Problem Statement

In what ways can Nitish avoid dysfunctional conflict with Meera and advance in
his career?

External Analysis
PESTCL Analysis
Using the PESTC framework for analysis of the case, following external factors affect
the organisation as well as a newly recruited employee, Nitish, who is highly
qualified, young and ambitious. He works at Solutions unlimited which an MNC and
has set up a new office India recently. The company has a set a goal of realigning
itself as an IT consulting firm from its current role as a service provider in the
software sector at the dawn of the new century.
Facto
rs
P

Factor as in the
case
Liberalisation
in
economic policies in
1991-92
brought
MNCs
to
India
especially
many
consulting firms

Impact on the solving the problem

New
opportunities
and
economic
developments around
the world
NA
Demand
for
new
technologies in Indian
businesses

The transition from a software firm to

consulting would help in its growth and give
opportunities to ambitious employees with high
compensation and thusjob satisfaction.

S
T

Organisation
and Conflict

Culture

Firms such as Solutions Unlimited should first

invest in attracting and recruiting local talent
pool only after having planned a robust
organisational structure and HR policies to
eliminate scepticism amongst qualified people
like Nitish about joining them.

Due to this high demand the company was

looking for well qualified people like Nitish to
work for them and thus the company should
put in place a systematic structure and policies
to retain local employees with requisite
qualifications as that would help create a name
an image in amongst other prospective
workforce who would like to contribute their
services for the organisation.
Conflict between employees shows lack of
synergy within the firm. This might lead to a
negative performance by employees. Indian
corporate culture was still influenced by older
existing culture of high power distance and was

Lack of
policies

Robust

HR

in a transient phase. A cultural change

conforming to MNC standards would ensure
efficiency and reduce interpersonal conflict.
Also an effective leadership at the organisation
is essential n the current scenario.
It would help in developing an efficient work
force which need not worry about issues such
as
relocation
benefits
and
severance
allowances as per written policies of the
organisation shall be applicable for all. The pay
packages should also be in conformity to the
industrial standards care should be taken to
follow Companies Act.

SWOT- Organization as a perspective

Strength
1. Global spread in countries
2. Bringing all new interns across
the globe at a same platform
through
common
induction
program
3. Mentoring an employee
4. Recruitment through employee
referral scheme
5. 3-way review policy a)
downward review
b) peer
review
c)
upward review
Opportunity
1. Projects for multinational firm
e.g. ORACLE financials and
customizing
an
inventory
management package
2. Reduce NVA by outsourcing
e.g. getting VISA

Weakness
1. Lack of clarity of HR policies
even to HR manager
2. Lack of good PR between the
employee and HR
3. Top management covering
up HR miscommunication

Threats
1. Loss of a potential and skilled
manpower
2. Decreasing
employee
motivation level
3. Loose Trust on companies
policies
and
verbal
communication

Factors Motivation: Meena and Mr.Alagu wasnt assigning proper work schedule to Nitish and were
shifting him from one project to another .As per Two- Factor Theory his sense of Achievement,
interest in work ,company policy and administrative practices suited him but the initial salary
offered to him and his interpersonal relationships with the HR Department Members(Meena and
Mr.Alagu) were not favourable.
Extrinsic Factors:Initially he was offered 2.55 lacs which was way below his expectations.But later
on his salary offered was increased from 2.55 lacs to 4.3 lacs. This can be considered as an extrinsic
reward .
Social Factors: Nitish was close to Arvind and Vidhya and according to Meena and Mr.Alagu , he
was treated as a special employee.
Communication Factors: Initially the hr dept.(Venkat) promised to pay full severance payment but
later they paid half the amount.
Affiliation: As per acquired needs theory, need for affiliation wasnt fulfilled.

Important factors and Analysis:

Communication:Even thoughMeena is a HR, she didnt communicate properly to Nitish

before him joining the firm and also her behavior after his joining was not good. She
always considered that Nitish is complaining isnature has negative attitude towards
Nitish.
Policies:In an organization all the policies must be communicated to all the employee
efficiently so that they remember them time to time. In this case Venkat missed out on
only 50% of the severance amount will be reimbursed.
Politics:When Nitish got hired, in this hiring process Meena got indirectly offended by
Nitish, which resulted into her changed behavior with Nitish. She was engaged in all the
activities against Nitish and was helped by Mr. Alagu. Also the office politics increased
because Solutions Unlimited India had many key positions vacant and had no proper
chain of command.

Analysis of Factors
Motivation: This is a major factor as Nitish was a highly self-motivated employee who is
willing to contribute and is eager to learn. And due to certain miscommunication there was bad
blood between Meena( operations officer) and Nitish.

