IDR 101 University of Houston Body Language Discussion Responses

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IDR 101

University of Houston

IDR

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There are 2 posts that I have to comment them.  

The original question for these 2 posts is:

Give a time when you have handled conflict in a group. How did group members react to your handling of the situation? Using course material for support, how could you have handled it differently?

Or

If you have not personally been the individual handling the conflict, provide an example of when another member had to handling conflict and describe the outcome. Using course material for support, how could they have handled it differently? 

Pos1:

I have not personally had to deal with handling a conflict  in a group. I have, however, seen a recently appointed leader handle one. It was a great experience for me to watch and taught me a lot. In my company, a new employee was appointed a manager over team of employees. One of his new employees was a lead over a group of technicians. This lead had been in this position for several years and had been appointed by the previous manager who was no longer with the company and had not received formal training on how to be a lead employee. He was not doing a good job delegating work, and was constantly caught conducting business during working hours for a pool supply company he owns. This really bothered the other employees and they did not respect him. The new manager saw the turmoil among the group and also knew that the lead was not the best fit for the position. He decided that he needed to be removed from that position. Before he did this, however, he spoke to the employee personally and explained what was going on. He was very honest with him and explained why this was happening, what responsibilities were being taken away from him and what his new duties would be. He also spoke with the remaining group and explained to them the new changes that would be occurring. Then, he pulled the group together as a whole and discussed the changes, let anyone speak who wanted to address the situation and discussed moving forward how they could be successful as a team. At the end, everyone was happy, and the entire group felt comfortable  with the changes that had been made.

This situation could have been a difficult one to handle. I think our new manager demonstrated integrity and determination. Northouse discusses how these traits are important traits to have as a leader. He knew the employee was conducting business during working hours not related to his job, and he addressed that. By doing the right thing, and not allowing the employee to get away with it, others now respect him for following the rules. They also respect him for being honest with them, and the determination he showed in taking the initiative to correct a situation that had been unaddressed for many years. This was a great example of successful leadership in my opinion.

Post 2:

In the military, responsibility is closely related to accountability. I learned this at the start of my career. Basic Training was my first encounter with a large group of mixed cultures and individuals. Throughout the "cycle", Drill Sergeants would select an individual to be accountable for the group. This meant being responsible for attendance, motivation, and communication. If that person failed, they chose another. Our company had many "Platoon Sergeants" , as they were called, and each  handled the responsibility to a small degree, but as a whole they were not effective in the position. 

    When someone made a mistake, it was immediately obvious, mostly from the Drill Sergeants yelling about the deficiencies. They didn't give encouragement or advice, they only yelled. This atmosphere shifted though once the group began to establish a basis of morale within. The guys that were in charge had the same comment when confronted about being dismissed from the position. You can't make everyone happy. I think this is where the failure came in. Getting stuck in the mind trap that you cannot make everyone happy, while true, ultimately caused the Platoon Sergeants to cater towards the people he could make happy. This mindset projected into their leadership causing a very wide gap between the sheep, alienated followers, yes people, and the effective followers. There was an out-group that was never considered because the simple notion that "You can't make everyone happy" seemed to ingrain itself into everyone that held the position.

    Mentioned in the text Listening Effectively, John A. Kline-2003, are suggestions to which one can be a better listener. The biggest suggestion that comes to mind as it relates to the situation is Body Language. When some of the appointed leaders would interact with the group, they would hunch over, break eye contact, and speak softly. Others were very dismissive in their actions by scoffing, rolling their eyes, or simply give you a look that shouted "I don't care".  Northouse details the difficulties of dealing with dynamic groups. The most relevant description of a good leader from the text, in my opinion, describes a leader that helps a group feel competent, helps them achieve what they expect, and shows them the value of their work. Their Body Language did not convey any sense of competence. They had their minds set that they could not make everyone happy, in which case they could not help the group achieve what they expected. I think handling the situation with sincerity and confidence would have produced a Platoon Sergeant that lasted the course.  

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Running head: RESPONSE

1

Response
Name
Institution

RESPONSE
Response One
I agree with the actions of the new manager of relieving the person who was managing
the team of employees of his duties. In this case, it was necessary to remove him from his
position due to the ...


Anonymous
This is great! Exactly what I wanted.

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