Overcoming Diversity Conflict At The Kent Hotel: A Research Study

Industry Partner

As stated by Webb (2018) diversity conflict in a workplace involves individuals from different social groups as they are identified based on difference in the race, gender, age, class, religion belief or any other human difference. In the opinion of Thomas (1992) , conflict is bound to take place in an environment if it is a diverse workplace. This might happen between the employees at same or different levels or between the employee and supervisors depending on different circumstances. An organisation is bound to suffer as a result of the workplace conflict in terms of its work pl,

1.2 Industry partner:

            The Kent Hotel located at the Rathdowne St, Carlton North, Victoria, Australia was established as a pub and was later renovated to a fine dining place. This corner pub has been renovated with a surfeit of style and the overlooking beautiful Curtain Square in the heart of the Rathdowne Village. The Hotel offers different menu of modern Australians and Mediterranean dishes to a variety of various cuisines right from the award winning French-Algerian chef Pierre Khodja. The Hotel also offers rooms for hire and private rooms for different occasions (Kenthotel.com.au 2018). This industry partner has been selected as I have worked with this Hotel as a chef and I am well aware of the diversity issues that this organisation has been facing in the recent time.

1.3 Research problem:

            It has been observed that there is a continuous conflict among the chefs and other employees in the Hotel due to the difference in the diversity of the origin of the people. As a result of this there have been issues in the kitchen department of the Hotel and as a result of this the whole organisation has to suffer in terms of meeting the expectation of the customers or creating a good environment at the work place. Thus, the issue of the diversity and to work in co-ordination has been creating a major problem and this has been taken into consideration for the research (Kenthotel.com.au 2018).

1.4 Rationale of the research:

            Diversity in work place promotes an environment of acceptance, respect and to work as a team even when there is a difference in the race, religion or the sexual orientation among the employees. As pointed out by, when there is a diverse working environment, it promotes a situation where different minds can come together and help to achieve a common goal. In case of a workplace, this holds more prominence as it helps in treating clients or customers from diverse backgrounds easily (Ågotnes et al. 2018).

Research Problem

If the situation of a Hotel is taken into consideration, it is similar as the customer can be anyone from any particular background. However, opposed to this, if there arise a chaotic condition due to the diversity of the employees in the workplace, it might create a big challenge and the overall business might also suffer.

            The issue related to the diversity of the employees has been creating a great issue for the management of the Hotel and this need to be checked at early as possible in order to overcome any severe issue related that might hamper the overall functionality of the organisation. The aim of this report will focus to analyse the situation with the help of both primary and secondary research and come up with the best possible ways to overcome the issues of diversity conflict at the Kent Hotel.

1.5 Research aim and objectives:

            The aim of the report is to find out the different factors that are actually contributing to the conflict among the employees in the organisation and to propose the possible ways that the Hotel can undertake in order to overcome the issues.

The objectives are:

1. To find out the various factors that are contributing to the staff conflict at the workplace
2. To recommend certain ways by which the Hotel can overcome the issues that results in the conflict at the workplace.

The research questions are:

1. How are the diversity factors contributing to the staff conflict at workplace?
2. How can Kent Hotel resolve this issue?

1.6 Structure of the report:

            The entire report has been segregated into 6 chapters. The first chapter is the Introduction that gives an overview of the topic and the research aim and objectives along with a brief overview of the industry partner. The second chapter is the literature review where a detailed discussion on the various factors that contribute to the workplace diversity will be discussed. The point of view of the various authors along with some theories will be discussed. The third chapter is the methodology that will highlight the methods used for this research.

The fourth chapter is the findings and analysis, where the primary data will be analysed and discussed. This chapter will also contain the discussion section. The fifth chapter is the conclusion where the objectives will be linked with the findings and the final or sixth chapter is recommendation where certain recommendations to overcome the issues will be suggested.

Chapter 2: Literature review

2.1 Importance of understanding diversity at workplace:

            Workplace diversity takes place when there is a disagreement that results in conflict among the employees of the organisation. This occurs due to the difference in the perspective, values, abilities or the contribution of a member from another in a group. As commented by Baillien et al. (2014), the diversity conflict is rather a conflict based on prejudice and power differences and not due to the difference of the merit. Diversity at workplace can have a positive impact on the organisation in various ways.

