
of the theory involves the arrangements regarding the power-sharing towards which the
workplace influence is shared among the individuals who are unequal in the hierarchy. The
theory projects the context of the group affiliation with which one carries some of the common
interest.
Attraction Selection Attrition Theory
As per the Ashikali and Groeneveld (2015) the individuals are normally attracted to the
organizations that include the members with the values that are similar to their own results. In
most of the cases, the practice of the selection and recruitment are carried out by the initial
attraction of the employees to the organization. The context of the Attraction relies on a
bidirectional procedure that is generally carried out after the initial interaction with the
employees of the organization. The Attraction Selection Theory is totally relevant to this
particular research since it illustrates selection, attraction, and retention of the employees by the
organization and is basically supported by the Bratton and Gold (2017) and his research which
furthermore claims that the attraction, selection, and retention by the organization is applicable
for the retention of those people who tends to share their values.
Maslow’s Hierarchy
The theory by Abraham Maslow is one of the most famous or popular theories of
motivation among the current practicing leaders and managers of the organization. In case of the
organization from the domain of the restaurant and the café chain, this model is thoroughly used
for the effective explanation of the factors impacting the productivity and the human resource
11

management of the organization. As per Voegtlin and Greenwood (2016) employees of a
restaurant or a café are generally motivated by their floor managers towards the satisfaction of
the fie of the basic types of the needs that include the social, self-actualization, physiological,
safety and esteem. According to Junni et al. (2015), these needs are generally framed in the
hierarchy regarding the essentiality. The theory of the Maslow tends to alert the managers
regarding the danger regarding the unsatisfied needs that tend to dominate the attention of the
employees and furthermore influence towards conflicts among them which finally results in
discrepancies in their behavior and production at the workplace.
The study classifies the theory of motivation by Maslow since it is closely connected to
the area of the study and aims towards the proactive gain of the opportunities and minimization
of the challenges regarding the diverse workforce for the achievement of the competitive edge of
the organization furthermore impacting the management of the human resource of the
organization in discussion.
2.2 Main factors creating conflict in the HRM practice of Hanger Café
Goh, Ilies, and Wilson (2015) illustrated that the factor of the conflicts raised from
diversity has been seen in some of the various demographic differences in the workforce. The
author of the research stated that the workforce of the United States is more diverse racially and
the women in the category of the labor force are much more in number.
Lussier and Hendon (2017) illustrated that one of the most essential models of the HRM
practices followed in the restaurant and café organization is the Harvard Model which tends to
work as the strategic map for guiding all the managers of the organization regarding their
connection and relation with the employees regarding the hard and the soft aspect of the HRM.
12