The Vidsoft Situation - Case Study Example

VIDSOFT Vidsoft situation In my assessment, the Vidsoft situation is complicated, because Babatunde has to walk a fine line in the role of conflict mediator between Hsu and Li. This makes the situation complicated because Hsu and Li have different demands and expectations, and yet there still has to be leadership in this situation. In my opinion, the situation at Vidsoft can best be resolved by giving Hsu and Li a specific task which they have to work as a team to achieve, and then installing checks as a leader to make sure they are making progress to this goal. Babatunde could have been more motivational in his leadership to avoid this situation, rather than just sitting back and letting the situation develop. The company, to avoid this sort of situation in the future, could install more team-based leadership tasks. Li is a people person and motivator in the case, but Hsu is very positional and by-the-book. Babatunde needs to understand that in dealing with Li, gender stereotypes are not viable explanations for understanding the impact of personal factors on choices about conflict resolution strategies. In the co-orientation model, the degree to which two employees hold similar views about a topic is known as agreement. The latent conflict phase is marked by the impact the conflict has on the ongoing work relationship of the parties involved. Things are changing in the internet age as well in terms of communication. The conflict management style marked by high concern for self and high concern for others is collaboration. A mediator is a third-party conflict role specializing in the exercise of control over the negotiation process and its outcomes (Babatunde’s role). Network analysis is one way that conflict resolution researchers study conflict generation and resolution. During the manifest conflict stage, conflict strategies are enacted in communicative interaction. Babatunde needs to present strong leadership skills and a sense of direction in order to optimize employee performance. Too often, different departments of organizations tend to dissolve along lines of ineffective communication in group meetings in which the manager becomes less of a leader and more of a scapegoat or outmoded mouthpiece of the status quo, and in situations such as these, political infighting and departmental disagreement over issues of funding and allocation make take priority over what should be the clear mission and shared vision of all involved; that is, determining what is best for the customer in terms of loyalty and buying behavior, and implementing programs. “Business is part of the social system and we cannot isolate the economic elements of major decisions from their social consequences. So there are no simple rules” (Cadbury, 2010) I would recommend installing programs can be those which bring out success in the organization. A manager with true leadership ability, therefore, according to my leadership style characteristics, will not let infighting take priority over doing what is best for the customer, and works along lines of positive rather than negative communication to bring people together on the issues which concern all involved; therefore, Babatunde would unite Li and Hsu, rather than having them continue their personality conflict without effective intervention and conflict resolution. Therefore, Babatunde needs to be more dynamic and interactive. Recommended resolution Babatunde needs to use transformational leadership. “Burns (1978) introduced the concept of transformational leadership, describing it as not a set of specific behaviors but rather a process by which "leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation" (p. 20). He stated that transformational leaders are individuals that appeal to higher ideals and moral values” (History, 2010). This situation could, for example, lead to behavior that supposes that the practitioner’s ideas of culture is to blame for this situation, which could be a potential conflict in the client to practitioner category. And in the other category, other clients in group settings must be aware of how to communicate difference positively and not wind up ostracizing the person just because their point of view is not the mainstream. In terms of the leadership of the practitioner along the lines of providing conflict resolution and providing a valuable way of diversity and sensitivity, communication is also the key. There is a difference between positive and negative communication, and often this difference is that in positive communication, the person knows how to listen as well as how to speak in a way that shows no discrimination or prejudice. In terms of solving conflict between these groups in this context, communication must be a two-way street in which both the sender and receiver of information benefit. The case shows that interest-based approaches to negotiation are also viable and can lead to mutually beneficial decisions, it is a viable belief that this could help the company to work more smoothly. If everyone’s participation is considered equally, more lasting solutions can be accomplished. Although some employees might see this as a detriment because it focuses on external as well as internal communities, management decisions to lesson conflict can make employees realize that the company is becoming more cooperative and open to these and other important issues regarding negotiation and mediation as they exist as salient or main factors. Transactional leaders are leaders who motivated by appealing to followers self interest. “Working with Burns (1978) definition of transformational leadership, Bass (1985) asserts that these leaders motivate followers by appealing to strong emotions regardless of the ultimate effects on the followers and do not necessary attend to positive moral value” (History, 2010) In terms of links between theory and reality implied by negotiation and mediation and how it appears in the case, by organizing workshops of a large cross-section of managers and employees, stressing the need for the open display of common interests and collective problem solving, a company can become more efficient by listening to those who make up its work-force. Also, many employees who bring up issues find that upon inspection, these issues are relatively short-term. It is a common belief that more time should be spent in the present on assaying long-term solutions that span the years to come, instead of concentrating on problems that have a few months’ “life-span.” Although employees must be heard, not every issue presented is necessarily deserving of extensive arbitration. #2 Transactional and transformational leadership Transactional leadership can be seen in Babatunde’s handling of the case, as well as other forms of leadership. In transactional leadership, the transaction is between the leader and the employee, and it is balanced. It is a simple exchange in which the leader gives rewards (financial or otherwise) for employee effort and performance. This in turn motivates employees towards more effort. This last statement is then questioned and it becomes clear that a transactional system can also develop when performance, not just effort, is rewarded. Performance-based rewards can also help motivation levels, as well as attention being paid to the basic human needs of the employee. This is why Babatunde approaches employee motivation as a continuing