Rationale of the Research

It has to be understood that a difference between the human being will bring more creativity, innovation and product development and so this difference should be used in a more positive way rather than resulting in a conflict. Moreover, diverse employees can deal with a diverse group of people and can help in increasing the overall productivity of the organisation. In case of the hospitality and hotel industry, a diverse workplace will automatically add to the more benefits of the organisation.

2.2 Various factors leading to workplace conflict due to diversity:

            Diversity conflict can occur due to oppression of the employees at a workplace. As commented by Brazzel (2003), employees of an organisation can face oppression from the people in the organisation due to their racism, sexism, and heterosexist or due to the other forms as well. At times, the oppressions result is inequality and privileges to the dominant group over the marginalised group. This will automatically lead to the conflict among the oppressed and the marginalised groups creating a situation of utter disturbance in the workplace as it results in the unproductiveness of the organisation (Danielsson et al. 2015). 

Changes in the workforce in terms of the ethnic and the racial diversity have been recorded as the most influential factor in the transformation of the present workplace culture. People from various backgrounds and cultures have been found to be a part of the organisation. It is a common sight that a boardroom is full of people from different backgrounds like Asian Americans, African Americans and others.

In Western or European countries, the diversity due to the difference in the culture or the race has been the most prominent issue in the workplace. In case of the Asian countries like Japan, China or Korea, it has been found that the workplace conflict takes place mainly due to the difference due to the age or the gender of the people working together in a workplace.

1. Workplace conflict due to difference in interpersonal and intrapersonal communication:

Intrapersonal conflict takes place when we have a conflict with our self in terms of the actions, thoughts, feelings and values. As pointed out by Devine et al. (2015), organisational activities are very prompt and require the employees to engage in the activities with prompt participation. However, it might happen that conflict arises between two persons because one is not competent enough to work and frequently asks for help or suggestion from the other person. This situation can definitely bring a conflict between the two persons. In such case, both the persons might not come up with direct argument but can be found to strive with the issue internally. It is kind of intrapersonal conflict.

Research Aim and Objectives

On the other hand, the conflict can take place a vigour situation and both the persons involved in the situation can also come down to a severe conflict resulting in interpersonal conflict. These types of conflicts are more effective as this involve arguments and can create a negative situation in the workplace. In order to overcome such situation, Devine et al. (2007) suggested that the intervention of the third person is important because the third person can think from a neutral perspective and can come down to a particular point that can actually resolve the issue without creating much distress.

Adding to this, Guillaume et al. (2017) commented that the situation of interpersonal and intrapersonal conflict gets worsen in case of sudden or uncertain situations. In case of a service industry or a Hotel, it is most important to serve the customers rightly. The situation can demand prompt action from the employees and as result of which the thought process or thinking can differ from one person to another leading to a communication conflict among the employees.

1. Workplace conflict due to age difference:

            As pointed out by Islam and Karam (2017), that there have been many instances when workplace conflict has been found to take place due to the difference in the ager group of the employees working together. This concept can be easily explained using the socio-emotional selective theory that has clearly stated that adults are less likely to be engaged in the destructive and non-confronted communication. However, this cannot be held true for the people of other ages, especially those who are young. It is due to the absence of adequate experience and ability to deal with the situation young people is often found to involve in chaotic situation leading to a conflict (Katler et al. 2018).

However, the workplace also promotes multi-generational approach in order to ensure that ideas and the innovations from the various age groups are taken into consideration when it comes to the business activities. In fact, the young generation are found to be more active and advanced in their thoughts and insights and they can come up with better plans rather than the older generation people (Smith 2015).

At the same time, it is equally important to make sure that the idea proposed by the young generation is useful and can be implemented at the particular workplace. This can be evaluated by the older generation only as they have the experience for this. Therefore, employees with age difference is actually a boom for an organisation but this diversity usually turns into a conflict as at times, the generation gaps are not fulfilled properly and the ideas do not match (King et al. 2009).

1. Workplace conflict due to difference in skills and experience:

Structure of the Report

            Having adequate skills in order to manage a situation or to work at a particular situation is the primary requisite for an employee to work for an organisation. In fact, the ability, performance and the appraisal of an employee also lies in the skills that one possesses. In such situation, when there is a skill gap to work at a particular situation, the issues or the conflict take place.

