The Hindu Business Line : Waking up to conflict & disputes management

Bangalore, May 6 Differences arise when there is more than one employee in a company. While the Indian industry is only now accepting that conflict and disputes management is a serious issue, its a well established practice in the US for the last 25 years, says Mr Ashok Pannikar, Director, Meta-culture Consulting, a Bangalore-based company that helps companies manage differences, both internally and externally.

With Infosys, Wipro, Airtel, Accenture, General Motors and Nokia on its client list, Meta-culture has in its three years of existence worked in the areas of relationship management, conflict resolution and strategic relationship.

Meta-culture’s corporate work in India happens at two levels: consulting where the company seeks help in negotiation, dispute resolution and strategic relationship management. The second is in the area of corporate education programmes to help employees develop skills in conflict management.

Though most of Meta-culture’s work happens in the second area there have been instances of Meta-culture intervening during a conflict situation and helped resolve an issue. Mr Pannikar quotes the instance of a conflict between the head of marketing and the COO of a leading manufacturing firm which had a serious impact on business.

In about four sessions with the two heads of departments, Meta-culture was able to resolve the differences and restructure the relationship between the two.

Employee retention

The company is also working with a leading tech firm in attaining better employee retention rates.

This is through the administration of a conflict audit tool that helps analyse the nature of relationships within the company.

The impact of conflict management was first felt after the World War II, when mediation as a practice was established. It became an industry in the West when corporates started identifying and owning up the problems.

Indian industry is yet to accept it as a legitimate industry, as conflict is still hush-hush even in the corporate world.

Mr Pannikar attributes this to cultural differences, but it’s changing here too, he added.

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