ADCO Construction: Motivation and Conflict Resolution Report

This report analyzes employee motivation and conflict resolution strategies within ADCO Construction, a prominent construction company in Sydney. The paper begins with an introduction to ADCO and highlights the importance of motivation and conflict resolution in the organization. It explores the...Read More

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Motivation and Conflict resolution
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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Motivation...................................................................................................................................................3
Conflict resolution.......................................................................................................................................6
Problems facing motivation in the company...............................................................................................9
Problems affecting conflict resolution in the firm.....................................................................................10
Solutions and recommendations for enhancing motivation......................................................................11
Solutions and recommendations in conflict resolution.............................................................................12
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................12
References.................................................................................................................................................14

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Introduction.
ADCO is a construction company located in Sydney which has contributed a lot in the
building and construction sector. The company was established in the year 1972 so as to engage
in construction in Australia. The company enjoys the good reputation in Australia as customers
are always satisfied and this has enabled it to be involved in more than 3500 projects. I was able
to interview two employees in the company who are tasked with ensuring that the organization
employs well-qualified individuals and managing the publicity of the organization. One person is
the assistant human resource manager and the other individual holds the position of assistant
publicity officer. Conflict resolution in the organization has enabled the organization to have a
good public image as the firm manages all the problems well so as to avoid scandals. Employee
motivation in the organization is behind continued delivery guarantee in the firm. This paper is
written to highlight motivation and conflict resolution in ADCO.
Motivation
Motivation plays a critical role in organizations as it forces people in the firm to act in
a certain manner. In ADCO construction Company, the management has sufficient employee
motivation so as to ensure that clients enjoy quality services. Motivation in the firm comes from
different aspects which include sufficient employee compensation. Employees work in different
firms for various reason and one of the reason is better to pay and compensation benefits (Deci,
& Ryan, 2012). To deliver the quality services to clients, employees in the company work
overtime and they are compensated well for the extra working hours. The company has adopted
the use of extrinsic motivation which in most cases is used to improve the lifestyle of the
individual. Employees in the organization are praised for the good work performed and this
improves the morale of the individuals. Promotions in the organization have also been used to

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ensure that employees in the firm perform their duties effectively and efficiently (Schunk, &
Zimmerman, 2012). According to the human resource manager in the organization, promotion in
the organization is based on merit only. “Promotion in the organization is for the people who
earn the promotion, it is never given”.
Continuous employee training in the organization has also been used to motivate
everybody in the organization. The employees are supposed to undergo training which is related
to their areas of specialization in the organization so as to improve the skills and knowledge of
the employees. Training enables the staff to develop their careers and make them compete
favorably in the competitive job market in Australia and the world at large (Sánchez, &
Sahuquillo, 2012). The contracts offered by the firm to employees also motivate the staff as the
terms of the contract guarantee job security and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction enables staff to
concentrate on their duties effectively as fear of contract termination are avoid provided the
employee does not breach the employment contract. Employees work to fulfill various needs and
ADCO Company is committed to ensuring the employees are satisfied.
Maslow hierarchy of needs theory plays a critical role in explaining the forces behind
motivation in the organization. The theory states that people work hard so as to fulfill different
needs in life. People garb any opportunity that will enable them to fulfill their needs and ADCO
is committed to ensuring that the needs of the employees are satisfied. The theory grouped
human needs into five categories which include, physiological needs, safety and security needs,
social and affiliation needs, self-esteem and self-actualization (von Kutzleben, Schmid, Halek,
Holle, & Bartholomeyczik, 2012). Physiological needs forces individuals to perform their duties
effectively so as to be able to afford the basic needs such as food, water, shelter and even sleep.
Without working hard to meet certain goals, someone cannot sleep comfortably and that applies

