What I found interesting about your post is that, even within a female-dominated organization, there is still the struggle of inclusion for women resuming part-time work after maternity leave. Unfortunately, there is still the mindset that making accommodations for family means lower productivity and contribution. I actually think that when proper accommodations are made, a person is more productive during their work time because they don’t have the stress of performing at the full-time level (as you referenced about the person feeling that had to be at all meetings)! It’s great that you are working towards more inclusion. You have also reminded me of the importance of clearly communicating expectations and not making assumptions. Thanks.
Response to Sarah’s Learning Activity 2
https://create.twu.ca/sjasmins/2018/11/18/learning-activity-2-2/
I particularly appreciated your analysis of Nugent, Pollack & Travis because the issue of inclusivity is something I have identified, through this learning activity, is a problem during management meetings in my company. You write that Nugent, Pollack and Travis (2016) suggest that we “pay attention to whose voices are being heard, whose opinions are being validated, and who is being ignored or dismissed during meetings, then interrupt these behaviors” (p. 10). This particular quote is relevant in my context because I have noticed that the men in our management meetings typically have more “air time” than the women. They talk more and seem to be listened to more intently. I am going to be actively working to increase the “air time” of the women in my meetings. Thank you for sharing that quote!
Reference
Nugent, J., Pollack, A. & D. Travis, (2016). The Day to day experiences of workplace inclusion and exclusion. Retrieved from http://www.catalyst.org/system/files/the_day_to_day_experiences_of_workplace_inclusion_and_exclusion.pdf
My Leadership Story
Unit 10 – Learning Activity
My aim in taking this MA program is to equip me further equip me in my goal of writing a how-to book on helping lay people in churches to become leaders. Throughout this course, from learning about my weakest the initial Personal Inventory of Servant Leadership to the Light From Many Lamps reflections, I have attempted to apply lessons from the readings to my goal. The weakest aspect in my Personal Inventory of Servant Leadership was listening. One of the most important actions of a servant leader is to “listen receptively to what is being said and unsaid” (Spears, 2010. pg. 27). Reflecting on conversations, rather than immediately offering insight or feedback “is essential to the growth and well-being of the servant leader” (Spears, 2010, pg. 27). If I am to be successful in my leadership context, I need to strengthen my listening skills. Additionally, if I am to work with others in preparing the content for my book, it will be difficult if I jump to conclusions about what others are trying to communicate.
Another important learning from this course has been about transformational leaders and how they have a much greater impact on those they lead, compared with other leadership styles. One of the most interesting actions, to me, of transformational leaders is that they “attend to the needs of their followers and treat each follower as a unique individual” (Wang et al., 2011, pg. 230). As a leader, for simplicity’s sake, it is often easier to assume that groups of people want and need the same thing. In my experience working as a small group leader in my church, neglecting each person’s history and personal experiences can cause great issues and underlying tension within the group. The two learnings from this course that have most impacted my approach to leadership is to act as a servant leader by listening receptively and reflecting on conversations and to ensure I treat each person in my group as a unique individual, not merely as a member of the group.
“The servant leader seeks to identify the will of a group and helps to clarify that will. He or she listens receptively to what is being said and unsaid . . . Listening, coupled with periods of reflection, is essential to the growth and well-being of the servant leader” (Spears, 2010, pg. 27).
Reference
Spears, Larry C. (2010). Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1(1), 25-30.
Light From Many Lamps – Franklin D. Roosevelt
The essence of this last written speech of Roosevelt was, “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be out doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith” (Watson, 1988, p. 309). The context of this writing was very close to the end of the Second World War; April 1945. Roosevelt was exhausted. He had just returned from Yalta. The grueling burdens and problems of the war years had taken their toll, and for some time now he had been ailing. The almost seven thousand mile trip he had just returned from and strenuous sessions there with Churchill and Stalin where they agreed to co-ordinate their military efforts for a swift decisive victory. Much had been accomplished, but much remained to be done; and the president was tired. For two weeks he had spent relaxing at his cottage. A remarkable amount of activity was still carried on with his small staff. Problems weighed heavily on his mind and he gave them much thought and time. There were speeches to think about and plan. The first on his list was to be given in a few days in honour of the Annual Jefferson Day Dinner on April 13, 1945. He finished it on April 11, 1945. The next day , a stunned nation learned that he had died. He never delivered the speech.
