OB Chapter 10-13

What is conflict?

A disagreement through which two or more parties perceive a threat to their interests, needs, or concerns

What is dysfunctional conflict?

Destructive conflict focused on emotions and differences between two parties

What are characteristics of constructive (functional) conflict?

• Adaptive, positive conflict

• Contains elements of creativity and adaptation

• Can lead to identification of new alternatives and ideas

What is structural conflict?

Results from structural or process features of the organization

What is vertical conflict?

Occurs across different hierarchical levels of the organization

What are the 5 interpersonal conflict management strategies?

• Collaborating 

• Compromising 

• Competing 

• Accommodating 

• Avoiding 

What is negotiation?

A process in which two or more parties make offers, counteroffers, and concession in order to reach an argument 

What is distributive negotiation?

Any gain to one party is offset by an equivalent loss to the other party 

What is integrative negotiation?

A win-win negotation in which the agreement involves no loss to either party 

What does BATNA stand for?

Best alternative to a negotiated agreement 

What is leadership as a process?

The use of non coercive influence to direct and coordinate the activities of group members to meet a goal

What is leadership as a property?

The set of characteristics attributed to those perceived to use influence successfully 

What is influence?

The ability to affect the perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, motivation, and/or behavior of others

What is the early trait approach?

• Attempt to identify stable and enduring character traits that differentiate effective leaders from non leaders

• What they are like

What are the Michigan leadership studies?

Defined job-centered and employee-centered leadership as opposite ends of a single leadership dimension

What is job-centered behavior?

Involves paying close attention to the work of subordinates, explaining work procedures, and demonstrating a strong interest in work performance (task) 

What is employee-centered behavior?

Involves attempting to build effective work groups with high performance goals (relationship)

What are the Ohio State leadership studies?

Defined leader consideration and initiating structure behaviors as independent dimensions of leadership

What is consideration behavior? OS Studies

Involves being concerned with subordinates’ feelings and respecting subordinates’ ideas (Relationship)

What is initiating-structure behavior? OS Studies 

Involves clearly defining leader subordinate roles so that subordinates know what is expected of them

What is the leadership grid?

• Provides a means for evaluating leadership styles and then training managers to move toward an idea style of behavior

• 2 Axes

• Horizontal → concern for production (task) 

• Vertical → concern for people (relationship) 

• Team management, country club management, middle road management, impoverished management, authority compliance

What is the LPC (least preferred coworker) theory?

Tries to reconcile and explain a leader’s personality and the complexity of a situation

What are the three measuring factors used in LPC?

• Leader-member relations 

• Task structure 

• Leader position power

What is the path-goal theory?

Focuses on the situation and leader behaviors in suggesting that leaders can readily adapt to different situations

What is Vroom’s decision tree approach?

• Attempts to prescribe how much participation subordinates should be allowed in making decisions 

• Time-driven and development driven decisions

• Decide, delegate, facilitate, consult (group), and consult (individually)

What are the 2 decision tree choices?

• Time-driven → decisions must be made on a timely basis 

• Development-driven → decisions can be used to improve/develop subordinates’ decision-making skills 

What is the leader-member exchange (LMX) model?

• Suggests that leaders form unique independent relationships with each other their subordinates 

• Vertical dyad → one to one

• In group → get the info, more autonomy, and special privileges

• Out group → out of the loop for info and less attention and time from supervisor

What is the Hersey and Blanchard model?

• Suggests that appropriate leader behavior depends on the “readiness” of followers

• Similar to LPC 

What are the 4 types of leadership?

• Transformational leadership 

• Transactional leadership

• Charismatic leadership 

• Attribution perspective of leadership

What is transformational leadership?

The set of abilities that allows the leader to recognize the need for change, to create a vision 

What is transactional leadership?

Leadership focused on routine regimented activities

What is charismatic leadership?

Leadership is based on leader’s personal charisma

What are 4 influence tactics? Be specific 

• Consultation → requesting someone’s advice to solve a problem

• Inspirational appeals → appealing to aspirations, values, and ideals to gain commitment

• Rational persuasion → using logic and facts to persuade someone

• Exchange → offering something valuable in return for cooperation 

What are the differences between task and relationship oriented leaders?

• Task-oriented leaders are more focused on the job itself and completing the task to have strong performance 

• Relationship-oriented leaders are focused on building a relationship with the people they are working with to ensure high performance

What are the 4 common causes of conflict?

• Differing task goals → disagreements over what is to be completed

• Interpersonal differences → differences in motivation, aspirations, and personality

• Poor communication → people lacking necessary information, misinterpret, or misinformed

• Differing values → perceived or actual incompatibilities among individuals

What is the term for what makes leadership impossible?

Leadership neutralizers

What is organizational politics?

Social influence attempts directed at those who can provide rewards that will help promote or protect the self-interests of the actor

What is strategic leadership?

• Capability to understand the complexities of both organization and its environment and to lead change in the organization so to achieve and maintain a superior alignment between organization and environment 

• Greater weight on leader’s ability to think and function strategically

What are leadership substitutes?

• Individual, tasks, and organizational characteristics that tend to outweigh the leaders ability to affect satisfaction and performance on subordinates 

• If certain factors are present the employee will perform their job capably without direction of a leader 

Leadership can be viewed as _______

A process and property

When resources are scarce _____

Power differences magnify across subunits

Management vs leadership

• Management when executing plans involves monitoring results, comparing to goals, and correcting deviations

• Leadership involves focusing on energizing people to overcome hurdles

What are the different power types?

• Position power

• Personal power

• Legitimate power

• Reward power

• Coercive power

• Expert power

• Referent power

• Informational power

• Persuasive power

Most and least effective influential tactics

• Most: Inspirational appeal, rational persuasion, consultation 

• Least: Pressure