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Effective Leadership International

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Manual
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CHAPTER 6

COACHING, COMMUNICATION, AND


CONFLICT SKILLS

Chapter Outline

I. COMMUNICATION
A. Communication and Leadership
B. Sending Messages and Giving Instructions
C. Receiving Messages

II. FEEDBACK
A. The Importance of Feedback
B. Common Approaches to Getting Feedback on Messages—and Why They Don’t Work
C. How to Get Feedback on Messages
D. 360-Degree Multirater Feedback

III. COACHING
A. How to Give Coaching Feedback
B. What Is Criticism and Why Doesn’t It Work?
C. The Coaching Model for Employees Who Are Performing Below Standard
D. Mentoring

IV. MANAGING CONFLICT


A. The Psychological Contract
B. Conflict and Leadership
C. Conflict Management Styles

V. COLLABORATING CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLE MODELS


A. Initiating Conflict Resolution
B. Responding to Conflict Resolution
C. Mediating Conflict Resolution

New To Chapter 6 (Changes from the 4e to 5e)


 The chapter has been updated throughout. However, this chapter is based on older leadership
and motivation theories. Therefore, it includes more classical references than several of the
other chapters. There are 98 references and only 2 are from the 4e; so 96 or 98 percent of the
references are new to this edition.
 The opening case has been updated.
 The introduction to the chapter has been re-written and updated with new references.
122
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the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 123

 The Communication section opening and subsection “Communication and Leadership” have
been re-written and updated with new references. It now includes a brief discussion of the
changing use of technology in communication.
 The Communication subsection “Planning the Message” has been shortened.
 The introduction to the Communication subsection “Receiving Messages” has been re-
written will all new references and the “Message Receiving Process” three parts have been
shortened a bit.
 The subsection “Coaching and Leadership” has been dropped and its content merged with the
introduction to the section “Coaching,” which has been re-written.
 The introduction to the “Managing Conflict” section has been re-written with all new
references.
 The introduction to the “Collaborating Conflict Management Style Models” section has been
re-written with all new references. In step 1 of the BCF statement, new material stating what
not to say has been added to the opening comment when initiating conflict resolution.
 The end of chapter case is new will all new case questions.

Lecture Outline
PowerPoint: You may use the PowerPoint supplement to enhance your lectures. Even if your classroom is not
equipped to use PowerPoint, you can review the material on your personal computer to get teaching ideas and to
copy the slides. Copies of the slides can be made into overheads.

I. COMMUNICATION
Communication is the process of conveying information and meaning. True communication takes place only when
all parties understand the message (information) from the same perspective (meaning). Your ability to speak, read,
and write will have a direct impact on your career success.

A. Communication and Leadership


There is a positive relationship between communication competency and leadership performance.

B. Sending Messages and Giving Instructions


An important part of a manager’s job is to give instructions, which is sending a message. As a manager, how well
you give instructions directly affects your ability to motivate your employees, as well as their satisfaction with your
supervisory leadership.

1. Planning the Message


Before sending a message, you should plan it, answering these questions:

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from
the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
124 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

 What is the goal of the message?


 Who should receive the message?
 How will you send the message?
 When will the message be transmitted?
 Where will the message be transmitted?

2. The Oral Message-Sending Process

Learning Outcome (LO) 1. List the steps in the oral message-sending process.
The five steps in the oral message-sending process are (1) develop rapport; (2) state your communication
objective; (3) transmit your message; (4) check the receiver’s understanding; (5) get a commitment and follow
up.

The steps in the oral message-sending process are: (1) develop rapport; (2) state your communication objective;
(3) transmit your message; (4) check the receiver’s understanding; and (5) get a commitment and follow up. Model
6.1 lists these steps.
Step 1. Develop rapport. It is usually appropriate to begin communications with small talk correlated to the
message. It helps prepare the person to receive the message.
Step 2. State your communication objective. The common business communication objectives are to
influence, inform, and express feelings.
Step 3. Transmit your message. If the communication objective is to influence, tell the people what you want
to do, give instructions, and so forth. If the objective is to inform, tell the people the information. If the
objective is to express feeling, do so.
Step 4. Check the receiver’s understanding. When influencing and giving information, you should ask direct
questions and/or use paraphrasing.
Step 5. Get a commitment and follow up. When the goal of communication is to inform or express feelings, a
commitment is not needed. However, when the goal of communication is to influence, it is important to get a
commitment to the action and follow up to ensure that the necessary action has been taken.

WORK APPLICATION 1
Recall a specific task that your manager assigned to you. Identify which steps the manager did and did not use in
the oral message-sending process.

CONCEPT APPLICATION
CA 1—Methods of Sending Messages
The answers to the 10 Applying the Concept questions are at the end of the lecture outline.

3. Written Communication and Writing Tips


Here are some simple but important writing tips that can help you to improve your writing:
 Lack of organization is a major writing problem. Before you being writing, set an objective for your
communication. Keep the audience in mind. Make an outline, using letters and/or numbers, of the major
points you want to get across. Now put the outline into written form. The first paragraph states the purpose
of the communication. The middle paragraphs support the purpose of the communication: facts, figures,
and so forth. The last paragraph summarizes the major points and clearly states the action, if any, to be
taken by you and other people.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from
the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 125

 Write to communicate, not to impress. Keep the message short and simple. Limit each paragraph to a single
topic and an average of five sentences. Sentences should average 15 words. Vary paragraph and sentence
length. Write in the active voice rather than the passive voice.
 Edit your work and rewrite where necessary. To improve sentences and paragraphs, add to them to convey
full meaning, cut out necessary words and phrases, and/or rearrange the words. Check your work with the
computer spelling and grammar checkers. Have others edit your important work as well.

WORK APPLICATION 2
Select two or three of the tips that you can use to improve your written communication. Explain how using the tip
will improve your writing.

YOU MAKE THE ETHICAL CALL 1


Advertising
Answers will vary based on opinion.

C. Receiving Messages
With oral communications, the key to successfully understanding the message is listening. In fact, failure to listen is
one of the top five reasons leaders fail.

Self-Assessment 1
Listening Skills
If you want students to complete the Self-Assessment exercises throughout the book, you may want to tell
students and spend a little time talking about them.

75 percent of what people hear, they hear precisely—and 75 percent of what they hear accurately, they forget within
three weeks. In other words, most people are really not good listeners.

1. The Message-Receiving Process

LO 2. List and explain the three parts of the message-receiving process.


The three parts of the message-receiving process are listening, analyzing, and checking understanding. Listening
is the process of giving the speaker your undivided attention. Analyzing is the process of thinking about,
decoding, and evaluating the message. Checking understanding is the process of giving feedback.

The message-receiving process includes listening, analyzing, and checking understanding.

2. Listening
Listening is the process of giving a speaker your undivided attention. As the speaker sends the message, you should
listen by:
 Paying attention. When people interrupt you to talk, stop what you are doing and give them your complete
attention immediately. If you miss the first few words, you may miss the message.
 Avoiding distractions. Keep your eye on the speaker. If you are in a noisy or distracting place, suggest
moving to a quiet spot.
 Staying tuned in. While the other person is talking or the professor is lecturing, do not let your mind wander
to personal topics. Do not tune out the speaker because you not like something about the person or because

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from
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126 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

you disagree with what is being said. If the topic is difficult, do not tune out; ask questions. Do not think
about what you are going to say in reply; just listen.
 Not assuming and interrupting. Do not assume you know what the speaker is going to say, or listen to the
beginning and jump to conclusions. Most listening mistakes are made when people hear the first few words
of a sentence, finish it in their own minds, and miss the second half. Listen to the entire message without
interrupting the speaker.
 Watching nonverbal cues. Understand both the feelings and the content of the message. People sometimes
say one thing and mean something else. So watch as you listen to be sure that the speaker’s eyes, body, and
face are sending the same message as the verbal message.
 Asking questions. When you feel there is something missing, contradictory, or you just do not understand,
ask direct questions to get the person to explain the idea more fully.
 Taking notes. Part of listening is writing important things down so you can remember them later, and
document them when necessary.
 Conveying meaning. The way to let the speaker know you are listening to the message is to use verbal cues,
such as, “you feel…,” “uh huh,” “I see,” and “I understand.” You should also use nonverbal
communication to indicate you are interested and listening.

3. Analyzing
Analyzing is the process of thinking about, decoding, and evaluating the message. Poor listening occurs in part
because people speak at an average rate of 120 words per minute, while they are capable of listening at a rate of over
500 words per minute. The ability to comprehend words more than four times faster than the speaker can talk often
results in minds wandering. As the speaker sends the message, you should analyze by:
 Thinking. To help overcome the discrepancy in the speed between your ability to listen and people’s rate of
speaking, use the speed of your brain positively. Listen actively by organizing, summarizing, reviewing,
interpreting, and critiquing often.
 Waiting to evaluate until after listening. When people try to listen and evaluate what is said at the same
time, they tend to miss part or all of the message. You should just listen to the entire message, then come to
your conclusions. When you evaluate the decision, base your conclusion on the facts present rather than on
stereotypes and generalities.

4. Checking Understanding
Checking understanding is the process of giving feedback. After you have listened to the message, check your
understanding of the message by:
 Paraphrasing. Begin speaking by giving feedback, using paraphrasing to repeat the message to the sender.
When you can paraphrase the message correctly, you convey that you have listened and understood the
other person.
 Watching nonverbal cues. As you speak, watch the other person’s nonverbal cues. If the person does not
seem to understand what you are talking about, clarify the message before finishing the conversation.

WORK APPLICATION 3
Refer back to Self-Assessment 1 and the listening tips. What is your weakest listening skill area on the job? How
will you improve your listening ability?

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from
the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 127

II. FEEDBACK
LO 3. Describe paraphrasing and state why it is used.
Paraphrasing is the process of having the receiver restate the message in his or her words. Paraphrasing is used to
check understanding of the transmitted message. If the receiver can paraphrase the message accurately,
communication has taken place. If not, communication is not complete.

A. The Importance of Feedback


Feedback is the process of verifying messages and determining if objectives are being met.

1. The Role of Feedback in Verifying Messages


Questioning, paraphrasing, and allowing comments and suggestions are all forms of feedback that check
understanding. Feedback motivates employees to achieve high levels of performance.

Mutual understanding of the meaning of the message must exist for communication to take place. The best way to
make sure communication has taken place is to get feedback from the receiver of the message through questioning
and paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is the process of having the receiver restate the message in his or her own words.
If the receiver of the message can answer the questions or paraphrase the message, communication has taken place.

2. The Role of Feedback in Meeting Objectives


Feedback is also essential to knowing how the leader and organization are progressing to meet objectives. Leaders
should set specific measurable objectives and monitor the process through feedback.

3. The Need to be Open to Feedback—Criticism


To improve your performance and get ahead in an organization, you have to be open to feedback—commonly called
criticism. People do not really enjoy being criticized, even when it is constructive. You should realize that criticism
from your manager, peers, or others is painful. Keep the phrase, “no pain, no gain” in mind when it comes to
criticism. When you get criticism, whether you ask for it or not, view it as an opportunity to improve. Stay calm,
don’t get defensive, and don’t blame others.

WORK APPLICATION 4
Are you really open to feedback—criticism from others at work? How can you improve on accepting criticism?

YOU MAKE THE ETHICAL CALL 2


Academic Grades
Answers will vary based on opinion.

B. Common Approaches to Getting Feedback on Messages—and Why They Don’t Work

LO 4. Identify two common approaches to getting feedback, and explain why they don’t work.
The first common approach to getting feedback is to send the entire message and to assume that the message has
been conveyed with mutual understanding. The second approach is to give the entire message followed by
asking, “Do you have any questions?” Feedback usually does not follow because people have a tendency not to
ask questions. There are at least four good reasons why people do not ask questions: receivers feel ignorant,
receivers are ignorant, receivers are reluctant to point out the sender’s ignorance, and receivers have cultural
barriers.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from
the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
128 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

One common approach that ignores feedback is to send the entire message and then assume that the message has
been conveyed with mutual understanding. A second approach is to give the entire message and then ask “Do you
have any questions?” Feedback usually does not follow, because people have a tendency “not” to ask questions.
There are at least four good reasons why people do not ask questions:
1. Receivers feel ignorant. To ask a question, especially if no one else does, is often considered an admission
of not paying attention or not being bright enough to understand the issue.
2. Receivers are ignorant. Sometimes people do not know enough about the message to know whether it is
incomplete, incorrect, or subject to interpretation. There are no questions, because what was said sounds
right. The receiver does not understand the message or does not know what to ask.
3. Receivers are reluctant to point out the sender’s ignorance. Employees often fear that asking a question
suggests that the manager has done a poor job of preparing and sending the message. Or it suggests that the
manager is wrong.
4. Receivers have cultural barriers.