A portion of his speech is as follows, “Americans are gathered together this evening in communities all over the country to pay tribute to the living memory of Thomas Jefferson” (Watson, 1988, p. 309). The first part of his speech eulogized Jefferson, the champion of liberty and the defender of the rights of man. “Today this nation, which Jefferson helped so greatly to build, is playing a tremendous part in the battle for the rights of man all over the world” (Watson, 1988, p. 309). Roosevelt expressed high hopes for the future , his dream of a firm and lasting peace, of a happier life for all people, everywhere. “We must conquer doubts and fears . . . We must cultivate the science of human relationships. The work is peace; more than an end of this war” (Watson, 1988, p. 309). His speech by some standards was short. He concluded, “the only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. Let us move forward with strong and active faith” (Watson, 1988, p. 309).
Profound, powerful, uplifting, but a similar speech given today could generate a lot of push-back, controversy, possibly riots, anger and maybe more negative impact than positive. Leaders need to be very careful when referencing any historical character. Teresa Sullivan, president of the University of Virginia, which was founded by Thomas Jefferson, quoted Jefferson and this act triggered intense criticism from hundreds of students and professors because Jefferson had slaves (Egginton, 2018, p. 7).
Closer to home, in Canada, our first prime minister, John A. Macdonald, is being attacked. When teaching a course at Ryerson University last year, I witnessed firsthand the intense attacks on Edgerton Ryerson (whom the university is named after) and protests to have his statue removed from the campus and even further to rename the university. Considering the fact that some of our future team members are, at present, university students it might be wise to understand the convictions that some of them may be adopting. A speaker who was banned from the campus of Williams College, said that students “are advancing the belief that what offends them should not be allowed on campus precisely because it offends them and people who agree with them” (Lukianoff, 2018, p., 50). As leaders, we have to be increasingly sensitive to people’s sensitivities.
The essence of Roosevelt’s speech was inspiration and vision. “Achieving grand visions always requires a burst of energy. Motivation and inspiration energize people, not by pushing them in the right direction as control mechanisms do but by satisfying basic human needs for achievement, a sense of belonging, recognition, of self-esteem, a feeling of control over one’s life, and the ability to live up to one’s ideals” (Knotter, 2011, p. 49). Leaders, “are able to create a following of people who act not because they are swayed, but because they were inspired” (Sinek, 2009, p. 6). People who inspire don’t need to be extraverts, or high energy or profound. When Bill Gates, “speaks, he doesn’t rally a room, he inspires it. Those who hear him take what he says and carry the words for years” (Sinek, 2009, p. 133).
My takeaway from this speech is twofold. First, is the importance of team work as evidenced by his frequent meetings with Stalin and Churchill. Secondly, Roosevelt’s incredible ability to inspire, which is the heart of his speech.
References
Egginton, W. (2018). The Splintering Of The American Mind. New York, NY: Bloombury Publishing.
Knotter, J. (2011). On Leadership. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing.
Lukianoff, G. & Haidr, J.(2018). The Coddling Of The American Mind. New York, NY: Penguin Press.
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Sinek, S. (2009). Start With Why. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
Watson, L. E. (1988), Light From Many Lamps. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Southwest Airlines
What it takes to make money in the airline business is the consistent long-term creative conveyance of the founder’s vision passion and goals. “The stock market value of fun-loving Southwest Airlines exceeds the stock market value of every other U.S. airline put together” (Taylor & Labarre, 2006, p. 55). “Every CEO of Southwest Airlines has known that their first responsibility is to their people. Serve them well and they will serve the customer” (Sinek, 2017, p. 285) Southwest is successful largely because of its evidential support of all of its employees. “Stories of Southwest airlines employee empowerment with regards to customers are the stuff of legend” (Kofman, 2018, p. 147).