This conflict can take a severe turn in the organisation as it questions the ability or the existence of a person (Lewin et al. 2016). A person having more experience might not have the adequate skills required to fulfil the particular responsibility or the job role. Or a person having the adequate skills might not perform well due to lack of proper experience in the particular field. In such cases, it is important that enough training is provided to the employees of the organisation so that they will be able to understand the working procedure and can easily be able to handle any kind of situation.

            In the view point of Liu and Xu (2018), workplace diversity is not pertinent to any particular individual in an organisation but it can affect the people in groups. Diversity is important as it not only encompasses the similarity between the various workers but it actually focuses on the differences. This leads to the situation where the management has to consider both the sides of the people in the workplace at the time of any decision making.

Talking about the international worker and cultural diversity in the field of hospitality, it can be said that the service industry attract clients and customers from various fields and background that is diverse in nature. This automatically creates a scope for the diversity of the employees at the workplace. In the opinion of, Miglbauer (2017) it is very important for the employees working in the hospitality or service industry to understand the culture of the various people. International workers as well as clients are growing in large numbers and this is the reason that creating a diverse cultural environment is equally important.

Organisations that can manage the diversity properly can be expected to get the right result in return as it is a means by which the customers are served. In fact, there has been a tremendous pressure on the various organisations due to the increasing impact of the diversity. The organisations have also been found to come up with certain flexible arrangements that helped the employees to overcome the issues of working in a diverse environment (Thakore 2013). The customer servicing, better team formation and other ways of understanding the diversity has already been found to be effective in many workplace to overcome the issue of diversity.

Literature Review

2.2 Existing theories on diversity and conflict in a workplace:

1. Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument

            According to the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, two individuals can have exactly similar expectations and desires and this can often lead to a conflict among the two individuals if the desires are not fulfilled for each (Morgan and Vardy 2009). This instrument helps to understand the various reasons behind the conflict and also provides a path that can be used to overcome the conflict. These situations can be broadly classified here:

1. Competing: It is assertive and uncooperative where the individual actually pursues his own concerns at the expense of the other person. This is a conventional method where the person tries to select any particular method that seems appropriate to him. The ultimate result depends on the ability of the person to argue and standing on the right decision to defend the other person in question.
2. Accommodating: This is just the opposite of competing where an individual person takes the opportunity to satisfy the concern of the other person without thinking about his ownself. The element known as self-sacrifice is actually works here that focuses on charity, obeying others and a self less generosity leading to the view point of the other person.
3. Avoiding: In this situation, the person neither thinks of himself or the other person and is actually tries to stay away from any kind of conflict. In fact, the person decides to avoid the situation by stepping aside and simply withdrawing from the conflict.
4. Collaborating: This is probably the best way of dealing with a kind of conflict situation where a person collaborates with the other in order to find out a way to overcome the situation. This often leads to the core of the problem and thinking of some ways to overcome the issue rather than just progressing with the conflict (Thomas 1992). This is in fact a way of understanding other’s insight as well and then taking the right step accordingly.
5. Compromising: This is the situation when the person decides to compromise on the situation and not to keep going with the situation. This requires a mutual understanding as well where both the parties need to be involved and come down to a particular point where there conflict can be actually resolved.
6. Categorization-Elaboration Model:

            According to this model, diversity of the workplace has been continued to be a great concern of an organization. The model gives the opinion that due to the various factors of the diversity, the conflict is bound to rise and this can directly decrees the performance of the organization (Paul 2016). Therefore, it is important that we consider the view point of the people in group while making any decision. This will definitely help in producing a more innovative and collective response towards a particular situation and the organization is likely to be benefitted in such case.

2.3. Conflict management process:

            Understanding the importance of a diverse workplace, it has been found that many organisations have come up with the conflict management process. It is expected that by the means of such ways, certain resolutions can be made and the organisation can be run more effectively. A discussion of such processes can be done here:

1. Negotiation:

            The most effective means of managing a conflict is by negotiating the issue with the one suffering as a victim of the diverse work place. In order to negotiate, it is important that we should identify the main source of conflict and try to gather as much information possible in order to understand the root cause of the issue. In such case, interviewing the person is the best possible way (Prause and Majtaba 2015). After evaluation the issue, it is important that necessary compensation or in terms of verbal supervision is provided so that the person can be satisfied that his issues have been taken care of by someone.

1. Assisted Collaborative Negotiation:

            The negotiation process can be made more formal and the person can be given enough support or collaboration to deal with the situation. This is very important because as a failure to this, it might create a negative situation at the work place and the person suffering from the situation can even attract other people from same background. This will ultimately create a chaotic situation and the productivity of the organisation will be hampered.

