Team Leadership and Resolving Conflict Essay Example for Free

Team Leadership and Resolving Conflict Essay In this paper I will summarize the main points in the unit. The main points in the unit are the five major leadership perspectives, power and influence, and resolving conflict. I will review the key points by using cited passages from the assigned reading and selections from the unit three course room. I will also summarize course room discussion postings relevant to my central topics. In unit three McShane and Von Glinow (2010) discuss the five major leadership perspectives and list them as Competency, Behavioral, Contingency, Transformational, and Implicit (p. 378). There are a variety of ways to lead and different leaders may see fit to guide in various ways depending on the situation. Leaders must learn how to lead and what perspective to take in critical situations to achieve success. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) says, â€Å"Leadership is defined as the ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute towards the effectiveness and success of the organization of which they are members† (p. 378). The Competency Leadership Perspective names the distinctive qualities an efficient leader will likely have. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) identifies personality, self concept, integrity, drive, leadership motivation, knowledge of business, cognitive and practical intelligence, and emotional intelligence as valuable leadership traits (p. 362). Based on my professional work experience every good or successful leader I have encountered possessed almost every trait above. The Behavioral Perspective seems to focus on the correlation between behaviors exercised and successful leaders. Leaders who seem to be task and people oriented tend to do better in the world of leadership. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) says, â€Å"†¦job dissatisfaction are higher among employees who work with supervisors with very low levels of people-oriented leadership† (p. 365). Employee’s who feel their supervisors or managers don’t provide clear tasks and show the effort to express unders tanding for their needs will not bode well for that leaders success. The Contingency Leadership Perspective is centered around the idea that each individual situation warrants a unique combination of leadership tactics. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) says, â€Å"The contingency perspective of leadership is based on the idea that the most appropriate leadership style depends on the situation (p. 365). The Transformational Leadership Perspective basically is about the leader building a mutual vision and demonstrating the way it should be done at all times. Leading by example is key to gaining the necessary influences needed to enable followers. If a leader effectively shows their followers they are committed by walking the walk it helps in building the necessary connection needed between leader and follower. The Implicit Leadership Perspective is based on fixed ideas of what a successful leader should be. McShane and Vin Glinow (2010) says, â€Å"We are more willing to allow someone to influence us as a leader if that person looks and acts like our pro totype of a leader† (p. 375). McShane and Von Glinow (2010) describe power as â€Å"the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others† (p. 300). McShane and Von Glinow (2010) discusses the ways power is gained and through what method which are referent, expert, coercive, reward and legitimate (p. 301). I have encountered every type of power listed above. Based on my past experiences I prefer to use and be managed by referent power. Referent of power allows those in leadership roles to be approachable and allows them to relate to their subordinates which creates a feeling of trust and respect. Once this level of respect is established it will be easier for the leader to use more aggressive types of power methods if need be. For example, I had a supervisor in a previous position that was able to identify on every level with all of his employee’s. His communication skills were excellent so this allowed him to gain the trust and respect of his workers. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) says, â€Å"people have referent power when others identify with them, like them, or otherwise respect them† (p.303). McShane and Von Glinow (2010) describes influence as â€Å"†¦behavior that attempts to alter one’s attitude or behavior† (p. 309). Knowing how to effectively influence others is key to becoming a successful leader. The influences tactics discussed in our course text are silent authority, information control, assertiveness, coalition formation, upward appeal, persuasion, impression management and ingratiation. Recognizing what combination of power and or influence you need to use in a specific situation is essential to becoming a successful leader. Resolving conflict in the work place can be very difficult to achieve if the right approach isn’t taken by management and employees. Broome, DeTurk, Kristjansdottir, Kanata, and Ganesan (2002) says, â€Å"Differences in perspectives, frames of reference, values, norms, and communication styles are often aggravated by stereotypes, prejudices, and misunderstandings, so that decision-making, problem solving and conflict management become extremely complex† (p. 240). Interactive Management is a process that helps diffuse potentially explosive conflict issues and allows for a productive resolution for both parties involved in the conflict. This process involves all parties to first identify the problem, second establish a course of action moving forward, and third build an effective plan that will be successful. With this type of approach to conflict it allows for communication to stay open and gives the conflict a fair chance to be resolved. Broome, DeTurk, Kristjansdottir, Kanata, and Ganesan (2002) says, â€Å"Devoting time to bring together informed individuals with interest in an issue, and to carefully examine its source, can prevent the waste of time, effort, and other resources that would otherwise be devoted to pursuing ineffective solutions or fighting unnecessary battles† (p. 261). In unit three course room discussions Ray 12/9/11 talked about the importance of the Transformational leader’s perspective; building a mutual vision and showing their commitment to get that goal accomplished. McShane and Von Glinow (2010) says this about the Transformational perspective, â€Å"†¦agents of change who create, communicate, and model a shared vision for the team and inspire followers† (p. 371). I also feel that it is essential for a leader to get complete support from their followers to ensure a positive outcome. Once a leader has everyone on board with the vision, they are able to start building trust which will help establish a concrete foundation for success. Nakia 12/7/11 also had this to add, â€Å"In my opinion transformational leaders are the most inspiring leaders. They can take over a horrible company and change the entire culture of the organization†. In conclusion I have summarized the main points in unit three. These points were the five major Leadership Perspectives, power and influence, and resolving conflict. Leaders who understand how to use the right combination of proper perspectives, power and influence will be the most successful leaders. Additionally, successful leaders must know how to resolve conflict effectively. References Benjamin, Broome, J., DeTurk, S., Kristjansdottir, E. S., Kanata, T., Ganesan, P. (2002). Giving voice to diversity: An interactive approach to conflict management and decision- making in culturally diverse work environments. Journal of Business and Management, 8(3), 239-264. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/211509295?accountid=27965 McShane, S.L., Von Glinow, M.A. (2010). Organizational Behavior (5th Ed.). New York: McGraw- Hill/Irwin.