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to all aspects of life. After satisfaction of physiological needs, individuals want to fulfill safety
and security needs which include job security, steady flow of income and a better salary
(Straughan, 2014). ADCO ensures that staff who work hard are able to satisfy their safety and
security needs and this motivates employees.
Social and affiliation needs are satisfied after employee satisfies safety and security
needs. This is achieved by having conducive working atmosphere that promotes collaboration
and teamwork in the organization. The conducive working culture promotes interaction in the
office through embracing open communication and this builds friendships among employees in
the office. Friendships in the company is enhanced by the strong conflict resolution team that
helps the organization to settle all the staff problems and this motivates employees to aspire to
work in the organization and also continue working in the organization (Tikkanen, 2007). This
helps to avoid disruptions which occur when employees move to other firms. The organization is
thus able to provide quality solutions to clients as there is minimal employee turnover.
Self-esteem needs which are associated with status in the organization and the society,
promotion, prizes, and respect. ADCO is a company which enjoys good reputation and goodwill
in Australia and the world, this makes employees be proud of working in this prestigious
company and that enables them to deliver quality solutions so as to continue working in the
organization (Daley, 2012). Promotions and prizes in the organizations are also available and this
motivates the staff of the company. The last need to be satisfied according to Maslow is self-
actualization need and if this need is satisfied, the employee will have no motivation to work
hard and nothing can motivate him/her. The needs are the factors behind motivation.
Motivation in the organization has various benefits and that is the main reasons why
organizations work hard to motivate employees. The benefits include increased productivity as

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employees are committed to their duties (Macheka, Manditsera, Ngadze, Mubaiwa, & Nyanga,
2013). This enables the organization to be able to meet to achieve higher outputs and be able to
satisfy the needs of the clients. The organization is committed to satisfying client needs so as to
improve company image and ensure customer loyalty. Meeting client expectations is also
associated with goodwill that will enable the company to attract more customers.
Motivation also leads to the attraction of top talents in the job make and also retention of
top talents in the organization. This enables the company to has qualified employees who will
play a critical role in coming up with solutions that satisfy customer needs and this will help in
creating a competitive advantage (Reyes-García, et al.2012). The motivation of staff will also
ensure that the organization enjoys a cordial relationship with trade unions in the country. This is
because employees are well compensated and this will help in avoiding strikes and go-slows that
that are initiated by trade unions against a certain organization. Avoiding the strikes will enable
the firm to firm its duties without disruptions and be able to provide quality solutions to clients.
Conflict resolution
Conflict resolution in the organization refers to measures which are taken to ensure that
disputes in the organization are resolved amicably and the involved parties are satisfied with the
reached conclusion. ADCO enjoys a good working environment because it has conflict
management strategies in place. This helps in avoiding wrangles between the top management
and the employees and also between employees themselves. This creates a positive working
culture which ensures collaboration and teamwork in the organization which helps in coming up
with solutions that satisfy client needs (Babis, 2014). Disagreements in organizations are
inevitable to various factors such as different ideologies, different approaches, different
backgrounds and cultures, poor communication channels, poor salaries, delayed payments, and

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even poor working conditions. Organizations need to have measured in place that will help in
addressing disagreements in the organization so as to foster a good working culture that will help
the organization achieve its goals.
ADCO provides conflict resolution training to its staff so that staff can learn to solve
conflicts and help to avoid consequences of disagreements in the organization. This enables
employees to gain various skills which are needed in conflict management. The skills include
good communication skills which will foster interpersonal communication skills in the
organization. This helps the staff to use appropriate language when addressing other employees
as the staff is from different parts of the world which have different cultures and beliefs which
can cause conflict during conversations or meetings in the organization (Oetzel, & Getz, 2012)
. The training also helps organizations to learn the importance of following the codes of conduct
in the organization. Following the codes of conduct helps employees to relate appropriately and
showcase a high degree of professionalism in the firm. The training also enables members to
unlock creativity in problem-solving and this has helped the organization in many years to enjoy
the conflict-free environment (Oetzel, & Getz, 2012). “We are committed to ensuring everyone
in the organization is respected regardless of the position held”.
The organization has also invested a lot in team building initiatives and corporate social
responsibility activities. Team members enable staff to socialize and engage in activities that
promote cohesion in the organization. This leads to improved relations among the employee and
help in building friendships that help staff to relate well to each other. Team building also helps
in understanding other employees’ interests and this helps during employee engagements in the
organization (Teague, & Roche, 2012). Corporate social responsibility has also played a critical
role in ensuring that the company is in good relations with the people of the society. This has