Importance of Understanding Diversity at Workplace

Overview of the research design:

            A mixed research approach has been undertaken for the research that involved both qualitative and quantitative means of research in order to answer the research question. Research approach is the means by which the data is collected and is simplified to certain extent in order to derive a meaningful data. In order to understand the feeling or the situation of the participants, different tools of analysing the conflict in the organisation has been used (Mackey 2017).

The literature review helped to understand the potential causes or the reason behind the conflict of the people in an organisation. On the other hand, the interview conducted among the managers and the staffs of the hotel helped to understand their point of view in terms of the workplace conflict due to diversity. As this research is based on a case study of a hotel, it is important to carry out both qualitative and quantitative research approach in order to get meaningful data.

3.2 Research approach:

             The deductive approach is used to understand the situation from the data collected from the various sources. The inductive approach is used to develop own theories and concepts related to the topic of discussion. For this particular research, the deductive approach has been used and the theories and concepts discussed in the literature review have been used to analyse the findings. In addition to this, the data obtained from the interview and the participation of the staffs also helped to reach out a particular analysis of the research problem.

3.3 Sample, sample size and sampling method:

            Sample size defines the number of participants involved in the research. For this particular research, 17 participants were involved as the research was mainly focused on the conflict occurring in the kitchen, so the participants were limited to the ones who are directly involved in the working activities of the kitchen. These 17 participants were 1 executive manager, 1 manager and 15 kitchen staffs.

The sampling method that was selected to select the particular participants was stratified sampling technique that comes under the probability sampling technique. The step by step sampling technique undertaken was, simple sampling that was random and unbiased. The idea was to understand the opportunity of each factor from the different staffs in the organisation. Then the selected sample size was divided into various strata and the participants were selected more precisely and effectively.

Various Factors Leading to Workplace Conflict Due to Diversity

3.4 Data collection process:

            The data collection process is the way by which the data from the various participants are calculated. In order to gather the information from the participants, the primary data, structured survey interview questionnaire was framed and the same was sent through email. The questionnaire contained few questions related to the demographic information like the age, span of employment, gender and others; and the main questions to understand the effect of diversity on the conflict of the organisation. In order to analyse the same, the likert scale has been selected and 5 options were given to the participants to choose from.

The likert scale has been used as it gives an advantage on the fact that that the response can be measured in various degrees of opinions. The questionnaires were sent by the means of emails and they reverted. In fact, telephonic conversations were also made to take the interview of the participants.

3.5 Data analysis process:

            The collected data has been analysed by the data analysis technique using the MS Excel software. In order to obtain the relationship between various factors and the conflict, frequency percentage and the co-relation has been used to derive the findings.

3.6 Ethical consideration of the research:

            It is important to maintain the ethical guidelines of the research and such ethical considerations were undertaken at the time of doing the research. For instance, permission of all the participants was taken and a consent form was signed as well so that they give their consent to the particular research and to ensure that the participants were volunteer. The confidentiality and the identity of the participants were also not disclosed. In addition to this, no participants were asked nay kind of personal question and the interview was conducted unbiased and harmless. It was made sure that there was no advertisement or promotion of the Hotel and the entire research was completely done for academic purpose.

3.7 Limitation of the research:

            The time given to carry out the research was definitely a major limitation. Data collection from the participants might not give fruitful result as it was limited to a particular number of people. In addition to this, it has to be understood that some participants might have given false statement and thus, the ultimate derivation of the research might not be much relevant.

Chapter 4: Findings and analysis:

            The interview was conducted among 15 participants and the analysis of the data collected will be done here.

1. Position of employees working at Kent Hotel:

Position	Count of Position
Grill chef	2
Head Chef	1
Kitchen hand	4
Larder chef	1
Line cook	2
Pizza Maker	2
Prep chef	2
Sous chef	1
Grand Total	15

Table: Number of employees in each position

Chart: Percentage of employees in each position

It has been found that 13% of the participants were Grill chef, 7% were head chef, 27% were kitchen hand, 7% were larder chef, 13% were line cook, 13% were prep chef, 13% were pizza maker and 7% were sous chef. Thus, there is a diversity in the position of the employees employed at the Hotel.

