How Firms Handle Conflicts - Assignment Example

Presentation and Final Project Institution Name Date Introduction This project report is based on a learning experience which was undertaken by the student during one of the school holidays as an opportunity to gain first hand experience in the field of project management. This final report is a detailed presentation of all the activities that were undertaken during the entire period when the student was based in the firm. This project was undertaken in one of the leading firms as this provided the student with an opportunity to access the best facilities in the country in addition to providing a chance where practical application of theory learnt in class could be attained. The report is an illustration of how firms handle conflicts, how these conflicts are solved and ways of communicating issues to employees in addition to other stakeholders. Similarly, recommendations and outcomes of the project are given at the end of the entire report to depict the results of the overall project. Discussion Summary of the issue being investigated The issue being investigated by the project management student and members of the project had been pertinent for a long time in the firm hence making it incur huge losses without clear details of the source of conflict. Consequently, in as much as management consulted amongst them on the root cause, there was no definite idea as to which problem was bringing about the losses or wrangles which were common in the firm. However, with the help of the employees, management at the organization was able to point out the inefficiency brought about by overlapping responsibilities in addition to duplication of duties in different departments (Mejia, Luis, Balkin and Cardy, 2008). These issues were quite concealed bearing in mind that initially departments rarely met or rarely compared notes on each others activities therefore no one would have thought that another employee was undertaking the same task. However, the departmental heads had an opportunity to convene their members in a brainstorming session where issues were raised. The employees were given an open-door policy as they were expected to reveal all that they considered to be obstacles towards obtaining high levels of success. This was the starting point of identifying the numerous problems that were present in the firm and all were attributed to problems originating from overlapping responsibilities (Cohen, 2002). In most instances, firms usually have specific job descriptions with definite responsibilities at each post such that everyone is expected to undertake duties as per their assignment. However, in this firm, there were no clear responsibilities at each job description hence most employees found themselves executing tasks which their counterparts in other departments were carrying out at the same time. Consequently, some of the tasks which were replicated were done halfway by employees in each department so that those in the other department could finish the duty. The most surprising ideology is that most of the responsibilities did not require much specialization hence anyone could comfortably accomplish them without much struggle (Barrett, 2003). During the four month-period spent at the firm, the project was planed and initiated such that team members of the project were given the mandate to carry out a research on the issue. This included the source of the problem, its impact on the employees and managerial strategies which could be employed to alter the situation. The situation involved plenty of strategies aimed at pointing out the key issues which were fundamental towards determining the core causes of the problem. Consequently, the project entailed subsequent procedures laid out to gather as much information as possible on the issues as a way of preparing the solutions that will suit the participants (Lewis, 2006). Human resource personnel and heads are responsible for the allocation of duties in each department among new recruits hence any problem arising from employee duties should be handled by this department. However, this is not the case as sometimes the nature of conflict is never clear hence departments may never get to the root of the issue. This was the case during the student’s learning experience as no one would have linked the issue to be poor task allocation due to poor supervision by departmental heads. Consequently, the employees were faced with another problem as most of them were not aware who they were answerable to due to lack of any attachment with their supervisors (Kerzner, 2006). The student who was acting in the capacity of project assistant got a chance to interact with top management and other key players in the firm. This comprised of the project manager at the firm who played a role in applying a number of managerial theories which were quite relevant in solving the issues that were negatively affecting the firm. Other than managerial theories being applied in problem solving, other skills learnt include utilization of relevant communication procedures to pass information to stakeholders as well as maintaining dialogue with participants to reduce conflicts. Communication in organizations is an effective tool especially where conflicts are presented as it allows for dialogue to take place hence reducing any extremes which could result form misunderstanding (Covello & Allen, 1988). Summary of the project plan The summary of the project is initiated from the scope of the entire project which is bound on the need for the project management team engaging in a continuous task which entailed identifying the bottom line of the conflicts among employees. These conflicts were outlined as an increased tendency in overlapping and duplication of responsibilities among several groups of employees in different departments at the firm. The relevance of this task as part of a crucial project for this firm is that the conflict was causing a huge deficit in terms of cashflow. This is because the expenditure of the firm was way beyond normal yet there were no new developments which called for increased expenses. Consequently, it is the goal of any firm to maximize on profits as the input was kept at a minimum. Therefore, in order to achieve the said company objectives, any amount of money spent was supposed to gain a larger amount in return hence the company posts profits each time. Profits are fundamental towards success of any firm thus the essence of proper conflict