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been done through donations and scholarships to needy people in the society and organizing
training forums that help to educate the members of society on various issues affecting the
society (Siebels, & zu Knyphausen‐Aufseß, 2012). This helps the company to have good
relations with its clients as social initiatives create a forum where clients can interact with the
employees of the company and learn various aspects of the organization and how the firm
operates to deliver quality solutions.
The organization has employed clear communication channels in the organization. This
enables employees in the organization to air their grievances to the right. This helps the
organization to solve the disputes at hand faster and avoid disruptions that are associated with
disputes in the organization (Jo, & Harjoto, 2012). The firm is also committed to address
challenges that may arise between the management and the staff so as to avoid strikes which may
affect delivery of quality work to clients and delays as employees are not committed to their
duties. Communication is the force behind smooth operations in many firm and managers
ensures that open communication is embraced as it also helps in promoting collaborations and
teamwork in the firm (Black, & Andersen, 2012). Conflict resolution ensures that the
organization avoids scandals which has tainted images of many construction companies in the
world due to bad publicity and poor relations between the management, clients and employees.
Conflict resolution in organizations according to various scholars have numerous
benefits. The benefits include enhanced goal achievement in the organization. The conflict-free
organization creates a conducive environment which enables staff to be committed to their duties
and roles. This leads to effective execution of duties which leads to enhanced goal achievement
in the organization. This leads to organization growth and attraction of more clients which
translates to more revenue (Roche, & Teague, 2012). The organization with conflict resolution

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measure is able to build good relationships among the employees and this help in stress
management and good results at the end. Good relationships in the organization enhances sharing
of ideas and information which can be used to provide better solutions to customers (Collier, &
Duponchel, 2013). Good relations among employees also enhances innovation as sharing of
ideas leads to innovation that helps the firm in creating competitive advantage and providing
edge cutting solutions.
Problems facing motivation in the company
There are various challenges which face motivation in the company. The problems
include limited resources in the organization. Employee motivation requires a lot of resources
and the organization find itself in tight positions because withdrawing the benefits of staff with
demotivating the organization (Zhang, & Bartol, 2010). Motivational packages are expensive and
consume a lot of resources and this may affect quality service delivery and lead to loss of clients.
This may also force the company to start charging clients high prices and this will not help in
attracting more clients. Wastage of resources may be witnessed in the motivation is not felt in the
organization. This will prevent the organization from achieving its growth goals and the firm will
not be able to improve the wealth of shareholders.
Companies which provide extremely quality services to clients does so at the expense of
the employee free time. Employees work over time so as to provide the quality solutions and
meet the client requirements. This may be a demotivating factor as some staff have other
engagement to attend such as spending time with family members (Campbell, & Kay, 2014).
This means that benefits as a result of working overtime does not motivate the employees. The
overtime may lead to poor work being delivered to clients as the employees are not committed to

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their duties. This will force the organization to employ more staff so as to deliver quality services
and this will lead to increased operational costs due to the increased salary budget.
Identifying the needs of the employees is also a challenge. Employees are motivated so as
to achieve satisfy needs which are not fulfilled. Offering motivation to employees becomes hard
as offering benefits which the employee does not want will not lead to motivation. The needs
which have already been fulfilled according to Maslow does not motivate the employee. The
employee is motivated so as to achieve needs which have not been satisfied (Campbell, & Kay,
2014). The organization may find itself spending a lot of resources to motivate employees but the
effects of the motivation measure will not be felt in the organization. This problem is enhanced
by workforce diversity.
Problems affecting conflict resolution in the firm
The organization requires a lot of resources in order to have efficient conflict resolution
strategies in the organization. A lot of resources are needed in order to plan for the training as
facilitator’s costs are high. Team building activities also require a lot of resources as employees
need to enjoy themselves and learn. Corporate social responsibility also drains a lot of
organization resources which could be used in other aspects of the organization (Kotlar, & De
Massis, 2013). The publicity assistant officer said, “Our department is in constant conflicts with
the finance sector as we require a lot of resources”.
Workforce diversity has also affected conflict resolution strategies because people are
from different backgrounds with different cultures and beliefs. This leads to constant conflicts in
the organization as people have different interests and preferences. This means that the