After managers send a message and ask if there are questions, they then proceed to make another common error.
Managers assume that no questions being asked means communication is complete, that there is mutual
understanding of the message. In reality, the message is often misunderstood.

The most common cause of messages not resulting in communication is the lack of getting feedback that ensures
mutual understanding.

C. How to Get Feedback on Messages


Here are four guidelines you should use when getting feedback on messages:
 Be open to feedback. There are no dumb questions. When someone asks a question, you need to be
responsive, and patiently answer questions and explain things clearly. If people sense that you get upset if
they ask questions, they will not ask.
 Be aware of nonverbal communication. Make sure that your nonverbal communications encourage
feedback. You must also be aware of, and read, people’s nonverbal communications.
 Ask questions. When you send messages, it is better to know whether the messages are understood before
action is taken, so that the action will not have to be changed or repeated. Direct questions dealing with the
specific information you have given will indicate if the receiver has been listening, and whether he or she
understands enough to give a direct reply. If the response is not accurate, try repeating, giving more
examples, or elaborating further on the message.
 Use paraphrasing. The most accurate indicator of understanding is paraphrasing. How you ask the receiver
to paraphrase will affect his or her attitude.

WORK APPLICATION 5
Recall a past or present manager. Did or does your manager use the common approach to getting feedback on
messages regularly? Was or is he or she open to feedback and aware of nonverbal communication on a regular
basis? Did the manager regularly ask questions and ask you to paraphrase?

D. 360-Degree Multirater Feedback


As the name implies, 360-degree feedback is based on receiving performance evaluations from many people. Most
360-degree evaluation forms are completed by the person being evaluated, his or her manager, peers, and
subordinates when applicable.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from
the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 129

III. COACHING
Coaching is the process of giving motivational feedback to maintain and improve performance. As a means of
improving performance, organizations are training their managers to be coaches, and this trend is expected to
continue because coaching boosts performance.

A. How to Give Coaching Feedback


We next discuss some guidelines that will help you to be an effective coach; the guidelines are also shown in Exhibit
6.3.

1. Develop a Supportive Working Relationship


Research has shown that the important contributor to employee success and retention is their relationship with their
manager. A supportive working relationship can build enthusiasm and commitment to continual performance
improvement.

2. Give Praise and Recognition


Recognition motivates employees to maintain and increase performance.

3. Avoid Blame and Embarrassment


Any leadership behavior that focuses on making the person feel bad does not help to develop the employee. Some
things are best not said. Effective leaders treat mistakes as learning experiences.

4. Focus on the Behavior, not the Person


The purpose of coaching is to achieve desirable behavior, not to belittle the person.

WORK APPLICATION 6
Recall the best and worst manager you ever had. With which manager did you have the best working
relationship? Which one gave you the most encouragement, praise, and recognition for a job well done? Which
one gave you the most negative criticism? Was your performance at a higher level for your best or worst
manager?

5. Have Employees Assess Their Own Performance


6. Give Specific and Descriptive Feedback
Specific feedback is needed to avoid confusion over which particular behavior needs to be improved.

Descriptive feedback can be based on facts or inferences. Facts can be observed and proven; inferences cannot. Give
factual rather than inferential feedback, because factual feedback tends to be positive, while inferential feedback
tends to be more negative criticism.

7. Give Coaching Feedback


It is important to respond positively to negative behavior and outcomes, and the way to do this is not by pointing out
mistakes but by selling the benefits of positive behavior.

8. Provide Modeling and Training


The job instructional training (JIT) steps include (1) trainee receives preparation; (2) trainer presents the task; (3)
trainee performs the task; and (4) trainer follows up.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from
the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
130 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

Step 1. Trainee receives preparation. Put the trainee at ease as you create interest in the job and encourage
questions. Explain the quantity and quality requirements and why they are important.
Step 2. Trainer presents the task. Perform the task yourself at a slow pace, explaining each step several times.
Once the trainee seems to have the steps memorized, have the trainee explain each step as you slowly perform
the task again. For complex tasks with multiple steps, it is helpful to write them out and give a copy to the
trainee.
Step 3. Trainee performs the task. Have the trainee perform the task at a slow pace, while explaining each
step to the trainer. Correct any errors and be patiently willing to help the trainee perform any difficult steps.
Continue until the trainee is proficient at performing the task.
Step 4. Trainer follows up. Tell the trainee who to ask for help with any questions or problems. Gradually
leave the trainee alone. Begin by checking quality and quantity frequently, and decrease checks based on the
trainee’s skill level. Observe the trainee performing the task, and be sure to correct any errors or faulty work
procedures before they become a habit. As you follow up, be sure to be patient and encouraging. Praise a good
effort, at first, and good performance as skills develop.

9. Make Feedback Timely, but Flexible


Feedback should be given as soon as possible after the behavior has been observed. The flexibility part comes into
play (1) when you don’t have time to do the full coaching job, and (2) when emotions are high.

10. Don’t Criticize


Jack Falvey, management consultant and author, takes the positive versus negative feedback to the point of
recommending only positive feedback:
Criticism is to be avoided at all costs (there is no such thing as constructive criticism; all criticism is
destructible). If you must correct someone, never do it after the fact. Bite your tongue and hold off until the
person is about to the same thing again and then challenge the person to make a more positive contribution.

WORK APPLICATION 7
Recall a present or past manager. Which of the ten guidelines does or did the manager use most frequently and
least frequently?

B. What Is Criticism and Why Doesn’t It Work?


Criticism is rarely effective.

The more criticism employees receive, the more defensive they become.

1. Demotivating
Employees with overly critical managers tend to develop the attitude of, “My manager doesn’t care about me or
appreciate my work, so why should I work hard to do a good job?”

2. The Difference Between Criticism and Coaching Feedback

LO 5. Describe the difference between criticism and coaching feedback.


Criticism is feedback that makes a judgment about behavior being wrong. Coaching feedback is based on a
supportive relationship and offers specific and descriptive ways to improve performance. Criticism focuses on
pointing out mistakes, while coaching feedback focuses on the benefits of positive behavior.

The major difference between criticism and coaching feedback is that coaching feedback is based on a good,
supportive relationship; it is specific and descriptive; and it is not judgmental criticism. And coaching is often based

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from
the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 131

on the employee doing a self-assessment of performance. Criticism makes employees feel like losers; praise and
coaching feedback makes them feel like winners.

CONCEPT APPLICATION
CA 2—Criticism or Coaching Feedback
The answers to the 5 Applying the Concept questions are at the end of the lecture outline.

C. The Coaching Model for Employees Who Are Performing Below Standard

LO 6. Discuss the relationship between the performance formula and the coaching model.
The performance formula is used to determine the reason for poor performance and the corrective action needed.
The coaching model is then used to improve performance.

When managers are giving feedback to employees who are performing below standard, all ten of the coaching
guidelines are important. However, most managers are more apt to use embarrassment, to focus on the person, and
to criticize the person who is performing below standard than to focus on the person who is doing a good job. Avoid
this temptation, because it doesn’t really work. Don’t exclude poor performers and develop negative relationships
with them. They need your one-on-one coaching at its best. Be patient but persistent; don’t give up on them.

1. Attribution Theory
Attribution theory is used to explain the process managers go through in determining the reasons for effective or
ineffective performance and deciding what to do about it. The reaction of a manager to poor performance has two
stages. First, the manager tries to determine the cause of the poor performance, and then he or she selects an
appropriate corrective action.

Managers tend to attribute the cause of poor performance by certain employees to internal reasons (ability and/or
motivation) within their control, and poor performance by other employees to external reasons (resources) beyond
their control.

2. Determining the Cause of Poor Performance and Corrective Coaching Action


The performance formula explains performance as a function of ability, motivation, and resources.

When the employee’s ability is the reason for keeping performance from being optimal, the corrective coaching
action is training (JIT). When motivation is lacking, motivational techniques such as giving praise might help. When
resources are the problem, you need to get the resources.

3. Improving Performance with the Coaching Model


The steps in the coaching model are (1) describe current performance; (2) describe desired performance; (3) get a
commitment to the change; and (4) follow up. Again, use all ten guidelines to coaching within the framework of the
coaching model.
Step 1. Describe current performance. In detail, using specific examples, describe the current behavior that
needs to be changed.
Step 2. Describe desired performance. Tell the employee exactly what the desired performance is, in detail. If
ability is the reason for poor performance, modeling and training the employee with JIT are very appropriate. If
the employee knows the proper way, the reason for poor performance is motivational. Demonstration is not
needed; just describe desired performance as you ask the employee to state why the performance is important.
Step 3. Get a commitment to the change. When dealing with an ability performance issue, it is not necessary
to get employees to verbally commit to the change if they seem willing to make it.
Step 4. Follow up. You should follow up to ensure that the employee is behaving as desired.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from
the U.S. Edition. May not be scanned, copied, duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
132 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

D. Mentoring
Mentoring is a form of coaching in which a more-experienced manager helps a less-experienced protégé. Thus, the
ten tips for coaching apply to mentoring. However, mentoring includes more than coaching, and it is more involved
and personal than coaching. The formal mentor is usually at a higher level of management and is not the protégé’s
immediate manager. The primary responsibility is to coach the protégé by providing good, sound career advice and
to help develop leadership skills necessary for a successful management career.

Research studies have found that mentoring results in more career advancement and job satisfaction for the protégé.

WORK APPLICATION 8
Recall a person who is or was a mentor to you. Briefly describe the relationship and type of advice you got from
your mentor.

IV. MANAGING CONFLICT


A conflict exists whenever people are in disagreement and opposition.

A. The Psychological Contract


The psychological contract is the unwritten implicit expectations of each party in a relationship.

1. Conflict Arises by Breaking the Psychological Contract


The psychological contract is broken for two primary reasons: (1) We fail to make explicit our own expectations and
fail to inquire the expectations of the other parties. (2) We further assume that the other party(ies) has the same
expectations that we hold.

B. Conflict and Leadership


Executives say their managers spend an average of more than seven hours a week sorting out conflicts among their
staff members. Thus, handling conflict constructively is an important leadership skill. Your ability to resolve
conflicts will have a direct effect on your leadership success.

1. Conflict Can Be Dysfunctional or Functional


When conflict prevents the achievement of organizational objectives, it is negative or dysfunctional conflict.
However, it can be positive. Functional conflict exists when disagreement and opposition supports the achievement
of organizational objectives.

C. Conflict Management Styles

LO 7. Define the five conflict management styles.


(1) The avoiding conflict style user attempts to passively ignore the conflict rather than resolve it. (2) The
accommodating conflict style user attempts to resolve the conflict by passively giving in to the other party. (3)
The forcing conflict style user attempts to resolve the conflict by using aggressive behavior to get his or her own
way. (4) The negotiating conflict style user attempts to resolve the conflict through assertive, give-and-take
concessions. (5) The collaborating conflict style user assertively attempts to jointly resolve the conflict with the
best solution agreeable to all parties.

When you are in conflict, you have five conflict management styles to choose from. The five styles are based on two
dimensions of concern: concern for others’ needs and concern for your own needs. These concerns result in three
types of behavior:
1. A low concern for your own needs and a high concern for others’ needs results in passive behavior.

© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. This edition is intended for use outside of the U.S. only, with content that may be different from
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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 133

2. A high concern for your own needs and a low concern for others’ needs results in aggressive behavior.
3. A moderate or high concern for your own needs and others’ needs results in assertive behavior.

Each conflict style behavior results in a different combination of win-lose situations. The five styles, along with
concern for needs and win-lose combinations, are present in Exhibit 6.4 and discussed below in order of passive,
aggressive, and assertive behavior.

