OVERCOMING ORGANISATIONAL CHALLENGES - A qualitative study about a changing environment and conflict potential in an industrial company

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of the study is to identify and explore the employees’ perspectives on the root causes of existing conflicts and conflict potential in an industrial organisation due to increased customer demand at Company X. By exploring these issues this study will provide recommendations for conflict resolution practices that can improve communication, help allocate resources more effectively and enhance employee competency to improve the overall organisational performance. Theory The theoretical part consists of Galtung's ABC-model and Jordan's (2014,2015) categorization of conflict issues in the workplace. Galtung's ABC-model focuses on the underlying causes, behaviours, and consequences of conflicts, while Jordan's categorization provides a classification system for different types of conflicts that can occur in a workplace. The ABC-model is composed of three parts: Attitude, Behaviour, and Contradiction. Jordan's categorization includes distribution, position, structure, behavioural norms, and conviction issues. These theoretical approaches will be used to analyse how an organisational challenge such as increased customer demands can impact work culture and conflict potential within an organisation. Method This study follows a qualitative approach and a stratified sampling method to investigate how employees and managers in the sales and service departments perceive conflicts and frustration and its impact on organisational changes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 14 interviews from the sales and service department to gather rich data on employees' perceptions of frustrating conditions, company values and preferred approaches to conflict resolution. Results The analysis revealed themes of poor communication, limited resources, collaboration issues and skill gaps between departments as the root causes of conflicts within the organisation. Employees expect to develop trust towards management and access resources for conflict resolution. The study also found that the values of Company X are not common knowledge, resulting in employees not using them in their daily work. This research suggests that HR should establish a structured approach for communication and onboarding, including communicating the company's values to create a sense of belonging. Continued workshops and team-building activities, along with conflict resolution procedures are also beneficial to implement.