1. Nationality of the employees:

Nationality
Position	Algerian	Bangladesh	Chile	Colombian	Indian	Nepalese	Grand Total
Grill chef			1			1	2
Head Chef	1						1
Kitchen hand					4		4
Larder chef		1					1
Line cook				1		1	2
Pizza Maker					1	1	2
Prep chef					2		2
Sous chef		1					1
Grand Total	1	2	1	1	7	3	15

Table: Count of nationality of the employees

Chart: Percentage of nationality of the employees

            7% of the employees are Algerians, 13% were from Bangladesh, 7% from Chile, 7% from Colombia, 46% were from India and 20% were Nepalese. From this analysis, it can be said that the culture of India can be found dominating in this work place as the percentage of the people in the Hotel were more to be Indians. However, the percentage of other nationality were nearly similar and varies between 7% and 13% and thus, the cultural perspective can not be dominant in such case.

1. Gender of the employees:

Gender	Column Labels
Position	Female	Male	Grand Total
Grill chef		2	2
Head Chef		1	1
Kitchen hand	1	3	4
Line cook		2	2
Pizza Maker		2	2
Prep chef	1	1	2
Sous chef		1	1
Larder chef		1	1
Grand Total	2	13	15

Table: Count of gender of the employees

Chart: Percentage of gender of the employees

            It is clear from the findings that 87% of the employees were male whereas just 13% were female. Thus, it has can be easily said that there is a chance that the males are the dominant employees in the organisation. 

1. Marital status of the employees:

Marital status	Column Labels
Row Labels	Married	Single	Grand Total
Grill chef		2	2
Head Chef	1		1
Kitchen hand		4	4
Larder chef		1	1
Line cook	1	1	2
Pizza Maker	1	1	2
Prep chef		2	2
Sous chef		1	1
Grand Total	3	12	15

Table: Showing the count of the married and single employees

Chart: Showing the percentage of the married and single employees

            It has been found that 80% were single and just 20% of the employees were married. Therefore, diversity in terms of the marital status is also persistent in the Hotel.

1. Age group of the employees:

Count of Age	Column Labels
Row Labels	18-24 years	25-34 years	35-45 years	45-54 years	Grand Total
Grill chef	2				2
Head Chef				1	1
Kitchen hand	4				4
Larder chef		1			1
Line cook	1	1			2
Pizza Maker		1	1		2
Prep chef	2				2
Sous chef		1			1
Grand Total	9	4	1	1	15

Table: Showing the age of the employees

Chart: Showing the percentage of the age of the employees

            From the above data, it is clear that 60% of the employees are between the age group of 18-24 years whereas 27% are between 25-34 years, 6% are between 35-45 years and only 7% between 45-54 years. Thus, it is clear that the majority of the employees are young and thus, the diversity in terms of the age group exists among the employees. In such case, there can be clear mismatch of the ideas and concepts of the working process and there can be conflict among the employees.

1. Number of years employed by the company

Count of No. of years employed by company	Column Labels
Row Labels	1 to 2 years	3 to 5 years	6 months or less	More than 6 months but less than one year	Grand Total
Grill chef				2	2
Head Chef		1			1
Kitchen hand	1		2	1	4
Larder chef				1	1
Line cook	2				2
Pizza Maker			1	1	2
Prep chef	1		1		2
Sous chef				1	1
Grand Total	4	1	4	6	15

Table: Showing the span of the people working in the Kent Hotel

Chart: Showing the span of the people working in the Kent Hotel

            From the above chart, it is seen that 40% of the employees are working for more than 6 months but less than a year. 27% has been working for less than 6 months, just 6% working for more than 3 years but less than 5 years and 27% working for more than 1 year but not completed 2 years. From this data, it is clear that the employees are not working for a longer time and the conflict can be regarded as one of the reasons of the less number of people working for so less time.

Likert scale has been used where the numbers indicate the following:

(1= Strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3= Neutral, 4= Disagree, 5= Strongly disagree)

Indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements	I feel comfortable and confident to work in a diversified workplace	Staffs are accepting and respectful towards cultural diversity	Staffs’ experience and knowledge is considered as a tool for any changes
1	4	4	3
2	4	5	3
3	5	4	3
4	4	4	4
5	3	2	4
6	4	1	4
7	2	3	5
8	1	5	2
9	4	4	1
10	5	4	5
11	3	3	4
12	2	2	4
13	4	1	2
14	2	4	1
15	4	3	2

Table: To show the answer of the 15 participants.