Herb Keller, a former CEO of Southwest excels at relating. He said “we are not afraid to talk to people with emotion. We are not afraid to tell them, ‘we love you.’ Because we do” (Ancona & Bresman, 2007, p. 179). “It is clear that the organization’s purpose emerged from the founder, However, less apparent are the sacrifices, self-examination, and hundreds-often thousands of “hard rights” it took to sustain the alignment between the founder’s individual purpose and that of the organization” (Craig, 2018, p. 229). Southwest’s employees “values are a ‘warrior spirit’ (which the airline describes as fearlessness in giving workers everything they need to support customers); a ‘servant’s heart’ (treating others with respect, following the Golden Rule); and a ‘fun-loving attitude” (Kofman, 2018, p. 331).
“Southwest was not built to be an airline. It was built to champion a cause. They just happened to use an airline to do it” (Sinek, 2009, p. 70). Southwest clearly established the “why, how and what” of their organization. “You have to know ‘why’ you do ‘what’ you do. If people don’t buy ‘what’ you do, they buy ‘why’ you do it, do if follows that if you don’t know ‘why’ you do ‘what’ you do, how will anyone else?” (Sinek, 2009, p. 65-66). When the ‘why’, is defined, the question is ‘how’ will you do it. “How are your values or principles that guide ‘how’ to bring your cause to life” (Sinek, 2009, p. 66). “A ‘why’ is just a belief . . . ‘hows’ are the actions you take to realize that belief. And ‘whats’ are the results of those actions” (Sinek, 2009, p. 67). In the employee selection strategy the found said “attitude is very important and has to weighed against experience and skills. Someone with a high IQ, who is a backbiter, is a disaster for your organization. Someone who is outgoing and altruistic and can work convivially will be a huge asset” (Gallo, 2013, p. 13).
The main ingredient that makes money for Southwest is that it “instituted an ‘others first’ organizational philosophy in the management of the company, which starts with how it treats its employees” (Northouse, 2019, p. 238). This is by far the biggest single reason for its success.
One of its ‘competencies,’ might be taken from the fact that “their guiding principles and values stemmed directly from their why and were more common sense than anything else” (Sinek, 2009, p. 71). I emphasize, “were more common sense”, as highly important. Their numerous decisions such as no in-flight meals, only two-tier pricing, no transfer flights and only one kind of airplane make common sense.
One of their strategies is consistency. They do not ‘follow the other guys.’ Southwest Airlines sticks with what works. They are not ‘into the newest thing.’ To execute their strategy Southwest Airlines must clearly, consistently and repeatedly articulate their strategy to all involved or those effected.
I believe Southwest Airline’s strategies are sustainable, but if they don’t change them and diligently enforce them. On the question of whether or not their strategy is imitable, my answer is sort of a yes and a no. I’ll rephrase my answer. The strategy can be replicated, but it won’t be. I preface my reasoning by saying I am a capitalist, I support the stock market and share pricing. The stock market won’t allow a CEO to implement the very long term and expensive changes needed to ‘copy’ the strategy of Southwest. “Investors-who were passive when today’s senior leaders started their careers-have turned unforgiving. (Bossidy & Charan, 2002, p. 15). In short, if earnings fall short of expectations there is serious trouble. For decades the tenure time of CEOs has been shortening. I believe it would take years and a great deal of money to replicate Southwest’s strategy, therefore I do not believe it will ever happen.
References
Ancona, D. & Bresman, H. (2007). X-Teams: How To Build Teams That Lead, Innovate, And Succeed. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review.
Bossidy, L. & Charan, R. (2002). Execution. New York, NY: Crown Business.
Craig, N. (2018). Leading from Purpose. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group.
Kofman, F. (2018). The Meaning Revolution. New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Sinek, S. (2009). Start with Why. New York, NY: Penguin.
Sinek, S. (2017). Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t. New York, NY: Penguin.
Unit 9 – Learning Activity 2
My work is in the graphic arts industry, so I am knowledgeable about both the Canadian and American postal systems. The US system loses large amounts of money each year. Yes, I will acknowledge that both systems generate the bulk of their revenue from parcel delivery but it was largely handed to them. You could argue they took on the new revenue stream out of desperation. In Canada, you will notice that the union is not at the present time engaging in a regular strike; but rather rotating strikes. The answer to this is their largest parcel customer has stated that if there is a national strike, “the customer” will find other carriers to deliver their parcels permanently! Obviously, the postal service (and I) believe the customer. By any standard, having “too many eggs in a basket at the same time,” is a very bad business strategy. I feel that both postal services, for different reasons have done a poor job of using technology for communication and transacting business. My suggestions for the postal services are:
- aggressively seek new sources of revenue.
