Causes and Symptoms of the Conflict - Essay Example

Management of Employee Relations Name Institution Date Table of Contents Management of Employee Relations 1 Name 1 Institution 1 Date 1 Table of Contents 2 Management of Employee Relations 7 Introduction 7 Conflicts in the workplace are common in every organization. The difference in the level of conflicts however depends on the real reasons behind the conflicts (Serena, 2011). The reasons behind the conflicts will also determine how long it will take to resolve the matter. In this paper the main reason for the conflict is the discrimination and favorism by the executive director who treats the employees of UAE origin unfairly. The effects of this behavior are quite bad. The employees have lost their morale on the job and most of the new talents end up being frustrated and leaving the industry. Conflicts may at times have positive effects but in this case there are no positive effects and instead the negative effects are much more. Conflicts can be classified depending on their cause and therefore the conflict in this case will also be classified and the concepts will be highlighted (Serena, 2011). 7 Case Study 7 Literature Review 10 Conflict in the workplace is always common in different organizations. However, the reasons for the conflicts will always vary depending on the level of communication and employee satisfaction (Rhea, 2011). In this case the paper will analyze the conflicts in the media industry in Abu Dhabi. The conflict was as a result of the appointment of Karim sarkis as the executive head of Radio and Television. He became unprofessional and started sacking workers of the UAE origin and replaced them with those from him home country, Lebanon. This was Cleary favorism and discrimination. Such behaviors in most cases are the leading cause of conflicts. It also reduces the productivity of the employees since most of them will always work under tension as they do not know what will happen to them. The paper will discuss in detail the causes of the conflict, the conflict concept and the various types of conflicts that have been brought about by the unprofessional conduct of Karim. This type of conflict is however not limited to Abu Dhabi but also worldwide. In many developing countries where there is little transparency in much organization, it is common for managers to use their authorities in the wrong way (Batcheldor, 2000). The measures that have been taken to deal with this situation will also be discussed in the paper. 10 Concept of Conflict 10 Interest 10 This scenario is caused by individuals who are greedy and selfish (Maureen, 2007). They will always want to put their interest first. According to the case study, Kassim had his own interests which were selfish and he wanted the people from his own country to benefit at the expense of the natives. He even started broadcasting Lebanese programs in the UAE. This was quite unfair since his action was forcing the people to view programs that they were not interested in. Although there are Lebanese nationals in UAE it was not fair of him to scrap the programs that were being viewed by the natives and replace them with those from his own country. These actions were led by greed and selfishness on his part. Such malicious actions have severe impacts and create serious conflicts among the people (Maureen, 2007). The people of the UAE were being denied opportunities in the industry and as such led to the conflict resulting to tension in the workplace. This reduces productivity as it leads to dissatisfaction among the employee who is being discriminated upon. The best way to resolve the conflict driven by personal interest is difficult as it has to involve the concerned person. This has made it difficult for the media industry since summoning Karim is quite a challenge. For the fear of victimization which may lead to sacking, Karim has been able to maintain his hold on the position. Several workers have been sacked which has instilled fear on the employees. The personal interest of Karim is thus a major source of conflict in the organization (Maureen, 2007). 11 Values 11 Different people have different values on what they belief is right or wrong (Katie, 2012). A conflict will always occur when one tries to force his or her values to other people. According to the case study Karim is not only favoring the employees from his country but also imposing his beliefs on the UAE citizens. This is done by ensuring that the programs from his countries are aired. This shows that he believes that the programs from his country are better than those of the UAE. Imposing these values on the people therefore generates conflicts which may in turn lead to serious consequences for the nationals and the expatriates in the UAE. The most likely problem that may result from this type of behavior is that the people will not trust one another. It leads to suspicions among the employees and the entire population in general. The UAE employees in the organization do not trust those from Lebanon which affects the working relations. The values that one believes in may not necessarily be negative but at times it may be positive. However the only problem is how to implement these values. It should not be imposed on other people but instead they should be made aware with the situation and what to expect. Karim in this case should have consulted the other employees so as to determine the programs that needs to be broadcasted and how to incorporate the programs from his native country (Maureen, 2007). 