A Leader of a Group, Term Paper Example

In my workplace I have had experience as a leader of a group.  While there was a level of conflict in the group that ended in an unfortunate manner, the experience revealed some of the dynamics and repercussions that exist in a group.

Overview

The group took place at a past workplace of mine.  I had worked as an office manager at an accounting firm.  As a leader of the group, I was responsible for the work of my staff and represented the definitive leader in our workplace.

The other members of the group held various positions under me.  For instance, we had assistants at the accounting firm who would perform such work.   For the most part, we worked well together and I was able to manage the workers effectively in the necessary areas that were dictated by our work.

Communication

The communication in the workplace was along expected guidelines.  As a manager I learned how to effectively communicate with my co-workers, which helped develop effective communication skills within our group that are not inborn, as Gamble and Gamble state (p. 5).  These foundations help set the stage for further communication techniques.

In my time as a manager I was able to open up further lines of communication between myself and the workers at the accounting firm.  Once a month I decided to treat my staff to lunch.  This I felt was a beneficial way to establish further dialogue.

In these lunches communication was heightened within my staff and myself.  I saw this as an opportunity for my staff to voice whatever concerns they may have had.  It also served as a way to praise my staff, and for them to positively communicate with others.  The lunches also allowed for us to establish dialogue outside of a work setting, which was beneficial.

Conflict

Conflict arose after I took a leave of absence from the workplace.  I had taken some time off in order to return to school.  However, in this period of time, there were some personal developments between a couple of people who I managed that caused a great deal of conflict and stress in the office.

When I returned there was already a great deal of stress from the conflict that occurred when I was away.  I had learned that one of my assistants, a female worker, informed a male employee of her feelings for him.  However, he did not reciprocate her advances, which caused the tense nature of the workplace.

Previously the assistant had done an extremely good job.  I was very much pleased with her work, which exceeded expectations and the standard of work for her position.  However, after this event, things changed quite drastically.

After the event the conflict and tension in the workplace was immense.  The assistant spent most of the day either crying in her office, or interacting in an extremely negative way with the staff.  Her communication and work after the event were non-existent and inappropriate, respectively.

These events continued for a full week.  Needless to say, there was a great deal of conflict and tension in the office that interrupted the work environment in the firm.  The staff was extremely affected by the actions and behavior of the assistant, which created a work environment that was less than feasible.  It was clear by my assessment of the situation that this could not continue, as the staff continued to deal with the unfortunate actions of the assistant after the event.

After a week of the assistant’s actions, I decided to fire her.  The effective communication techniques for conflict resolution were not successful, as the assistant was well past the point of effective communication techniques as outlined by Gamble and Gamble (p. 324).  While it was unfortunate to lose such a valued member of my staff, her work and behavior were both extremely disappointing.  The result of the conflict was a work environment that was not conducive for work to be completed, nor the respect of each individual in the resulting environment.

Conclusion

The leadership role I took on in the accounting firm was valuable.  Although the conflict that took place ended on a negative note, I feel that such dynamics can at times be out of one’s control.  While I made definite attempts to build meaningful relationships between my staff and encourage communication, such examples of conflict may occur at times.

My staff was able to move on from the events and re-establish a positive work environment.  These unfortunate types of situations are able to be remedied with just responses, although the one I had to make was rather strong.  At any rate, I feel that I did everything I could as a leader in my office setting to work things out.  However, the assistant did not react or make a positive attempt to do so.

References

Gamble, Teri and Michael Gamble. Communication Works. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009.