7.1 Response of the staffs to the comfort and confident to work in a diversified workplace

Chart: In response to the comfort and confident to work in a diversified workplace

            From the above response, it can be seen that 2 of them strongly disagree that they are comfortable and confident to work in the diversified workplace. 7 of them disagrees to gthe fact, 2 of them were neutral, 3 of them agree and find themselves to be confident to work in such environment and just 1 strongly agreed that to the comfort. 

7.2 Responses of the staffs to be accepting and respectful towards cultural diversity

Chart: In response to the staffs to be accepting and respectful towards cultural diversity

            From this analysis, 7 of the respondents disagreed that there is respect and accepting nature of the staffs. 2 of them showed strongly disagree, 3 of them were neutral and 2 of them strongly agree and 2 agreed to the point.

7.3 Responses of the staffs; experience and knowledge to consider as a tool for a change

Chart: To show response of the staffs’ experience and knowledge to consider as a tool for a change

            When asked if the organisation considered experience and knowledge as a tool for any change, it has been found that 2 of them strongly disagreed, 5 of them disagreed, 3 were neutral, 3 agreed and again 2 strongly agreed the fact. Thus, it can be said that the ideas and knowledge are always welcome by the management and any person working in the organisation can place their view point.

Likert scale has been used where the numbers indicate the following:

(1= Strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3= Neutral, 4= Disagree, 5= Strongly disagree)

Indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements	Staffs are not very accepting of your culture resulting to mockery and verbal abuse	Staffs en courages the practice of isolating an individual from a group	I have felt that restrictions are put in source of information to make my job difficult
1	2	2	3
2	2	2	3
3	2	2	3
4	3	1	4
5	4	1	5
6	5	4	5
7	4	5	1
8	4	5	1
9	2	3	1
10	1	1	1
11	1	1	1
12	4	5	2
13	5	4	2
14	3	4	2
15	3	3	3

8.1 Responses to show staffs are not very accepting of your culture resulting to mockery and verbal abuse

Chart: Responses to show staffs are not very accepting of your culture resulting to mockery and verbal abuse

            When it was intended to know if there is culture abuse in the organisation, it was found that 2 of them strongly agreed that the staffs were not very accepting that results in mockery. 4 of them agreed to this fact. Again 3 of them were neutral to the fact and 4 of them disagreed to the fact and 2 of them strongly disagreed to the issue. However, it is clear that there is some kind of mockery that goes on and the staffs have to face diversity issues.

8.2 Responses to show staffs encourages the practice of isolating an individual from a group

Chart: Responses to show staffs encourages the practice of isolating an individual from a group

            It would be very hurtful if the staffs are abandoned from a group and when asked about this, it was found that 4 of them strongly agreed, 3 of them agreed, 2 were neutral. However, 3 of the respondents disagreed and 3 strongly disagreed the fact on isolating the individual from the group.

8.3 Response to show they have felt that restrictions are put in source of information to make my job difficult

Chart: Response to show they have felt that restrictions are put in source of information to make my job difficult

            When the staffs are restricted they are not able to perform their job properly and when asked on the same thing, it was found that 5 of them strongly agreed, 3 agreed, 4 of them were neutral, 1 disagreed and 2 of them strongly disagreed the fact. Thus, it can be said that that not all of them are allowed to perform their duties and it is also an indication of the diversity conflict.

Likert scale has been used where the numbers indicate the following:

(1= Strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3= Neutral, 4= Disagree, 5= Strongly disagree)

Indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements	I have felt there were miscommunications because of my weak command in English	I am able to fluently convey thoughts and feedbacks	Language barrier has led in my poor performance at work
1	2	4	1
2	2	4	2
3	2	4	2
4	3	43	2
5	4	3	2
6	5	3	1
7	5	1	1
8	4	1	1
9	4	1	4
10	4	2	3
11	5	2	3
12	3	4	4
13	3	5	5
14	2	4	5
15	1	4	3

9.1 In response if they have felt there were miscommunications because of my weak command in English

Chart: In response if they have felt there were miscommunications because of my weak command in English

            Few of the staffs were non-native to English speaking countries and so they can be not so fluent in English. On asking this question, it was found that 1 strongly agreed to the fact, 4 agreed, 3 were neutral, 4 disagreed and 3 strongly disagreed to the fact.