Friendship in Harry Potter Essay -- English Literature

Friendship in Harry Potter Friendship is an in-depth relationship mixing trust, loyalty and support. It is the combination of understanding, empathy and intimacy. But, no one can form a friendship until he/she realizes that the basis of being friends is meeting the needs of the other person. One must be a friend in order to have one (Mugglenet). Friendship and its main components: loyalty-trust, support, and similar values are very well emphasized in Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone. Trust and loyalty go hand-in-hand for friends. Friends are trusted with secrets, both large and small, because good friends never break a confidence. Good friends are forever loyal. This is the case of Hagrid with Professor Dumbledore. Hagrid is forever loyal to Dumbledore despite of their differences because the professor has trusted Hagrid with important undertakings. An important vote of trust and responsibility that friends deserve in order to feel appreciated. A similar example of loyalty is portrait when Harry stood up for his new friend Ron Weasley when Draco Malfoy insult...

Research on Morality Essay

There is an inherent question on the basis of morality and whether or not it is a man-made, almost religious invention or if it is intrinsic to our beings as humans. I think that the rope that is the argument between is too complicated and tightly knotted to have a short conversation about, but by fraying the ends of the rope we can inevitably decide that morality is innate and that religion may have a part in building upon it, but not in creating it. The curiosity behind the topic of morality is normally fashioned by religious arguments for the assumption that a deity endowed us as humans with some sort of moral compass. However, by searching the brain for its different functions and activities during moral dilemmas and religious interactions, along with historical clues and a little knowledge of sociology, determining that morality is not created, only built upon, is inevitable. Morality is defined as normatively to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons (Stanford). With this as a definition, the first question to rises is the following: What is one moral action that a believer can do that a non-believer cannot do? There are few answers to the inverse, if any, but non-believers do not pose that they have any stronger of a moral compass than believers, while believers do. It is incredibly important to think about an answer to this question because if there truly is no answer to this challenge, then a road has been paved toward an objective that we can already see, which is that being ethical and moral is not necessarily a religious view, so such claims can immediately be cast off and the topic can stay on a strictly scientific road. Now the consideration lies upon what is deemed as an ethical person. Is the president ethical in his decisions? Is a doctor ethical in his decisions? Of course, there is an ethical code in these circles, but does that immediately mean that any decisions outside of the codes are immoral? A moral person is normally described as somebody who takes into account the possible consequences of his or her actions and rationally decides on a choice based on how it may affect those around him. We call these people morally good because their contributions to whomever they are around are normally well thought-out, harmless contributions to the topic. However, this is simply a definition, and the person is simply his or her self. Take into account the thoughts of those around the subject. A religiously-convicted man would say that his religion is the reason for his good nature, while one not necessarily supporting religion would say that he is simply a good person. As an aside, there are multiple people who would take the chance to point out many historically immoral figures, such as Mao Zedong, Stalin, Pol Pot, who were atheistic. While it is true that these figures were indeed non-believers, it is important to distinguish the reasons for their immorality. It was not based on religion, but rather by social constructs and a greed for power that caused them to act out. Some may cite Hitler as an atheist as well, but they’d be digging their own grave. Hitler, in Mein Kampf, even gives credit to the Christian god, and had religious inscriptions on every Nazi-uniform belt. To get back to the previous point, it is important to take into account what those around the subject would perceive, and although the religiously-convicted man might have millions of people around the world following his train of thought, research done Dr. Pyssiainen and Dr. Hauser from the departments of Psychology and Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University