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Chapter 13: Conflict & Stress

Conflict and Stress

Case Study: Tough Guy

Group 5

Introduction!

Introduction

Company Profile

  • Investment Bank Hudson Smith Gordon (“Hudson”)
  • “Middle Market” firm (regional based)
  • Orientated toward financial analysis and program trading
  • Hired and maintained large staffs of research analyst
  • Leading expert in wireless carriers

Company Profile

Main Characters

Engagement - Question

The Details

Scenarios

Making the deal with a fast-tracker

  • Chip Mazey had been with Hudson for 10 years
  • “Kiss up, kick down” mantra
  • Nasty reputation among analysts and associates
  • Careful not to show his true colours
  • Initial promotion to VP was postponed for a year

Continued ...

Continued ...

  • Frazer first worked with Mazey was on a multi billion dollar deal
  • VP had a reputation of being “dynamic” and on the “fast track”
  • Initial meeting, Mazey ordered Frazer to stand on a spot in front of his desk
  • Frazer witnessed Mazey’s insulting behaviour toward other associates and analysts
  • Frazer like the job and how well he fit in despite being heavily reprimanded on a continual basis with that VP as the dynamics on other assignments were in stark contrasts to this

On a need-to-know basis

Jean Fenster, an analyst who worked with Mazey on a few deals, described her experience:

  • Given an assignment at 8pm and expected to finish it by the following morning
  • Completed the assignment with the guidance of a few experienced staff members
  • Mazey question every assumption, explanation and nitpicked her work for an hour.
  • Mazey then ask her to redo the work based on information he forwarded via email.
  • Information was withheld from her secretly.
  • Given a 24 hour deadline but the email indicated that they had 2 weeks before it was even due.
  • Every session with Mazey included a series of derogatory and demeaning remarks directed toward her, from her communication skills, accent and the way she was dressed.

Continued...

Continued...

Rich Patten, who described a couple of experiences with the vice president:

  • During a conference call with a client, Patten was unable to answer a question the client posted
  • Mazey became enraged and began screaming at both him and the other analyst
  • Mazey’s ranting prevented Patten from answering the client’s questions
  • Mazey threw a calculator from his desktop and shattered it against the wall just above Patten’s head
  • Mazey apologised for his outburst but he was tasked to complete the work by the following morning, 8am conference call
  • Patten worked throughout the night and reached the office at 7am to prepare for the call
  • Mazey came to office at 10am and simply told Rich that the meeting was changed
  • Realized that no such meetings were planned

Get to work - everyone!

Payton Edwards has another Mazey characteristic to share:

  • Mazey is a very bright and capable but he demands perfection
  • Treats subordinates as if were less important to him
  • Mazey occasionally gives compliments but to retract it after 5 minutes and request for a redo
  • Force people to do useless, menial tasks like having two staffs complete the exact same task to ensure perfectness.
  • Dislike initiative taking
  • There was a time when Edwards went to Mazey with some ideas, he shot down the ideas and told Edwards to work on the task at hand. When it turned out that the ideas were good, he never gave Edwards credit and pretended that he had thought of them himself.
  • Mazey went out of his way to discredit Edwards by humiliating him in front of public.

Any more questions?

  • Life for support staff working for Mazery was a challenge
  • Micromanagement of his subordinates
  • Mazey provided her with a cell phone to contact her in the middle of the night to work on last minute items and even demand for her immediate return from a vacation for something trivial.
  • Mazey was never polite and will not take no for an answer
  • Mazey also made fun of the secretary who came from a poorer part of the city where she was not allowed to bring her husband to the christmas party as he did not feel it was necessary to pay to feed her husband

So what?

  • Frazer is proud of his accomplishment in his career so far
  • Held a job that would offer even more opportunities
  • He had not expected to get sidetracked over a VP
  • Yet that same VP possessed many of the characteristics Frazer had expected and admired on Wall Street.
  • What should he do with the information gathered on Mazey?

