Courtney Gilles

AGED380 Final Questions 

1. In order to be successful over the course of the semester, there are

many important first steps to take. I believe one of the most important
steps to take after assembling your team is to discuss ground rules.
Ground rules are important because they establish specific guidelines
of how the team will conduct itself. Simple ground rules help establish
open, respectful dialog. Some common ground rules I would suggest
would be to listen attentively, to not be afraid to actively challenge
your teammates, and to have fun! In addition to setting ground rules, I
believe it is important to allow the team to bond through outside
activities, such as going out to dinner or other social events in order to
find common interests as well as differences among teammates. Group
cohesion is important as it allows for a comfortable environment, open
communication, commitment, and trust. When a team has bonded and
has formed that cohesion, tough decision-making becomes easier and
conflict becomes much smoother. I would also want to establish a
common meeting time. Organizing meetings are necessary to
accomplish objectives, help provide explicit barometers of success,
allow a time for members to hold each other accountable. In addition,
meetings can be motivating and fun if you add teambuilding activities
or set aside time for social gatherings!

I think it is extremely important to recognize that building

relationships is just as important as the tasks at hand. I believe if you
do not have strong relationships, then you have no foundation for
accomplishing tasks. As relationships among the team become
stronger, I would then start shifting gears to more task oriented
behavior. This is important, as tasks behaviors further the
accomplishment of goals and establishes a timeline to accomplish
those goals. I also want the team to realize that even though my title is
“task manager” I want to focus on reducing power distance. I want my
followers to have opportunities in which they can contribute and utilize
their talents within the team. Finally, I believe as a task manger you
have to understand that there is a difference between leading and
managing. A manager would include such tasks as quality control and
monitoring direction in a short-term setting. If this project in LAS100
became something our team saw a sustainable project, we would need
to incorporate both leadership and management skills. Leaders, with
the help of their followers, determine direction, define values, and
ultimately transform the members of the team, thus helping create
sustainable change.
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2. There are a few options in dealing with the conflict at hand.

The first option would be to ultimately do nothing, try to ignore
the delayed response and ignore the fact that Marc is
complaining about you to other teammates. Fortunately, after
taking AGED380, I would realize that utilizing this option would
not work; you cannot ignore a conflict because the majority of
the time, it will resurface. Reaching out to reengage in a conflict
rather than avoiding the issue produces opportunities to move
towards resolution. The second option in resolving this conflict
would be to approach Marc. Before actually approaching Marc
there would be a few steps I would take. I would allow myself a
cooling down period, a time to think about what I am going to
say and work on not letting my emotions get in the way of what I
want to express. I would gather what I have learned about
emotional intelligence; when you are better able to recognize
your emotions early you then have greater control over how you
choose your response. It is also important to realize that conflict
is not negative; conflict is a manifestation of people’s
differences. It is important to focus on how to solve the
problems caused by these differences. To solve these
differences, it involves an open and vigorous debate of issues. It
is about fostering open, honest discussion and at the same time
keeping conflict form turning personal. The major question at
play is “Has this team developed a sturdy foundation of trust?” It
is nearing the end of the summer, so I am assuming there has
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been some sort of trust developed. Expressing or disclosing

emotions rather than acting out those emotions builds greater
trust and deeper dialog. When there is a foundation of trust,
team members are willing to express their feelings more openly
and are more willing to unveil their vulnerabilities. When
approaching Marc I will remember that the single most powerful
tool is perspective taking. It is about having empathy for their
feelings, regarding his values, and approaching Marc’s
perspective of the conflict with interest and curiosity rather than
with attacks. When stating my perspective, I would try to use I
statements-“This is how I feel” and pay close attention to my
feedback wording using statements of “yes and…” rather than
“yes but…”Finally, I would seek to collaborate with him, finding a
new solution to the conflict. I would also be up for
compromising-I would not mind giving in a little to accommodate
his needs.

3. To start out with, a leader must realize that diversity can be

positive. When there is a diverse team there is an opportunity
for greater perspective taking, more ideas are thrown onto the
table, more efficient brainstorming sessions can occur, and
creativity can be increased. Group synergy is often high, as a
whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Because of the
increased speed of innovation, there is often the potential for
increased productivity. As much as there are benefits to
diversity, there come a few costs as well, in particular when
dealing with communication or conflict management. A diverse
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team is at greater risk for conflict, but as a leader it is important