12 Relationship 12 Different people have different personalities. This is mainly brought about by the fact that people from different cultures will always perceive issues in a different dimension (Lynne, 2000). People also have a different way of relating to other people. Some people are guided by positive attitude while others are guided by negative attitudes and ethnicity. Other people are guided by negative behaviors and emotions while relating to other people. According to the case study it is clearly evident that Karim was guided by negative behaviors, emotions and ethnicity while performing his duties. He only wanted to ensure that the people from his country benefit from the employment opportunities in the organization while the local people did not benefit. Some of the local people were also sacked in the process. This was with the view of ensuring that the people from his country replace the vacant positions. This type of relationship with the people creates a lot of tension and leads to mistrust among the employees in the organization (Alper et.al, 2000). 13 As a result of these deliberate actions conflicts will always arise. Whenever the employees have a poor working relationship with their superiors conflicts will always arise. The conflict becomes even worse when the superior is the one with bad attitude towards the employee. This problem can only be resolved by involving the leader and educating them on values of positive attitudes and behaviors. For the organization it is difficult to involve Karim since it may lead to victimization or serious repurcations to the employees (Alper, et.al, 2000). 13 Effects on the UAE Nationals 13 The effects of the attitude of Karim are affecting the growth of the media industry in the UAE. This is because the executive director is biased and discriminates against the UAE citizens in terms of recruitment. Some of the employees have also been sacked and replaced by the Lebanese citizens. The qualified UAE nationals who are talented in the sector cannot be employed. This as a result wastes talents and discourages those citizens from studying media related courses. This generally have impacts on the quality of the services offered to the UAE citizens in terms of the media. The conflicts also reduce the trust on the information they receive from the media personalities who are from the Lebanese origin. Ay time Tension has also been created in the organization and the industry as a whole (Lynne, 2000). This is because the employees do not know their fate as they end up being sacked at any time. This affects the quality of the services delivered by the media personnel in the industry. This is mainly because productivity of the employees can only be achieved when the employees are fully committed to their work (Alper 2000). The employees from the UAE also do not get satisfied with their jobs since it is quite difficult to work with Karim. As a result of all this new talent from the UAE suffer the most. This is because it is increasingly becoming more difficult to get a job in the organization. This discourages the job seekers in the sector and some even end up changing their careers since they cannot achieve anything from it. Even some of the experienced and qualified persons cannot be easily employed and this has serious consequences on the industry. Most of the UAE citizens in the media industry thus feel that the only solution to this problem is ensuring that Karim is sacked or forced out of office since other methods of getting the solutions to their problems have proved to be unsuccessful. If the trend continuous and he does not change have attitude and behavior, then the media industry risks collapsing or facing public distrust (Katie, 2012). 14 Type of Conflict 15 This type of conflict facing the organization is basically favorism and preference. This is because Karim is using his position in authority to recruit citizens of his country into the organization. He is also ensuring that programs that are being aired are from his native country. This is clearly preference which portrays a bad public image. The citizens of the UAE are being denied chances of employment in the organization for no good reason but for the fact that they do not come from the same country with the executive. Some of the UAE nationals have also been sacked and this is quite unfair since the reason for their dismissal is to pave way for employment of the Lebanese nationals. This type of conflict is very serious and it causes tension among the workers and poor public image of the chief executive who is using his position to cause tension among the employees (Baron, 1997). 15 Analysis 15 Causes and Symptoms of the Conflict 15 The main causes of the conflict are the Chief executive who favors the citizens of his country as opposed to the natives. The Chief executive is also imposing programs of his native county to the nationals of the UAE by ensuring that they are being broadcasted. Some of the UAE nationals have also lost their jobs due to the actions of the chief executive. The employees of the UAE origin feel that their needs are not being catered for and they are being ignored constantly. This has therefore created a serious conflict in the industry between the UAE nationals and the chief executive (Katie, 2012). 