1. Avoiding Conflict Style


The avoiding conflict style user attempts too passively ignore the conflict rather than resolve it. When you avoid a
conflict, you are being unassertive and uncooperative. A lose-lose situation is created because the conflict is not
resolved.

a. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Avoiding Conflict Style


The advantage of the avoiding style is that it may maintain relationships that would be hurt through conflict
resolution. The disadvantage of this style is that conflicts do not get resolved.

b. Appropriate Use of the Avoiding Conflict Style


The avoiding style is appropriate to use when: (1) the conflict is trivial; (2) your stake in the issue is not high; (3)
confrontation will damage an important relationship; (4) you don’t have time to resolve the conflict; or (5) emotions
are high.

2. Accommodating Conflict Style


The accommodating conflict style user attempts to resolve the conflict by passively giving in to the other party.
When you use the accommodating style, you are being unassertive but cooperative. You attempt to satisfy the other
party, neglecting your own needs by letting others get their own way. A win-lose situation is created, as you try to
please everyone.

a. Differences Between the Avoiding and Accommodating Styles


A common difference between the avoiding and accommodating style is based on behavior. With the avoiding style,
you don’t have to do anything you really did not want to do; with the accommodating style, you do.

b. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Accommodating Conflict Style


The advantage of the accommodating style is that relationships are maintained by doing things the other person’s
way. The disadvantage is that giving in may be counterproductive.

c. Appropriate Use of the Accommodating Conflict Style


The accommodating style is appropriate when (1) the person enjoys being a follower; (2) maintaining the
relationship outweighs all other considerations; (3) the changes agreed to are not important to the accommodator,
but are to the other party; or (4) the time to resolve the conflict is limited.

3. Forcing Conflict Style


The forcing conflict style user attempts to resolve the conflict by using aggressive behavior to get his or her own
way. When you use the forcing style, you are uncooperative and aggressive, doing whatever it takes to satisfy your
own needs—at the expense of others, if necessary. A win-lose situation is created.

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134 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

a. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Forcing Conflict Style


The advantage of the forcing style is that better organizational decisions will be made, when the forcer is correct,
rather than less-effective compromised decisions. The disadvantage is that overuse of this style leads to hostility and
resentment toward its user.

b. Appropriate Use of the Forcing Conflict Style


The forcing style is appropriate to use when (1) unpopular action must be taken on important issues; (2)
commitment by others to proposed action is not crucial to its implementation—in other words, people will not resist
doing what you want them to do; (3) maintaining relationships is not critical; or (4) the conflict resolution is urgent.

4. Negotiating Conflict Style


The negotiating conflict style user attempts to resolve the conflict through assertive, give-and-take concessions. This
is also called the compromising style. When you use the compromising approach, you are moderate in assertiveness
and cooperation. An “I win some, you win some” situation is created through compromise.

a. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Negotiating Conflict Style


The advantage of the negotiating style is that the conflict is resolved relatively quickly and working relationships are
maintained. The disadvantage is that the compromise often leads to counterproductive results, such as suboptimum
decisions.

b. Appropriate Use of the Negotiating Conflict Style


The negotiating style is appropriate when (1) the issues are complex and critical, and there is no simple and clear
solution; (2) parties have about equal power and are interested in different solutions; (3) a solution will be only
temporary; or (4) time is short.

5. Collaborating Conflict Style


The collaborating conflict style user assertively attempts to jointly resolve the conflict with the best solution
agreeable to all parties. It is also called the problem-solving style. When you use the collaborating approach, you are
being assertive and cooperative. This is the only style that creates a true win-win situation.

a. Differences Between the Negotiating and Collaborating Styles


A common difference between negotiating and collaborating is the solution. With negotiation, the two people may
trade off winning and losing. With collaboration, the two people work together to develop one method that allows
them both to win. The key to collaboration is agreeing that the solution is the best possible one.

b. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Collaborating Conflict Style


The advantage of the collaborating style is that it tends to lead to the best solution to the conflict, using assertive
behavior. The disadvantage is that the skill, effort, and time it takes to resolve the conflict are usually greater and
longer than the other styles.

c. Appropriate Use of the Collaborating Conflict Style


The collaborating style is appropriate when (1) you are dealing with an important issue that requires an optimal
solution, and compromise would result in suboptimizing; (2) people are willing to place the group goal before self-
interest, and members will truly collaborate; (3) maintaining relationships is important; (4) time is available; and (5)
it is a peer conflict.

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 135

Of the five styles, the most difficult to implement successfully, due to the complexity and level of skill needed, is the
collaborative style.

WORK APPLICATION 9
Select a present or past manager. Which conflict management style did that manager use most often? Explain by
giving a typical example. Which one of the five conflict management styles do you tend to use most often?
Explain your answer.

CONCEPT APPLICATION
CA 3—Selecting Conflict Management Styles
The answers to the 5 Applying the Concept questions are at the end of the lecture outline.

V. COLLABORATING CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLE MODELS


Effective leaders encourage conflict resolution and build collaboration throughout the organization. Although you
can help prevent conflict, you will not eliminate it completely—nor should you try to, because it can be functional.

A. Initiating Conflict Resolution

LO 8. List the steps in the initiating conflict resolution model.


The initiating conflict resolution model steps are (1) plan a BCF statement that maintains ownership of the
problem; (2) present your BCF statement and agree on the conflict; (3) ask for, and/or give, alternative conflict
resolutions; and (4) make an agreement for change.

When initiating a conflict resolution using the collaborative style, use the following model: The initiating conflict
resolution model steps are (1) plan a BCF statement that maintains ownership of the problem; (2) present your
BCF statement and agree on the conflict; (3) ask for, and/or give, alternative conflict resolutions; (4) make an
agreement for change.
Step 1. Plan a BCF statement that maintains ownership of the problem. Planning is the starting
management function and the starting point of initiating a conflict resolution.
The BCF model describes a conflict in terms of behavior, consequences, and feelings. When you do B
(behavior), C (consequences) happens, and I feel F (feelings).
When developing your opening BCF statement, be descriptive, not evaluative. Keep the opening statement
short. The longer the statement, the longer it will take to resolve the conflict. Avoid trying to determine who is
to blame for something or who is right and wrong. Timing is also important. In addition, don’t confront a person
on several unrelated issues at once.
Step 2. Present your BCF statement and agree on the conflict. After making your short, planned BCF
statement, let the other party respond. If the other party does not understand or avoids acknowledgment of the
problem, persist. You cannot resolve a conflict if the other party will not even acknowledge its existence.
Repeat your planned statement several times by explaining it in different terms until you get an
acknowledgment or realize it’s hopeless. But don’t give up too easily. If you cannot agree on a conflict, you
may have to change your approach and use one of the other four conflict management styles.
Step 3. Ask for, and/or give, alternative conflict resolutions. Begin by asking the other party what can be
done to resolve the conflict. If you agree, great; if not, offer your resolution. However, remember that you are
collaborating, not simply trying to change others. When the other party acknowledges the problem, but is not
responsive to resolving it, appeal to common goals. Make the other party realize the benefits to him or her and
the organization as well.

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136 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

Step 4. Make an agreement for change. Try to come to an agreement on specific action you will both take to
resolve the conflict. Clearly state—or better yet for complex change, write down—the specific behavior
changes necessary by all parties to resolve the conflict.

WORK APPLICATION 10
Use the BCF model to describe a conflict you face or have faced on the job.

B. Responding to Conflict Resolution


The role of the responder to a conflict can be handled by following the conflict resolution model steps:
1. Listen to and paraphrase the conflict using the BCF model.
2. Agree with some aspect of the complaint.
3. Ask for, and/or give, alternative conflict resolutions.
4. Make an agreement for change.

C. Mediating Conflict Resolution


Frequently, conflicting parties cannot resolve their dispute alone. In these cases, a mediator should be used. A
mediator is a neutral third party who helps resolve a conflict. In nonunionized organizations, managers are
commonly the mediators. In unionized organizations, the mediator is usually a professional from outside the
organization.

When bring conflicting parties together, the mediator should follow the mediating conflict model steps:
Step 1. Have each party state his or her complaint using the BCF model.
Step 2. Agree on the conflict problem(s).
Step 3. Develop alternative conflict resolutions.
Step 4. Make an agreement for change.
Step 5. Follow up to make sure the conflict is resolved.

If the conflict has not been resolved, an arbitrator may be used. An arbitrator is a neutral third party who makes a
binding decision to resolve a conflict. The arbitrator is like a judge, and his or her decision must be followed.
However, the use of arbitration should be kept to a minimum behavior because it is not a collaborative conflict style.

Self-Assessment 2
Your Personality Traits and Communication, Feedback, Coaching, and Conflict Management Style
If you want students to complete the Self-Assessment exercises throughout the book, you may want to tell
students and spend a little time talking about them.

LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ANSWERS


The chapter summary is organized to answer the learning objectives for Chapter 6. They are also found at the end of
the chapter and can be used as short answer questions on exams.
These questions are included in the test bank in the Learning Outcomes (Concepts) section.

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 137

1. List the steps in the oral message-sending process.


The five steps in the oral message-sending process are (1) develop rapport; (2) state your communication
objective; (3) transmit your message; (4) check the receiver’s understanding; (5) get a commitment and follow
up.
2. List and explain the three parts of the message-receiving process.
The three parts of the message-receiving process are listening, analyzing, and checking understanding.
Listening is the process of giving the speaker your undivided attention. Analyzing is the process of thinking
about, decoding, and evaluating the message. Checking understanding is the process of giving feedback.
3. Describe paraphrasing and state why it is used.
Paraphrasing is the process of having the receiver restate the message in his or her words. Paraphrasing is used
to check understanding of the transmitted message. If the receiver can paraphrase the message accurately,
communication has taken place. If not, communication is not complete.
4. Identify two common approaches to getting feedback, and explain why they don’t work.
The first common approach to getting feedback is to send the entire message and to assume that the message
has been conveyed with mutual understanding. The second approach is to give the entire message followed by
asking, “Do you have any questions?” Feedback usually does not follow because people have a tendency not to
ask questions. There are at least four good reasons why people do not ask questions: receivers feel ignorant,
receivers are ignorant, receivers are reluctant to point out the sender’s ignorance, and receivers have cultural
barriers.
5. Describe the difference between criticism and coaching feedback.
Criticism is feedback that makes a judgment about behavior being wrong. Coaching feedback is based on a
supportive relationship and offers specific and descriptive ways to improve performance. Criticism focuses on
pointing out mistakes, while coaching feedback focuses on the benefits of positive behavior.
6. Discuss the relationship between the performance formula and the coaching model.
The performance formula is used to determine the reason for poor performance and the corrective action
needed. The coaching model is then used to improve performance.
7. Define the five conflict management styles.
(1) The avoiding conflict style user attempts to passively ignore the conflict rather than resolve it. (2) The
accommodating conflict style user attempts to resolve the conflict by passively giving in to the other party. (3)
The forcing conflict style user attempts to resolve the conflict by using aggressive behavior to get his or her own
way. (4) The negotiating conflict style user attempts to resolve the conflict through assertive, give-and-take
concessions. (5) The collaborating conflict style user assertively attempts to jointly resolve the conflict with the
best solution agreeable to all parties.
8. List the steps in the initiating conflict resolution model.
The initiating conflict resolution model steps are (1) plan a BCF statement that maintains ownership of the
problem; (2) present your BCF statement and agree on the conflict; (3) ask for, and/or give, alternative conflict
resolutions; and (4) make an agreement for change.

REVIEW QUESTION ANSWERS


These questions are included in the test bank in the Review Questions (Concepts) section.

1. What should be included in your plan to send a message?


A plan for sending a message should include (1) What—the goal or purpose of the communication. (2) Who—
the recipient(s) of the message. (3) How—the channel used to convey the message. (4) When—the time and
date. (5) Where—the place of transmission.
2. What are the three parts of a written outline?
The first paragraph states the purpose of the communication. The middle paragraphs support the purpose of the
communication. The last paragraph summarizes the major points and clearly states the action, if any, to be taken
by you and other people.

