Learning Objectives: - Describe the various types of conflict resolution, and discuss the role the leader can play in managing conflict - Identify the elements of effective team building - Discuss the role of a leader in initiating change and helping others adjust to change Directions: 1. Read the associated case study 2. Reflect on the information covered in the assigned chapters for the unit. 3. Compose and submit a paper - Formatting: double-spaced, Arial font type, 12-point font size, 1-inch margins - Length: minimum three full pages; maximum five full pages - Content: - thoroughly examine the workplace culture from the perspectives of the different staff members and departments represented in the case study - consider the four stages in the life of a group from the textbook; identify which stage this leadership team (group) is in and summarize why you have selected that stage - articulate which of the eight characteristics of successful teams are not present on/in Lance's leadership team - discuss how Lance should handle the conflict on his leadership team. - discuss strategies Lance could use to positively influence the culture of the organization and the professional relationship between the members of his leadership team, consider the - 13 practices for obtaining good human relations - Team-building interventions and techniques Grading: - Full credit ( 100% of possible points): Excellent write-up. Comprehensive evaluation of the workplace culture from the perspectives of all stakeholders; in-depth analysis and consideration of strategies to improve relationships, behaviors, and attitudes; thorough examination of strategies, decisions, and techniques that could be used to improve team member relationships with appropriate identification of whether to use them; and clearly articulated connection to the content covered in the unit chapters. - Partial Credit (60-75\% of possible points): Adequate write-up. Minimally adequate information contained in the evaluation, analysis, examination, and/or connection to unit chapters is minimally acceptable. - Partial Credit (30-50\% of possible points): Inadequate write-up. Significant information missing from the evaluation, analysis, examination, and/or connection to unit chapters lacking. - No Credit ( 0% of possible points): not submitted, did not follow assignment directions Although Lance hated hearing this, it wasn't news. He'd just tried to convince himself that the problems were growing pains and would sort themselves out. After all, sales and finance were often at odds in organizations, and the conflict hadn't had a big impact on Barker's revenues. They'd grown 22% the previous year and 28% the year before that. Of course, none of that growth had come easily, and opportunities had certainly been missed. Barker had dropped the ball on inquiries from several retailers interested in its products by failing to coordinate getting them into the company's system quickly. Now, Lance realized that might be a sign of more fallout to come. He needed to fix this. "My dad always wanted to do one of those team-building retreats," 4 he said, smiling. This had been a running joke among Barker's executives for years. Whenever Eric had sensed tension, he would mention the idea, but he never followed through. 4 Do team activities actually result in better collaboration? Or are they mostly feel-good exercises with little lasting effect? Nina laughed. "Unfortunately, I think we're beyond that." This Mess The next morning, Lance was in his office when he got a text from Jhumpa Bhandari, the head of product and merchandising: Can you talk? Haryard Business Review Managing Conflicts Case Study: When Two Leaders on the Senior Team Hate Each Other by Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly Baden From the Magazine (January-February 2019) Chris Upson/Getty Images Summary. In this fictional case, the CEO of a sports apparel manufacturer is faced with an ongoing conflict between two of his top executives. Specifically, the head of sales and the CFO are at each other's throats and the tension is having a ripple effect on their teams and... more The feedback in the 360-degree reviews was supposed to be anonymous. But it was crystal clear who'd made the negative comments in the assessment of one executive. marveled at how long it had probably taken each of them to prepare-never mind the wasted paper. "Let me look into it," Lance said. This had become his default response. "Can I tell you what I'd do if I were in your shoes?" Jhumpa said. "Fire them both." 5 5 Research from RHR International found that CEOs who replaced members of their senior teams actually wished they had done so sooner. Though Lance had always appreciated her straightforwardness, he was taken aback. "Just kidding," she added hastily. "What about having them work with a coach? I mean, we could all benefit from having someone to help us talk through how we handle conflicts and from establishing some new norms." Lance wondered if the firing comment had really been a joke, but he let it pass. "I did talk to that leadership development firm last year," he said. "They had some coaching packages that seemed appealing, but we all agreed we were too busy with the new accounts." Well, maybe we should make time now," Jhumpa replied. After they hung up, Lance was still thinking about the idea of letting Ahmed and Damon go. Terrifying as the thought was, it might also be a relief. He'd heard of CEOs who'd cleaned house and replaced several top execs at once. He could keep Jhumpa, Nina, and a few others and bring in some fresh blood. It would be one surefire way to reset the team dynamics. To be honest, it's been on my mind. I'm not sure what I would do without Ahmed or Damon. They're an important part of why we make our numbers each year. They help us win. But I look back and wonder how we did it playing the game this way. I need a team that's going to work together to reach our longer-term goals." 