16 Some of the symptoms to show that the conflict is quite evident have been noted among the employees in the organization. There has been a mood change in the organization since the Chief Executive took office. This has seen the employees change their decision making exercise since some of them believe that they will not be taken seriously or will be ignored. The communication methods and processes have completely changed and some employees avoid communication with the Chief Executive even when they have serious issues to discuss. Some of the junior’s employees do not take orders from the chief executive serious and some other gang up and resist doing some of the duties assigned to them. The workplace is also full of complains and arguments throughout the day concerning the Chief Executive. The mater has been worsened by absent seem of some members who do not report to work for days (Maureen, 2007). 16 Balance of Bargaining Power and Actions Taken 16 The main purpose of balancing bargaining power is to ensure that the administration and the employees are in the same platform whenever they are trying to resole conflicts that they have (Amason, 1996). In this case, the employees from the UAE nationality have issues against the Chief Executive whom they feel is discriminating them. To solve this stalmet, the employees have to present their issues to the administration. This can be done through their union leaders. However this has not been entirely possible since the Chief Executive has more powers and is not wiling to listen to their grievances. This issue has thus completely lowered the bargaining powers of the employees to an extent that they cannot negotiate. Some of the action taken by the employees to resolve the stalmet has been to deal directly with the administration. Several meetings have been held to discuss the mater but it has not been successful since the employees have a lot of fear of being dismissed. However the complains have frequently been written and deposited in the suggestion box for action. Most of the employees however prefer being anonymous when presenting their grievances for fear of reparations (Rhea, 2011). 17 Recommendations and Conclusion 17 The organization is at risk of losing the trust of the UAE nationals if action is not taken to solve the conflict. The conflict is very serious and may lead to loss of reputation by the organization and the Chief executive. The conflict is not an ordinary one since it also affects the rights of the citizens of the UAE to fair treatment. The conduct of the chief Executive is against the law and requires punishment. It is therefore recommended that the employees union take legal action against the Chief executive officer. However they should do it as a last option. Other means of solving the conflict could be resenting their grievances directly to the board of directors although it is unprocedural but a good option in this case. The employees should be united and if their case is not heard then they can resolve to demonstrate peacefully. This will make their voices heard. 18 References 19 Rhea, C. (2011). Concepts of conflict. . Retrieved on 18th January 2012. Serena, B. (2011). Types of conflicts in the workplace: Five Types of Conflict. . Retrieved on 18th January 2012. 19 Maureen, M. (2007). Workplace Coach: Companies pay the price when managers avoid dealing with conflict. New York: Sage. 19 Lynne, M. (2000). Anger and Conflict in the Workplace Impact Publications. . Retrieved on 18th January 2012. 19 Katie, M. (2012). Concept of conflict. . Retrieved on 18th January 2012. 19 Alper, S., et al. (2000). Conflict management, efficacy, and performance in organizational teams. Personnel Psychology. Vol. 53: 625-642. 20 Amason, J. (1996). Distinguishing the effects of functional and dysfunctional conflict on strategic decision making: Resolving a paradox for top management teams. Academy of Management Journal. Vol. 39: 123-1 20 Baron, R, et.al. (1997). Positive effects of conflict: Insights from social cognition. Using conflict in organizations. London: Sage. 20 Management of Employee Relations Introduction Conflicts in the workplace are common in every organization. The difference in the level of conflicts however depends on the real reasons behind the conflicts (Serena, 2011). The reasons behind the conflicts will also determine how long it will take to resolve the matter. In this paper the main reason for the conflict is the discrimination and favorism by the executive director who treats the employees of UAE origin unfairly. The effects of this behavior are quite bad. The employees have lost their morale on the job and most of the new talents end up being frustrated and leaving the industry. Conflicts may at times have positive effects but in this case there are no positive effects and instead the negative effects are much more. Conflicts can be classified depending on their cause and therefore the conflict in this case will also be classified and the concepts will be highlighted (Serena, 2011). Case Study One major source of conflict emerged when Sarkis began firing staff of Abu Dhabi Media and hiring new employees of Lebanese citizens specifically from his community “Maronite. This is likely to result into conflict because the staff will feel they are being discriminated basing on their nationality. Another conflict results from the changing of the identity of Abu Dhabi channels by showing Lebanese episodes and programs. Evidently, this is a clear depiction of prejudice against UAE nationalities and favoritism for the Lebanese nationalities since by showing Lebanese episodes and programs unlike before indicates some kind of preference for Lebanese. Organizational conflict