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138 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

3. As an average, how many words should a sentence have, and how many sentences should there be in a
paragraph?
On average, there should be 15 words to a sentence and 5 sentences to a paragraph. However, paragraph and
sentence length should vary.
4. Which personality traits are associated with being closed to feedback?
People who are defensive and emotional and those with an external locus of control tend to ignore feedback and
are resistant to changing.
5. What are the four guidelines to getting feedback on messages?
The four guidelines to getting feedback to messages are (1) be open to feedback, (2) be aware of nonverbal
communication, (3) ask questions, and (4) use paraphrasing.
6. What is 360-degree feedback, and are many organizations using it?
360-degree feedback is based on receiving performance evaluations from many people. The use of feedback
from multiple sources has become popular as a means of improving performance.
7. Should a supportive working relationship be a true friendship?
The manager and employee do not have to be personal friends and socialize together—it’s about having a good
working relationship.
8. Why doesn’t criticism work?
Criticism usually results in four things happening to people being criticized: (1) They become defensive and
justify their behavior, or they blame it on someone or something. (2) They don’t really listen to so-called
constructive feedback. (3) They are embarrassed and feel bad about themselves, or they view themselves as
losers. (4) They begin to dislike the task or job, as well as the critic.
9. Are all managers mentors?
No. Most managers do not act as mentors to others.
10. How do you know when you are in conflict?
A conflict exists whenever people are in disagreement and opposition.
11. What is the difference between functional and dysfunctional conflict, and how does each affect
performance?
Functional conflict exists when disagreement and opposition supports the achievement of organizational
objectives; it increases performance. When conflict prevents the achievement of organizational objectives, it is
negative or dysfunctional conflict; it decreases.
12. What is meant by maintaining ownership of the problem?
Maintaining ownership of the problem means that when you are in conflict, you should realize that the problem
is yours and not the other party’s.
13. How is the BCF model used?
The BCF model describes a conflict in terms of behavior, consequences, and feelings. When initiating a conflict
resolution, it is used to open the conversation.
14. What is the difference between a mediator and an arbitrator?
A mediator can only advise and assist the parties on resolving the conflict, while an arbitrator has the power to
makes a binding decision to resolve the conflict.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION ANSWERS


Applications may also be used as class discussion questions or written assignments to develop communication skills.
These questions are included in the test bank in the Communication Skills (Skills) section.

1. How would you assess communications in organizations? Give examples of good and or poor
communications in organizations.
Answers will vary.

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 139

2. How did you score on Self-Assessment 1, “Listening Skills”? State your plan for improving your listening
skills.
Answers will vary.
3. How would you assess managers at giving feedback? Specificially, what should managers do to improve?
Answers will vary.
4. Is 360-degree multirater feedback really better than a boss-based assessment? As a manager, would you
elect to use 360?
Answers will vary.
5. Do you agree with the statement, “Don’t criticize”? Do managers tend to give criticism or coaching
feedback? How can managers improve?
Answers will vary.
6. Women and minorities are less likely to have mentors, so should they get mentors? Will you seek out
career mentors?
Answers will vary.
7. What are your psychological contract expectations of your boss and coworkers? Give examples of
conflicts you have had a work, listing the expectation that was not met.
Answers will vary.
8. What percentage of the time do you think a manager can actually use the collaborating conflict
management style? Give detailed examples of when managers have used collaboration at work.
Answers will vary.

CASE ANSWERS
Reed Hastings—Netflix

1. How did Hastings change his use of communications in sending and receiving messages from Pure
Software to Netflix?
At Pure, Hastings was primarily just sending messages to get things done his way. But at Netflix, he changed to
being much more receptive to receiving messages by listening to others.
He is also more honest and direct with employees, and this is conveyed through communications.
2. How did Hastings change his use of feedback from Pure Software to Netflix?
Essentially, he went from not using feedback to using it. At Pure, Hastings was not open to feedback. He couldn’t take
criticism. At Netflix he actively seeks out ideas and advice from his employees—feedback.
Also, instead of putting others down for ideas that seem silly to Hastings, he now asks questions to dig deeper for
more information
3. How did Hastings change his use of coaching guidelines (Exhibit 6.3) from Pure Software to Netflix?
Number corresponds to the number in Exhibit 6.3. Hasting did 1 develop a more supportive working relationship at
Netflix with his change in leadership style to being more participative. When he thinks employee ideas are silly, he
stopped 3 embarrassing (humiliating) them; instead he gives 7 coaching feedback rather than 10 criticism.
4. Which conflict management style did Hastings tend to use at Pure and Netflix?
Being autocratic at Pure, Hastings used the forcing style to push for his ways of doing things. Being participative at
Netflix implies a more negotiating or collaborating conflict style.

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140 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

5. In making a deal with Epix, which conflict management style was most likely used by Netflix?
Making a deal is a negotiation, so the negotiating conflict, or the collaborating, conflict style was most likely used.
Netflix didn’t avoid negotiations, they sought it, and most likely they didn’t just take whatever was offered
(accommodating) and they were in no position to force Epix to make a deal at their price.
6. How would you improve Netflix’s product offerings (i.e., what things can’t you watch that you would like to
watch) or processes (i.e., how can it improve its delivery or service)?
Answers will vary, but chances are someone will suggest offering new release movies faster. Netflix is well aware
of this, but it can’t possible offer first run movies for $7.99 a month. It would most likely have to jump the price to
around $30 a month, and lose a lot of customers or offer separate packages with different prices.
CUMULATIVE CASE ANSWERS
7. Which level or levels of analysis and leadership paradigm are presented in this case, and did Hastings use
the management or leadership paradigm (Chapter 1)?
The case discusses Hastings leadership styles (individual level analysis) at both companies he founded, and it
includes more information about the company (organizational level). For the paradigm, the case discusses
behavioral leadership more than the others. Hastings really wasn’t focusing on the situation and changing leadership
styles (contingency). At Pure Software Hasting used the management paradigm, but he changed to the leadership
paradigm at Netflix.
8. How did Hastings Big Five model of personality leadership traits change from Pure Software to Netflix
(Chapter 2)?
For surgency, Hastings level of dominance decreased as he went from an autocratic style at Pure to using a
participative style at Netflix. For agreeableness, he became more sociable and sensitive (not putting employees
down) as he improved his emotional intelligence at Netflix. For adjustment, Hastings was more stable as he had
more patience in dealing with ideas that he thought were silly. For conscientiousness, he used more integrity as he
was more honest and direct with employees at Netflix. For openness, Hastings was more flexible in seeking
feedback at Netflix.
9. Which University of Iowa leadership styles did Hastings use at Pure Software and Netflix (Chapter 3)?
At Pure, Hastings used the autocratic leadership style and he changed to the more democratic leadership style at
Netflix.
10. Explain how power, organizational politics, networking, and negotiation are, or are not, discussed in the
case (Chapter 5)?
Power is discussed as at Pure Hastings used his position power and coercive power with pressure tactics to get
things done his way. But at Netflix, he changed to give more power to employees by using more personal power
through participation in leadership with their tactics. Although Netflix does have organizational politics and
Hastings is an effective networker, the case didn’t discuss these topics. In making a deal with Epix, and future deals
to add more programming content, negotiation must take place.

CASE EXERCISE AND ROLE-PLAY


An option not using role-playing is to have individuals give their list of ideas to question 6 to the class, and then
have the class select the two or three best questions.

VIDEO CASE ANSWERS


Communication at Navistar International
1. Explain why the communication skills and techniques used within a business unit (department) are not
always effective in communicating across business units or up and down the corporate ladder.
The skills, techniques, and media used within a business unit may be primarily face-to-face, e-mail, and
telephone. Cross business unit communication may require mass communications media, print media, corporate
branded messages, marketing messages, messages with entertainment value, etc.

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 141

2. Explain why conflict resolution communication skills are not always present in everyday workplace
situations and how a skilled communications professional would add value to that workplace.
Many people seek to avoid conflict and confrontation in their lives, especially in the workplace. There are many
ways to handle conflict and confrontation. Some of them work well; however, many of them work poorly and
sometimes even escalate the conflict situation. A skilled communications professional who can mediate
conflict, facilitate conflict resolution, and train people in effective methods of conflict resolution can be of high
value in helping people work together more effectively within a work unit and even across business units.

DEVELOPING YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS 1 IDEAS AND ANSWERS


Giving Instructions

Total Time (30–50 minutes)


To keep the exercise to fewer than 30 minutes, do not do procedure 4. Have each student be either the manager
(sender) or employee (receiver) only.

Recommended approximate time for a 50-minute period:


8:00 Procedure 1 3 minutes
8:03 Procedure 2 2 minutes
8:05 Procedure 3 20 minutes (15 minutes for Drawing; 5 minutes for Integration)
8:25 Procedure 4 20 minutes (15 minutes for Drawing; 5 minutes for Integration)
8:45 Conclusion 3 minutes
8:48 Apply It 2 minutes
8:50

You may find that your students will take more or less time than recommended.

Instructor Preparation for this Exercise


You or an assistant will have to make copies of Drawings 1 and 2. You need the total to at least equal to half the
number in the class. I make lots of extras and collect them at the end of the exercise. The ones not written on can be
reused. Pass out Drawing 1 first.

Testing on Skill-Development Exercise 1


For this exercise, you can focus on having students list the five steps in the message-sending process, with only
giving directions for the first object of the drawing they gave instructions for in class. Be sure students know exactly
what to expect on the exam. Giving the instructions for the test question below is very helpful.

Test Question and Answer (Also found in Test Bank)


Instructions
Start by stating which drawing (1 or 2) you are giving instructions for and the three object shapes. List the first step
in the message-sending process, followed by what you would say to the employee for this step. List step 2 of the
process, followed by what you would say. List step 3 of the process, but only give instructions for object 1. List
steps 4 and 5, followed by what you would say for each step.

1. Giving Instructions. For this question, use the drawing you gave instructions for during the in-class Skill
Builder 1.
Solution
Step 1. Develop rapport.
Answers will vary

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142 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

Step 2. State your communication objective.


You will be drawing three objects (diamond, rectangle, triangle or square, circle, hexagon) to specifications.
Step 3. Transmit your message.
Answers will vary with the drawing and the object started with.
Step 4. Check the receiver’s understanding.
Please paraphrase how you will draw the object to be sure we agree.
Step 5. Get a commitment and follow up.
Do you feel confident you can do it? I’ll check it against the drawing when you are done.

Grading
You can give equal weight for listing the five steps and the responses, or you can give more points for the
transmitting of the message.

Drawings
See the following pages for full-page drawings, which you need to have copied and to bring to class.

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 143

Drawing 1 Giving Instructions (Exercise 1)

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Drawing 2 Giving Instructions (Exercise 1)

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 145

Self-Assessment 3
Determining Your Preferred Communication Style
This is used with Behavior Model Skills Training 1.

BEHAVIOR MODEL VIDEO 6.1


Situational Communications

Showing the video takes around 12 minutes. If you stop the video at the pause points, it will take longer. The video
may also be followed by a class discussion, which will vary the time required. This video addresses a scenario
between two managers, Steve and Darius, who meet to discuss faulty parts. Students should realize that neither
manager is the other’s boss; so situational communications rather than situational management is appropriate.

The video can be used to explain how to use the model, and it illustrates the four situational communication styles,
as explained in Skill-Development Exercise 2. The video can be shown as an introduction to Skill-Development
Exercise 2 or as an independent video.

When showing this video, you have two major options: (1) Show the video, pausing it to give students time to place
their answers to procedure 1, and then go over the answers given below. (2) Pause, but do not give the answers until
after showing all four scenes. (The answers are on the video.) I personally give the answers after each scene. I try to
get students to realize that they must focus on the behavior as being primarily task-oriented (autocratic),
relationship-oriented (participative), both (consultative), or neither (empowerment).
Scene 1. (E) Empowerment low task/low relationship behavior
Scene 2. (P) Participative low task/high relationship behavior
Scene 3. (C) Consultative high task/high relationship behavior
Scene 4. (A) Autocratic high task/low relationship behavior

At the end of the video, the following question is posed: “Which style would produce the best and worst results?” As
stated in the video, the appropriate style is autocratic. The autocratic communication style would get the best results.
Students should realize this as they watch the video scenes. The second-best communication is consultative. Either
the autocratic or consultative will produce good results. However, participative and empowerment will get the worst
results because the manager is not willing to change without force, which is not provided with participative and
empowerment styles.

DEVLOPING YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS 2 IDEAS AND ANSWERS


Situational Communications

Total Time (10–75 minutes)


You may select any length of time to spend on this exercise. Do as many situations as you have time to do in the
allotted time, and give the students the answers to the remaining situations not covered. To save class time, you can
cover the Situational Communication model (Model 6.6) and situation 1 in class (prior to procedure 1), then have
the class do the other 11 situations for homework. You can quickly give them the answers during the next class
meeting.