So what?

Summary of Probelms

Problems

Mazey's Behaviour

  • Polite and flattering to superiors but abusive to subordinates
  • Does not admit mistakes and apologise
  • Insulting and derogatory behaviour
  • Knowledge hiding
  • Lies to subordinates
  • Stealing of ideas and discrediting subordinates
  • Forces subordinates to do useless menial task
  • Discrimination towards the poor
  • Micromanagement

Question 3

Question 3

The chapter outlined a number of causes of conflict. Which seem to be prevalent in this case? Feel free to cite some other contributors as well.

What is a Conflict?

  • Interpersonal Conflict:
  • Process that occurs when one person, group or organizational subunit frustrates the goal attainment of another
  • Conflict can revolve around facts, procedures or goals
  • Often involves antagonistic attitudes and behaviours
  • Antagonistic behaviours might include name calling, sabotage, or physical aggression
  • Some examples of conflict in case:
  • ‘Insulting and derogatory behaviour towards other associates and analysts’
  • “Then, still in a rage, Chip grabbed a calculator from his desktop and shattered it against the wall, just above my head!”

Causes of Conflict outlined in Chapter

  • Group Identification and Intergroup Bias
  • Interdependence
  • When subunits are mutually dependent on each other to accomplish their own goals, conflict happens when interests are not coordinated well
  • Each party has power over the other so one party can abuse its power to create antagonism.
  • Differences in Power, Status, Culture
  • Ambiguity
  • Scarce Resources

Group Identification and Intergroup Bias

Group Identification and Intergroup Bias

  • What is intergroup bias?
  • People develop a more positive view of their own “in-group” (eg. their own race, job level, team) and a less positive view of the “out-group” of which they are not a member
  • Why does intergroup bias occur?
  • Boosts self- esteem and provides comforting feelings of social solidarity when one identifies with the success of one’s own group and dissociates oneself from out-group failures
  • Might be based on personal characteristics, job function or job level
  • Might be accentuated by real differences in power, opportunity, clients serviced etc.

Interdependence

Interdependence

  • Definition of Interdependence:
  • “The dependence of two or more people or things on each other.”
  • How does conflict due to interdependence happen?
  • Interdependence necessitates interaction between parties so they can coordinates their interests
  • Individuals or subunits are mutually dependent on each other to accomplish their own goals
  • Each party has some power over the other
  • Easy for one side or the other to abuse its power and create antagonism

Differences in Power, Status, Culture

Differences in Power, Status, Culture

  • Difference in Power:
  • Power - Capacity to influence others who are in a state of dependence
  • Dependence is not mutual but one way
  • Manager has ability to compel the worker to do what they might not want or agree with
  • Resentment of the worker towards the boss
  • Status:
  • Little impetus for conflict when people of lower status are dependent on those of higher status
  • Conflict might arise when employees of lower status give orders to people of higher status
  • Culture:
  • Clash in beliefs and values can result in conflict

Ambiguity

Ambiguity

  • What is Ambiguity?
  • Quality of being open to more than one interpretation
  • Ambiguous goals, jurisdictions or performance criteria can lead to conflict
  • Formal and informal rules that govern interaction break down
  • Difficult to accurately assign praise for good outcomes or blame for bad outcomes
  • Ambiguous performance criteria is a frequent cause of conflict between managers and employees

Scarce Resources

Scarce Resources

  • Scarce Resource:
  • Resource with limited availability
  • Certain parties obtain control over scarce resources
  • Differences in power are magnified
  • Competition for scarce resources increase conflict

Prevalent Case

Prevalent Cause of Conflict

Prevalent Cause of Conflict

  • Difference in Power:
  • Power - Capacity to influence others who are in a state of dependence
  • Dependence is not mutual but one way
  • Manager has ability to compel the worker to do what they might not want or agree with
  • Resentment of the worker towards the manager
  • Examples:
  • “Kiss up, kick down”
  • “Chip was very careful not to show his true colours when senior management was within earshot”
  • “As vice president, Mazey’s swagger and bravado increased exponentially”