resolution to reduce the impact of such incidences. The other element of this scope is that some issues require adequate handling measures when they are being solved so as to ensure that all parties are satisfied and comfortable with the said propositions. Satisfaction of stakeholders wishes is a vital strategy which builds the organizational culture in addition to maintaining the already set tradition in a firm. Therefore, it is crucial to understand various attributes of the entire firm so as to understand the values and customs that must be adhered to in the course of establishing managerial strategies to solve the issue (Sheffrin and Sullivan, 2003). Stakeholders play a key role in ensuring that the objectives of any firm are attained as planned hence the criteria used to communicate the intended plans is essential. Therefore, appropriate channels of communication should be adopted to reduce barriers in effective communication as these are bound to cause so much conflict due to distorted information being passed on to the stakeholders. It is therefore sufficient for the entire project management team as well as the managerial team to seek measures that will satisfy the needs of relevant individuals so as to maintain the reputation of the firm (Alexander and Sheedy, 2005). The stakeholders who should be considered in this case include the project team members, managerial team, sponsors and clients who are affected by the information. These groups have to be updated on the progress of the project so that their feedback may be utilized as challenges towards effective accomplishment of the said task. The purpose of encouraging such effective communication is bound to increase the stakeholders interest in the project hence they will support the initiative fully until it is accomplished. The frequency of communication is dependent on the size of the project as well as the intended target population. For team member’s communication, weekly meetings are encouraged such that at any given time project team members are informed about the progress of the project in addition to being aware of the next step which should be undertaken. However, for the management or any other participant, monthly meetings are highly recommended so as not to raise unwarranted speculations especially if some procedures have not produced expected results (Lewis, 2006). The other element of communication which is quite relevant in project management is that public relation strategies should be employed at each step of the way. This will ensure that only positive information is given to stakeholders and clients while any other information which may ruin the project is withheld for the sake of continuity. Maintenance of the firm’s public image and reputation plays a key role in realizing the goals of any project as clients will not abandon a firm as long as they are not informed of the conflicts being evidenced at the workplace. Therefore, team leaders who are responsible for the entire communication procedure should determine the amount of information and the quantity which should be given to stakeholders. Consequently, the approach used to present the information is relevant towards determining the perception and interpretation of the information. This is crucial hence meetings are the best avenues where communication should be carried out with relevant audience based on the amount or nature of information which should be passed on to the group (Mejia, 2008). However, despite the fact that it is necessary to keep stakeholders updated on the nature of project and its progress by the project management team leaders caution should be exercised such that only when there is sufficient achievements to showcase can the team leader inform other participants. This is because the stakeholders among other individuals who are interested in the firm may have preset extremely high targets and if the targets are not attained, and then they deprive the firm of the earlier interest. Therefore, to sustain the relevance of any firm or project among stakeholders and potential clients, timing of communication is crucial as it has dire effects on the aftermath. Similarly, future outcomes and prosperity of the firm will be determined by the nature of managerial strategies that are applied in communication. The entire workforce also relies on examples from above such that the traditions of the firm in relation to project execution and communication of updates has to be maintained (Nokes, 2007). The other aspect of the project plan summary is that this project was carried out for a period of four months and the student was present during all the stages of the project. Therefore, first hand information was obtained regarding the activities and undertakings at each stage. Similarly, the student was part of the team that was given the responsibility of solving the conflict hence plenty of skills and information presented herein is accurate (Kerzner, 2006). Methodology applied Project management methodologies are inclined towards attaining the set goals of the project while at the same time utilizing as minimal resources as possible hence reduced expenses but more profits. Therefore, at any given project management undertaking, it is essential that each team leader and team members are provided with adequate information on the expected goals so that all activities that are executed should be in line with the said objectives. The other equally vital attribute that is considered when choosing the methods to be used is based on available resources in line with time allocation for the project. For instance if the resources to be used are limited, then it is advantageous to undertake the activities fast enough so that the resources are not depleted before accomplishment of the project (Barrett, 2003). Consequently, project management entails more than just successful completion of any given project as there are other skills and strategies which must be put in place to make the success all round rather than specific. The strategies may involve the ability of the project manager and team leader to make positive contributions towards the success of the firm. In this relation, the project must be significantly critical in shaping the future of the firm in terms of increased efficiency such that the problem is not expected to occur again in the near future. Other skills which are evident during selection of project management methodologies include application of managerial theoretical concepts which