is likely to occur because of such actions. The third conflict is likely to result from Sarkis closing down UAE nationals aspiring to work in the media regardless of their qualifications. UAE nationals obviously will feel discriminated since they are being turned down employment opportunities not because they are not qualified, but because they do not belong to the preferred nationality, which is Lebanese (Drew, 2011). UAE nationals aspiring to work at Abu Dhabi Media will have resentment towards the organization. UAE nationals will feel that no matter how much they are qualified to work in this organization and regardless of the experience they have in media industry, it won’t matter since the preferred nationals, in this case Lebanese citizens will always acquire employment in this organization while they will always be left out. As a result, UAE nationals will resent the Lebanese citizens even at workplace, treat them unkindly and gossip about reasons behind the preferential treatment. In addition, UAE nationals will also resent Karim Sarkis who is the Executive Director of Radio and Television and become less willing to work for the organization. Still, this will lower the motivation among UAE nationals since they will feel they are being passed over for job employment because of the preferred Lebanese nationals (Drew, 2011). The kind of conflict in this case study is favoritism and preference. The Executive Director of Radio and Television seems to favor and prefer employees with Lebanese nationality against UAE nationalities. In addition, he is also favoring the Lebanese audience whereby he has resulted into airing programs in Lebanese languages. Favoritism and preference contribute a lot to workplace conflict and stress. Eventually, favoritism and preference result into inefficient decision as well as loss of motivation and productivity. For example, in this case, the Director’s favoritism and preference will have major negative effects on the organization. First, the organization will lose experienced employees who have been fired because of their UAE nationality and hence the organization will end up losing valuable skills which would have been extremely beneficial to the organization. Again, the organization productivity will reduce and hence it will in the long run lose a significant amount of profit (Drew, 2011). Furthermore, since UAE nationalities are discriminated when it comes to employment in this organization, they will be de-motivated to seek employment there and hence the organization will lose professionals in media industry, just because they are not Lebanese nationalities. The remaining employees in the organization will also lose motivation since they will be feeling that the favorites and preferred workers will always be favored for openings such as promotions, pay rise and this will further aggravate the conflict (Drew, 2011). Literature Review Conflict in the workplace is always common in different organizations. However, the reasons for the conflicts will always vary depending on the level of communication and employee satisfaction (Rhea, 2011). In this case the paper will analyze the conflicts in the media industry in Abu Dhabi. The conflict was as a result of the appointment of Karim sarkis as the executive head of Radio and Television. He became unprofessional and started sacking workers of the UAE origin and replaced them with those from him home country, Lebanon. This was Cleary favorism and discrimination. Such behaviors in most cases are the leading cause of conflicts. It also reduces the productivity of the employees since most of them will always work under tension as they do not know what will happen to them. The paper will discuss in detail the causes of the conflict, the conflict concept and the various types of conflicts that have been brought about by the unprofessional conduct of Karim. This type of conflict is however not limited to Abu Dhabi but also worldwide. In many developing countries where there is little transparency in much organization, it is common for managers to use their authorities in the wrong way (Batcheldor, 2000). The measures that have been taken to deal with this situation will also be discussed in the paper. Concept of Conflict Interest This scenario is caused by individuals who are greedy and selfish (Maureen, 2007). They will always want to put their interest first. According to the case study, Kassim had his own interests which were selfish and he wanted the people from his own country to benefit at the expense of the natives. He even started broadcasting Lebanese programs in the UAE. This was quite unfair since his action was forcing the people to view programs that they were not interested in. Although there are Lebanese nationals in UAE it was not fair of him to scrap the programs that were being viewed by the natives and replace them with those from his own country. These actions were led by greed and selfishness on his part. Such malicious actions have severe impacts and create serious conflicts among the people (Maureen, 2007). The people of the UAE were being denied opportunities in the industry and as such led to the conflict resulting to tension in the workplace. This reduces productivity as it leads to dissatisfaction among the employee who is being discriminated upon. The best way to resolve the conflict driven by personal interest is difficult as it has to involve the concerned person. This has made it difficult for the media industry since summoning Karim is quite a