Igor Kotlyar

Leading Conflict?: Linkages Between Leader Behaviors and Group Conflict.

This article is intended to contribute to the creation of a theoretical framework for more fully assessing the nature of the relationship between leadership styles and group conflict. The authors report the results of a laboratory study conducted to assess the connection between leadership behaviors and the levels of cognitive and affective conflict generated in decision-making groups. The findings support the assertion that differences in leadership behaviors can trigger different levels of cognitive and affective conflict among group members. Behaviors reflective of the transformational style of leadership demonstrated the greatest capacity to motivate group members to constructively debate ideas. However, in contrast to transactional and external leader behaviors, transformational leadership behaviors also showed a greater capacity for igniting affective conflict among group members.

Falling Over Ourselves to Follow the Leader Conceptualizing Connections Between Transformational Leader Behaviors and Dysfunctional Team Conflict

Recently, there has been growing interest in more fully examining the situational conditions under which the positive effects of charismatic or transformational leadership are actually achieved. The positive impact of transformational leadership on follower performance has received wide support in the literature. However, much less is known about the impact of transformational leadership on team performance. Although a number of authors have attempted to connect transformational leadership with higher levels of team performance, there has been little effort to delineate the relationship between transformational leadership and teamwork processes or skill sets. This article offers a conceptual examination of the potential link between transformational leadership behavior and the generation of dysfunctional team conflict. Although traditionally praised as a powerful and superior form of leadership style, we suggest that transformational leaders have the potential to unwittingly ignite disproportionately high levels of affective team conflict.

Do “rising stars” avoid risk?: status-based labels and decision making

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine how status-based labels, based on future capabilities, can impact peoples risk tolerance in decision making. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the authors developed and tested theoretical arguments using a set of three studies employing a scenario-based approach and a total of 449 undergraduate business students. Findings – The findings suggest that labeling people in terms of future capabilities can trigger perceptions of public scrutiny and influence their risk preferences. Specifically, the results reveal that individuals who are recipients of high-status labels tend to choose lower risk decision options compared to their peers. Research limitations/implications – The study employed scenarios to examine the issue of employee labeling. The extent to which these scenarios have truly captured the dynamics of labeling is questionable, and future research should employ a field-based study to examine whether the reported effect can be o...

Sources of satisfaction with high-potential employee programs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions that impact Canadian organizations’ satisfaction with their high-potential (HIPO) identifying practices. More specifically, the paper investigated the perceptual lenses used by HR professionals to view their HIPO identification programs and the elements of such programs that impact satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – A structural equations modeling technique was used to analyze responses to a national survey (n=219) conducted through a leading Canadian publication for human resource practitioners. Findings – The results reveal that HR professionals form their perceptions of HIPO identification programs on the basis of perceived effectiveness to accurately identify HIPO employees, fairness and motivation. The results further indicate that the degree of formalization of an organizations approach toward identifying HIPOs is the most impactful element for determining satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – First, the study re...

Learning to lead from outsiders: The value of career communities as a source of external peer coaching

Purpose – An increasingly popular method of facilitating employee and leadership development is via a career community (Parker et al., 2004), where individuals self-organize to obtain career support. This study was driven by the following research question: how do external peer coaching groups – which are a form of career community – impact leadership development? The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a research study that examined one such career community focussed on providing peer coaching for managers in business organizations. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with participants who attended a leadership development program that was based on harnessing a career community for the purpose of peer coaching. The authors report the results of the study and its implications for leadership development programs. Design/methodology/approach – The authors chose a qualitative methodology to conduct this exploratory examination, where the authors conducted in-depth interviews with partici...

The positive side of negative framing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a unique insight into the impact of decision framing and overconfidence on decision‐making effectiveness.Design/methodology/approach – Conceptual with a case study/illustration.Findings – The findings support the papers theoretical assertions regarding the potentially positive impact of negative framing in the context of overconfidence and the potentially negative impact of positive framing under this context.Research limitations/implications – Case study/illustration (not empirical).Practical implications – This research helps identify decision‐making situations which can dramatically alter the effectiveness of decision‐making processes. Decision makers need to know how factors such as overconfidence and framing can enhance or impede the quality of decisions generated.Originality/value – Highly original – it challenges the traditional view of framing and overconfidence as automatic impediments to effective decision making.