Recommended approximate time for a 60-minute period:


8:00 Procedure 1 20 minutes
8:20 Procedure 2 5 minutes

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146 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

8:25 Procedure 3 30 minutes


8:55 Conclusion 3 minutes
8:58 Apply It 2 minutes
9:00

Times will vary. If you need more time for procedures 1 and 2, take it and cut back on procedure 3. You can give
students the answers to the situations not covered.

Answer Form
Instructions: Refer to the Situational Communication model (Model 6.6). First, determine if there is sufficient time
to engage in two-way communication. On the Time line, place Y (yes) or N (no). Second, assess the level of
information you have. On the Information line, place A (autocratic), C (consultative), P (participative), or E
(empowerment). Next, assess the other person’s capability and likelihood of accepting a message. On the
Acceptance and Capability lines, place A (autocratic), C (consultative), P (participative), or E (empowerment).
Based on your analysis, then select the appropriate communication style for the situation—S1A (autocratic), S2C
(consultative), S3P (participative), or S4E (empowerment).

*Recommended answers to the 12 communication situations appear at the end of the exercise on the following page.

Testing on Exercise 2
Four situations similar to the 12 in this exercise are in the Test Bank. However, they are not multiple-choice
questions. When I go over procedure 3 during the exercise, I explain how students will be tested as I go over
situation 3 in the test format below.

Note: The four lines do not appear when the computer test is printed. I tell students to set up the test this way.

Variables:
_____ 1. ____________________

_____ 2. ____________________

_____ 3. ____________________

_____ 4. ____________________
Communication Style:
Behavior:
Action Taken:

Test Questions and Answers (Also in Test Bank)


Instructions
For the Variables line, write the numbers 1 to 4. To the right of the four numbers, write the four variables. To the left
of the four numbers, write the answers to each variable from the Situational Communication Model that represents
the style to use based on the variable. Fill in the Communication Style, Behavior, and Action Taken lines with the
appropriate answers.
Variables:
Communication Style:
Behavior:
Action Taken:

1. Situational Communication. You have just walked into the back of the room, where your employees are
working in the front. There is a lot of smoke, which they do not realize, in the back of the room. Your

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 147

employees are very highly capable and like to participate in decision making. As a situational communicator,
you should do what?
Solution
Variables:
No 1. Time
When there is no time, the autocratic style is used regardless of the other variable answers.
Communication Style:
Autocratic
Behavior:
High task/low relationship
Action Taken:
Yell “fire” and tell everyone to get out of the room.

Second-Best Answer
Variables:
One of four variables must have S2C.
Communication Style:
Consultative
Behavior:
High task/high relationship
Action Taken:
Yell “fire” and tell everyone to get out of the room. Show your concern for their safety.

2. Situational Communication. You are an expert professor in your field. When going over the answers to the
exam, a few students disagree with the recommended answer you gave. You check the answer and know that it
is correct. The students get average grades and do not have a good explanation for your answer being wrong. As
a situational communicator, you should do what?
Solution
Variables:
Yes 1. Time
S1A–S2C 2. Information
S4E 3. Acceptance
S2C 4. Capability
Communication Style:
Consultative
Behavior:
High task/high relationship
Action Taken:
Explain why the answer the students are giving is not correct and why your answer is.

Second-Best Answer
Variables:
One of four variables must have S1A.
Communication Style:
Autocratic

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148 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

Behavior:
High task/low relationship
Action Taken:
Tell the students your answer is correct.

3. Situational Communication. Your coworker, Chris, usually does an excellent job. However, the work Chris is
doing has slipped lately. You are concerned because it is affecting your work as well. You think Chris has a
family problem, and you know Chris does not like to be told what to do. As a situational communicator, you
should do what?
Solution
Variables:
Yes 1. Time
S2C–S3P 2. Information
S3P–S4E 3. Acceptance
S3P 4. Capability
Communication Style:
Participative
Behavior:
Low task/high relationship
Action Taken:
Approach Chris as a concerned friend who is willing to help. Explain how Chris’s work is affecting yours in a
supportive manner without telling Chris what to do.

Second-Best Answer
Variables:
One of four variables must have S2C.
Communication Style:
Consultative
Behavior:
High task/high relationship
Action Taken:
Approach Chris as a concerned friend who is willing to help. Explain how Chris’s work is affecting yours in a
supportive manner without telling Chris what to do. However, if necessary, state that you will go to the boss if
performance does not improve soon.

4. Situational Communication. You work in the accounting office. Chris has come to you stating that there are a
few questions for you to answer about the budget. Chris has done an excellent job of preparing and staying
within the budgeted amounts in recent years. As a situational communicator, you should do what?
Solution
Variables:
Yes 1. Time
S3P–S4E 2. Information
S3P–S4E 3. Acceptance
S4E 4. Capability
Communication Style:
Empowering

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 149

Behavior:
Low task/low relationship
Action Taken:
Simply answer Chris’s questions.

Second-Best Answer
Variables:
One of four variables must have S3P.
Communication Style:
Participative
Behavior:
Low task/high relationship
Action Taken:
Be very supportive in answering Chris’s questions as you work in developing your relationship.

Recommended Answers to Exercise 2:


Situation Time Information Acceptance Capability Style Mgt. Styles Points
1 yes P–E P–E P–E S3P a. S1A 0
b. S2C 1
c. S3P 3
d. S4E 2
2 yes C C C–P S2C a. S2C 3
b. S4E 0
c. S1A 1
d. S3P 2
3 yes C P–E E S4E a. S3P 2
b. S4E 3
c. S1A 0
d. S2C 1
4 yes A A P S1A a. S4E 0
b. S2C 2
c. S3P 1
d. S1A 3
5 yes C C P S2C a. S1A 0
b. S2C 3
c. S4E 1
d. S3P 2
6 yes C P–E P–E S3P a. S3P 3
b. S4E 1
c. S1A 0
d. S2C 2
7 yes A A P–E S1A a. S2C 2
b. S3P 1
c. S1A 3
d. S4E 0
8 yes P–E P–E P–E S4E a. S4E 3
b. S1A 0
c. S2C 1
d. S3P 2

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150 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

9 no — — — S1A a. S3P 1
b. S1A 3
c. S4E 0
d. S2C 2
10 yes A C–P A S2C a. S1A 2
b. S4E 0
c. S2C 3
d. S3P 1
11 yes P–E C–P P–E S3P a. S2C 1
b. S3P 3
c. S1A 0
d. S4E 2
12 yes P–E P–E P–E S4E a. S3P 2
b. S2C 1
c. S4E 3
d. S1A 0

BEHAVIOR MODEL VIDEO 6.2


Coaching

In the video, Sarah, the manager, uses the steps in the coaching model (Model 6.4) to coach Dan, an Internet Web
page designer, who is not meeting deadlines.

This video may be shown as an independent activity, or it may serve as a behavior model as part of Skill-
Development Exercise 3.

Showing the video takes around 3½ minutes. After viewing the video, you may ask the class questions such as:
1. What did you like about the way the manager coached the employee?
2. What didn’t you like about the way the manager coached the employee?
3. What would you do differently if you were the manager in this coaching situation?

DEVELOPING YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS 3 IDEAS AND ANSWERS


Coaching

Total Time (30–50 minutes)


The times to conduct the coaching sessions can vary form class to class. Students with full-time work experience
usually take longer than students without experience. To keep the exercise to 30 minutes, you can use groups of two,
eliminating one of the coaching sessions.

Recommended approximate time for a 45-minute period:


8:00 Show and discuss Behavior Model Video 6.2 8 minutes
8:08 Procedure 1 3 minutes
8:11 Procedure 2 5 minutes
8:16 Procedure 3 8 minutes
8:24 Procedure 4 8 minutes
8:32 Procedure 5 8 minutes
8:40 Conclusion 2 minutes

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 151

8:42 Apply It 3 minutes


8:45

Testing on Exercise 3
The same three situations from the exercise are used to test students. I tell students they will be required to list the
four steps of the coaching model and what they would say during each step.

Test Questions and Answers (Also found in Test Bank)


Instructions
Write the first step in the coaching model, followed by what you would say to Chris. Write steps 2 to 4, followed by
what you would say for each step.

1. Coaching. Your employee, Chris, is a clerical worker. Chris uses files, as do the other ten employees in the
department. The employees all know that they are supposed to return the files when they are finished so that
others can find them when they need them. Employees should only have one file out at a time. You noticed that
Chris has five files on the desk, and another employee is looking for one of them.
Solution
Step 1. Describe current performance.
Chris, you have five files on your desk.
Step 2. Describe desired performance.
You know you are only supposed to have one file at a time. Why is the policy to have only one at a time?
Step 3. Get a commitment to the change.
Will you follow the rule and keep only one file at a time?
Step 4. Follow up.
I’ll be watching to make sure you keep only one file at a time. If I catch you again, I will have to discipline you.
Now go put the extra files away.

2. Coaching. Your employee, Chris, is a server in an ice cream shop. Chris knows that the tables should be
cleaned up quickly after customers leave so that new customers do not have to sit at dirty tables. It’s a busy
night. You found dirty dishes on two of Chris’s unoccupied tables. Chris is socializing with some friends at one
of the tables instead of cleaning up.
Solution
Step 1. Describe current performance.
Chris, you have two tables with dirty dishes on them.
Step 2. Describe desired performance.
You know you are supposed to clean them up quickly so customers don’t have to sit at a dirty table. Why is the
policy to clean up quickly?
Step 3. Get a commitment to the change.
Will you clean up the tables rather than socialize in the future?
Step 4. Follow up.
I’ll be watching to make sure you clean up quickly. If I catch you again, I will have to discipline you. Now go
clean the tables off.

3. Coaching. Your employee, Chris, is an auto technician. All employees at the garage know that they are
supposed to put a paper mat on the floor of each car so that the carpets don’t get dirty. When you got into a car
Chris repaired, the car did not have a mat and there was grease on the carpet.

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152 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

Solution
Step 1. Describe current performance.
Chris, you did not put a mat on the floor of that car, and it has grease on the carpet.
Step 2. Describe desired performance.
You know you are supposed to place a mat on the floor before you start to work on a car. Why is the policy to
place a mat on the floor?
Step 3. Get a commitment to the change.
Will you place a mat on the floor from now on?
Step 4. Follow up.
I’ll be watching to make sure you place a mat on the floor. If I catch you again, I will have to discipline you.
Now go clean the grease off the carpet.

BEHAVIOR MODEL VIDEO 6.3


Initiating Conflict Resolution

In the video, Alex initiates a conflict resolution over an advertising account with coworker Catherine and follows the
steps in Model 6.5.

This video may be shown as an independent activity, or it may serve as a behavior model as part of Exercise 4.

Showing the video takes around 4½ minutes. After viewing the video, you may ask the class questions such as:
1. What did you like about the way the employee initiated conflict resolution with his coworker?
2. What didn’t you like about the way the employee initiated conflict resolution with his coworker?
3. What would you do differently if you were in this conflict resolution situation?

DEVELOPING YOUR LEADERSHIP SKILLS 4 IDEAS AND ANSWERS


Initiating Conflict Resolution

Total Time (30–50 minutes)


Since this exercise requires role-playing, times can vary considerably based on the preparation and maturity of the
students to role-play and discuss the role-play through feedback. To keep the exercise to 30 minutes, don’t show the
second Behavior Model Video and use groups of two rather than three.

Recommended approximate time for a 50-minute period (Including Behavior Model Videos 6.3 and 6.4):
8:00 Show and discuss Behavior Model Video 6.3 7 minutes
8:07 Procedure 1 2 minutes
8:09 Procedure 2 8 minutes
8:17 Procedure 3 8 minutes
8:25 Procedure 4 8 minutes
8:33 Show and discuss Behavior Model Video 6.4 10 minutes
8:43 Conclusion 4 minutes
8:47 Apply It 3 minutes
8:50

Testing on Exercise 4
I tell students that they will be given a conflict situation. They will have to list the four steps of the initiating conflict
resolution model, but they need only make the planned opening BCF statement because you can only plan the

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 153

opening then respond to the other person. I go over an example format using a student example conflict. You may
read the instructions from the test questions below to the class.

