Urgent 6 pages (no lateness kindly)

Week 4: Develop a Comprehensive Plan to Address Pervasive Workplace Conflict

Instructions:

Conflict in the Workplace

This week, you will explore the situation many brokerage firms regularly deal with: conflict within advisor teams. These conflicts surface as the result of external stressors typically related to the industry rather than things within the advisors' control or having to do with the firm. While the cause is typically external, group members and organizational leadership feel the effects internally. Team performance and client relationships suffer, and thus overall firm performance suffers.

Brokerage teams are intentionally composed of individuals with varying personalities, skills, and abilities because these individual traits balance each other and ensure optimal team performance. Conflict is bound to occur from time to time, but it can be argued that proper leadership and management of this conflict can reduce the occurrence, impact, and overall effect on the firm. However, in the case of Wells Fargo Advisors, a psychologist specializing in workplace conflict was brought in.

The Role of Communication

Communication between leader and team, as well as between team members, is vital to both addressing conflict and to maintaining a high-performing team environment in general. Exercises can be used for team building, which should, in turn, limit conflict; there are an abundance of such techniques.

Situational leadership and contingency theories, covered in Week 3, are commonly applied to various contexts related to workplace teams and, often, conflict. Of course, personality traits and skills, as covered in Week 1, and behaviors, as covered in Week 2, certainly come into play. 

Confliction Resolution

Coaching, while considered a specific situational leadership style, is also argued to be a fundamental and critical technique for leaders regardless of the situation. Followers, many believe, need ongoing coaching from their leaders to thrive. When it comes to conflict, the leader must take on the role of coach, essentially acting as mediator to guide employees through the conflict, even when followers resist (particularly when ego is involved). By expanding two-way communication, coaching often addresses internal and external stressors, those causing conflict in the workplace. 

• Develop a comprehensive plan to address the conflict documented in the Wells Fargo Advisors' case from a team leadership (and leader as coach) perspective. Assume the role of the Chicago branch manager, leading teams of advisors all over the region. Incorporate the role of communication into your plan as well as an analysis of leadership traits and models from Section 1 that you feel are appropriate and effective for managing conflict within teams. 

Support your plan with minimum of five scholarly resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources, including older articles, may be included.

Length: 5-7 pages, not including title and reference pages
Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards.

The below resources were provided by the instructor as key supporting content for the assignment requirements and insights.

Resources:

Lean Leadership (Attached):

Wuestman, D., C.M.A., & Casey, J. (2015). Lean leadership: Sustaining long-term process change. Strategic Finance, 96(8), 15-16,61. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/1655248010?accountid=28180

Bad Apples (Attached):

de Jong, J. P., Curşeu, P. L., & Leenders, R. J. (2014). When Do Bad Apples Not Spoil the Barrel? Negative Relationships in Teams, Team Performance, and Buffering Mechanisms. Journal Of Applied Psychology, 99(3), 514-522. doi:10.1037/a0036284

Exploring the Impact (Attached):

Grant, A. M., & Hartley, M. (2014). Exploring the impact of participation in a Leader as Coach programme using the Personal Case Study Approach. Coaching Psychologist, 10(2), 51-58.

Transdisciplinary Framework (Attached):

Kemp, T. J. (2009). Is coaching an evolved form of leadership? Building a transdisciplinary framework for exploring the coaching alliance. International Coaching Psychology Review, 4(1), 105-110.

Stressor–Strain Process (Attached):

Kessler, S. R., Bruursema, K., Rodopman, B., & Spector, P. E. (2013). Leadership, interpersonal conflict, and counterproductive work behavior.

Conflict Leadership (Attached):

Shetach, A. (2012). Conflict leadership: Navigating toward effective and efficient team outcomes. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 35(2), 25-30. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/1033210819?accountid=28180

Video - Build a tower, build a team | Tom Wujec- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0_yKBitO8M