Topic: Leadership and Organizational Conflict

Leadership and Organizational Conflict

Discuss Fiedler’s original Model of Leadership and then compare this with his later development of Cognitive Resource Theory.
What type of leader characteristic (more intelligent versus more experienced) is most suited for high-stress incidents? What type of leader (more intelligent versus more experienced) is best suited for low-stress, planned incidents? When giving your answers provide a detailed example of a police leadership position that would fit the leadership style of a more intelligent leader and a more experienced leader.
Next, in your own words, define, discuss, and provide a scenario in a criminal justice organization of Transactional Leadership, Transformational Leadership, and Visionary Leadership.
Compare and contrast the Traditional View, the Human Relations View, and the Interactionist View of organizational conflict.
Provide an example of a criminal justice agency in the midst of functional conflict.
Provide an example of a criminal justice agency in the midst of dysfunctional conflict.

Answers: –

Leadership and Organizational Conflict

Discuss Fiedler’s original Model of Leadership and then compare this with his later development of Cognitive Resource Theory.

Fiedler’s original Model of Leadership is a contingency model of leadership developed by Fred Fiedler in the 1960s (Fiedler, 2015). In this model, Fiedler argues that there is no standard method of leadership (Fiedler, 2015). He claims that no single way of leadership can be classified to be the best method of leadership that would suffice in all situations of leadership (Fiedler, 2015). The model, therefore, argues that several methods of leadership should be adopted depending on the situation at hand (Fiedler, 2015). This means that a leader should deploy a certain style of leadership depending on the situation at hand. The model’s effectiveness, therefore, depends on the leaders’ ability to evaluate situations and thus adopt the best leadership style to solve the issue at hand (Fiedler, 2015). (Chemers, 2014).

As stated above, the model is designed as a contingency model of leadership that enables the leader to obtain the best results from those that they lead without compromising their good relationship as well as the leader’s control (Chemers, 2014). As Chemers (2014) puts it, the performance of a group is dependent on how best the group’s leadership style matches the situations faced by the group. Fiedler’s original Model of Leadership, therefore, consists of a questionnaire that he called the “least preferred co-worker” (LPC) questionnaire which is used to evaluate the leadership style of a person (Fiedler, 2015). The questionnaire aims at evaluating if an individual is inclined towards task-based leadership or relationship-based leadership (Fiedler, 2015). According to Fiedler’s model, leaders with a low LPC are usually effective at executing their tasks/responsibilities (Fiedler, 2015). These leaders have the skill to organize groups to perform and complete projects swiftly. They, however, do not consider building a relationship with their subordinates to be a priority (Fiedler, 2015). Leaders with a high LPC, on the other hand, prioritize establishing personal relationships with their subordinates and prefer getting tasks done amicably by avoiding conflicts (Fiedler, 2015). This, therefore, makes them better suited for making complex decisions (Fiedler, 2015).

Fiedler’s original Model of Leadership was highly structured and thus had a wide range of weaknesses on which most criticisms of the model were made. For instance, the model recommended a change of the leader in the case where the leader’s style of leadership does not match the situation they are required to lead. For example, if a leader with a low LPC is in charge of a group that is built on good relationships and performs unstructured tasks, the model recommends replacing this leader with a leader with a high LPC. From a critical point, this could not be the best solution. Instead, the leader with a low LPC can adjust to the group’s structure by changing their leadership style. To correct the limitations and flaws of the model, Fiedler and J. Garcia developed the Cognitive Resource Theory. The theory argues that stress is the main factor that cripples the elements of a good leader as it impedes their ability to reason as well as analyze situations in a logical manner (Harms et al., 2017). The theory, therefore, argues that the leader’s intelligence as well as experience give the leader the ability to rise above the stress and execute their leadership responsibilities effectively (Harms et al., 2017). The Cognitive Resource Theory, therefore ‘fixes’ the flaws of Fiedler’s Model of Leadership by asserting that good leaders are intelligent and have a solid experience in stressful environments which gives them the ability to adopt the best leadership style that matches the situation at hand (Harms et al., 2017).

Leadership and Organizational Conflict

What type of leader characteristic (more intelligent versus more experienced) is most suited for high-stress incidents? What type of leader (more intelligent versus more experienced) is best suited for low-stress, planned incidents? When giving your answers provide a detailed example of a police leadership position that would fit the leadership style of a more intelligent leader and a more experienced leader.

In high-stress incidences, the best characteristics of leadership suited for the situation is experienced leadership. This means that a veteran leader is more suited for high-stress occurrences compared to an intelligent leader. As the Cognitive Resource Theory asserts, experience equips leaders with skills that enable them to handle situations better, based on knowledge gained from similar situations that they were exposed to in the past (Harms et al., 2017). High-stress situations create an overwhelming amount of emotions that demand emotional intelligence (McCleskey, 2015). Intelligent leaders may think that they have the situation figured out until they get exposed to the situation. As (McCleskey, 2015) puts it, living through a high-stress incident teaches the leader that the theoretical projections that they had before the incident are not always correct representations of how the incident would turn out.