process rather than a series of isolated events. Specifically, Babatunde uses transactional leadership as a sort of foundation to develop several strategies to encourage an atmosphere of communication, teamwork, and fulfillment in the workplace that will result in the ultimate goal of increased performance. On this foundation, other modes of leadership work more visibly. Using this method, employers of can foster an atmosphere of friendly competition where leadership and hard work are shown to have visible rewards, because employees have a level of trust that has been built upon the leader’s authenticity. Charisma is also involved in a tendency towards transformational leadership. Transformational leadership can be compared directly to charismatic leadership. It shows a natural attenuation and sort of magnetism in a leader that is not ordered and divided into bureaucratic sections, but instead represents something new and changing and puts a fresh spin on the issues, engendering a feeling of hope and even reverence in the transformational leader’s followers and the public, based on their ability to achieve positive change in the organization. “According to Bass, transformational leaders are charismatic and inspirational. They intellectually stimulate followers, and thus promote rationality and problem solving skills. They also provide individualized consideration to the followers” (Thomas, 2010). The conflict in the organization for example could be one in which managers and employees are having difficulty communicating because of distrust on both sides and a general separation of communication and culture between these subsets of the organizational environment. This could potentially lead to behavior in the organization that supposes that management is to blame for this situation, which could be a potential conflict in the employee-to-management interaction. And in the employee-to-employee category of interaction, other employees must be aware of how to communicate difference positively and not wind up ostracizing others in the workplace. In terms of the leadership of the manager along the lines of providing conflict resolution and providing a valuable instructional paradigm, communication is also the key. Benefits of transformational leadership A lot of people, when they hear the term role model, think of one person as a part of their definition. They think of a singular, charismatic person, such as a parent, a boss, or someone they see in the mass media. But being a transformational leader is not always strictly defined by one individual whose decisions are held above others in a real-world environment. In today’s complicated world, an expanded definition of the transformational model is needed. After all, it is not only one person who is responsible for making decisions: effective decisions now more than ever must be a team effort among a group of people who share a common vision of success. People who think they are transformational leaders may accept too much responsibility for their decisions are denying the fact that they are by nature working within a supportive community which surrounds them, and which is the nature of their responsibility. They must not lose sight of the implications of their decisions on others; such behavior could border on crossing the line of definition from being a role model to being a bad influence. “Adaptation is the ideal strategy because the team works effectively to solve its own problem with minimal input from management—and, most important, learns from the experience” (Brett and Kern, 2001) Too often, transformational leaders think that they are somehow better than everyone else, and also too often, other people accept this as the natural definition of them. But in my experience the true leader understands that s/he only leads through the accepting permission of those who make up a team in which everyone has an equal say and is able to provide input and feedback without fearing condescension. Problems also may arise when a transformational leader operates under a theoretical code of conduct that effects a reality of disparate individuals minimally. I think that a group can become a dynamic and powerful entity, a role model itself. One characteristic of an effective leader is honesty. People will appreciate the honesty with which they are treated by the leader, and will reward the leader’s honesty with loyalty and fidelity, as well as appreciating their dedication to solving social problems and putting the truth first. By acting responsibly and responsively towards other people, the leader will receive plaudits for representing themselves as being focused on the future of everyone involved, not just their own interests. Thus the honest leader will be looked upon as possessing integrity and fairness in their conduct and operations, and will gain the trust of people and increase the level of responsibility required of those who are members of the leader’s group. Theoretically, it all seems rather simple, and if more people could see leadership in terms of this focus on honesty, the world would arguably be a better place. “Many of us simply hire employees with diverse backgrounds—then await the payoff. We don’t enable employees’ differences to transform how our organization does work” (Thomas and Ely, 2010). It also must be remembered that, “By limiting the ability of employees to acknowledge openly their work-related but culturally based differences, the paradigm actually undermines the organization’s capacity to learn about and improve its own strategies” (Thomas and Ely, 2010). Another important characteristic of the effective transformational leader is their ability to listen to other people. Leaders may choose to take the route of encouraging the people they are working with so that they can also have a creative input, and thus make themselves a true team leader, not just a leader in name only. When a leader or group of leaders gets too fascinated by their own authority to see that they are working within a community of individuals who may have equally valuable contributions to make regarding the decision-making process, there will be no significant motivation underneath these leaders. After all, the leader is not the lone representative of a team or group of people; it is bigger than that- there are lessons to be learned and given from and by everyone involved. A cohesive team is a successful one, and a team can only be cohesive when all levels of people on the team or in the group believe that they can speak up and make a difference. The more people who can get involved in the process, the more it will be an accurate reflection of a shared set of standards and complementary goals. The transformational leader is able to use charisma and other techniques to influence others and steer them towards making the right decisions. They can sit back and provide a general resource, but instead, they step forward and lead. They show that they really care about others in their organization. REFERENCE Cadbury, S 2010 Ethical managers make their own decisions. Harvard Business Review. Thomas, D and R Ely (2010). Making Differences Matter A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity. Harvard Business Review. Brett, J, K Behfar and M Kern (2001). Managing Multicultural Teams. Harvard Business Review. History of Leadership Research (2010). From http://www.sedl.org/change/leadership/references.html Read More