Other Causes of Conflict

Other Causes of Conflict

  • Ambiguity
  • Ambiguous performance criteria is a frequent cause of conflict between managers and employees
  • “Occasionally, this man would complement me for a ‘job well done,’” Yet within five minutes, Mazey would come back with some reason why it wasn’t “quite right” and force him to redo his work”
  • Scarce Resources
  • “Made a lot of money for the company and that translated into wielding a lot of power”
  • As Vice-President, Chip controls the amount of information that people receive
  • “She was shocked to learn that the VP was privy to additional information before he handed her the assignment, information that would have made it easier to complete the work”

Other Contributors to Conflict

Other Contributors to Conflict

  • Chip:
  • Chip is a bully
  • Chip abuses his power (from Chapter 12 - Unethical behaviour)
  • Chip might be a sociopath
  • Organization:
  • Wall Street - “Culture that breeds greed”
  • Culture that facilitates bullying
  • Lacks clear policies on professional behaviour
  • Opaque company structure - only means of communication between upper management and workers is 360 reviews

Summary

  • Main cause of conflict is the difference in power
  • Chip’s position of power allows him to bully the workers without much retribution
  • Chip abuses his position of power at the expense of the workers
  • High conflict personality (Chapter 12)
  • Chip is able to cultivate the right people to stay in position as VP
  • Chip is a bully
  • Organizational structure exacerbates the problem
  • Greater focus on Chip’s ability to earn money than his relationship with coworkers
  • Lack of transparency between upper management and workers

Question 4

Question 4

The chapter discusses 5 modes of managing conflict: avoiding, accommodating, competing, compromise, and collaborating. What mode does Chip Mazey employ? What mode does his staff employ?

5 Modes of Managing Conflict

Chip Mazey

Competing towards subordinates

Competing towards subordinates

  • High Assertiveness
  • “More than a few times, (Mazey) called in the middle of the night and demanded (Salaberrios’) presence at the office. Many times he had already sent a car to get Salaberrios before she said yes”
  • “One time, (Salaberrios) was vacationing in Tunisia, and (Mazey) called to demand her immediate return.”
  • “Was never polite, and refused to take no for an answer.”
  • Low Cooperativeness
  • “Demands complete perfection and treats subordinates as if they were subservient to him and only him.”
  • “Withhold additional information (from Fenster) which would have made it easier to complete the work.”
  • “Handed (Fenster) an assignment (which would typically take a novice at least three days to finish) at 8pm, instruct her to have it finished by next morning, even though they had two weeks before it was even due.”

Accommodating towards superiors

Accommodating towards superiors

  • Low Assertiveness
  • “Was very careful not to show his true colours when senior management was within earshot.”
  • High Cooperativeness
  • “Followed the “kiss up, kick down mantra.”
  • “Had always been submissive to upper management.”

Jeremy Frazer

  • Avoiding towards Mazey
  • Low Assertiveness
  • “Felt uneasy being treated rudely by Mazey, but decided not to mention anything.”
  • “Believes that it is better to let things go.”
  • Low Cooperativeness
  • “work on multiple assignments, reporting to various other managers at the same time.”

Jeremy Frazer

Jean Fenster

  • Accommodating towards Mazey
  • Low Assertiveness
  • “Redo her work as requested by Mazey without complaining (even though she believes she was unfairly treated)”.
  • High Cooperativeness
  • “Sat through the whole night cracking the assignment and finally what (Frenster) thought was a pretty comprehensive product.”
  • “Arrive back at the office at least 15 minutes before Chip, ready to answer any questions.”