Consequently, an experienced leader who has been through the high-stress incident before is equipped on the level of emotional stability demanded by the situation and thus is more qualified to lead in such situations than the intelligent leader. To put this into context, a perfect example is a police-robber shootout. A shootout is a high-stress incidence since lives are at stake. Consequently, a police leader who has been involved in similar incidences in the past can control their emotions such as fear and anxiety and thus would be better placed to lead the group in countering the robbers than the intelligent leader who only knows of such incidences in theory.

On the other hand, low-stress incidences such as planned events call for intelligent leadership. Planned events call for the leader to make optimal decisions to ensure the events are executed efficiently and effectively. Intelligence would, therefore, be more suited than experience since the decisions made involve evaluation and analysis of facts to come up with sound judgments. To illustrate this using the police leadership example, police leaders who are tasked with planning the department’s policies and procedures would be required to be intelligent rather than experienced. Departmental procedures are based on cases that the department investigates. Intelligent leaders are therefore better placed to analyze these cases and come up with adequate procedures to tackle the cases compared to the intelligent leader.

Leadership and Organizational Conflict

Next, in your own words, define, discuss, and provide a scenario in a criminal justice organization of Transactional Leadership, Transformational Leadership, and Visionary Leadership.

Transactional leadership is a leadership style that is based on the subordinate’s performance where good performance is rewarded while lousy performance is punished (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). In an organizational perspective, a manager who uses transactional leadership evaluates an employee’s performance where good performance attracts rewards such as bonuses and promotions while employees with lousy performance attract punishments such as warnings, suspensions or even dismissal from work (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). From a general standpoint, this style is action-based, where the subordinate’s actions dictate the actions of the leader (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). An example of a scenario in a criminal justice organization of Transactional Leadership is where rewards such as recognition and praise are accorded to officers whose efforts impact the community positively. The police have strained relationships with members of the public in this country as well as many other countries of the world, mainly due to trust issues. Implementing transactional leadership within our police departments would go a long way in mending relationships with members of the public since it would encourage the officers to engage in activities that encourage the public to trust the police system.

Transformational leadership, on the other hand, is a style of leadership where leaders guide by formulating goals for the institutions that they lead and consequently guide their subordinates towards achieving these goals (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). Leaders using transformational leadership formulate roles and responsibilities for their subordinates geared towards realizing the goals formulated (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). This style of leadership involves the leader instilling pride and respect among their subordinates by entrusting them with roles that if executed properly would contribute to achieving the bigger picture (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). An example of a scenario in a criminal justice organization using transformational leadership is the sheriff department where the sheriff is tasked with formulating goals and objectives for the department, such as the elimination of drug usage in the community and consequently mobilize and guide the officers within the department towards realizing these goals. This will involve delegating some officers on the department of data analysis to establish the prevalence of drug usage in the community, while another group is tasked with tracking the sources of the drugs. Consequently, the sheriff has to identify the personality traits of the officers to determine the roles the officers are ideally suited for.

Lastly, visionary leadership is a style of leadership where the leader envisions a desired state of the organization and thus steers their subordinates towards achieving this vision through combined efforts (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). A visionary leader does not exercise dictatorship or total control over the subordinates (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). On the contrary, visionary leaders inspire the subordinates to embrace and share their vision and thus combine forces with the leader as well as their colleagues towards making this vision a reality. George Washington is globally known for his visionary style of leadership which put him a bar higher than his predecessors which is evidenced by what he achieved and how he achieved it (Brunsman & Goethals, 2017).

Leadership and Organizational Conflict

Visionary leaders see beyond uncertainties and challenges brought by the uncertainty of the future, to come up with a desirable image of a better tomorrow (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). Visionary leaders come up with these visions mainly through their imagination, analysis of present facts and insights to predict possibilities of the future and ultimately boldness to make decisions based on these predictions and imaginations. Once the leader comes up with the vision, they inspire their subordinates to adopt and embrace the same vision making it easy to mobilize their efforts towards achieving the shared vision (Hunt & Fitzgerald, 2018). An example of a scenario in a criminal justice organization using visionary leadership is a sheriff department operating in an unsafe neighborhood. The sheriff begins by envisioning the community to be free from crime and gangs. The sheriff then sets long-term goals that would help make this vision a reality and consequently mobilize the officers within the sheriff department as well as the members of the community to embrace and share in the vision. Some of the steps that would help achieve this vision is encouraging the youth who are mostly the perpetrators of the criminal acts to engage in other productive activities such as art and sport. The next step would be encouraging private entities such as charity organizations to sponsor the youth who excel in the sports and artistic activities so that they may create a career out of their sport or art. The sheriff would also inspire the parents within the community to counsel their adolescent children on the harms if engaging in crime. Using visionary leadership, it is justifiable to say that the sheriff would achieve his vision of eliminating crime in the community.

