Managing conflicts: Strategies used in a beauty parlor setting

• Main Authors: Bayocot, Michelle, Gotauco, Katrina, So, Pamela
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2000
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/16702
• Institution: De La Salle University

The study aims to identify and describe the conflicts experienced in small business organizations and the strategies used in managing these conflicts particularly in a beauty parlor setting in Parañaque. Data were gathered through the use of in-depth interview. Six (6) beauty parlors were purposively drawn according to the criteria. Three (3) parlors came from the part of Barangay San Isidro and three (3) parlors came from Barangay BF of Parañaque. Through the criteria, the middle and the low income groups were classified: the area that they are located, the number of employees they have and the kind of facilities and services they render. The beauty parlors possessed the following characteristics: (1) the beauty parlor was located within the vicinity of Parañaque City (2) the beauty parlor should not have any other branch aside from the main parlor and (3) the beauty parlor should not be a franchise of bigger beauty parlors. The following criteria were used in choosing the respondents: (1) they should have been in the parlor for more than a week, (2) they should at least know one of the basic services like manicure, pedicure, haircut, coloring and make-up. Total enumeration was used in selecting the respondents in the low-income parlor since they only have three or less employees, the same number of respondents was interviewed in the middle-income parlors in order to have an equal number of respondents. A pre-test was done before doing the actual interview, to ensure the validity of the instrument. Both low and middle-income parlors do not have a formal organizational structure. The employees just follow the simple rules given to them by the owner. The owners allocate task on the skills of the employees, but they are not necessarily confined to doing the task assigned to them. The different kinds of conflict experienced by the employees with their co-workers are pagsisip-sip sa may ari o customer and misinterpretation or miscommunication. The kinds of conflict experienced by the employees with the owners are money problem or di-pagpapautang and miscommunication about gossip and intrigues. The most common sources of conflict for the owner and the employees are miscommunication, gossips and intrigues. While the sources of conflict between employee and co-worker are competition over customers, envy and gender differences. The common strategies used by employees are avoidance and confrontation. Avoidance is commonly used in the middle-income parlor while the low-income used confrontation. For the owners holding regular meetings can also be called compromise or negotiation, and controlling or dominance is often used in managing conflict. But before the owner can come up with the strategy, he or she looks at the different factors like the kind and the sources of conflict.