challenge. For the fear of victimization which may lead to sacking, Karim has been able to maintain his hold on the position. Several workers have been sacked which has instilled fear on the employees. The personal interest of Karim is thus a major source of conflict in the organization (Maureen, 2007). Values Different people have different values on what they belief is right or wrong (Katie, 2012). A conflict will always occur when one tries to force his or her values to other people. According to the case study Karim is not only favoring the employees from his country but also imposing his beliefs on the UAE citizens. This is done by ensuring that the programs from his countries are aired. This shows that he believes that the programs from his country are better than those of the UAE. Imposing these values on the people therefore generates conflicts which may in turn lead to serious consequences for the nationals and the expatriates in the UAE. The most likely problem that may result from this type of behavior is that the people will not trust one another. It leads to suspicions among the employees and the entire population in general. The UAE employees in the organization do not trust those from Lebanon which affects the working relations. The values that one believes in may not necessarily be negative but at times it may be positive. However the only problem is how to implement these values. It should not be imposed on other people but instead they should be made aware with the situation and what to expect. Karim in this case should have consulted the other employees so as to determine the programs that needs to be broadcasted and how to incorporate the programs from his native country (Maureen, 2007). Relationship Different people have different personalities. This is mainly brought about by the fact that people from different cultures will always perceive issues in a different dimension (Lynne, 2000). People also have a different way of relating to other people. Some people are guided by positive attitude while others are guided by negative attitudes and ethnicity. Other people are guided by negative behaviors and emotions while relating to other people. According to the case study it is clearly evident that Karim was guided by negative behaviors, emotions and ethnicity while performing his duties. He only wanted to ensure that the people from his country benefit from the employment opportunities in the organization while the local people did not benefit. Some of the local people were also sacked in the process. This was with the view of ensuring that the people from his country replace the vacant positions. This type of relationship with the people creates a lot of tension and leads to mistrust among the employees in the organization (Alper et.al, 2000). As a result of these deliberate actions conflicts will always arise. Whenever the employees have a poor working relationship with their superiors conflicts will always arise. The conflict becomes even worse when the superior is the one with bad attitude towards the employee. This problem can only be resolved by involving the leader and educating them on values of positive attitudes and behaviors. For the organization it is difficult to involve Karim since it may lead to victimization or serious repurcations to the employees (Alper, et.al, 2000). Effects on the UAE Nationals The effects of the attitude of Karim are affecting the growth of the media industry in the UAE. This is because the executive director is biased and discriminates against the UAE citizens in terms of recruitment. Some of the employees have also been sacked and replaced by the Lebanese citizens. The qualified UAE nationals who are talented in the sector cannot be employed. This as a result wastes talents and discourages those citizens from studying media related courses. This generally have impacts on the quality of the services offered to the UAE citizens in terms of the media. The conflicts also reduce the trust on the information they receive from the media personalities who are from the Lebanese origin. Ay time Tension has also been created in the organization and the industry as a whole (Lynne, 2000). This is because the employees do not know their fate as they end up being sacked at any time. This affects the quality of the services delivered by the media personnel in the industry. This is mainly because productivity of the employees can only be achieved when the employees are fully committed to their work (Alper 2000). The employees from the UAE also do not get satisfied with their jobs since it is quite difficult to work with Karim. As a result of all this new talent from the UAE suffer the most. This is because it is increasingly becoming more difficult to get a job in the organization. This discourages the job seekers in the sector and some even end up changing their careers since they cannot achieve anything from it. Even some of the experienced and qualified persons cannot be easily employed and this has serious consequences on the industry. Most of the UAE citizens in the media industry thus feel that the only solution to this problem is ensuring that Karim is sacked or forced out of office since other methods of getting the solutions to their problems have proved to be unsuccessful. If the trend continuous and he does not change have attitude and behavior, then the media industry risks collapsing or facing public distrust (Katie, 2012). Type of Conflict This type of conflict facing the organization is basically