Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education. Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.

Skills for Optimizing Leadership as Situations Change 16 Chapter Skills for Optimizing Leadership as Situations Change

Introduction Advanced leadership skills are needed in specific situations and when situations change. This chapter will cover the following topics. Creating a compelling vision Managing conflict Negotiation Diagnosing performance problems in individuals, groups, and organizations Team building at the top Punishment

Creating a Compelling Vision Leaders often struggle to give a compelling description of how they add value and to get anyone excited to become part of their team. The vision should be a short, concise, personal statement that answers several questions. Where is the team going, and how will it get there? How does the team win, and how does it contribute to the broader organization’s success? How does the speaker define leadership? What gets the speaker excited about being a leader? What are the speaker’s key values?

Creating a Compelling Vision (continued) Figure 16.1: The Four Components of a Leadership Vision

Managing Conflict Conflict occurs when opposing parties have interests or goals that appear to be incompatible, such as when team members: Have strong differences in values, beliefs, or goals. Have high levels of task or lateral interdependence. Are competing for scarce resources or rewards. Are under high levels of stress. Face uncertain or incompatible demands. Conflict also occurs when leaders’ actions are inconsistent with their stated goals and vision. Breakdowns in communication are the most important source of conflict.

Managing Conflict (continued) The conflict resolution process is affected by several factors. The nature of the conflict The size of an issue The extent to which the problem is defined egocentrically The existence of hidden agendas Seeing a conflict situation in win–lose or zero-sum terms Perceiving the conflict as unresolvable

Conflict Resolution Strategies Thomas described five conflict management approaches based on dimensions of cooperativeness vs. uncooperativeness and assertiveness vs. unassertiveness. Competition reflects a desire to achieve one’s own ends at the expense of someone else. This is domination, also known as a win–lose orientation. Accommodation reflects a mirror image of competition— entirely giving in to someone else’s concerns without making any effort to achieve one’s own ends. This is a tactic of appeasement.

Conflict Resolution Strategies (continued) Sharing is an approach that represents a compromise between domination and appeasement. Both parties give up something, yet both parties get something. Collaboration reflects an effort to fully satisfy both parties. This is a problem-solving approach that requires the integration of each party’s concerns. Avoidance involves indifference to the concerns of both parties. It reflects a withdrawal from or neglect of any party’s interests.

Five Conflict Handling Orientations – Resolution Strategies

Negotiation Fisher and Ury developed negotiating tips. Prepare for the Negotiation: Considerable time should be spent in preparation for the negotiation. Separate the People from the Problem: Negotiations involve substantive issues and relationships. Focus on Interests, Not Positions: It is important to focus both on your counterpart’s interests (not position) and on your own interests (not position).

Diagnosing Performance Problems ƒ(Expectations x Capabilities x Opportunities x Motivation) The model is a framework for understanding why a follower or team may not be performing up to expectations and what the leader can do to improve the situation. Because it is a multiplicative rather than a compensatory model, a deficit in any component should result in a substantial decrement in performance that cannot be easily made up by increasing the other components.

Components of the Model of Performance ƒ(x) function: maps values of x to  ƒ(x) = 3x + 5 Expectations: Performance problems often occur because individuals or groups do not understand what they are supposed to do. Capabilities: Followers cannot always do things just because they understand what they are supposed to do. Abilities and skills are the two components of capabilities. Opportunities: Followers may lack the opportunity to demonstrate acquired skills. Motivation: Will followers or groups choose to perform or exhibit the level of effort necessary to accomplish a task?

Team Building at the Top Executive teams are similar to other types of teams but different in two ways. Most top teams never function as a whole, so when a situation arises, team members must use their individual skills and high-performance teamwork. Leaders must have the diagnostic skills to discern whether a challenge involves an individual situation or a team situation. Leaders must “stay the course” when a team situation is present. Executive teams have an opportunity to enhance teamwork throughout the organization, and only executive teams can change organizational systems.

Tripwire Lessons Trip Wire 1: Call the performing unit a team but really manage members as individuals Trip Wire 2: Create an inappropriate authority balance Trip Wire 3: Assemble a large group of people, tell them in general terms what needs to be accomplished, and let them “work out the details” Trip Wire 4: Specify challenging team objectives, but skimp on organizational supports Trip Wire 5: Assume that members already have all the competence they need to work well as a team

Punishment Punishment is the provision of an undesirable consequence or the withdrawal of a desirable consequence, which in turn decreases the likelihood that a particular behavior will be repeated. Arvey and Ivancevich reviewed three myths about punishment. Punishment results in undesirable emotional side effects on the part of the recipient. Punishment is unethical and inhumane. Punishment rarely works anyway.

Administering Punishment To make punishment effective, leaders should: Recognize their bias toward internal attributions. Gather as many facts as possible before deciding whether to administer punishment. Focus on the act, not the person. Be consistent across both behaviors and leaders. Clarify the rationale and identify the future consequences of misbehavior. Provide guidance about how to improve.