are evident when an employee undertakes a project as his/her competence as a manager or leader is evident (Mejia, 2008). In the course of planning the project on solving conflicts involving responsibility duplication and overlapping, three project management methodologies were widely used by the project manager. These methodologies include scrum, GTD (get things done) and RUP (rational unified process). As a student, these project management methodologies were only known theoretically as no opportunity had being presented for the practical part or rather the application of the methodologies in real life situations such as the one exhibited here (Sheffrin, 2003). The theoretical underpinnings of methodologies used in this project were based on the fact that utilization of commonly used project management methods presented lese chances of failure. This is attributed to the aspect of widely used elements as projecting better outcomes especially if used appropriately. This was the major reason behind selection of these three project management methodologies as the chances of achieving expected goals was rather positive. Similarly, there were many references and examples to learn from as most of the projects that had been previously accomplished by the firm had implemented the methodologies in their plans. The previous results were satisfactory and the same was expected for the project on responsibility conflicts (Alexander, 2005). One of the project management methodologies that were applied is scrum, where project managers allow some degree of flexibility in the ever changing workplace so as to attain the goals of the project. This methodology was widely used in this project as at the end of each day, project members would meet the team leader and present their daily progress reports. The presentation was followed by an open forum where problems and issues were discussed so as to ease difficulties being faced by the team members. At the same daily meeting, brainstorming session were incorporated so as to seek better ways of handling problems in future in addition to coming up with strategies that would make the next day’s activities smooth. This way each new day presented lesser problems as well as reviewing activities over and over again until everyone understand the project sufficiently (Barrett, 2003). Scrum was a very powerful tool as allowed project team members to expand their capacity to think by widening the scope of thoughts. This is attributed to the fact that during brainstorming sessions, the project manager gave everyone a chance to see their capabilities. This acted as a form of motivation as every team member was given responsibility to undertake their duties and deliver positive results as their confidence had been boosted (Alexander, 2005). Getting things done (GTD) methodology entails using the allocated time to execute the task or duty that has been slated for that time. This is because sometimes project managers tend to be very flexible hence causing unnecessary procrastinations that result in piling of duties in the near future. Procrastination should be avoided as much as possible though some degree of flexibility should be maintained as some tasks may require more time allocation than others. However, that should not be case always as the ‘get things done’ methodology demands that the project manager should make team members see the importance of completing tasks as promptly as possible to save on time and other resources (Nokes, 2007). This methodology plays a critical role in ensuring that at any given time, all the team members are actively and positively contributing to the project. This is accomplished by compiling and presentation of daily progress records by tem ambers on the task they were executing during the day. This way, the team leader or project manager is capable of tracking the progress of each team member as well as their contribution towards achieving the objectives of the project. The daily reports also make it easier for the team leader to point out areas where discrepancy and procrastination has been overused as such findings may hamper the intended goals of the project. Therefore, every team member should act on their task as soon as they are allocated to prevent build up of responsibilities or else piling of work that makes some areas of the project to lag behind (Barrett, 2003). Get things done methodology is used alongside other applications such as presence of a database where every member of the team updates their daily achievements. Such programs are effective as they can be updated everyday or weekly based on the frequency of report presentation. Similarly, these accessories of get things done ensures that no task goes unrecorded as a computer acts as a safer storage facility as compared to the human mind which is bound to forget especially when situations are overwhelming. The other vital element of the strategy is that presence of online chat programs or emails makes it easier for team members to consult whenever they are faced with challenges in the course of executing their tasks. Immediate consultation makes it easier to sustain a smooth operation of team members as issues will be solved promptly and any possible delays are eliminated (Hamilton, 2004). The essence of get things done is that it ensures that all the planned activities and duties in the project are accomplished in due time by respecting the time lines that are set before commencing on the project. Timelines are crucial and they should be adhered to as much as possible as they determine the available resources are utilized within the set time period otherwise some of the activities that fail to be accomplished by that time may never be completed hence causing failure of the project. However, the failures are eliminated and reduced by ensuring that project managers make their team members understand the essence of timely execution of duties. This is attained through making things done when they should unless the individual who is responsible postpones the task but promises to complete it before the day ends or before the set time (Mejia, 2008). The rational unified process (RUP) involves applying strategies in the entire project that will determine how tasks will be carried out as well as foreseeing the possible outcomes. This methodology consists of a number of phases that are carried out dependently of the others such that the ability to successfully the very first stage is an indicator of what will be