- Reduce a preponderance of technical rules required of products to be mailed. Because of these rules many products are not mailed.
- Reduce through negotiations with the unions, the complexity of rules which have resulted in a bloated, salaried overhead.
- privatize the postal service.
Walmart, on the other hand, is different. One of the reasons they can so progressively increase their reliance on technology, especially for communication and transacting business is the fact that have historically appreciated the benefits of being probable the world’s largest non-union company in the world. Walmart is now the second largest online shopping company in America behind Amazon, and the gap is narrowing. Walmart has a history of success. At one time Walmart did not sell groceries. Within two years, they were the biggest seller of groceries in America! Groceries now account for 56% of their sales. They have Americas’ largest satellite monitored truck fleet in America. Through technology, one computer can tell how many “toothbrushes” are in each of nearly 5,000 stores – by colour, brand and price! Technology allows them on average to load every truck, on average, to 96% of the cubic feet of each truck. Because of technology, they are able to have a much higher “warehouse turns” than, for instance, Target. From the time a supplier delivers their product to Walmart’s warehouse, until the product is sold, the timeframe is much shorter than all other major retailers.
“Truly great companies of the last hundred years-from Walmart to Walgreens-trace their roots back through generations of technology change” (Collins, 2001, p. 147). Wal-Mart’s stranglehold over the distribution of traditional toys and games, which has resulted in the bankruptcy of fabled F.A.O. Schwartz” (Taylor, 2006, p. 49). Subsequently the bankruptcy of Toys “R” Us happened recently. Walmart’s size is a major reason for their endurance.
Jim Collins, in his influential book, Good To Great, reveals an important concept of core values, “is that there are no specific ‘right’ core values for becoming an enduring great company. A company need not have a passion for its customers (Sony didn’t), or respect the individual (Disney didn’t), or quality (Walmart didn’t), or social responsibility (Ford didn’t) in order to become enduring and great” (Collins, 2001, p. 195). I found Collin’s insight to be profound. According to Collin’s argument, customer focus isn’t necessarily a requirement for success.
Walmart has greatly influenced corporations of all sizes. The CEO of Proctor & Gamble “unleashed a ‘major discontinuities’ in how P&G does business –from globalizing its product introduction strategies in the 1980’s to reckon with the ‘shopper revolution’ at Walmart” (Taylor, 2006, p. 92).
Something that should be said is that Amazon has yet to make a profit. The stock market is betting on the future. The extent of this betting on the future has never occurred, even remotely, in the history of the stock market. I’ll be watching with interest to see Walmart’s attempt of late to have many of their 1.5 million employees deliver packages to customers on their way home from work and get paid for the deliveries. If the strategy works, it is something that Amazon cannot do.
I have two recommendations for Walmart. One is to accelerate their use of technology in processes of moving inventory, merchandise stocking, inner store and corporate communications and check-out. Second would be to continue their continue price strategy. “I cannot debate that dropping the price is not a perfectly legitimate way of driving business; the challenge is staying profitable. Walmart seems to be the exception to the rule. They have built a phenomenally successful business playing the price game” (Sinek, 2009, p. 18).
References
Collins, J. (2001). Good to Great. New York: Harper Collins Publishing.
Sinek, S. (2009). Start with Why. New York: NY: Penguin Group.
Taylor, T. (2006). Mavericks at Work. New York: NY: Harper Collins Publishers.
Unit 8 – Learning 2
Because of this week’s focus on gender discrimination, I have spent time reviewing books I have read recently, but this time looking for references or stories about gender discrimination. Pages that I previously read didn’t impress me about gender discrimination, but with a reread I was greatly impressed with the frequency and intensity of gender discrimination historically and even to the present day.
Historically, gender discrimination was rampant in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. J. Edgar Hoover was president from 1924 to 1972. Hoover “wanted young, energetic white men . . . men like himself” (Anders, 2011, pg. 46). During that time, “women didn’t stand a chance” (Anders, 2011, pg. 35). I found this to be appalling.