offers an interesting perspective on the topic: â€Å"†¦Despite differences in, or even an absence of, religious backgrounds, individuals show no difference in moral judgments for unfamiliar moral dilemmas. The research suggests that intuitive judgments of right and wrong seem to operate independently of explicit religious commitments. † Pyssiainen’s and Hauser’s study grants us that although religious backgrounds may indeed build upon moral constructs, as good religion is only positively influential to a good person, a complete lack of religious background is perfectly plausible if an individual wishes to be moral because moral judgments are not linked to religious commitments. This finding is absolutely crucial to determining whether or not morality is man-made or inherent to humans because it breaks the perceived bond between belief and morality. So their contribution to the topic has been seen through and accepted as a welcome source of reference. However, it is essential to look at the other side of the argument. Which studies show that seem to show that religion is a key factor in morality? Unfortunately, they are found few and far between. As a matter of fact, there are literally no scientific studies that show religion is crucial in the formation of morality. It’s widely granted that religion, in some aspects, can further construct upon morality and cause others to be exceedingly altruistic and generous, and that is conceded by Paul Bloom of Yale University, but it is not a formative agent. In his paper, â€Å"Religion, Morality, Evolution,† he accepts that religion can be a guiding influence on a positive path. However, he points out that it is by no means the reason for morality, and that religion itself may just be an accident by which humans needed an answer to questions that they couldn’t fathom without the help of a deity. Necessity dictates that there should be some rather fueled individuals on a topic as flammable as the topic of morality and religion. Speaking as an outsider looking in, I cannot very well use the words of Christopher Hitchens, though I would love to dearly, because he was so against religion. While he was indeed logical in most of his claims, he was a self-described anti-theist, meaning that he was against a spectating deity who watched over each individual. Thus, his words would seem rather biased. However, Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist, and Sam Harris, a well-known neuroscientist, are individuals who speak strictly through logical and provable means. Richard Dawkins posed the same point as Paul Bloom that religion is most likely an accident through evolution that was used as a possible answer to the world’s greatest questions, and Harris poses multiple reasonable points. The most relevant, though, is that if the bible were the only book in the world, it would be rational to use it as a basis for morality. However, because the bible is not the only book in the world and society is far more civilized now than it was when the bible was conceived, it is reasonable to assume that the bible is not the best book for building a moral compass. To end on a rather short note, there are few, if any, scientific studies arguing that religion is the factory that builds moral compasses. However, there are studies being conducted which follow Pyssiainen’s and Hauser’s and should end up corroborating their finds that morality works independently of religious constructs and confines. Thus, it is both rational and reasonable to assume that, after looking through history at the reasons for extreme wrongdoings and the social situations that facilitated them, and the evidence against opposing claims, morality is indeed intrinsic to our human nature and that it is simply augmented by outside forces, such as good religion. References Bloom, Paul, Religion, Morality, Evolution (January 2012). Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 63, pp. 179-199, 2012. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn. com/abstract=1982949 or http://dx. doi. org/10. 1146/annurev-psych-120710-100334 Cell Press (2010, February 9). Morality research sheds light on the origins of religion. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 12, 2013, from http://www. sciencedaily. com /releases/2010/02/100208123625. htm Harris, Sam. Letter to a Christian Nation. New York: Random House, Print. Harris, Sam. The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason. New York: W. W. Norton, Print. Pyysiainen, Hauser et al. The origins of religion Q1 : evolved adaptation or by-product? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, February 8, 2010 â€Å"The Nature of Morality and Moral Theories. † Morality and Moral Theories. University of San Diego. Web. 12 May 2013. .