9.2 In response if they are able to fluently convey thoughts and feedbacks

Chart: To show the response if they are able to fluently convey thoughts and feedbacks

            From the above chart, it is clear that 3 of them strongly agreed and they can easily share their thoughts in their language, 2 of them, agreed, 3 were neutral and most importantly 6 of them disagreed the fact and 1 of them strongly disagreed the concept. Therefore, the foreign staffs are really struggling to cope up with the language barrier with the other staffs in the organisation.

9.3 In response if language barrier has led in my poor performance at work

Chart: To show the response if language barrier has led in my poor performance at work

            Language is an important concept of diversity and it has been found that 4 of them strongly agreed that language barrier has resulted in the poor performance, 4 of them agreed, 3 of them were neutral while 2 disagreed the fact and 2 of them strongly disagreed the fact. Thus, language barrier is another challenge for the employees.

Likert scale has been used where the numbers indicate the following:

(1= Strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3= Neutral, 4= Disagree, 5= Strongly disagree)

Indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements	I am appreciated for my work in spite my background	I appreciate other staffs for their contributions regardless of their background	I tend to be more motivated and productive with the help of appreciation
1	1	2	1
2	1	2	1
3	2	2	1
4	2	5	2
5	3	5	2
6	4	4	2
7	5	3	3
8	4	3	3
9	2	3	1
10	3	1	2
11	1	1	5
12	1	1	4
13	3	2	4
14	2	4	3
15	2	4	2

10.1 In response if they are appreciated for my work in spite my background

Chart: To show the response if they are appreciated for my work in spite my background

            Everyone wants to be appreciated in their work. Only 1 strongly disagreed that her do not want to be appreciated, 2 of them disagreed, 3 were neutral. 5 of them strongly agreed that they want to be appreciated and 4 of them strongly agreed to the fact that they wanted to be appreciated.

10.2 In response if they are appreciate other staffs for their contributions regardless of their background

Chart: Response to show if they are appreciate other staffs for their contributions regardless of their background

            It has been found that 2 of them strongly disagreed and they do not like to appreciate others, 3 disagreed, 3 were neutral. However, 4 of them agreed and wanted to appreciate others and 3 of them strongly agreed to the point. Thus, there is different opinions on this fact.

10.3 In response if they tend to be more motivated and productive with the help of appreciation

Chart: Response to show if they tend to be more motivated and productive with the help of appreciation

            Motivation can always play an important role to overcome the organisational issues. When it was asked, it was found that 1 of them strongly disagreed to this fact, 2 of them disagreed, 3 of them were neutral. 5 of them agreed to the fact and 4 of them strongly agreed to the fact. Thus, motivation is what mainly required in this organisation to improve the performance of the employees.

Likert scale has been used where the numbers indicate the following:

(1= Strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3= Neutral, 4= Disagree, 5= Strongly disagree)

Indicate the extent to which you agree with the following statements	I noted the recruitment in the Kent Hotel is not restricted towards any background	I am given equal opportunity to demonstrate my capabilities	Opinion and suggestions are consider and welcome while tacking crucial work decision.
1	2	1	2
2	2	2	2
3	2	2	1
4	1	3	1
5	1	4	1
6	3	5	5
7	3	2	3
8	4	3	3
9	5	4	4
10	2	1	5
11	2	2	2
12	1	3	2
13	2	4	1
14	4	5	1
15	5	2	2

11.1 In response if they noted the recruitment in the Kent Hotel is not restricted towards any background

Chart: To show the response if they noted the recruitment in the Kent Hotel is not restricted towards any background

            The recruitment policy revealed that there is no such partiality when it comes to recruiting employees from different backgrounds. 2 of them strongly disagreed to the fact, 2 disagreed. 2 were neutral. 6 agreed and 3 strongly agreed.

11.2 Response to show if they are given equal opportunity to demonstrate my capabilities

Chart: Response to show if they are given equal opportunity to demonstrate my capabilities

It has been observed that 2 of them strongly disagreed to the fact, 3 disagreed, 3 of them were neutral, 5 of the agreed to the fact and 2 of them strongly agreed on the opinion.

11.3 Response to show the opinion and suggestions are consider and welcome while tacking crucial work decision.

Chart: Response to show opinion and suggestions are consider and welcome while tacking crucial work decision.

