leadership reflection paper
The necessity of the conflicts
My second revelation is that conflict is necessary for a stronger team. Before going through the leadership course, I thought that conflict was a disaster, and conflict meant that there were factors that caused disharmony in the team. In my previous point of view, conflicts hurt the relationship between team members. I thought the less discord in teams would lead to more success. So, when my colleagues and I had different opinions in a discussion, if we could not reach a consensus, I would consent to others’ ideas although I did not fully agree with them. I thought arguing would lead to conflict and then damage the working atmosphere. However, I have definitely changed my opinion about workplace conflict after studying in these few weeks. First, I have realized that conflict was not always a bad thing for an organization. When I was reading Lencioni’s book- the five dysfunctions of a team: a leadership fable, I have found that my previous understanding of conflict is one-sided. Conflicts do not only include mean-spirited and interpersonal conflicts, but also include productive debate. Lencioni considers productive conflict is important to a team because it can “produce the best possible solution in the short period of time”, and team members will “emerge from heated debates with no residual feelings or collateral damage” (2002B). I realize that the conflict I tried to avoid is the productive conflict, and I should not avoid this kind of conflict in the workplace. Just as Lencioni’s point of view, other scholar like Caudron also considers that conflict can lead to more discoveries and leaps in improvement and innovation. Caudron regards conflict as “a potent source of creativity” (1998). Healthy conflicts will not hurt the team but instead boost creativity and teamwork.
Second, I have realized that people should not be afraid of conflicts. One concern about conflict is seeded in cultural factors. People from different countries
My second revelation is that conflict is necessary for a stronger team. Before going through the leadership course, I thought that conflict was a disaster, and conflict meant that there were factors that caused disharmony in the team. In my previous point of view, conflicts hurt the relationship between team members. I thought the less discord in teams would lead to more success. So, when my colleagues and I had different opinions in a discussion, if we could not reach a consensus, I would consent to others’ ideas although I did not fully agree with them. I thought arguing would lead to conflict and then damage the working atmosphere. However, I have definitely changed my opinion about workplace conflict after studying in these few weeks. First, I have realized that conflict was not always a bad thing for an organization. When I was reading Lencioni’s book- the five dysfunctions of a team: a leadership fable, I have found that my previous understanding of conflict is one-sided. Conflicts do not only include mean-spirited and interpersonal conflicts, but also include productive debate. Lencioni considers productive conflict is important to a team because it can “produce the best possible solution in the short period of time”, and team members will “emerge from heated debates with no residual feelings or collateral damage” (2002B). I realize that the conflict I tried to avoid is the productive conflict, and I should not avoid this kind of conflict in the workplace. Just as Lencioni’s point of view, other scholar like Caudron also considers that conflict can lead to more discoveries and leaps in improvement and innovation. Caudron regards conflict as “a potent source of creativity” (1998). Healthy conflicts will not hurt the team but instead boost creativity and teamwork.
Second, I have realized that people should not be afraid of conflicts. One concern about conflict is seeded in cultural factors. People from different countries
References: Caudron, S. (1998). Keeping team conflict alive. Training & Development, 52(9), 48-52. Lencioni, P. M. (2002A). Make your values mean something. Harvard Business Review, 80 (7), 113-117 Lencioni, P. M. (2002B). The five dysfunctions of a team: a leadership fable. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from http://library.books24x7.com.ezproxy.royalroads.ca/toc.aspx?bookid=3740 Parker, S., & Rippey, D. (2011). Corporate values. Leadership Excellence, 28(9), 15.