expected in the next stage. For example the inception phase where the fundamentals of the project are laid determines if the entire project will proceed to the next stage. Consequently, there is the elaboration stage where team leaders engage in a series of risk mitigation procedures hence arming the team in a way that they are capable of counteracting upon any risk in future (Sheffrin, 2003). The other vital component of the rational unified process is that it prioritizes the capabilities of team members. This involves outlining the abilities, skills, competence and areas of specialization that are depicted or possessed by all members. This creates a platform on which the allocation of responsibilities is carried out such that each team member is delegated duties in areas where they are not only competent but also comfortable hence productivity is maximized (Cohen, 2002). Specialization in task allocation is vital in harmonizing all the activities that should be executed during the project. Consequently, when all duties and responsibilities are delegated uniformly, there will be fewer occurrences of postponed duties and every activity will run concurrently until the project is completed successfully. This is because some duties are dependent on each other hence they have to be performed simultaneously for positive results to be attained. Failure is often attributed to poor planning on the part of management such that for any project to succeed, adequate planning has to be carried out on matters to do with the project attributes. For instance the project manager has to foresee possible risks in future hence prepare mitigation measures and at the same time all the activities that will be carried out in the course of the project must be planned before hand so that no emergencies will be met on the way (Kerzner, 2006). Similarly, the rational unified process makes room for the project manager to deliver the expected product at the end of the given timeframe. This is achieved through ensuring that all data and information regarding each activity that was carried out during the project has been accurately documented. This is in line with uniform maintenance of progress reports which are relevant when communicating project progress to stakeholders as well as evidence in case of accountability (Nokes, 2007). Summary of project outcomes, recommendations and interventions This project’s basis was reducing the overhead costs by implementing strategies that will ensure that the firm increases its profit margin while at the same time reducing the expenses. This was attributed to the fact that some employees were undertaking the same tasks which were duplicated to various departments and this lead to conflicts as most of the duties were often done poorly by some employees as the duties were outside their areas of specialization. Lack of designated immediate supervisors who assigned duties and received reports made it even harder for the affected employees to lodge their concerns (Cohen, 2002). However, after the project management team was selected and given the mandate of rectifying the situation, a clear outline of employee duties was prepared and everyone was assigned tasks in their area of specialization therefore duplication was eliminated. The project members were able to execute the said duties within the time frame given of four months hence the firm did not incur any additional costs in the project. Other outcomes include preparation as well as presentation of a list comprising all the seniors and supervisors in the firm which was accompanied by a list of employees who were answerable to that supervisor. This list also included the number and nature of responsibilities assigned at each position and it was recommended that each new employee should be presented with appropriate lists when they are recruited. The other recommendation involved introduction of weekly interdepartmental meetings where weekly activities would be discussed thus making it easier to point out anomalies in future (Mejia, 2008). Consequently, an intervention such as enacting an open door policy where employees would air out their grievances to management was considered in line with this is establishment of appropriate communication strategies that will encourage all employees to freely engage in decisions making so that in the process their problems are addressed (Hamilton, 2004). Reflection on the success of the project This project was a success due to several key strategies that were employed by the project team leader. The first strategy is laying a strong foundation for the project by ensuring that planning was sufficiently done. Planning is a vital element in any project and failing to plan is a sure way of planning to fail because in planning all risks are catered for as well as allocating adequate resources for each activity. Similarly, employing good interpersonal skills among team members as well as advocating and sustaining cooperation proved equivocal in forecasting success for the project. Managerial skills specifically project management skills are vital in the success of any project because the nature of results attained are equated to the nature of product that is produced by managers in the larger company (Sheffrin, 2003). Conclusion This project proved to be quite beneficial in the application of theory into practice as well as an opportunity to garner skills in first hand experience on project management. In conclusion, a lot of project management skills and strategies were learnt all which are relevant in the attainment of project management goals for the success of the firm. These strategies are used alongside theoretical concepts which make it easier for team members in any project to cooperate amongst themselves hence conflicts such as these are solved once and for all. However, there is need to include all stakeholders in such projects so that in future everyone will be aware of the criteria involved when handling such problems. References Alexander, C. and Sheedy, E. (2005). The Professional Risk Managers' Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Current Theory and Best Practices. PRMIA Publications Barrett R., 2003, Vocational Business: Training, Developing and Motivating People Business & Economics Cohen D.S., (2002), the Heart of Change, Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing Covello, V. T.& Allen., F. H. (1988). Seven Cardinal Rules of Risk Communication. 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