to understand that not all conflict is bad. Since culture is so
closely related to our identities and the ways we make meaning,
conflict between diverse teams might be inevitable. Conflict
itself leads to innovation, creativity, and encourages teammates
to challenge each other, such as when those teammates ask
“why” questions. As a leader, one needs to understand that
conflict on diverse teams often arise through errors. Such errors
could include the fundamental attribution error-deciding the
motivation of a person based on personal characteristics rather
than the environment, the first impression error-judging a
teammate’s ability to complete a task, get along with others
based on the first meeting, and selective perception-choosing to
pay attention only to factors that confirm an already held belief.
These errors often cause stereotyping, put pressure on
teammates, and cause emotional distrust because you are
simply making assumptions that are wrong. One has to
remember that culture is multilayered-what you see on the
surface or your preconceived biases is never a better substitute
than that of building relationships, sharing experience, or getting
to know others on a deeper level. Diverse teams that are not
successful usually lack some sort of trust. In order to build trust
among teammates, one must acknowledge and respect
differences, create space for dialog, and ultimately be an ally for
your teammates. It is also important as a leader to recognize
your own privileges within a diverse team. This shows
vulnerability, which allows others on your team to open up about
their own weaknesses. As a result of open communication, trust
is gradually formed within the team. Same as with any conflict
management, a leader has to remember that the conflict should
be about an idea, not the person and intervention of the conflict
requires trust and empathy for others. In some cases, a leader
must be able to allow the conflict to continue, and it is the role of
the leader to allow this conflict to occur in an environment where
communication is open and non-threatening. A golden rule of
thumb when leading in a diverse team is to set the ground rule,
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This
statement will remind your teammates about understanding
perspectives and ways to manage conflict. Engaging in
communication within a diverse team also allows others to see
those different perspectives, and allows others to become more
effective and active listeners. Through communication you can
dig deeper to find those commonalities rather than those
differences. Though culture is powerful, it is often invisible.
Culture is more than surface characteristics such as race and
ethnicity. Someone once mentioned that culture is like an
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iceberg largely submerged. Icebergs unacknowledged can be

dangerous and it is impossible to make choices about them if we
do not know their size or place. Allowing your team to engage in
conflict and open communication will allow the team to see
beneath the tip of the iceberg. Once we reach below the surface
and see both the similarities and differences, we will be able to
uncover teammates values and origins of their communication
styles, thus helping better understand each other and become
closer as a team.
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A leader must realize that they cannot accomplish what they set out to
do without the help of their followers. In order to maintain
followership, there must be a delicate balance between task and
relationship behaviors. Within task behaviors there must be
productivity management, deadlines to meet, and goals to be
accomplish in order to become successful. Relationship oriented tasks
would include motivating and fun teambuilding exercises and working
on interpersonal relationships within the team. From what we have
learned in class, leading a team is like both a science and an art.
Leading a team is like science as it includes logical and concrete
objectives of setting agendas and ground rules, in addition to finding
and constructing a vision or mission statement. Leading is also an art;
it is applying those skills and knowledge about leadership and
followership, but being flexible to new ideas and creative in how to
achieve team goals/mission. It is also important to let your followers
know that they are valued. As a leader, always try to eliminate
potential power struggles and avoid what people call “toxic leaders.”
Followers who stick with toxic leaders have a need for security and
comfort, a need to feel chosen, a need for membership, a fear of
ostracism, and a fear of powerlessness. There are better ways to allow
your teammates to feel secure and valued than to become a
controlling, toxic leader. Good followership and needs of followers are
met through motivation, not control. As a leader, it is your role to
practice transformational leadership. Very effective leaders and
transformational leaders go beyond the matching of goals and skills,
but also attempt to match their behaviors, communication styles, and
rewards with the need and desires of followers. A leader simply does
not point to a location and tell his/her followers to go there. Successful
leaders not only teach their followers how to lead but how to be star
followers as well. From what we learned in class, star followers are
those who think for themselves and are active problem solvers. When
they disagree with the leader, they find constructive ways to handle
the conflict. The desires of followers will be met when the followers
themselves realize that they add value by being who they are and
have confidence knowing that they bring their own individual strengths
to that team. A great leader will allow opportunities for their followers
to take on leadership roles according to their strengths. This will allow
greater trust and accountability to grow within the team. Followers will
start to learn that they, too, can become catalysts for change and
being star followers will inspire others into following. Through the
switching of roles between leaders and followers, one will know what it
is like to be in both positions, which will build cohesion among the
team, help clarify goals, and generate enthusiasm! This will also work
on reducing the power distance and allow both follower and leaders to
speak their mind when the time is right. This switching of roles will
thus generate a stronger bond among team members. Both leaders
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and followers will then understand different perspectives and realize

that is it not always easy being a leader or a follower. In order to meet
my followers desires, I believe it is important that a consensus decision
be made on a vision. A shared vision and/or mission between leaders
and followers will result in higher motivation, will generate enthusiasm,
and build cohesion as everyone feels apart of something greater. By
undertaking these few suggestions about followership, a leader can
start working on meeting the desires and needs of his or her followers.