Research Project: Conflict Management and Hotel Performance

This report delves into the critical role of conflict management in the success and growth of Holiday Inn, a prominent global hotel brand. The research begins with an introduction to conflict management, defining its impact on organizational performance and employee satisfaction, setting the stage for an in-depth analysis of its application within Holiday Inn. The report's aims, objectives, and research questions are clearly outlined, guiding the investigation into the significance of conflict management within the hotel. A comprehensive literature review explores the concept of conflict management, its various styles, and its importance in maintaining a positive working environment. The analysis then focuses on Holiday Inn, examining how conflict management reduces costs, enhances productivity, and aids in retaining employees. The study also assesses the impact of effective conflict management on Holiday Inn's growth, highlighting benefits such as improved employee knowledge and customer satisfaction. Finally, the report proposes practical measures for managing conflicts within Holiday Inn, including understanding employee needs, conducting regular meetings, improving communication, and considering employee behavior. The research methodology, including the inductive approach and qualitative method, is also detailed, ensuring a thorough and systematic investigation.

Research Project

Table of Content

Topic:- “To determine the role of Conflict Management and its influence over
the growth or success of a hotel.” A study on Holiday Inn London.
INTRODUCTION
Conflict management is defined as the process of minimising the wrong effect of
conflicts over workplace by enhancing its positive influence over operations. It is mainly focuses
over enhancing the group outcomes that includes effectiveness of performance in organisational
setting (Baillien and et. al., 2014). Conflict management has a significant impact over the
development and success of a company as it assist in switching the conflicts to positive outcome
so that organisational performance doesn't get affected. By managing the conflicts properly the
management can keep its employees satisfied with their working environment and job as well
which in turn further contribute toward ensuring the long term employee retention. For
conducting this investigation, Holiday Inn hotel would be consider for performing research.
Background of investigation
Conflict management is consider as most crucial part of functions performed by a
management within the organisation. This is because conflict management contribute toward
development of a company which support in retaining the worker for longer span of time by
keeping them satisfied with their job which ensures higher productivity of a company. For
performing investigation over this Holiday Inn has been taken into consideration which is British
owned American multinational hotel brand that maintain a chain of around 1,173 hotels all over
the world. It is well-known brand throughout the world and highly appreciated by the customers
for continuing its market position and performance it is essential for a managers to keep its
employees satisfied so that effective services can be render to them (Bou-Franch and Blitvich,
2014). This can only be performed by effective management of conflict that may arise among the
employees at workplace which creates dissatisfaction and also affect over their performance.
Research Aims:-
To determine the role of Conflict Management and its influence over the growth or
success of a hotel.” A study on Holiday Inn London.
Objectives of investigation:-
 To understand the concept of conflict management
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 To determine the role of conflict management within Holiday Inn.
 To identify the impact of conflict management over growth and success of holiday Inn.
 To recommend the measures through which conflicts among employees can be managed
in Holiday Inn.
Research questions:-
 Explain about the concept of conflict management?
 What is the role of conflict management within Holiday Inn?
 What impact does conflict management have over the growth and success of Holiday
Inn?
 Enlist the measures through which conflicts among employees can be managed in
Holiday Inn?
Rationale
Its main aim behind this project is that it support researcher in determining the manner in
which conflict management contribute toward the growth and success of Holiday Inn. Despite of
that, investigation also support in determine several methods through which conflict can be
managed effectively within the organisation (Chan, Sit and Lau, 2014). This will help in
enhancing the knowledge of researcher regarding the methods or tactics that are consider for
performing the research appropriately. In addition to this if the investigation get published and
utilise for educational purpose which help in improving the learning of students about conflict
management by considering real life example.
Time Scale
In order to ensure effective execution of investigation toward the accomplishment of
research objective it is very crucial for a researcher to perform activities in systematic and timely
manner (Chatterji, Arlosoroff and Guha, 2017). For this, basically a tool used which is named as
Gantt chart, a pictorial representation of activities in a systematic manner that performed within
the research along with time taken by them.
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
The concept of Conflict Management
According to views of Prachi Juneja, 2019, In an organisation when people works in a
team, conflicts among them cannot be avoided since it is an unavoidable part of team work.
Moreover it is an outcome of individual behaviour which greatly influence the company's
productivity and proficiency. However, conflict mainly arises when there is a disagreements
among employees which results into arguments and disputes between them due to idea of being
competing or having personal interest. There are number of sources for arising disputes within
workplace like differences in perception, disappointment with working condition or
compensation, high work pressure, lack of recognition and many more. Hence, in order to build
better working atmosphere, manger takes an initiative to deal with conflicts within company for
accomplishing their goal in an effective and efficient way.