Test Questions and Answers (Also found in Test Bank)


Instructions
Write the first step in the initiating conflict resolution model, followed by what you plan to say to Chris as your BCF
statement. Be sure to label the B, C, and F parts of the statement. Then, list steps 2 to 4 without any statement
following the steps.

1. Initiating Conflict Resolution. You have been bringing in snack food and drinks and putting them in the
refrigerator at work. Your coworker, Chris, has been taking them without asking. You don’t think it’s fair for
Chris to take your food and drinks.
Solution
Step 1. Plan a BCF statement that maintains ownership of the problem.
(B) Chris, you have been taking my food. (C) I don’t get to eat it, but I have to pay for it. (F) I feel as though
you are taking advantage of me.
Step 2. Present your BCF statement and agree on the conflict.
Step 3. Ask for, and/or give, alternative conflict resolutions.
Step 4. Make an agreement for change.

2. Initiating Conflict Resolution. You and your coworker, Chris, clean up the work area, which is divided in two
sections, about once a week. The machine section is always dirtier and takes more work and time to clean. It
seems as though Chris always makes sure you get the machine section to clean, which you don’t think is fair.
Solution
Step 1. Plan a BCF statement that maintains ownership of the problem.
(B) Chris, when we clean up, it seems I always get the machine side to clean. (C) I get the dirty, longer job to
do. (F) I feel as though you are taking advantage of me.
Step 2. Present your BCF statement and agree on the conflict.
Step 3. Ask for, and/or give, alternative conflict resolutions.
Step 4. Make an agreement for change.

3. Initiating Conflict Resolution. Your roommate, Chris, is home earlier than you are so you eat your own food
at different times. Every night for the past week, Chris has not cleaned up. Dirty dishes are left in the sink and
pots are left on the stove. You have to clean the pots before you can cook. You don’t think it’s fair to have to
clean up before you can cook.
Solution
Step 1. Plan a BCF statement that maintains ownership of the problem.
(B) Chris, when I get home, I find dirty dishes and pots. (C) I get stuck cleaning up before I can cook. (F) I feel
as though you are taking advantage of me.
Step 2. Present your BCF statement and agree on the conflict.
Step 3. Ask for, and/or give, alternative conflict resolutions.
Step 4. Make an agreement for change.

Feedback Form
Try to have positive coaching improvement feedback comments for each step in initiating conflict resolution.

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154 Instructor’s Manual for Effective Leadership, 5e

Remember to be specific and descriptive, and for all improvements to have an alternative positive behavior (APB).
(For example: “If you would have said/done…, it would have improved the conflict resolution by…”).

Collaborative Conflict Resolution Model Steps


Step 1. Plan a BCF statement that maintains ownership of the problem. (Did the initiator have a well-planned,
effective BCF statement?)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 2. Present your BCF statement and agree on the conflict. (Did the initiator present the BCF statement
effectively? Did the two agree on the conflict?)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 3. Ask for, and/or give, alternative conflict resolutions. (Who suggested alternative solutions? Was it done
effectively?)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 4. Make an agreement for change. (Was there an agreement for change?)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

BEHAVIOR MODEL VIDEO 6.4


Mediating Conflict Resolution

This video is a follow-up to Behavior Model Video 6.3. Alex and Catherine have not resolved their conflict so their
manager, Peter, brings them together to resolve it.

This video does not serve as a behavior model for any skill-building exercise. However, it can be shown as part of
Skill-Development Exercise 4, as shown above with the exercise’s recommended time.

Showing the video takes around 6½ minutes. After viewing the video, you may ask the class questions such as:
1. What did you like about the way the coworkers resolved their conflict?
2. What didn’t you like about the way the coworkers resolved their conflict?
3. What would you do differently if you were in this conflict resolution situation?

CONCEPT APPLICATION ANSWERS


There are similar questions in the test bank in the application section.

CA 1—Methods of Sending Messages


j 1. Newsletter. By working on the newsletter as a contributing writer, you can get to know more people and
increase name recognition.
f 2. Letter. Since the complaint was in writing, respond with a written letter.
d 3. Telephone. The phone is generally the fastest way to find out if the document is at the mail room.

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Chapter 6 Coaching, Communication, and Conflict Skills 155

i 4. Poster. A sign on the wall near the light switch should help remind them to turn off the lights. You could
tell them of the problem at a meeting (b) or by memo (e), in addition to the poster.
b 5. Meeting. Getting together as a group would be an effective way to give the assignment. A memo/written
instructions (e) could be used at the meeting.
a 6. Face-to-face. An oral discussion and reprimand are in order. Also, a memo/written warning (e) may be
placed in the employee’s file.
g 7. Report. It is best to give a written record that can be placed in your file. Face-to-face communication (a)
could also be used to reinforce the report.
h 8. Bulletin board. You could put up an ad flyer on the bulletin board for low pressure sales.
e 9. Memo. A memo is used for internal communication.
c 10. Presentation. Since you are the speaker, you would be giving a presentation.

CA 2—Criticism or Coaching Feedback


b 11. Coaching feedback. This response will most likely get the person to ask for advice, and really listen to it.
a 12. Criticism. This is a personal focus and would most likely embarrass the person.
“Did you remember to use the spell check on this work?”
a 13. Criticism. Once you get emotional, it sends the signal that the person did something bad.
In a calm voice: “Let me help you with that.”
a 14. Criticism. This statement points out an obvious mistake, which just embarrasses the person.
“It’s OK. It didn’t break.” “I’ve dropped a few myself.” “Gee, these things are slippery.”
a 15. Criticism. This statement is not specific and descriptive, and it focuses on the person.
“I noticed a few spots here and here. Will you please remove them?” “Would you please check to make sure it
is clean in this area?”

CA 3—Selecting Conflict Management Styles


d 16. Negotiating. This is a situation in which there is no simple clear solution, so a compromise is appropriate.
e 17. Collaborating. This is an important issue that requires an optimal solution. Bob needs to feel comfortable
going into the sale. If you try to force Bob to do it your way, she may rebel and intentionally lose the sale to show
you that you were wrong. If you both agree on the strategy, the odds of closing the sale will be higher.
a 18. Avoiding. You don’t have time to confront the employee now; but when you get back, you should.
c 19. Forcing. It is part of the manager’s job to implement unpopular decisions.
b 20. Accommodating. When the conflict is not important to you but is for the other party, let it go. If you take a
stance against the other person, this person and others that side with this person will not help in networking.

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Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
(The answers are merely by way of suggestion, but the questions
may prove to be worthy of serious attention.)

Q. Has the inherent inferiority of any human race been


established by historical, biological or psychological evidence?
A. No.

* * * * *
Q. Does the theory of the inequality of human races offer a
satisfactory explanation of the existence of race-prejudice?
A. No.

* * * * *
Q. Do physical characteristics make the members of the
several races recognizable?
A. Yes.

* * * * *
Q. Is race-prejudice inherent and inevitable, in the sense that it
always exists where two recognizably different races are in
contact?
A. No.

* * * * *
Q. How does it happen that in the presence of racial factors
which remain constant, race-prejudice exists in some localities,
and is absent in others?
A. No satisfactory explanation of these local variations in inter-
racial feeling has yet been given; however, the existence of the
variations themselves would seem to indicate that the primary
causes of race-prejudice are not racial but regional.

* * * * *
Q. What study will lead most directly to an understanding of
race-prejudice—that of universal racial differences, or that of
regional environmental differences which are associated with the
existence and non-existence of racial prejudice?
A. The latter.

* * * * *
Q. Does the systematic study of regional environmental
differences in the United States, in their relation to race-prejudice,
yield any results of importance?
A. No such systematic study has ever been made; a casual
glance seems to reveal an interesting coincidence between race-
prejudice and the fear of competition.

* * * * *
Q. Is competition more likely to produce race-prejudice in the
United States than elsewhere?
A. Because of the general preoccupation of the American
people with material affairs, economic competition is likely to
produce unusually sharp antagonisms.

* * * * *
Q. Does the coincidence between race-prejudice and the fear
of competition offer a complete explanation of the existence and
strength of race-prejudice in the United States?
A. No; no such claim has been advanced.

* * * * *
Q. Is the assimilation by the minorities of the culture of the
majority taking place continuously, in spite of the prejudice of the
majority and the counter-prejudice of three of the minorities?
A. Yes.

* * * * *
Q. Does this cultural assimilation make for better inter-racial
feeling?
A. Probably not, because as long as physical race-differences
remain, cultural assimilation increases the strength of the minority
as a recognizable competitive group, and hence it also increases
the keenness of the rivalry between the minorities and the majority.
Q. How can the recognizability of the minorities be eliminated?
A. By blood-fusion with the majority.
Q. How can blood-fusion come about if cultural assimilation
increases rivalry and prejudice?
A. ............................... .
Q. Is it then true that, as things stand, the future of inter-racial
relations in the United States depends upon the ratio between
cultural assimilation, which seems inevitable, and biological
assimilation, which seems unlikely?
A. It so appears.
Q. Does the race-problem in the United States then seem
practically insoluble as a separate problem?
A. It does.
Q. Has the race-problem ever been solved anywhere by direct
attack upon it as a race problem?
A. Probably not.
Q. Does not this conclusion involve a return to the assumption
that race-prejudice is inevitable wherever race-differences exist;
and has this not been emphatically denied?
A. On the contrary, the implication is that race-prejudice is
inevitable where race-prejudice exists. The conclusion in regard to
the United States is based on the single assumption that the non-
racial conditions under which race-prejudice has arisen will remain
practically unchanged.
Q. Is it then conceivable that a complete alteration of non-racial
conditions—as, for instance, an economic revolution which would
change the whole meaning of the word “competition”—might
entirely revise the terms of the problem?
A. It is barely conceivable—but this paper is not an accepted
channel for divine revelation.