Leadership and Organizational Conflict

Compare and contrast the Traditional View, the Human Relations View, and the Interactionist View of organizational conflict.

The traditional view of organizational conflicts holds that all conflicts within the organization are destructive and bad for business and thus should be eliminated and avoided at all cost (Rahim, 2017). This view of organization theory asserts that regardless of the cause of the conflict, all conflicts have a negative impact on the organization. The Human relations view of the organizational conflict, on the other hand, is relatively rational as it asserts that due to the difference in opinions and beliefs among individuals in the organization, conflicts are unavoidable, and are bound to happen somewhere along the way (Rahim, 2017). From a critical standpoint, the human relations view of organizational conflict is a realist in nature since it appreciates the fact that people in the organization come from different backgrounds and thus have different beliefs, values, and opinions and therefore are bound to have differences in opinions and beliefs leading to conflicts (Rahim, 2017). Lastly, the interactionist view of organization conflict asserts that conflicts in an organization are healthy since they provide a positive force within the organizations and thus should be treated as a necessity (Rahim, 2017). The interactionist view encourages healthy conflicts within an organization as they help individuals within the organization understand each other better and thus know how best to work with each other, thereby encouraging collective productivity (Rahim, 2017).

On conducting an across the board analysis, it is evident that the three views of organizational conflicts appreciate the fact that conflicts will always occur within the organization. They admit that conflicts are unavoidable within the organization. In contrast, however, the three views differ in opinion on how the conflict should be treated within the organization and how they impact the organization. For instance, the traditional view advocates for the avoidance of conflict within the organization. The human relations view accepts conflicts while the interactionist view encourages them.

Leadership and Organizational Conflict

Provide an example of a criminal justice agency in the midst of functional conflict.

Functional conflict refers to a positively-impacting conflict that improves the performance of groups and thus supports the achievement of the goals set by the group (Rahim, 2010). An example of a criminal justice agency working in the midst of functional conflict is the New York police department (NYPD). New York City has been a hotbed for terror attacks for a while now, notably during the 1990s. For this reason, the city’s police department functions under constant conflict in a bid to hold off terror attack incidences. This conflict makes the NYPD work closely with other agencies such as the FBI to fight terrorism in New York. Therefore, the NYPD is an example of a criminal justice agency operating under functional conflict.

Leadership and Organizational Conflict

Provide an example of a criminal justice agency in the midst of dysfunctional conflict.

Dysfunctional conflict refers to a conflict that negatively impacts a group and thus hinders the achievement of the group’s goals (Rahim, 2010). This type of conflict leads to broken relationships and communication within the group and ultimately leads to a decline in the performance of the group (Rahim, 2010). An example of a criminal justice agency working in the midst of dysfunctional conflict is the New Orleans Police department. For the longest time now, the police department tasked to keep New Orleans safe has been making news headlines with corruption cases and scandals. For instance, a report by the Department of Justice released in 2011 exposed the unprofessionalism, corruption, inadequate training, and decentralized authority that are rampant within the New Orleans Police Department (Millie & Das, 2016). The report further noted several senior police officials within the department who had abandoned their duties and left the New Orleans citizens unprotected. The New Orleans police department is, therefore, an example of a criminal justice agency that operates in the midst of dysfunctional conflict.

Leadership and Organizational Conflict. References

Brunsman, D., & Goethals, G. R. (2017). Leading Change: George Washington and Establishing the Presidency (Lessons in Leadership Series, Vol. 4).

Chemers, M. (2014). An integrative theory of leadership. Psychology Press.

Fiedler, F. R. E. D. (2015). Contingency theory of leadership. Organizational Behavior 1: Essential Theories of Motivation and Leadership, 232, 01-2015.

Harms, P. D., Credé, M., Tynan, M., Leon, M., & Jeung, W. (2017). Leadership and stress: A meta-analytic review. The leadership quarterly, 28(1), 178-194.

Hunt, J., & Fitzgerald, M. (2018). STYLES OF LEADERSHIP. Leadership: Regional and Global Perspectives, 62.

McCleskey, J. A. (2015). An examination of the relationship between ability model emotional intelligence and leadership practices of organizational leaders and entrepreneurs (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).

Millie, A., & Das, D. K. (2016). Corruption and the Blue Code of Silence. In Contemporary Issues in Law Enforcement and Policing (pp. 73-88). CRC Press.

Rahim, A. (2010). Functional and Dysfunctional Strategies for Managing Conflict. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e673512012-090

Rahim, M. A. (2017). Managing conflict in organizations. Routledge.