Team and Leadership Behavior - Essay Example

Running Header: Team and Leadership Behavior Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Team and Leadership Behavior Organizational behavior is very essential in any organization as it enhances the application of knowledge on how individuals, people and groups act. It main aim is to develop a better relationship in an organization through achievement of organizational objectives, human objectives and social objectives. Organizational culture will determine the type of communication, leadership and group dynamics within any type of organization. Teams in any organization are very essential as they dictate the way people interact and influence others and their perception about themselves in terms of social entity in the organization. Teams are responsible for the achievement of shared goals which are linked to the objectives of the organization. Thus good leadership is required to ensure that people work together to effectively achieve the objectives of the organization. Your style of leadership, parenting and communication is influenced by your personality style. Behavior style and personality style can interfere with the way of understanding and communication in an organization (Kinicki, 2005). This essay examines the leadership and team behavior in a sales department in company by addressing the interactions of various workers in different levels of management in the organization. It studies the interpersonal behavior within workers in this company which is considered to be very important in the effectiveness of the company. The sales department in this company consists of the departmental manager, two customer service assistants, and store supervisor. The manager is the top executive in this department and is responsible for the overall departmental organizing, staffing, planning, directing and controlling. He also ensures that the entire company’s objectives are achieved in the department by communication the company’s vision to workers in the department. The customer services assistants have a great role as they act as links between the customers and the company. They handle any complaints from the customers and assist the human resource manager in maintaining the image of the company. The store supervisor ensures effective control of the departmental stores. He ensures that there is smooth flow of materials from supplier to the customers. He supervises and coordinates the staff under his control. The table below shows their positions, sex, age and character. Person Sex Age Position Character AB M 35 Departmental Manager Quite introverted. Is an authoritarian manager CD F 25 Customer services assistant Polite, friendly, and conscientious EF F 18 Customer services assistant Quick learner but is inexperienced chatty, bubbly extrovert. GH M 30 Stores supervisor Informal leader, experienced, and sociable. The manager has 12 months experience in this department and recently, the supervisor failed to submit the purchase order for the goods. This has made the company to run out of stock and the customers are complaining that they are not getting their orders. The manager frustrates the supervisor and tells him that he never gets all the details from the staff under him and that’s the reason the company is out of stock. On the other hand, the supervisor tries to explain to the manager that he submitted the purchase order long ago but it is the problem of the procurement department and he tells the manager that he decide about things too quickly. The mangers also had some issues with EF customer services assistant as he always finds her talking with friend using the company’s phone. He tells the customer services assistant that she really irritates him always talking about personal issues on phone. The lady tries to explain to the manager that those people are part of the customers of the company saying that the manager is too much worried about the details. The manager also talks with the other customer services assistant CD as he complains that in the last few months, the department has been undergoing some extra costs as she as the customer service assistant does not know how to tell the customers ‘no’ in a politely way. The lady also explains to the manager that they discussed the issue with the human resources manager and resolved that the costs are as a result of increase in customer. She tells the manager that he usually never the facts straight. (Appendix) The theory of DISC human behavior mostly applies in this case as it shows people’s primary behavior styles are different and also the way they approach things are also different. This means that everyone has different personal needs and expectations and also they interpret the same situation in a different manner. The theory shows that major of the people that you interact with in our day to day life behave the way they do for the fulfillment of their expectations and needs without thinking so much about your expectations and needs. This does not mean that they don’t think how their action and words will affect you. It is just a recognition that most of the people do not usually choose their action and words with the desire that is conscious in order to minimize or attack your expectations and needs. The conflicts that most of us experience in our day to day life result from this struggle. Whether the other person or you have expectations and needs that are unmet, you will always experience conflict and stress. The theory states that in order to improve the interactions between us and other people, we must first recognize that we cannot be able to change their