Geroid Tanquary Robinson


ADVERTISING
DO I understand you to say that you do not believe in
advertising? Indeed! Soon you will be telling me that you do not
believe in God. Though, to be sure, in so doing you would be
committing less of a crime against the tenets of modern American
civilization than in doubting the existence of a power so great that
overnight it can raise up in our midst gods, kings, and other
potentates, creating a world which for splendour and opulence far
surpasses our own poor mortal sphere—a world in which every
prospect pleases and only the reluctant spender is vile.
True, we can only catch a fleeting glimpse of its many marvels.
True, we have scarcely time to admire a millionth part of the joys and
magnificence of one before a new and greatly improved universe
floats across the horizon, and, from every corner news-stand,
smilingly bids us enter its portals. True, I repeat, our inability to grasp
or appreciate the full wonder of these constantly arriving creations,
yet even the narrow limitations of our savage and untutored minds
can hardly prevent us from acclaiming a miracle we fail to
understand.
If it were only given me to live the life led by any one of the
fortunate creatures that dwell in these advertising worlds, I should
gladly renounce my home, my wife, and my evil ways and become
the super-snob of a mock creation. All day long should I stand
smartly clad in a perfectly fitting union-suit just for the sport of
keeping my obsequious butler waiting painfully for me with my
lounging-gown over his exhausted arm. On other days I should be
found sitting in mute adoration before a bulging bowl of breakfast
food, and, if any one should chance to be listening at the keyhole,
they might even catch me in the act of repeating reverently and with
an avid smile on my lips, “I can never stir from the table until I have
completely crammed myself with Red-Blooded American Shucks,”
adding in a mysterious whisper, “To be had at all good grocers.”
There would be other days of course, days when I should ride in
a motor of unrivalled power with companions of unrivalled beauty,
across canyons of unrivalled depth and mountains of unrivalled
height. Then would follow still other days, the most perfect days of
all, days when the snow-sheathed earth cracks in the clutches of an
appalling winter and only the lower classes stir abroad. This would
be the time that I should select for removing the lounging gown from
my butler’s arm and bask in the glowing warmth of my perfect heater,
with my chair placed in such a position as to enable me to observe
the miserable plight of my neighbours across the way as they strive
pitifully to keep life in their bodies over the dying embers of an
anæmic fire. The sight of the sobbing baby and haggard mother
would only serve to intensify my satisfaction in having been so
fortunate and far-sighted as to have possessed myself of a Kill Kold
Liquid Heat Projector—That Keeps the Family Snug.
What days I should spend! Take the literary days, for instance.
Could anything be more edifying than to dip discriminatingly into a
six-inch bookshelf with the absolute assurance that a few minutes
spent thus each day in dipping would, in due course of time, give me
complete mastery of all the best literature of the world—and
incidentally gain for me a substantial raise at the office? Nor could
any of the literature of the past ages equal my hidden library of
books containing Vital Secrets. In this room there would linger a
never-failing thrill. Here I should retreat to learn the secret of
success, the secret of salesmanship, the secret of vigour, the secret
of bull-dozing one’s boss, the secret of spell-binding, the secret of
personality and social charm, all bearing a material value measured
in dollars and cents. In time I should so seethe with secrets that,
unable to bear them any longer, I should break down before my
friends and give the whole game away.
But why should I lacerate my heart in the contemplation of
happiness I shall never experience? Why should I dwell upon the
pipe-filling days, or the days when I should send for samples? Why
torture my mind with those exquisitely tailored days when, with a
tennis racket in one hand and a varsity crew captain on my shoulder,
I should parade across the good old campus in a suit bereft of
wrinkles and a hat that destroyed the last shreds of restraint in all
beholding women? No, I can go no further.
For when I consider the remarkable characters that so
charmingly infest my paradise never found, I cannot help asking
myself, “How do they get that way?” How do the men’s legs grow so
slim and long and their chins so smooth and square? Why have the
women always such perfect limbs and such innocent but alluring
smiles? Why are families always happy and children always good?
What miracle has banished the petty irritations and deficiencies of
life and smoothed out the problems of living? How and why—is there
an answer? Can it all be laid at the door of advertising, or do we who
read, the great, sweltering mass of us, insist upon such things and
demand a world of artificial glamour and perfectly impossible
people? The crime is committed by collusion, I am forced to
conclude. Advertising, for the most part, makes its appeal to all that
is superficial and snobbish in us, and we as a solid phalanx are only
too glad to be appealed to in such a manner.
In only the most unscholarly way can I lay my reflections before
you, and the first one is this: advertising is America’s crudest and
most ruthless sport, religion, or profession, or whatever you choose
to call it. With an accurate stroke, but with a perverted intent, it
coddles and toys with all that is base and gross in our physical and
spiritual compositions. The comforts and happiness it holds out to
the reader are for ever contrasted with the misery and misfortune of
another. Thus, if I ride in a certain make of motor, I have the
satisfaction of knowing that every one who rides in a motor of
another make is of a lower caste than myself and will certainly eat
dust for the rest of his life. There is a real joy in this knowledge.
Again, if I wear a certain advertised brand of underwear, I have the
pleasure of knowing that my fellow-men not so fortunately clad are
undoubtedly foolish swine who will eventually die of sunstroke, after
a life devoted entirely to sweating. Here, too, is a joy of rare order. If I
brush my teeth with an advertised tooth paste, my satisfaction is
enhanced by the knowledge that all other persons who fail to use
this particular paste will in a very short time lose all of their teeth. In
this there is a savage, but authentic delight. Even if I select a certain
classic from my cherished six-inch bookshelf, I shall have a buoyant
feeling in knowing that all men, who, after the fatigue of the day, take
comfort in the latest murder or ball-game, are of inferior intellect and
will never succeed in the world of business.
This is one of the most successful weapons used in advertising,
and there is no denying that a great majority of people take pleasure
in being struck by it. It is a pleasure drawn from the same source that
feeds so many people’s sense of satisfaction when they attend a
funeral, or call on a sick friend, or a friend in misfortune and
disgrace. It was the same source of inner satisfaction which made it
possible for many loyal citizens to bear not only with fortitude, but
with bliss, the sorrows of the late war. It is the instinct of self-
preservation, toned down to a spirit of complacent self-
congratulation, and it responds most readily to the appeal of
selfishness and snobbery. Advertising did not create this instinct, nor
did it discover it, but advertising uses it for its own ends. Who is to
blame, the reader or the advertiser, hardly enters in at this point. The
solid fact to take into consideration is that day in and day out the
susceptible public is being worked upon in an unhealthy and neurotic
manner which cannot fail to effect harmful results.
At this tragic moment I purpose briefly to digress to the people
who create advertisements, before returning to a consideration of the
effects of their creations.
To begin with, let it never be forgotten that advertising is a red-
blooded, two-fisted occupation, engaged in for the most part by
upstanding Americans of the kiss-the-flag or knock-’em-down-and-
drag-’em-out variety. Yet years of contact with the profession compel
me for the sake of truth to temper this remark by adding that it also
contains, or rather confines, within its mystic circle a group of
reluctant and recalcitrant “creatures that once were men,” who,
moving through a phantasmagoria of perverted idealism, flabby
optimism, and unexamined motives, either deaden their conscience
in the twilight of the “Ad. Men’s Club,” or else become so blindly
embittered or debauched that their usefulness is lost to all
constructive movements.
Generally speaking, however, advertising is the graveyard of
literary aspiration in which the spirits of the defeated aspirants,
wielding a momentary power over a public that rejected their efforts,
blackjack it into buying the most amazing assortment of purely
useless and cheaply manufactured commodities that has ever
marked the decline of culture and common sense. These men are
either caught early after their flight from college, or else recruited
from the newspaper world. Some—the most serious and determined
—are products of correspondence schools. Others are merely robust
spirits whose daily contact with their fellow-men does not give them
sufficient opportunity to disgorge themselves of the abundance of
misinformation that their imaginations manufacture in wholesale
quantities. This advertising brotherhood is composed of a
heterogeneous mass of humanity that is rapidly converted into a
narrow-minded wedge of fanatics. And this wedge is continually
boring into the pocketbook of the public and extracting therefrom a
goodly quantity of gold and silver. Have you ever conversed with one
of the more successful and important members of this vast body? If
so have you been able to quit the conversation with an intelligent
impression of its subject-matter? For example: do you happen to
know what a visualizer is? If not, you would be completely at the
mercy of a true advertising exponent. Returning to my Edisonian
method of attack, do you happen to know by any chance what a
rough-out man is, or what is the meaning of dealer mortality, quality
appeal, class circulation, or institutional copy? Probably not, for there
is at bottom very little meaning to them; nevertheless, they are terms
that are sacred to a great number of advertising men, and which, if
unknown, would render all intelligent communication with them quite
impossible.
If you should ever attend a session of these gentlemen in full cry
—and may God spare you this—you would return from it with the
impression that all was not well with the world. You would have
heard speeches on the idealism of meat-packing, and other kindred
subjects. The idealism would be transmitted to you through the
medium of a hireling of some large packing organization, a live-wire,
God-bless-you, hail-fellow type. Assuming that you had been there,
you would have witnessed this large fellow with a virile exhalation of
cigar-smoke, heave himself from his chair; you would have observed
a good-natured smile play across his lips, and then you would have
suddenly been taken aback by the tenderly earnest and masterfully
restrained expression that transformed our buffoon into a suffering
martyr, as, flinging out his arms, he tragically exclaimed,
“Gentlemen, you little know the soul of the man who has given the
Dreadnought Ham to the world!” From this moment on your sense of
guilt would have increased by leaps and bounds until at last you
would have broken down completely and agreed with everything the
prophet said, as long as he refrained from depriving you of an
opportunity to make it up to the god-like man who gave Dreadnought
Hams to the world.
The orator would go on to tell you about the happiness and
sunlight that flood the slaughter-house in which Dreadnought Hams
are made. You would hear about the lovely, whimsical old character,
who, one day, when in the act of polishing off a pig, stood in a
position of suspended animation with knife poised above the
twitching ear of the unfortunate swine, and seizing the hand of the
owner as he passed benevolently by, kissed it fervently and left on it
a tear of gratitude. Perhaps you would not hear that in the ardour of
loyal zeal this lovable old person practically cut the pig to ribbons,
thus saving it from a nervous collapse, nor would you be permitted to
hear a repetition of the imprecations the old man muttered after the
departing back of the owner, for these things should not be heard,—
in fact, they do not exist in the world of advertising. Nothing would be
said about the red death of the pig, the control of the stock-raiser, the
underpaying of the workers, the daughter who visits home when
papa is out and the neighbours are not looking, the long years of
service and the short shrift of age, the rottenness and hypocrisy of
the whole business—no, nothing should be said about such things.
But to make up for the omission, you would be told in honied words
of the workers who lovingly kiss each ham as it is reverently carried
from the plant to receive the patriarchal blessing of the owner before
it is offered up as a sacrifice to a grateful but greedy public. The
whole affair would suggest to you a sort of Passion Play in which
there was neither Judas nor Pilot, but just a great, big happy family
of ham producers.
This speech, as I have said, would soon appear in the principal
papers of the country. It would be published in installments, each
one bearing its message of peace on earth, good-will to men, and
the public—always preferring Pollyanna to Blue Beard—would be
given an altogether false impression of Dreadnought Hams, and the
conditions under which they were produced. But this particular
speech would be only a small part of the idealism you would be
permitted to absorb. There would also be a patriotic speech about
Old Glory, which would somehow become entangled with the
necessity for creating a wider demand for a certain brand of socks.
There would perhaps be a speech on the sacredness of the home,
linked cunningly with the ability of a certain type of talking-machine
to keep the family in at nights and thus make the home even more
sacred. There would be speeches without end, and idealism without
stint, and at last every one would shake hands with every one else
and the glorious occasion would come to an end only to be repeated
with renewed vigour and replenished optimism on the following
Friday.
But the actual work of creating advertisements is seldom done in
this rarefied and rose-tinted atmosphere; it is done in the more
prosaic atmosphere of the advertising agency. (And let it be said at
once that although, even in the case of agencies engaging in
“Honest Advertising” campaigns, many such firms indulge in the
unscrupulous competitive practice of splitting their regular
commission with their clients in order to keep and secure accounts,
there are still honest advertising agencies.)
Now there are two important classes of workers in most
agencies—the copy-writer and the solicitor—the man who writes the
advertisements and the man who gets the business. This latter class
contains the wolves of advertising, the restless stalkers through the
forests of industry and the fields of trade. They are leather-lunged
and full-throated; death alone can save their victims from hearing
their stories out. Copywriters, on the other hand, are really not bad at
heart; sometimes they even possess a small saving spark of
humour, and frequently they attempt to read something other than
Printer’s Ink. But the full-fledged solicitor is beyond all hope. Coming
in close touch with the client who usually is an industrialist, capitalist,
stand-patter, and high-tariff enthusiast, the solicitor gradually
becomes a small edition of the man he serves, and reflects his ideas
in an even more brutal and unenlightened manner. In their minds
there is no room for change, unless it be change to a new kind of
automobile they are advertising, for new furniture, unless it be the
collapsible table of their latest client, for spring cleaning, unless
thereby one is introduced to the virtues of Germ-Destroying Soap.
Things must remain as they are and the leaders of commerce and
industry must be protected at all costs. To them there are no under-
paid workers, no social evil, no subsidized press, no restraint of free
speech, no insanitary plants, no child-labour, no infant mortality due
to an absence of maternity legislation, no good strikers, and no
questionable public utility corporations. Everything is as it should be,
and any one who attempts to effect a change is a socialist, and that
ends it all.
Advertising is very largely controlled by men of this type. Is it any
wonder that it is of a reactionary and artificial nature, and that any
irresponsible promoter with money to spend and an article to sell, will
find a sympathetic and wily minister to execute his plans for him,
regardless of their effect on the economic or social life of the nation?
Turning, for the moment, from the people who create
advertisements to advertising as an institution, what is there to be
said for or against it? What is there to advance in justification of its
