Zachary Zavala

Professor David A. Thomas

OGL 220: Behavioral Dynamics in Organizations
February 23, 2020

Module 5: Conflict Styles and Leadership Style Self-Assessments Worksheet

1. With respect to conflict styles, what were your scores for each of the five
conflict styles dimensions -
(Accommodating, Compromising, Integrating, Avoiding, and Dominating)? Do
you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?
Your Answer:
Accommodating: 3.5
Compromising: 5.3
Integrating: 5.8
Avoiding: 4.7
Dominating: 3.4
I do agree with this because its shows how I am often willing to work with other to either
integrate our interests or compromise to obtain a solution.

2. Provide an example from your own life of your experience with this style of
conflict (either using the style yourself or as employed by someone else in a
conflict situation).
Your Answer:
Integration conflict resolution is probably my strongest style because of my history of
working on teams. I grew up playing organized sports and often these teams were
comprised of diverse people who were strong willed and could possess different
opinions on how to become successful. Because of this experience I have learned to
work with others to individually bring something to the table because although the
method to achieving a goal may differ from person to person, there often is a common
goal that everyone is working to achieve. I cannot remember a specific instance where
cooperation has resulted in the resolution of conflict, but I understand the concept very
well and I'm able to work well with others because of this. It is a large reason why my
partner and I have been able to maintain a healthy relationship because each of us is
willing to work with each other through conflict.

3. Discuss one thing that works pretty well about your preferred conflict style; in
other words, what is one advantage for you about it? Discuss one disadvantage
you’ve found in using your preferred conflict style. Finally, what is one specific
way you could improve your general approach to conflict?
Your Answer:
Collaboration works well because it often leads towards a win-win situation. Each party
can have their opinions heard and by working together to find a solution you are able to
use each opinion to find the optimal solution to any given conflict. I tend to be very
hardheaded and do not accept opposing views well, but this primarily applies to
situations where the other party is coming to me saying I am wrong. In these instances,
it does not feel as though my opinion holds value and this leads to further conflict. When
collaborating with others, they can offer their opinion and hear mine because outside
perspectives may reveal details that I may have missed. Collaborating may come at a
disadvantage if the intention is to be inclusive of other people's opinion regardless of
whether they hold real value. If you must sacrifice the quality of a solution for the sake
of a win-win then it can be a disadvantage.

4. According to the leadership style self-assessment, what was your Hersey-

Blanchard leadership style (Telling, Selling, Participating, Delegating)? Do you
agree with this assessment? Why or why not?
Your Answer:
I am fell into the Telling style of leadership which I found interesting. If you were to ask
me before this assessment whether I was more task oriented or more relationship
oriented I would assume that I am a relationship-oriented leader. As the assessment
states, a person can demonstrate different levels of task-behaviors and relationship-
behaviors depending on the situation and to me it’s clear that this is true. The questions
on this assessment were different from what I would consider when imagining myself in
a leadership role. I suppose I constantly regard myself to be highly goal oriented in my
career and I can see how outside of my personal relationships it would show when I am
a leader.
5. Provide examples from your own life where you experienced each of the
leadership style-related behaviors (telling, selling, participating, and delegating).
Your Answer:
I suppose I have had a great deal of experience with telling leaders through my high
school football career. My coaches were often giving instructions on how to improve our
techniques and teaching us strategy to the game. In volleyball, I had a coach who was
highly participate. He was no more than 10 years older than us so he was often
demonstrating how to perform certain movements and we would scrimmage with him
being a member of one of the teams. My experience with delegation leaders was during
high school football games where the coaches had prepared us enough that all they
really needed to do was provide structure and we would go out and perform. Lastly was
the selling approach. Outside of high school sports I had a manager recently who would
explain his motives very clearly to us and by making us feel involved we were more
committed to his efforts.

6. Review the information regarding Tuckman’s Stages of Team Development

model. Contrast Hersey-Blanchard leadership style with the various stages of
team development. Do you see a connection? Discuss team leadership behaviors
that you think would be applicable to each of Tuckman’s stages of team
development.
Your Answer:
These two share a connection because in Hersey-Blanchard's model as the confidence
and commitment of followers rise it will require a different style of leadership. In
Tuckman's Stages of Development, a team goes through phases from beginning to end
and through each of those stages a leader will have to play a different role in facilitating
results. During the forming phase, the leader will need to use a combination of telling
and selling to get group members situated and committed towards the team and its
goals. During the storming phase, a leader should be highly participative to influence
creativity and conflict resolution. As the team begins to norm, the leader will have to
continue selling them on their responsibilities and explaining the decisions that he or
she is making. During the performing phase all the leaders will have to do is delegate
the tasks because the members are highly committed and highly competent.
7. With respect to the LMX instrument, what were your scores on each of the
dimensions (Linking, Loyalty, Contribution, Professional Respect)? Based on
these results, what transformational leadership behaviors do you exhibit (or have
you experienced in a leader/follower relationship) that you believe are most
relevant with respect to someone who seeks to be an effective transformational
leader?
Your Answer:
Liking: 7
Loyalty: 8
Contribution: 7
Professional Respect: 5
I think that each of these factors plays an important role in being a transformational
leader. Being liked is the initial aspect towards the leader member exchange and liking
can be established early on. Loyalty will come after time working together and if the
relationship builds to become closer loyalty will be an important factor in a leader’s
relationships. Members will begin wanting to live up to a leader's expectations because
of the relationship they share. I know that I personally do not want to look bad in front of
leaders that I respect. Professional respect is where I fell short towards my current
supervisor. I like who they are, and I am committed to the work, but I am not fully
confident in their competence. Personally, if I were in their shoes, I believe that I could
do a better job.