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MBA609 Study Guide

Unit 3: How to Handle Leadership Challenges

3a. Resolve substantive and emotional conflicts within a team

  •  What conflict resolution style do you use?
  •  What are some of the causes of conflict?
  •  What is the best way to resolve conflict between team members?

As a leader, there is a very likely chance you will have to deal with conflict, either with a team member, among team members, or upper management. The three "I's" of conflict describe the reason for a conflict which entails: interdependence, incompatible goals, or interactions.

There are several areas of conflict to be aware of. First, latent conflict refers to the fact that conditions may be ripe for conflict, such as personal factors or cultural factors. A perceived conflict means that one or more parties believe incompatibilities exist. Felt conflict refers to a phase of conflict where parties formulate strategies on how to deal with the conflict A manifest conflict refers to the strategies taken to attempt to manage the conflict. The conflict aftermath refers to the long and short-term results of the conflict, such as how it affected the relationship.

There are several ways to manage a conflict, such as accommodation, avoiding, compromising, collaborating, and competing. Each person tends to have their own style for conflict resolution. Awareness of your conflict style, and the conflict styles of others can help conflicts be resolved more readily.


To review, see Understanding Conflict.

 

3b. Help teams overcome dysfunction by understanding individual personalities and motivation

  • What are the five dysfunctions of a team? 
  • If you see one of the five dysfunctions occurring on your team, what action should you take? 
  • What leadership characteristics can contribute to team dysfunction?

There are five main types of team dysfunctions you may experience and must handle as the leader in an organization. The first is an absence of trust, which means an unwillingness to be vulnerable within a group. Fear of conflict means the team seeks artificial harmony over constructive debate. Lack of commitment refers to people feigning buy-in for team goals. Avoidance of accountability means to duck responsibility to call people on counterproductive behavior, which sets low standards. Inattention to results means people within the team are focused on their personal success and/or ego instead of focusing on the team.

When leaders portray certain traits, this can negatively impact team dysfunction in an organization. Some of these traits include being authoritarian, being unpredictable, along with aggressive, and manipulative behavior. In a dysfunctional organization, team members often feel oppressed, constantly under threat, emotionally drained, and not valued.


To review, see Types of Team Dysfunctions and Avoiding and Overcoming Dysfunctions.

 

3c. Explain "the dark side of leadership" and how leaders avoid this phenomenon

  • How does UPB relate to the dark side of leadership? 
  • What elements are normally present when the "dark side of leadership" occurs?
  • What elements often occur for a follower when presented with a dark-sided leader?

While charisma is often a valued trait for leaders, at times this charisma can turn into what researchers call "the dark side of leadership". The research in this area focuses on leader traits and behaviors, interaction between leaders and followers, and how interactions between leaders and followers can impact relationships and decision making.

Three "nightmare" traits of leaders include dishonesty, disagreeableness, and carelessness. These three traits can contribute to the dark side of leadership. When a leader applies these traits, they often leverage abusive supervision, are self-interested, and create fear among employees. As you remember reading, fear is one of the dysfunctions of a team, so when leaders leverage fear, it is detrimental to the team.

When you look at the interactions of these types of leaders and followers, when leaders have some or all of these traits, abusive supervision results in lower follower participation and higher experiences of burnout for the followers.

Along the same thinking for the dark side of leadership, leaders sometimes engage in unethical preorganization behavior (UBP), which refers to activities conducted to enhance the operation of the company, leaders, or members, yet breaches critical social values and damages the interests of the internal stakeholders. This often occurs with charismatic leaders, the need for followers to have psychological safety. When combined with performance pressure, this may create UBP within an organization, with detrimental long-term effects on morale and productivity. On the flip side, leaders that are ethical can create organizations that promote ethical values, while promoting the best interests of the organization.


To review, see Avoiding the Darkside and Leadership Charisma.


3d. Address performance issues with employees through effective coaching and discipline processes

  • What are some potential performance issues leaders must handle with employees?
  • How can companies ensure performance issues are handled quickly and fairly?
  • What internal and external factors influence employee performance?

Leaders are usually responsible for managing performance issues with their employees. There are many possible performance issues, such as tardiness, family issues, drug or alcohol abuse, nonperforming, and quality of work, among many others.

There are internal and external factors that influence performance. Internal factors should include conflicts, perceived unfairness, or job dissatisfaction. External factors can include lack of management support or the skills needed for the job, and the skills of the employee are mismatched.

One of the first steps in leadership and performance management is to ensure all rules and procedures are written and revised on an as-needed basis.

There are different levels of performance issues that may be handled in different ways. A mandated issue is one that must be handled immediately, such as harassment. A single incident is defined as a mistake a person has made, while a behavior pattern means the employee keeps making the same mistake over again. Each of these types of performance issues should be handled immediately, following the company rules and procedures.


To review, see Performance Issues.


Unit 3 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms you will need to know to successfully complete the final exam.

  • felt conflict
  • latent conflict
  • perceived conflict
  • unethical preorganization behavior (UPB)