According to Husemann, Ladstaetter and Luedicke, 2015, conflict management is an
ability of manger or leaders for identifying and handling dispute fairly, sensibly and effectively.
Along with this, there are various styles in resolving workplace disputes like accommodating,
avoiding, collaborating, competing, compromising that leads an organisation to attain profit
maximisation in a better manner. Moreover, conflict management assist mangers to determine
the exact issue and on the bases of which corrective course of action is performed. Additionally,
during decision making process they involves personnel for providing their valuable opinion
regarding issue which improves manpower morale and it directly reflect over firm overall
performance. Furthermore, when employees were highly satisfied or motivated with workplace
then it encourages them to present their full efforts on attainment of increasing profitability level
and aid toward acquiring the better positioning within industry.
The role of conflict management within Holiday Inn
As per the view of Amy. R. Overton, 2019, Every establishment encourage dispute on
daily basis. However, the conflicts is an unavoidable factor, but it is not possible to manage in a
manner which they recognize them on time. It is essential to regularly trace organisational
signals which point to their existence. However, conflict management is significant within an
organisation as it help them to achieve business goals or objective in a better way within
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prescribed time limit. Thus, this process benefits Holiday Inn in many ways which are explained
below:
Reduce costs: It help in making effective business decision as well as enable superior to
make new initiatives more appropriately. Moreover, it aid toward increasing return on
investment by directing teams and workforce towards Holiday Inn goals that enrich overall
performance in an impressive manner.
Enlarges productivity: In this, conflict management enable Holiday Inn managers to
recruit all talented or potential workforce who can put their best effort for an accomplishment of
business goal or objective ion an innovative and creative style. Hence, more cohesive personnel
reduces absenteeism and contribute toward developing an environment of innovation that help
in driving Holiday Inn forwards in an effective way.
Retain best employees: It helps Holiday Inn management in enhancing the supervisory
relationship as well as keeps team members involved in operations and also to communicate
openly with each other. Due to this, managers can decrease confusion or ambiguity from among
workforce that enrich company's productivity as well as builds positive attitude towards brand.
Moreover, it assist them to empower their existing personnel and empower them to make
differences within business premises in order to acquire best poisoning in competitive industry.
Henceforth, conflict management is considered as an integral component which help
Holiday Inn to enhance their profitability ratio as well as encourage them to implement novel
ideas in order to gain competitive advantage and also to create healthy working environment.
Impact of Conflict Management over Growth and Success of Holiday Inn
As per the perception of Sherrie Campbell, 2019, conflict management can be defined as
the process with the help of which a good and cooperative working environment is being created
in the working of an organisation. It is created with the motive of making the working processes
of the company to be smooth and effective for providing Holiday Inn with positive outcomes.
With the help of proper management of conflicts and creating good working environment in the
organisation, it will be possible for them to create good interpersonal relation in between the
different employees working in the organisation.
As per view point of joo Kim and et. al., 2015, there are also some other benefits such as
improvement in the knowledge of employees, with the increased interaction in between the
employees, it will be possible that they will share each other's problem and will find proper
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solution. This will help in increasing the knowledge of employees so that they will be able to
make improvement in their work and will also be able to perform the provided task in an
effective and efficient manner. This will impact upon the work productivity and increase in the
effectiveness of the task which will directly impact upon the customer satisfaction and
profitability of the organisation. Hence, it can be said that the proper management of conflicts in
Holiday Inn will provide the company with positive outcomes and will also help in the growth
and development of the organisation.
The Measures through which Conflicts among Employees can be Managed in Holiday Inn
According to Nicky LaMarco, 2018, it is very important for the organisations to make use
of proper strategies and measures for reducing the conflicts with in the organisation for the
efficient working of the organisation. There are many ways with the help of which the conflicts
in an organisation could be reduced such as understanding the needs and emotions of the
employees, conducting meetings on regular basis with the employees so that their problems
could be discussed and the solutions to them can be provided in the right way. Employees are the
most important asset in an organisation in performing the tasks so the organisation should take
into consideration about their issues as well as their views so that the occurrence of conflicts
could be minimised to much level in the organisation. The most important measure is to take
continuous feedback from the employees, it is not the work of a single time, instead the meetings
should be conducted on regular basis with the help of which, many problems could be resolved
and the work productivity of Holiday Inn could be increased. The communication process in
between the employees should also be improved in some or the other way such as
implementation proper guidelines for making the communication process in Holiday Inn so that
the conflicts in between the employees can be reduced. Likewise, having knowledge about the
behaviour and nature of employees is also important for the managers of Holiday Inn so that
employees with good behaviour could be retained in the company and others should be fired so
as to prevent the working environment of the company from being effected in negative way.