Jean Fenster

Rich Patten

  • Accommodating towards Mazey
  • Medium Assertiveness
  • “Considered going to speak with the vice president who hired him about Mazey’s behaviour, but changed his mind after Mazey apologized.”
  • High Cooperativeness
  • “Spent the entire night working, arrived home at 4:30 am, slept for an hour and a half, and then returned to the office at 7am, went to Chip’s office only to find it empty.”

Rich Patten

Payton Edwards

  • Accommodating towards Mazey
  • Low Assertiveness
  • “Ideas shot down and later stolen by Mazey (only rant but does not act upon it). ”
  • High Cooperativeness
  • “Went to Mazey with ideas on topics to research ongoing deals”

Payton Edwards

Gabriela Salaberrios

  • Accommodating towards Mazey
  • Low Assertiveness
  • Does not, or unable to refuse Mazey’s requests
  • High Cooperativeness
  • Returned to office due to Mazey’s call in middle of night
  • Returned halfway during vacation due to Mazey’s demand

Gabriela Salaberrios

Summary

  • Chip Mazey - Competing towards subordinates
  • Holds promise as Mazey has a lot of power towards his subordinates.
  • Chip Mazey - Accommodating towards superiors
  • Useful in building goodwill with his superiors.
  • Staffs - Avoiding and Accommodating towards Mazey
  • Does not hold sufficient power to hold their grounds against Mazey.
  • Most learned to work around Mazey’s behavior, as asserting one’s own concern might jeopardize one’s chance of being promoted.
  • Some avoids Mazey by working on other projects, reporting to other managers at the same time.
  • These are typical styles employed by managers and subordinates when power differences is exaggerated and abused.

Question 7

Despite his obvious reputation, how has Chip managed to retain his position of power?

Main Points

1) Fear & Stress

2) Capability

3) Power & Politics

Main Points

Current Situation

  • “Kiss up, kick down” - verbal abuse to his subordinates but never shows his true colours to the senior management
  • Told Fenster(Analyst) the wrong deadline and asked her to finish task with insufficient material
  • Lying, lack of respect
  • Called Gabriela (Administrative assistant) in the middle of the night and demanded presence at office, even during vacations- unreasonable
  • Made Rich Patten (Co-worker) come to work early for an apparent meeting that was never planned because he could no answer client’s questions - punishment, lying

Fear

Fear

  • Abusive Supervision (Page 481-482)
  • When managers engage in the bullying of subordinates (Bullying is the repeated negative behavior that is directed towards one or more individuals of lower power or status).

  • Victims (Frazer and the subordinates) feel powerless to deal with the penetrator(Chip). (“...thought they had no power to change.”)

  • Fear of confronting Chip
  • Uncomfortable Situation that might be created from escalating the discussion to Chip’s Boss

Capability

Capability

  • Expert Power (Page 434)
  • “He’s very bright and certainly very capable” - Payton Edwards
  • A valuable asset to the company
  • Has long experience (10 years)
  • Specialization and high level position (expert in wireless carriers)
  • Effectiveness

  • → Corresponds to difficulty of replacement

Power & Politics

Power & Politics

  • Superiors (Page 436)
  • Obtaining and retaining power though cultivating the right people (Chip’s Boss)
  • “Kiss up Kick down” - Nasty reputation among subordinates but, careful not to show his true colours to the senior management
  • Machiavellianism (Page 446)
  • Using various tactics to achieve one’s ends
  • High Machs are known to create a social structure that facilitates their personal goals at the expense of others
  • Advocate the use of lying and deceit to achieve desired goals
  • Insulate themselves from negative social consequences of their tactics
  • Ability to get away with their tactics

Conclusion

Summary

Advice for Frazer

  • Do not confront Mazey. Apply conflict management method such as Accommodating, Compromising or Collaborating.
  • Do an excellent job. This will improve Frazer’s position as he can use his skills as leverage.
  • Do stress relieving activities (E.g. exercise, social group, holiday, etc.). Handling a difficult superior is not an easy task, Frazer have to try his best to have some work-life balance to prevent burnout.

Thank you!

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