            It has been observed that 2 of them strongly disagreed to the fact, 1 disagreed, 2 of them were neutral, 5 of the agreed to the fact and 5 of them strongly agreed on the opinion. It is clear that the organisation has been asking the opinion of the employees in case of any particular situation.

Discussion:

            From the analysis and the data collected from the staffs, it is clear that there is indeed high level of dissatisfaction among the employees as there is high level of diversity right from the language barrier to the non-recognition of their skills and knowledge. As understood from the literature review, there can be various conflicts depending on the types of diversity and this can directly results in the poor performance of the organisation.

Thus, it can be said that Kent Hotel is indeed striving to maintain the level of connection among the employees that can actually help them to utilise the diversity of the employees and can improve the performance of the organisation. The employees are from different countries and there is also diversity in the age group of the employees. Thus, these factors can easily create a positive impact on the organisational performance as it can help to encourage innovative ideas and at the same time can lead to the situation where the customers from different background can be treated well.

5.1 Linking with the objectives:

            The second objective of the research paper is to come up with better recommendations that the organisation can adopt to overcome the issues of the diversity conflict. From the analysis it is clear that there is a high level of diversity in the organisation and it is at an alarming rate and the management has to take some step in order to overcome the issue.

5.2 Recommendations based on findings:

            After the analysis of the conflict mode instrument, it can be said that in order to bring harmony in the organisation and to avoid any further chaotic situation, it is important for the management and the employees to actually collaborate and compromise on the situation. This means that the arguments from both the parties should be taken into consideration at the time of resolving any issue and then only a particular conclusion can be drawn.

In fact, the employees who are at the Hotel for a longer time can also come up with certain level of compromising. They should be polite and well behaved with the new employees so that the new employees can also be able to adjust with the work environment. This way, the tenured employees can earn respect too.

            From the data collected by the means of quantitative analysis, it can be easily recommended that there is a requisite of high organisational motivation. Thus, the management of the Hotel has to consider the various means by which the employees can be motivated in order to encourage them to work with more dedication. It is recommended that each of them should be recognised based on different parameters and they are appreciated on the same. In addition to this, financial or monetary benefits can also encourage them to be a better employee in the organisation.

5.3 Suggestions to the Kent Hotel:

            As it has been found that the Hotel has been facing tremendous pressure in managing the conflict among the employees and it has become very vital to take certain step right at that time. Certain recommendations can be made in this respect

1. Hearing both sides of the conflict: IT is the responsibility of the HR or the management that they will be responsible enough to hear both the people involved in the conflict. This is important to understand the perspective of both the sides. Keeping a note of the same, the decision on collaboration or compromise can be taken that can help to resolve the issue. It is also recommended that there should not be any kind of avoidance that the people in the organisation feel neglected.
2. Starting a program on reward and recognition: This way the employees can be encouraged and they will be motivated to work better. In addition to recognising them, certain benefits should also be given in terms of money or any other thing.
3. Cultural biasness: In order to make sure that all the employees are treated equally, there should be cultural biasness and nay person going against this can attract great punishments. In fact, the organisation needs to focus on celebrating the different festivals or giving the employees a break during their respective festivals or occasions.

Chapter 6: Limitation and conclusions

5.1 Conclusion to the study and expected outcome:

            If proactive measures are not taken to overcome the issues of the workplace conflict, it will affect the productivity and the success of the operation to a large extent. It is important to implement certain measures that would help to keep a check on the conflict that arises as a result of the workplace diversity and strict action is taken against the one who is found to be guilty.

5.2 Linking with the objectives:

            The first objective was to find out the various factors that lead to the diversity conflict among the employees in the Kent Hotel. It has been found that starting from the age group to the difference in the origin of the employees the organisation has been striving to meet the diverse condition. The percentage of male is very high compared to the females and so there can arise the diversity related the gender biasness. Apart from this, most of the employees are from India and so there is also cultural diversity as well that needs to be taken care of. However, the issues related to the difference in the age group or the tenure of the employees can be ignored as these factors do not seem to be much effective when it comes to the conflict among the employees.

5.3 Limitation to the proposed recommendations:

            The keys to making diversity work at the workplace completely lies in the learning and understanding the differences among the employees. The proposed recommendations can be very helpful to the management. However, in case the biasness among the people increase, it can lead to the other side and the recommendations can be a failure.

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Kenthotel.com.au 2018 About us

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