favorism and preference. This is because Karim is using his position in authority to recruit citizens of his country into the organization. He is also ensuring that programs that are being aired are from his native country. This is clearly preference which portrays a bad public image. The citizens of the UAE are being denied chances of employment in the organization for no good reason but for the fact that they do not come from the same country with the executive. Some of the UAE nationals have also been sacked and this is quite unfair since the reason for their dismissal is to pave way for employment of the Lebanese nationals. This type of conflict is very serious and it causes tension among the workers and poor public image of the chief executive who is using his position to cause tension among the employees (Baron, 1997). Analysis Causes and Symptoms of the Conflict The main causes of the conflict are the Chief executive who favors the citizens of his country as opposed to the natives. The Chief executive is also imposing programs of his native county to the nationals of the UAE by ensuring that they are being broadcasted. Some of the UAE nationals have also lost their jobs due to the actions of the chief executive. The employees of the UAE origin feel that their needs are not being catered for and they are being ignored constantly. This has therefore created a serious conflict in the industry between the UAE nationals and the chief executive (Katie, 2012). Some of the symptoms to show that the conflict is quite evident have been noted among the employees in the organization. There has been a mood change in the organization since the Chief Executive took office. This has seen the employees change their decision making exercise since some of them believe that they will not be taken seriously or will be ignored. The communication methods and processes have completely changed and some employees avoid communication with the Chief Executive even when they have serious issues to discuss. Some of the junior’s employees do not take orders from the chief executive serious and some other gang up and resist doing some of the duties assigned to them. The workplace is also full of complains and arguments throughout the day concerning the Chief Executive. The mater has been worsened by absent seem of some members who do not report to work for days (Maureen, 2007). Balance of Bargaining Power and Actions Taken The main purpose of balancing bargaining power is to ensure that the administration and the employees are in the same platform whenever they are trying to resole conflicts that they have (Amason, 1996). In this case, the employees from the UAE nationality have issues against the Chief Executive whom they feel is discriminating them. To solve this stalmet, the employees have to present their issues to the administration. This can be done through their union leaders. However this has not been entirely possible since the Chief Executive has more powers and is not wiling to listen to their grievances. This issue has thus completely lowered the bargaining powers of the employees to an extent that they cannot negotiate. Some of the action taken by the employees to resolve the stalmet has been to deal directly with the administration. Several meetings have been held to discuss the mater but it has not been successful since the employees have a lot of fear of being dismissed. However the complains have frequently been written and deposited in the suggestion box for action. Most of the employees however prefer being anonymous when presenting their grievances for fear of reparations (Rhea, 2011). Recommendations and Conclusion The organization is at risk of losing the trust of the UAE nationals if action is not taken to solve the conflict. The conflict is very serious and may lead to loss of reputation by the organization and the Chief executive. The conflict is not an ordinary one since it also affects the rights of the citizens of the UAE to fair treatment. The conduct of the chief Executive is against the law and requires punishment. It is therefore recommended that the employees union take legal action against the Chief executive officer. However they should do it as a last option. Other means of solving the conflict could be resenting their grievances directly to the board of directors although it is unprocedural but a good option in this case. The employees should be united and if their case is not heard then they can resolve to demonstrate peacefully. This will make their voices heard. References Rhea, C. (2011). Concepts of conflict. . Retrieved on 18th January 2012. Serena, B. (2011). Types of conflicts in the workplace: Five Types of Conflict. . Retrieved on 18th January 2012. Maureen, M. (2007). Workplace Coach: Companies pay the price when managers avoid dealing with conflict. New York: Sage. Lynne, M. (2000). Anger and Conflict in the Workplace Impact Publications. . Retrieved on 18th January 2012. Katie, M. (2012). Concept of conflict. . Retrieved on 18th January 2012. Alper, S., et al. (2000). Conflict management, efficacy, and performance in organizational teams. Personnel Psychology. Vol. 53: 625-642. Amason, J. (1996). Distinguishing the effects of functional and dysfunctional conflict on strategic decision making: Resolving a paradox for top management teams. Academy of Management Journal. Vol. 39: 123-1 Baron, R, et.al. (1997). Positive effects of conflict: Insights from social cognition. Using conflict in organizations. London: Sage. Read More