There is a common stereotype that woman are more emotional than men (Epley, 2014, pg. 125). Woman smile more often, cry more often and laugh more than men (Epley, 2014, pg. 125). Scientists can actually see people’s “emotional experiences” because they “leave physiological traces” in their minds. Scientists have found that “when people are hooked up to this equipment, research confirms that man and women watching the same emotionally evocative scenes show the same emotional reactions . . . [and] the same intensity” (Epley, 2014, pg. 125-126). What is great is that technology has proven a stereotype to be wrong.
Caroline Turner, author of Different Works: Improving Retention, Productivity, and Profitability Through Inclusion writes that out of the top three reasons women leave the workforce the top reason was child care. But after this, the motivation for leaving a job most frequently given “was lack of engagement or enjoyment in the job” (Huffington, 2014, pg. 25). Turner writes that “for women to be engaged in the workplace, they need to feel valued. And the way many workplaces are setup, masculine ways of succeeding—fueled by stress and burnout—are often accorded more value” (Huffington, 2014, pg. 26). From this, I conclude that if workplaces were not set up in “masculine ways,” fewer women would leave the workplace.
Do I see gender discrimination in the home? Definitely yes. The following is taken from a New York Times article about patterns of marriage, housework, and earnings. The article reported that “wives who earn more than their husbands also do significantly more housework and child care than their husbands do, perhaps to make their husbands feel less threatened” (Rubin, 2017, pg. 158).
Carl Jung, an influential thought leader of the last century promoted analytic psychology, which “cared about the individual’s feelings and experience with an intensity that was unprecedented in American society—a philosophy of emotional attentiveness that was especially pertinent to the nations’ female minds” (Emre, 2018, pg. 89). Even in the mind and philosophy of the influential Carl Jung, woman are overly emotional.
To the question about how I can foster recognition and a sense of belonging for women in my organization, I have thought of the following.
- Develop a “pyramid” management chart that will consist mostly of women.
- Design and print business cards for employees who are on our team. Many are women.
- Highlight key employees (most of them women) on our two websites
- Have more one on one conversations with team members.
- Supply appropriate reading material on the subject of management and leadership to all team members
Because of this study I will be permanently more aware of gender discrimination and ways to reduced it, even in areas of my influence outside of my organization.
References
Anders, G. (2011). The Rare Find. New York, NY: Penguin.
Emre, M. (2018). The Personality Brokers. Random House: Toronto, Canada.
Epley, N. (2015). Mindwise. Vintage Books: New York, NY.
Huffington, A. (2014). Thrive. Random House: New York, NY.
Rubin G. (2017). The Four Tendencies. Harmony Books: New York, NY.
Unit 8 – Learning Activity 1
Greatly summarized, the case study of The Glass Ceiling (Northouse, 2018, p. 412-413) describes the story of Lisa, a competent, confident, experienced, extremely well educated, investment executive who was blatantly discriminated against because of her gender. In spite of outperforming her peers, she was denied promotion. She was publicly discriminated against when the CEO, when seeing Lisa with another woman, “he called out to the men, ‘Hey, guys, two women in one room. That’s scary’.” (Northouse, 2019, p. 412). This obvious gender discrimination is disturbing to me. I would like to think that Lisa would today have grounds for a law suit.
In the light of this article, and other readings in the context of gender discrimination, I have assessed my own organization of 65 people. Half of our sales force is female. Our plant manager and assistant manager are female, three of four departments are led by woman, two of three production managers are female and three out of four of the highest paid salaries are paid to females. However, I acknowledge, that in our management team (of three woman and four men), the men “out talk,” the woman. While this is largely because the men have more technical knowledge in the areas we discuss, I plan on making it my goal to tip the balance of conservation, so it is more balanced.
When thinking about gender discrimination, this week I’ve read of a number of discrimination instances that have received a public profile. For instance, recently there was tremendous backlash again when “women scientists who were told that they might be too distracting to the male scientist in the lab” (Dulski, 2018, p. 27).
Historical evidence of gender discrimination is the fact that not a single woman is pictured on Canadian currency. To address this, Merna Forster “led a successful campaign calling for women to be put Canadian currency . . . [to ensure] woman are recognized for their contributions to society” (Dulski, 2018, p. 172). Eventually Forster was successful, and Viola Desmond was placed on Canadian currency (Dulski, 2018, p. 175).