Conjugating Spanish Verbs in the Conditional Tense

The conjugation of the conditional tense is fairly straightforward, because all three types of verbs (-ar, -er and -ir) use the same ending, and the ending is applied to the infinitive rather than to a portion of the verb. Also, there are few irregular verbs in the conditional. These are the endings that are applied to turn an infinitive to a verb in the conditional tense: First-person singular (I): -à ­aSecond-person singular (familiar you): -à ­asThird-person singular (he, she, formal you): -à ­aFirst-person plural (we): -à ­amosSecond-person plural (familiar you): -à ­aisThird-person plural (they, familiar you): -à ­an As an example, here are the conjugated forms of vivir (to live) using the same pattern as is applied to all regular verbs. Yo vivirà ­a, I would liveTà º vivirà ­as, you (informal singular) would liveUsted, à ©l, ella vivirà ­a, you (formal singular), he, she would liveNosotros, nosotras vivirà ­amos, we would liveVosotros, vosotras vivirà ­ais, you (informal plural) would liveEllos, ellas ustedes vivirà ­an, they, you (plural formal) would live You may notice that the endings attached to the infinitives are the same as the endings of haber in the imperfect, just as the endings attached to infinitives to make the future tense are the same as the endings of haber  (but with added accent marks) in the present tense. And theres another similarity with the future tense: Some verbs are irregular in the future tense in that the ending is attached to a variation of the stem rather than to the infinitive. The same verbs that are irregular in the future tense are irregular in the conditional, and in the same way. So just as the first-person future of tener is tendrà © instead of tenerà ©, the first-person conditional of tener is tendrà ­a instead of tenerà ­a. The same pattern is followed for the other persons, with this being the full conjugation of tener in the conditional: tendrà ­a, tendrà ­as, tendrà ­a, tendrà ­amos, tendrà ­ais, tendrà ­an. Common Verbs With Irregular in the Conditional Here are the most common verbs that are irregular in the conditional: Caber (to fit): cabrà ­a, cabrà ­as Decir (to say): dirà ­a, dirà ­as Haber (to have): habrà ­a, habrà ­as Hacer (to do or make): harà ­a, harà ­asPoder (to be able): podrà ­a, podrà ­as Poner (to put): pondrà ­a, pondrà ­as Querer (to want): querrà ­a, querrà ­as Saber (to know): sabrà ­a, sabrà ­asSalir (to leave): saldrà ­a, saldrà ­as Valer (to be worth): valdrà ­a, valdrà ­as Venir (to come): vendrà ­a, vendrà ­as The other verbs that are irregular in the conditional are based on these verbs. For example, proponer follows the pattern of poner, and deshacer follows the pattern of hacer. Finally, here are some examples of sentences using the conditional: Te amarà ­a si supiera tu nombre. I would love you if I knew your name.No comprarà ­amos tantas cosas. We would never buy so many things.Si me preguntan, yo dirà ­a que lo mejor es decir no. If they ask me, I would say that the best thing is to say no.Nos decà ­an que no saldrà ­amos vivos. They told us we would not leave alive.Si recomendaran mi libro  ¿lo leerà ­an ustedes? If they were to recommend my book, would you read it?