existence, or in favour of its suppression? Not knowing on which side
the devil’s advocate pleads his case, I shall take the liberty of
representing both sides, presenting as impartially as possible the
cases for the prosecution and defence and allowing the reader to
bring in the verdict in accordance with the evidence.
The first charge—that the low state of the press and the
magazine world is due solely to advertising—is not, I believe, wholly
fair. There is no use denying that advertising is responsible for the
limitation of free utterance and the nonexistence of various
independent and amusing publications. However, assuming that
advertising were utterly banished from the face of the earth, would
the murky atmosphere be cleared thereby? Would the press become
free and unafraid, and would the ideal magazine at last draw breath
in the full light of day? I think not. Years before advertising had
attained the importance it now enjoys, public service corporations
and other powerful vested interests had found other and equally
effective methods of shaping the news and controlling editorial
policies. The fact remains however, and it is a sufficiently black one,
that advertising is responsible for much of the corruption of our
papers and other publications, as well as for the absence of the type
of periodicals that make for the culture of a people and the
enjoyment of good literature. When a profiteering owner of a large
department store can succeed in keeping the fact of his conviction
from appearing in the news, while a number of smaller offenders are
held up as horrid examples, it is not difficult to decide whether or not
it pays to advertise. When any number of large but loosely
conducted corporations upon which the people and the nation
depend, can prevent from appearing in the press any information
concerning their mismanagement, inefficiency, and extravagance, or
any editorial advocating government control, one does not have to
ponder deeply to determine the efficacy of advertising. When articles
or stories dealing with the unholy conditions existing in certain
industries, or touching on the risks of motoring, the dangers of eating
canned goods, or the impossibility of receiving a dollar’s value for a
dollar spent in a modern department store, are rejected by many
publications, regardless of their merit, one does not have to turn to
the back pages of the magazine in order to discover the names and
products of the advertisers paying for the space. Indeed, one of the
most regrettable features of advertising is that it makes so many
things possible for editors who will be good, and so many things
impossible for editors who are too honest and too independent to
tolerate dictation.
Another charge against advertising is that it promotes and
encourages the production of a vast quantity of costly articles many
of which duplicate themselves, and that this over-production of
commodities, many of them of highly questionable value, is injurious
to the country and economically unsound. This charge seems to be
well founded in fact, and illustrated only too convincingly in the list of
our daily purchases. Admitting that a certain amount of competition
creates a stimulating and healthy reaction, it still seems hardly
reasonable that a nation, to appear with a clean face each morning,
should require the services of a dozen producers of safety razors,
and several hundred producers of soap, and that the producers of
razors and soap should spend millions of dollars each year in
advertising in order to remind people to wash and shave. Nor does it
seem to be a well-balanced system of production when such
commodities as automobiles, sewing machines, face powders, toilet
accessories, food products, wearing apparel, candy, paint, furniture,
rugs, tonics, machinery, and so on ad infinitum can exist in such
lavish abundance. With so many things of the same kind to choose
from, there is scarcely any reason to wonder that the purchasing
public becomes addle-brained and fickle. The over-production of
both the essentials and non-essentials of life is indubitably
stimulated by advertising, with the result that whenever business
depression threatens the country, much unnecessary unemployment
and hardship arises because of an over-burdened market and an
industrial world crowded with moribund manufacturing plants. “Give
me a strong enough motor and I will make that table fly,” an aviator
once remarked. It could be said with equal truth, “Give me money
enough to spend in advertising and I will make any product sell.”
Flying tables, however, are not nearly so objectionable as a market
glutted with useless and over-priced wares, and an army of labour
dependent for its existence upon an artificially stimulated demand.
The claim that advertising undermines the habits of thrift of a
nation requires no defence. Products are made to be sold and it is
the principal function of advertising to sell them regardless of their
merits or the requirements of the people. Men and women purchase
articles to-day that would have no place in any socially and
economically safe civilization. As long as this condition continues,
money will be drawn out of the savings accounts of the many and
deposited in the commercial accounts of the few—a situation which
hardly makes for happy and healthy families.
It has been asserted by many that advertising is injurious to
literary style. I am far from convinced that this charge is true. In my
belief it has been neither an injurious nor helpful influence. If
anything, it has forced a number of writers to say a great deal in a
few words, which is not in itself an undesirable accomplishment. Nor
do I believe that advertising has recruited to its ranks a number of
writers or potential writers who might otherwise have given pearls of
faith to the world. However, if it has attracted any first-calibre writers,
they have only themselves to blame and there is still an opportunity
for them to scale the heights of literary eminence.
The worst has been said of advertising, I feel, when we agree
that it has contributed to the corruption of the press, that it does help
to endanger the economic safety of the nation, and that, to a great
extent, it appeals to the public in a false and unhealthy manner.
These charges certainly are sufficiently damaging. For the rest, let
us admit that advertising is more or less like all other businesses,
subject to the same criticisms and guilty of the same mistakes.
Having admitted this, let us assume the rôle of the attorney for the
defence and see what we can marshal in favour of our client.
First of all, I submit the fact that advertising has kept many artists
alive—not that I am thoroughly convinced that artists should be kept
alive, any more than poets or any other un-American breed; but for
all that I appeal to your humanitarian instincts when I offer this fact in
support of advertising, and I trust you will remember it when
considering the evidence.
In the second place, advertising is largely responsible for the
remarkable strides we have taken in the art of typography. If you will
examine much of the literature produced by advertising, you will find
there many excellent examples of what can be done with type. To-
day no country in the world is producing more artistic and authentic
specimens of typography than America, and this, I repeat, is largely
due to the influence of advertising.
We can also advance as an argument in favour of advertising
that it has contributed materially to a greater use of the tooth-brush
and a more diligent application of soap. Advertising has preached
cleanliness, preached frantically, selfishly and for its own ends, no
doubt, but nevertheless it has preached convincingly. It matters little
what means are used to achieve the end of cleanliness as long as
the end is achieved. This, advertising has helped to accomplish. The
cleanliness of the body and the cleanliness of the home as desirable
virtues are constantly being held up before the readers of papers
and magazines. As has been said, there are altogether too many
different makes of soap and other sanitary articles, but in this case
permit us to modify the statement by adding that it is much better to
have too many of such articles than too few. This third point in favour
of advertising is no small point to consider. The profession cannot be
wholly useless, if it has helped to make teeth white, faces clean,
bodies healthy, homes fresh and sanitary, and people more
concerned with their bodies and the way they treat them.
The fourth point in favour of advertising is that through the
medium of paid space in the papers and magazines certain
deserving movements have been able to reach a larger public and
thus recruit from it new and valuable members. This example
illustrates the value of advertising when applied to worthy ends. In all
fairness we are forced to conclude, that, after all, there is much in
advertising that is not totally depraved.
Now that we are about to rest the case, let us gaze once more
through the magic portals of the advertising world and refresh our
eyes with its beauty. On second glance we find there is something
strangely pathetic and wistfully human about this World That Never
Was. It is a world very much after our own creation, peopled and
arranged after our own yearnings and desires. It is a world of well
regulated bowels, cornless feet, and unblemished complexions, a
world of perfectly fitting clothes, completely equipped kitchens, and
always upright and smiling husbands. To this world of splendid
country homes, humming motors, and agreeable companions,
prisoners on our own poor weary world of reality may escape for a
while to live a few short moments of unqualified comfort and
happiness. Even if they do return from their flight with pockets empty
and arms laden with a number of useless purchases, they have had
at least some small reward for their folly. They have dwelt and
sported with fascinating people in surroundings of unsurpassed
beauty. True, it is not such a world as Rembrandt would have
created, but he was a grim old realist, who, when he wanted to paint
a picture of a person cutting the nails, selected for his model an old
and unscrupulous woman, and cast around her such an atmosphere
of reality that one can almost hear the snip of the scissors as it
proceeds on its revolting business. How much better it would be
done in the advertising world! Here we would be shown a young and
beautiful girl sitting gracefully before her mirror and displaying just
enough of her body to convince the beholder that she was neither
crippled nor chicken-breasted, and all day long for ever and for ever
she would sit thus smiling tenderly as she clipped the pink little
moon-flecked nails from her pink little pointed fingers.
Yes, I fear it is a world of our own creation. Only a few persons
would stand long before Rembrandt’s crude example, while many
would dwell with delight on the curves and allurements of the maid in
the advertising world. Of course one might forget or never even
discover what she was doing, and assuming that one did, one would
hardly dwell upon such an unromantic occupation in connection with
a creature so fair and refined as this ideal young woman; but for all
that, one would at least have had the pleasure of contemplating her
loveliness.
So many of us are poor and ill-favoured in this world of ours, so
many girls are not honestly able to purchase more than one frock or
one hat a year, that the occasion of the purchase takes on an
importance far beyond the appreciation of the average well-to-do
person. It is fun, therefore, to dwell upon the lines and features of a
perfectly gowned woman and to imagine that even though poor and
ill-favoured, one might possibly resemble in a modified way, the
splendid model, if one could only get an extra fifteen minutes off at
lunch-time in order to attend the bargain sale. There are some of us
who are so very poor that from a great distance we can enjoy without
hope of participation the glory and triumph of others. The advertising
world supplies us with just this sort of vicarious enjoyment, and, like
all other kinds of fiction, enables us to play for a moment an
altogether pleasing rôle in a world of high adventure.
Therefore let us not be too uncharitable to the advertising world.
While not forgetting its faults, let us also strive to remember its
virtues. Some things we cannot forgive it, some things we would
prefer to forget, but there are others which require less toleration and
fortitude to accept when once they have been understood.
As long as the printed word is utilized and goods are bought and
sold, there will be a place and a reason for advertising—not
advertising as we know it to-day, but of a saner and more useful
nature. He would be a doughty champion of the limitation of free
speech who would deny a man the right to tell the world that he is
the manufacturer of monkey-wrenches, and that he has several
thousands of these same wrenches on hand, all of which he is
extremely anxious to sell.
Advertising, although a precocious child, is but in its infancy. In
spite of its rapid development and its robust constitution, it has not
yet advanced beyond the savage and bragging age. It will appeal to
our instincts of greed as quickly as to our instincts of home-building.
It will make friends with the snob that is in us, as readily as it will
avail itself of the companionship of our desire to be generous and
well-liked. It will frighten and bulldoze us into all sorts of extravagant
purchases with the same singleness of purpose that it will plead with
our self-respect in urging us to live cleaner and better lives. It will use
our pride and vanity for its own ends as coolly as it will use our good
nature or community spirit. It will run through the whole gamut of
human emotions, selecting therefrom those best suited to its
immediate ends. Education alone will make the child behave—not
the education of the child so much as the education of the reader.
Advertising thrives to-day in the shadows created by big
business, and, as a consequence, if it would retain its master’s
favour it must justify his methods, and practise his evil ways. Here it
must be added that there are some honest advertising agencies
which refuse to accept the business of dishonest concerns. It must
also be added that there are some magazines and newspapers
which will refuse to accept unscrupulous advertisements. These
advertisements must be notoriously unscrupulous, however, before
they meet this fate. There are even such creatures as honest
manufacturers, but unfortunately for the profession they too rarely
advertise. As a whole, advertising is committed to the ways of
business, and as the ways of business are seldom straight and
narrow, advertising perforce must follow a dubious path. We shall let
it rest at that.
We have made no attempt in this article to take up the subject of
out-door advertising. There is nothing to say about this branch of the
profession save that it is bad beyond expression, and should be
removed from sight with all possible haste. In revolting against the
sign-board, direct action assumes the dignity of conservatism, and
although I do not recommend an immediate assault on all sign-
boards, I should be delighted if such an assault took place. Were I a
judge sitting on the case of a man apprehended in the act of
destroying one of these eyesores, I should give him the key to my
private stock, and adjourn the court for a week.
J. Thorne Smith
BUSINESS
MODERN business derives from three passions in this order,
namely: The passion for things, the passion for personal grandeur
and the passion for power. Things are multiplied in use and
possession when people exchange with each other the products of
specialized labour. Personal grandeur may be realized in wealth.
Gratification of the third passion in this way is new. Only in recent
times has business become a means to great power, a kind of
substitute for kingship, wherein man may sate his love of conquest,
practise private vengeance, and gain dominion over people.
These passions are feeble on the Oriental side of the world,
strong in parts of Europe, powerful in America. Hence the character
of American business. It is unique, wherein it is so, not in principle
but in degree of phenomena. For natural reasons the large objects of
business are most attainable in this country. Yet this is not the
essential difference. In the pursuit of them there is a characteristic
American manner, as to which one may not unreasonably prefer a
romantic explanation. No white man lives on this continent who has
not himself or in his ancestry the will that makes desire overt and
dynamic, the solitary strength to push his dream across seas.
Islands had been peopled before by this kind of selection, notably
England; never a continent. A reckless, egoistic, experimental spirit
governs, betrays, and preserves us still.
The elemental hunger for food, warmth, and refuge gives no
direct motive to business. People may live and reproduce without
business. Civilization of a sort may exist without its offices. The
settler who disappears into the wilderness with a wife, a gun, a few
tools, and some pairs of domestic beasts, may create him an idyllic
habitation, amid orchards and fields, self-contained in rude plenty;
but he is lost to business until he produces a money crop, that is, a

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