A woman named Celine Schillinger who worked in a very large organization recognized “that her organization possessed a significant gender imbalance – where the majority of the senior roles were occupied by men and the majority of promotions were awarded to men-Celine wrote a letter to the CEO” (Pontefract, 2016, p. 89). She described the problem and identified ways in which to remedy the situation. The letter went vial throughout the organization. Over 2,500 people supported her. The CEO agreed that gender balance was an issue and changes were made. Her outspoken voice made a difference.
The president of one of the greatest universities in America “opined publicly that perhaps biological differences were responsible for the underrepresentation of woman in science and technology.” (Hennessy, 2018, p. 71). Ten years later after an immensely strong criticism of this opinion, “this struggle continues, as evidences by the famed “Google memo,” containing similar opinions about biology and ability” (Hennessy, 2018, p. 72). As the author says, that in spite of ten years of voluminous push-back against a university president’s, gender discrimination statement, it obviously hasn’t ended the debate.
Kahnweiler writes that female introverts are judged by men “as being ‘cold and unfeeling’” (2018, p. 13). In contrast, these same men do not view male introverts “as cold and unfeeling”. This is clear evidence of gender discrimination. Because of this study I am much more aware of gender discrimination. I plan to more proactive about identifying ways this discrimination shows up in my organization, church and friendship circle.
References
Dulski, J. (2018). Purposeful. New York, NY: Penguin.
Hennessy, J.L. (2018). Leading Matters. Stanford, CA: Standford University Press.
Kahnweiller, J.B. (2018). The Introverted Leader. Oakland. CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Northouse, P.G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Pontefract, D. (2016). The Purpose Effect. Boise, Idaho: Elevate Publishing.
Light From Many Lamps – Will Durant
The essence of this chapter is the question, “What is happiness?” Will Durant’s answer to the question is lengthy, but his definition of happiness is that “there can be no real or lasting happiness without love . . . [and] there can be no fulfillment of life’s ultimate purposes without a successful marriage and a good family life” (Watson, 1986, pg. 246) This definition, the author of the chapter claims, “has inspired many to seek their happiness where they are most likely to find it: in their own homes” (Watson, 1986, pg. 246-247). As an aside, I might ask Durant, if he were alive today, if he would argue an unmarried person can find happiness.
In the various, recognized definitions of what a leader is or does, Durant was not a leader. He had no followers, only readers of his books. However, I believe that it is important for a leader to be happy. I feel it is safe to say that a “happy” leader, is a satisfied person. In the context of a team, individual satisfaction occurs when the team members feel that participating in the management team results in them working together more effectively, when they appreciate their colleagues and their contributions to the team processes and they get energy from the collaboration within the team (Bang & Midefart, as cited in Myrtveit, 2016, pg. 7).
A leader or team member who is happy and satisfied, emulates a happy, satisfied spirit. One of a leader’s skill sets is to oversee constructive controversy. Constructive controversy may motivate an active search for more information and new and more adequate cognitive perspectives “in hopes of resolving uncertainty” (Johnson & Johnson, 1987, p. 21). Constructive criticism may introduce a slowing down of the problem solving but seems to stimulate both individual task performance and “satisfaction” (Johnson & Johnson, 1987, pg. 21). Relationship conflict reduces group members’ individual satisfaction (Wall & Nolan, as cited in Myrtveit, 2016, pg. 14). If teams practice constructive controversy, the team members will not likely so easily interpret new and unexpected information or ideas in a biased manner (Shaw, Zhe, Duffy, Scott & Susanto, as cited in Myrtveit, 2016, pg. 15). The leader who is happy and satisfied will convey such a sense of calmness, control and peace. Constructive controversy should be a major component of team discussions.
In my context of leadership, I encourage constructive controversy because in my experience it opens people’s minds to better ideas, generates a greater acceptance of each team members passions, and ways of thinking. Constructive controversy, releases energy, makes discussions much more interesting and to me at least generates good will. Constructive controversy can become the normal, regular form of discussion only if the team is conveyed a sense of calm, peace, happiness and satisfaction from the leader.
References
Johnson, D.W. & Johnson, R.T. (1987). Learning Together and Alone: Cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Myrtveit, R.B. (2016). The Mediating Effect of Constructive Controversy. (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Watson, L.E. (1986). Lights From Many Lamps. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.