expectations and needs. If we adapt to meet the needs of other people, we usually create a safe environment which will breed cooperation and also it will facilitate progress. This environment is a great step in reducing conflict and encouraging team performance (LLC, 2012). Using the theory of DISC human behavior the interaction between the workers in the company is affected by the fact that they are trying to interpret actions and words through their own paradigms. From this theory, these workers are in different paradigms. The manager task oriented and reserved and tends to be conscientious. He is focusing on the facts and rules. This is the reason he is applying his rules as a manager to make final decision on each worker. In contrary, CD the customer service assistant opens to him and tells him that he never gets the facts right. The supervisor is steady and supportive and he is focusing on peace and harmony and is task oriented. This is the reason why although he knows that he did his part by submitting the purchase order, he tries to explain to the manager by advising him not to make decisions too quickly. EF the customer service assistant is outgoing and inspiring and that’s the reason she is always on phone trying to capture the customers and she tells the manager that he is too worried about the details of her phone calls. The other assistant is also influencing and outgoing to a point of discussing the issue of high cost due to increasing the customer services. The major problem in this company is that most of the workers are in different paradigms but they are assuming they all have the same paradigm which is resulting to conflict as they have a different view of the world (LLC, 2012). Being in different paradigms means the needs and expectations of these workers are different. This means that the everyone in the firm do whatever they are doing in order to fulfill their expectation and needs with no much thinking on the needs and expectations of their colleagues. This is seen most in the manager as he is not choosing his actions and words with a conscious desire to minimize the expectation and needs of his colleagues or to attack them but he is might be securing his position (Greenberg et al., 2000). It seems that the manager is not recognizing the ideas of different needs and expectations and they are in a struggle of whose needs and expectations will take precedence. Due to this struggle, there is a situation created in the company such that none of the manager’s needs or the other workers’ needs is met by interaction. This has resulted to communication that is not effective within the department and it is transferred to the entire company as it is evidenced through running out of stock and lack of customer satisfaction. This has led to development of conflict (Steers, et al., 1996). The main source of conflict was because these workers have different behavioral styles and they are making communication based on their own perspective but with no intention of appreciating and understanding their colleagues’ perspective. This made it difficult for the manager to handle the issues within the department. Conclusion How you usually communicate with other people and build teams is the turning point between the style of people that you interact with and your own style. The differences in behavioral styles and personality styles can easily interfere with understanding and clear communication within the organization. Using the DISC theory, the workers in this case do not realize that they have different paradigms. Different paradigms give rise to different needs and expectations. The conflicts have occurred the workers assume that their colleagues are in their own paradigms. This has been also been attributed to lack of recognition of that everyone’s needs and expectations and behavioral styles are different. We can only learn to influence others through adoption of our behaviors in order to meet other people’s expectations and needs. Recommendations For the personnel in this company to improve the interactions between them, they must first recognize that they cannot change the expectations and needs of their colleagues. What can be influenced is the behavior of others but not changing of their needs. The workers also require to be informed that they need to recognize that everyone acts to meet his or her own needs. If they adapt their behaviors in order to meet the needs of other people, they will be able to minimize use of energy for struggling and use it for cooperation. The company needs to develop a training program for workers in order to develop a frame work for understanding the differences in needs and expectations. This will enable them to work more effectively with one another and achieve the company’s objectives. References Greenberg, Jerald, & Baron, RA 2000, Behavior in Organizations: Understanding and Managing the Human Side of Work. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Kinicki, Angelo, & Robert Kreitner 2005, Organizational Behavior. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin. LLC 2012, ‘Introduction to the DISC Human Behavior Model’ viewed 18 February 2012 < http://www.squidoo.com/discmodel> Steers, Richard, Porter, LW & Bigley, GA 1996, Motivation and Leadership at Work. New York: McGraw-Hill. Appendix Person Transcription of interactions AB ‘You never gets all the details’ GH ‘You decide too quickly’ AB ‘You do not know how to tell the customers politely ‘no’’ CD ‘You never get the facts straight’ AB ‘You really irritates me for always talking about personal issues on phone’ EF ‘You are too much worried about details’ Read More