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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
It is one of the most crucial section of an investigation which explains about several
investigation methods as well as tactics that are being used for gathering, presenting, evaluating
and interpreting the information regarding the research topic (Einarsen and et. al., 2018). This
further support in concluding the findings in effective manner so that objectives of investigation
can be accomplished. Following are the tools and techniques that will be used for performing this
investigation:
 Approach for investigation:- It is a systematic plan which consists of several
assumption for detailed method of gathering, evaluation and interpretation the data.
Research approach is basically of two type such as inductive and deductive. For
performing this research, inductive approach will be consider as it is suitable for
qualitative investigation because it support in covering up every big or small aspect
involve in investigation.
 Research method:- There are usually two type of research methods which are used for
performing research like quantitative and qualitative method. Among which the
qualitative method of investigation will be used as it consists of theoretical structure
which support in performing a detailed investigation over a particular topic.
 Sources of data :- For performing an investigation effectively there are mainly two
sources used for gathering information i.e. primary and secondary source of data. Among
them both the sources will be used for performing investigation effectively (Folger, Poole
and Stutman, 2017). Here the secondary data will be used to gather the information that
support in determining the nature of topic concerned for investigation and to gather
secondary data literature review will be used. On the other side primary investigation is
used to extend the knowledge gathered through secondary research by collecting the view
point of larger number of people using questionnaire.
 Sampling:- It is basically is defined as the procedure of choosing group of people in a
manner that represent the whole population. These methods are of two type i.e.
probabilistic and non-probabilistic. For performing this investigation non-probability
method will be used which ensure the selection of people on random bases and must not
includes any kind of bias behaviour toward respondent selection (Pines and et. al., 2014).
In this investigation sample size of 40 respondent will be considered.
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 Research Ethics: It is explained as the primary research where it is necessary that
researcher must follow the ethics and code of conduct while doing the research. It is
important for researcher that they should not misuse the information which they have
collected while doing the research (Galuppo and et. al., 2014). There are altogether three
different types of principles which are used while doing research and they are
anonymity, confidentiality and informed consent. In case of anonymity, each and every
data included as well as linked with any of the primary research. When it comes to
informed consent, it is the duty of researcher that they must be accurate to their work and
objectives which they have decided while conducting research.
 Research philosophy: In any of the research, research philosophy has the most
important role because its main work is to collect the information and data to use them in
a systematic manner. There are two types of research philosophy and they are
interpretivism and positivism. This research will be based on interpretivisim philosophy
has been used that helps to assist and evaluating the data in best possible manner
(Goetsch and Davis, 2014). Where as positivism philosophy is not so effective as it
doesn't help to collect the accurate information in systematic manner.
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CHAPTER 4: DATA FINDINGS, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Data findings
Q1. Do you have any idea about the concept of conflict
management?
Frequency
a) Yes 30
b) No 10
Q2. What is the basic role of conflict management within an
organisation?
Frequency
a) Strengthen the staff relations 20
b) Improve organisational practices 10
c) Retain employees 10
Q3. As per your view point does conflict management support
Holiday Inn hotel in retaining its employees for longer
duration?
Frequency
a) Yes 30
b) No 10
Q4 What benefits does Holiday Inn get due to implementation of
conflict management within its operations?
Frequency
a) Increase productivity 20
b) Manage risk 10
c) Enhance commitment 10
Q5. In what manner does conflict management support in
growth and success of Holiday Inn?
Frequency
a) Positive 20
b) Negative 10
c) Neutral 10
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Q6. As per your perception what kind of impact does conflict
management have over Holiday Inn?
Frequency
a) Positive 20
b) Negative 10
c) Neutral 10
Q7. What can be the major consequences of conflicts among
employees within Holiday Inn at global business environment?
Frequency
a) Negative working environment 10
b) Disputes among employees 10
c) Lack of work concentration 10
d) Employees turnover 10
Q8. What are the major factors present at global level that may
create conflict among the employees of Holiday Inn?
Frequency
a) Job dissatisfaction 20
b) Inappropriate working condition 10
c) Cultural difference 10
Q9. Do you think conflict management contributes in
improvement of employees performance at Holiday Inn?
Frequency
a) Yes 20
b) No 20
Q10. Recommend the measures through which conflict among employees can be reduced
in Holiday Inn while operating at global level
Data interpretations
Theme 1: The concept of conflict management
Q1. Do you have any idea about the concept of conflict Frequency
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management?
a) Yes 30
b) No 10
Interpretation:- Conflict management is consider to be the group of tactics that are
basically used to reduced the disputes among the staff members for maintaining good working
conditions at workplace. By performing investigation over employees of Holiday Inn it has been
identified that around 30 respondents out of 40 are not clear about conflict management as they
haven't go through such practices. Apart from this another 10 respondents have thorough
10
a) Yes b) No
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
30
10