Social Factors: Nitish was close to Arvind and Vidhya and according to Meena and Mr.Alagu ,
he was treated as a special employee.
Affiliation: As per acquired needs theory, need for affiliation wasnt fulfilled.
Analysis of Factors
1. Nitish was demotivated a lot because of the offensive remarks by Mr.Alagu on serverance
compensation problem. Even though Mr.Alagu agreed that it was not Nitishs fault he
told Nitish to pay up for Venkats fault.
2. Also, Nitish was not given to chance to visit New Zealand for Mr.Kapoors project
because of Meena. Meena reasoned that Nitish was not a part of Mr.Kapoors team.
3. Mr.Khuranas Korean finance project required Nitishs expertise for which Nitish also
showed interest. But Meena verbally communicated to him that the scope of the project
changed and that his expertise in that project was no longer required.
4. The people who were supporting and appreciating the work done by Nitish were not
always present in the office. This almost always left Nitish lonely.
5. The loneliness often resulted in Nitish having coffee alone in the Coffee room where he
was often commented and made fun of Mr.Alagu and Meena in their regional language.

Options
Decision Criteria and Alternative Solution

Alternatives available:

LOYALTY
EXIT
VOICE

.Decision Criteria: In the

order of priority

VOICE: Make an effort to reconcile with Meena by

approaching her and having one-to-one talk.

LOYALTY: Stay in the company and hope Meenas

attitude changes while working on his own behavior.

EXIT: Leave the company and look for another job

opportunity

Work & Learning: The main reason for Nitish joining Solutions Unlimited
was the kind of work he was looking for and hence the learning involved.
With Solutions Unlimited he found a perfect strategic fit between his IT
background and MBA in finance. So he needs to consider about how his
decision impacts his work & learning.

Impact on career: The frequent job hopping will give the prospective
employers an image of Nitish that he is not loyal to his company and is
confused about what he wants from his career. He should consider about
how his decision would impact his image as an employee to his prospective
employers.

Financial Implications: His financial health will suffer, if he leaves this

company. He had undergone relocation for this particular job and it might be
difficult to get a job in the same city.

EVALUATION OF ATLERNATIVES:

VOICE: If Nitish stretches a little bit and makes effort to reconnect with
Meena, then the work environment would definitely improve for everyone.
Nitish would proceed to Nagpur to finalize the details of the project he was
involved in. With distance too, there is a chance the relationship between

him & Meena would improve. This choice will not disturb his financial position
and prevent any inconvenience regarding relocation.

LOYALTY: If Nitish were to stay in the company and tolerate Meenas

behavior towards him, while hoping for a change of behavior on her part,
there is a little chance of peace at workplace. Though this option might hurt
his already bruised ego and confidence, he can still work on his own
shortcomings and try to improve on his interpersonal skills. This choice will
not disturb his financial position and prevent any inconvenience regarding
relocation.

EXIT: This will have an adverse effect on his professional growth as it would be
difficult to find a suitable job immediately and he would be forgoing all the
learning experiences and rewards of hard work he put in Solutions Unlimited. If
he gets a better workplace, he may find his job satisfaction back. There will a
poor effect on his financial health, since he had undergone relocation for this
particular job and it might be difficult to get a job in the same city.

Alternatives

Work & Learning

Impact on career

Financial Implications

VOICE

LOYALTY

EXIT

Maybe

Recommendation
As we can clearly see, Nitish should continue working at solutions unlimited
while trying to foster a healthier relationship with Meena and avoid any
further conflicts. At the same time he should try to work on his interpersonal
skills and improve the way he handles situations.

Further, at Organizational Level followings preventive measures should be

taken:
An organizational structure with well-defined roles & responsibilities must be
set up.

All senior positions should be filled, as the company is transforming.

Training sessions on interpersonal skills, corporate behavior and company policies.

A clear well defined conflict resolution method should be developed.

Regular team activities should be conducted for better group dynamics.

Outline

Step 1
He should go to the allotted city to finish his part and let
Immediately

things cool down for now

Step 2
He should confront Meena while thanking her for offering
After returning

him the job he should try to explain his part and emphasize

on how hed like to work well with her and not fight with her

Step 3
He should speak to Manish about the suggestions he
A month later

believes the organisation could benefit from

FROM ORGANISATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Step 1
Plan all the events (festivals) and their celebrations in the office for the

entire year to increase the feeling of belongingness and infuse a work

culture in the organisation

Step 2
Plan and formalize a 4 day camping trip (in the month where there are no

celebrations) as a part of the system of the organisation to take the entire

staff (hierarchy ignored) as the means of enhancing group cohesion by

building team spirit and reducing intra-team conflict.

This activity should be repeated every three years and should be added as

a part of the organisational culture.

Step 3
Plan and carry out a workshop for the entire staff on people skills on

things like giving negative feedback.

Introduce it as a part of organisational procedure carried out every 6

months

Step 4
Hire people that possess conflict management skills along with the

required technical skills.