Developing leaders, conflict resolution, problem solving

Developing leaders in the workplace can be a challenging endeavor. For organizations to be successful, however, a number of leadership skills are required from both the leader and from those who report to the leader. The challenge is that, despite the preponderance of literature relating to leadership, leadership is still not completely understood. Leadership lacks a clear, singular definition and measuring leadership effectiveness can be exceedingly challenging. Wicker (2021) recognizes the challenges leaders face and recommends a proactive approach to developing others to lead. Developing leaders creates challenges of its own as leadership development can lead to the promotion of individuals who are not fit for their roles as leaders. Narcissists, for example, tend to promote quickly within organizations (Brouns et al., 2020). However, narcissistic leaders tend to look out for themselves and are not necessarily viewed as the most effective leaders. Beyond possessing title of leader, there are many responsibilities the leader must be willing to undertake including the development of others, conflict resolution, and problem solving.

Developing Leaders

Nghe et al. (2020) assert early development of leaders reduces recruiting expenses, increases organizational continuity, and decreases the stress associated with role transitions. A failure to adequately prepare others to step into leadership roles results in lost opportunities for the organization. Although Nghe et al. identified the need to develop leaders within the organization, even internal leadership development is not without it challenges. Vasquez et al. (2021) found when attempting to motivate others, leaders may face issues of skepticism from employees. Though leaders may be perceived as more effective when they regulate their emotions, these same leaders may have their motives questioned when attempting to influence the emotions of others. When the leader’s motives are viewed as being pro-social, the leader may not necessarily be more effective at developing leaders, but the leader may be able to buffer other actions which may be perceived as egocentric. The leader must, therefore, be able to present him or herself in a manner which will generate a positive response from followers. Such behavior is important in developing leaders and with resolving conflict.

Conflict Resolution

Al Halbusi et al. (2020) note that an ethical organizational climate has a substantial impact on the members of the organization. With a strong ethical climate, employees are likely to engage in behaviors which are consistent with the organizational atmosphere. Creating an environment which supports an open dialogue and promotes a culture of trust will have great implications as it relates to resolving organizational conflicts. It will be the responsibility of the leader to facilitate these conversations and to ensure the ethical climate and a high degree of trust are upheld during times of conflict. Roque et al. (2020) assert maintaining an ethical environment is so important for leaders that a failure to create an ethical climate at all levels of the organization will bear an impact on the organizations ability to sustain itself. When viewing this assertion in terms of conflict resolution, one can see the importance of ethics immediately. In an ethical organization where the fabric of the culture is woven from trust and open dialogue, conflict resolution will naturally be more productive. In an organization where narcissism and egocentric ideals abound, conflicts will likely persist and impact the productivity of the organization. Therefore, leadership development must not only focus on developing leaders, but must also focus on establishing and ethical climate which allows organizational members to resolve conflicts and solve problems.

Problem Solving

One aspect of problem solving within organizations has been the development of interpersonal teams. Cavanaugh et al. (2021) assert a driving force behind establishing such teams is the need for collaboration among professionals with varying degrees of experience, education, and backgrounds to help solve complex organizational problems. The use of interpersonal teams has been shown to improve outcomes, prevent errors, reduce the incidence of safety related problems, and establish positive relationships among employees and clients. Forming interpersonal teams, therefore, can help to solve or prevent problems from arising in the workplace to begin with. However, teams are not the panacea for solving organizational problems. As with any other aspect of organizational performance, the leaders bear a direct impact on the productivity of the organization.

Mrak & Kvasić (2021) assert authentic leadership, described as being a follower-centric leadership style, may have a positive impact on the organization. Specifically, the authors sought to determine the impact of authentic leadership on employee job satisfaction. The results of Mrak  Kvasić’s study indicated a positive correlation between authentic leadership, job satisfaction, and employee performance. Another positive attribute noted in the study was that authentic leadership can be developed through education and training. The implication of this study is that problems can be solved or prevented by taking a proactive approach to educating and training leaders to employ an authentic style of leadership. Taking a proactive approach to educating and training leaders is one strategic measure leaders can take to prevent the problems associated with poor performance and a dissatisfied workforce.

Conclusion

Leadership is a very complex phenomenon which is essential to building, growing, and sustaining teams and organizations. Leadership has its place in organizational ethics, conflict resolution, and problem solving. Studies have shown that leadership requires strategy and teamwork (Cavanaugh et al., 2021). Research has shown that leadership styles can impact the organization, the individual employee, job satisfaction, and work performance (Mrak & Kvasić, 2021). Though attempts have been made to measure leadership performance, following a thorough study of leadership, it becomes clear the impact a leader has may be immeasurable.

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