9 When Eric had retired, he and Lance had set a target of reaching revenues of 500 million by 2022 . "This group feels as if it could disintegrate at any moment. And our vision might crumble along with it." 10 9 A study at Google found five keys to team effectiveness: psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning, and impact. "I'm sorry," Eric said. "Do you feel like you inherited a pile of problems from your old dad?" Doing Just Fine Later that afternoon, at the end of a regular meeting with the finance team, Lance asked Damon to stay behind. "I heard there's a holdup on the Clarkson samples," he said. "The usual. Sales needs to pare back the order. As soon as Ahmed does that, I can sign off," Damon said calmly. "It doesn't sound like Ahmed's budging." "He will." Lance decided to wade in. "Is everything OK with you guys?" "Same as usual. Why? What's going on? The numbers look great this quarter. We're doing just fine." "I agree on one level, but I have concerns on another. It's taking six months to onboard new customers at a time when everyone is fighting for them." "Is this about those 360 reviews? I tried to be fair in my feedback," Damon said a bit defensively. The input is anonymous, so I don't know who said what, but the tension between you and Ahmed is obvious." "Of course it is. I'm the CFO and he's in charge of sales. If we're both doing our jobs well, there's going to be conflict. 6 And that's what I'm doing: my job. I'm the keeper of the bottom line, and that means I'm going to butt heads with a few people." Lance had heard him say this before, but Damon took it one step further this time. "Your discomfort with conflict doesn't make this any easier." 7 6 Should sales and finance departments be at odds? Can the resulting tension be productive for an organization? 7 Can you be an effective CEO if you're uncomfortable dealing with conflict? They both sat quietly for a minute. Lance knew that as part of this process he'd need to examine his own leadership. Indeed, his 360 had been eye-opening. His people had described him as a passionate entrepreneur and a visionary, but they'd also commented on his preference for managing one-on-one instead of shepherding the team and on his tendency to favor big-picture thinking over a focus on details. "OK. I hear you on that," Lance finally said. "That's on me. But you also need to think about what you can do to improve this situation. There's a difference between productive and unhealthy conflict, and right now it feels like we've got too much of the latter." 8 8 Conflict over how to perform a task can produce constructive debate and improve decisions. But conflict over personal issues can erode trust on a team. Our Vision Might Crumble "Have you considered one of those team-building retreats?" Lance's father asked when they spoke that night. "I know you all never took me seriously-" Lance chuckled. "Because you never booked it!" -but I still think it's a good idea," Eric continued. "No one really knows how to have a productive fight at work. It's not a skill you're born with. You have to learn it." "I'm considering it, Dad. But I'm not sure it would be enough at this point." "What about the comp?" This was another thing Eric had brought up routinely. During his tenure as CEO he'd realized that the C suite compensation wasn't structured to encourage collaboration. Bonuses were based on individual, functional-unit, and company performance at respective weightings of 25%,70%, and 5%. "Maybe it's time to bump up that 5% to at least 10% or even 20%," Eric said. "I'd like to make those changes, but I need Damon's help to do it, and he's swamped," Lance said. "Besides, lots of experts say that too many people view comp as a hammer and every problem as a nail. CEOs expect comp to fix anything, but usually you need other tools. I may have to do something more drastic." "You're not considering firing anyone, are you?" Eric had personally hired all the senior executives now on Lance's team and was almost as loyal to them as he was to his own family. Knowing this couldn't be good, Lance called her immediately. Skipping the formalities, she launched in: "You need to get them on the same page." Lance didn't have to ask who "them" was. "Ahmed has promised samples for the new line on the Clarkson account, but his order exceeds the limits accounting set, so we need Damon's sign-off, and he won't give it." This was a recurring fight. Ahmed accused Damon of throwing up roadblocks and using his power to undermine the sales department. Damon retorted that Ahmed was driving Barker into the ground by essentially giving products away. Lance went back and forth on whose side he took, depending on which of them was behaving worse. But he didn't want to intervene again. Why couldn't they just find a compromise? Practically reading his mind, Jhumpa said, "They'll stay in this standoff forever if you let them. It's as if they're in their own little fiefdoms; they act like they're not even part of the same team." "Have you talked to them about this?" The holdup with Clarkson? Of course I have. But it doesn't help. This situation is a mess." The last comment stung. The team wasn't perfect, but it was still operating at a pretty high level. "It would really help if you talked to them," Jhumpa gently pleaded. Lance thought back to the last time he'd sat down with Ahmed and Damon. Each had brought a binder filled with printouts of the e-mails they'd exchanged about a missed sale. Lance had