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organization is always solving conflicts this affects operations in the organization (Clercq,
Thongpapanl, & Dimov, 2013). Clash of personalities has also contributed a lot in ensuring that
conflict resolution in the firm is not effective. Poor communication in the organization is
enhanced by workforce diversity because people have different interpersonal skills. This results
in a lot of misunderstanding between the employees and leads to a lack of communication which
encourages conflicts in the firm.
Shortage of staff in conflict resolution in the organization has also affected the conflict
resolution efforts in the organization. The company core activities are in construction and most
of the employees employed are those who directly affect the outcomes of construction projects.
The conflict resolution department has been neglected in the organization and the available staff
cannot meet all the conflicts in the organization (Clercq, Thongpapanl, & Dimov, 2013).This
makes the firm to have a lot of unresolved issues which affect the performance of the
organization. Collaborations in the firm will be affected and poor quality solutions will be
provided to clients.
Solutions and recommendations for enhancing motivation
The firm can adopt various measures to address challenges affecting motivation. The
management of the organization can manage the firm by leading by example (Huczynski,
Buchanan, & Huczynski, 2013). This will help in avoiding the notion that employees can only be
motivated by being given bigger salaries. The firm can focus on intrinsic motivation and this will
help the organization to save a lot of resources.
Enhancing communication between employees and the management will lead to the
proper identification of the needs of the employees so as to avoid using resources to satisfy needs
which have already been fulfilled (Huczynski, Buchanan, & Huczynski, 2013). This will also

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help in identifying the priorities and interests of the employee. The firm will able to offer what
the employee needs and this will improve motivation in the firm.
Extensive training and development should be adopted in the organization so as to come
up with innovations which will help in shortening the duration of projects. This will help in
addressing the challenge of working overtime as projects can be completed in time without the
use of overtime.
Solutions and recommendations in conflict resolution.
The firm should increase the number of staff in the conflict resolution department so as to
ensure that conflicts in the organization are well addressed. The managers should appreciate the
role played by the department and ensure that it is well staffed and have the necessary resources
to carry out their mandates.
The organization should enact a strong code of conducts in the organization to guide
how staff in the organization should relate. Existing loopholes in the codes of conduct should be
addressed so as to minimize conflicts in the organization (DeChurch, Mesmer-Magnus, & Doty,
2013). The firm has workforce diversity and code of code will help in minimizing the conflicts
caused by different cultures.
The firm managers should also agree to increase resources allocated to the conflict
resolution department so that enough resources are available to enable the organization to solve
conflicts in the organization. The resources will enable the firm to be able to conduct training
sessions that enable employees to gain conflict resolution skills (Brubaker, Noble, Fincher, Park,
& Press, 2014). The conflict resolution team will also have a chance to be trained in better ways
of solving the conflict in the organization.

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Conclusion
Motivation is organizations enables quality delivery of services to clients. Motivation
also ensures that the organization is able to attract top talents and be able to retain employees.
This helps in avoiding disruptions associated with employee turnover. Conflicts in organizations
are inevitable due to workforce diversity and clash of personalities. ADCO has really tried in
ensuring employees are well motivated and the firm is free from conflicts which affect the
performance and reputation of the organization. The firm’s motivation strategies are faced with
various challenges such as overtime, shortage of resources and employee need identifications.
Conflict resolution in the firm is affected by the shortage of resources and workforce diversity.
The company has adopted various strategies to address the challenges and the strategies include
more allocation of resources to the involved departments and leading by example.

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