Management Chapter 4 Homework Just Being Nice Employees Will Not Considered

The MBTI™ has helped leaders understand how easily misunderstandings can occur between

people with different preferences. For example, a leader might receive an e-mail message that he

Research reveals some interesting, although tentative, findings. For example, although

extroversion is often considered an important trait for a leader, leaders in the real world are about

equally divided between introverts and extroverts. In regard to the sensing versus intuition

dimension, data reveal that sensing types are in the majority in fields where the focus is on the

New Leader Action Memo: Go to Leader’s Self-Insight 4.5, on page 27 at the end of this

chapter, to complete an exercise that will identify your preferences for the four pairs of

attributes identified by the MBTI™ assessment.

Discussion Question #10: Hallmark Cards discovered that its mid- and upper-level managers

were primarily thinking types, but top executives displayed primarily feeling preferences. Why do

you think this might be?

Notes_________________________________________________________________________

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Leadership Challenge # 7: Understand how to lead and work with people with varied

personality traits.

VI. Working with Different Personality Types

Personality differences can create an innovative environment but also lead to stress, conflict, and

negative feelings. Leaders can work more effectively with different personality types by

following some simple guidelines:

Understand your own personality and how you react to others. Leaders should avoid judging

people based on limited knowledge, and realize that everyone has different facets to their

personality.

Discussion Question #4: The chapter suggests that one way to work effectively with different

personalities is to treat everyone with respect. How might a leader deal with a subordinate who

is perpetually rude, insensitive, and disrespectful to others?

Notes_________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Discussion Questions

Do you agree that self-awareness is essential for being a good leader? Can you think of some

specific negative consequences that might result from a leader not having self-awareness?

Students’ answers may vary. Many of them may say that self-awareness is very much essential

for being a good leader. Self-awareness means being aware of the internal aspects of one’s

nature, such as personality traits, emotions, values, attitudes, and perceptions, and appreciating

how your patterns affect other people. When leaders deeply understand themselves, they remain

Extroversion is often considered a “good” quality for a leader to have. Why might introversion

be considered an equally positive quality?

Not all effective leaders have a high degree of extroversion. A high degree of dominance,

associated with extroversion, could even be detrimental to effective leadership if not tempered by

A survey found that 79 percent of CEOs surveyed fall into the category of being “highly

optimistic,” whereas a much lower percentage of chief financial officers were rated as highly

optimistic. Do you think these differences reflect personality characteristics or the different

requirements of the two jobs? Discuss.

Students’ answers will differ. Some of them may say that the difference reflects personality

characteristics. A personality attribute that has a significant impact on behavior on leadership is

locus of control. Some people believe that their actions can strongly affect what happens to them.

The chapter suggests that one way to work effectively with different personalities is to treat

everyone with respect. How might a leader deal with a subordinate who is perpetually rude,

insensitive, and disrespectful to others?

A good approach to take with a subordinate whose personality type is widely different from the

leader’s (e.g., rude, insensitive, and disrespectful) is to clarify questions every time there’s a

potential for miscommunication. The leader should follow up each question or request with a

What might be some reasons the dimension of “openness to experience” correlates so strongly

with historians’ ratings of the greatest U.S. presidents but has been less strongly associated with

business leaders? Do you think this personality dimension might be more important for business

leaders of today than it was in the past? Discuss.

Open-mindedness is important for a president because leadership is about change. Thomas

Jefferson needed open-mindedness when he wrote the Declaration of Independence because the

colonies were severing ties with England, changing their form of government, and building a

Leaders in many of today’s organizations use the results of personality testing to make hiring

and promotion decisions. Discuss some of the pros and cons of this approach.

One of the pros of the approach is that personality testing can place an employee in a job that

suits his personality under a leader whose style fits his/her personality. Differences in personality

Some of the cons of the approach are:

Leaders and followers can change and require different kinds of leadership styles.

Also, the test instruments are not perfect.

Herrmann believes people can learn to use their “whole brain,” rather than relying only on one or

two quadrants. His research indicates that very few, if any, individuals can be wholly balanced

From Leader’s Self-Insight 4.3, identify four or five values (either instrumental or end values)

that could be a source of conflict between leaders and followers. Explain.

Values affect how leaders relate to others. A leader who values obedience, conformity, and

politeness may have a difficult time understanding and appreciated a follower who is self-reliant,

Do you believe understanding your preferences according to the whole brain model can help you

be a better leader? Discuss.

Students’ answers will differ. Some of them may believe that understanding the preferences

according to the whole brain model can help people be a better leader. First a person can assess

personal preferences and determine the dominant quadrants. Each quadrant is associated with

specific leader behavior. However, Hermann suggests that people can learn to use the “whole

How can leader use an understanding of brain dominance to improve the functioning of the

organization?

Understanding that individuals have different thinking styles helps leaders be more effective in

interacting with followers. Some leaders act as if everyone responds to the same material and

Hallmark Cards discovered that its mid- and upper-level managers were primarily thinking

types, but top executives displayed primarily feeling preferences. Why do you think this might

be?

Students’ answers for this question may vary. Some may say that thinking types rely on logic

and tend to be very objective in decision making. This is important for a leader who must treat

Teaching Tools and Exercises

Leader’s Bookshelf: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan

Cain

From kindergarten on in the United States, students are pressured to be more outgoing and speak

up more in class. In college, grades are sometimes based on class participation, and students who

don’t forcefully push their ideas get sidelined. No wonder by the time we get to the workplace,

Misconceptions About Introverts

Cain’s thoughtful examination, using research studies, historical examples, and individual

stories, explodes some of the myths about introversion.

Introverts are shy and antisocial.

Introverts have a personality flaw.

Introverts don’t make good leaders.

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

No one is totally an introvert or an extrovert. Each of us falls somewhere along a continuum on

the scale of introversion–extroversion. The problem, Cain says, is the tendency in the United

Debate: Personality and ability have major implications for how people feel, think, and behave in

organizations. Now that you have a good understanding of these individual differences, debate the

following issues.

Team A. Organizations should hire prospective employees on the basis of their personality traits.

Team B. Organizations should not select or hire prospective employees on the basis of their

personality traits.

Leadership at Work: Past and Future

Draw a life line below that marks high and low experiences during your life. Think of key

decisions, defining moments, peak experiences, and major disappointments that shaped who you

are today. Draw the line from left to right, and identify each high and low point with a word or

two.

Birth Year: Today’s Date:

What made these valued experiences? How did they shape who you are today?

Now take the long view of your life. In 10-year increments, write below the leader experiences

you want to have. Provide a brief past-tense description of each decade.

What personal skills and strengths will you use to achieve the future?

Leadership Development: Cases for Analysis

I. A Nice Manager

Synopsis

Chisum Industries’ management promotion process was a benchmark for providing lateral

moves as well as promotion to the next level within the company. With offices, plants, and

warehouses located in seven Texas cities, opportunities for the best and brightest were extensive

for middle management employees. The process invited candidates to explore goals, strengths,

and weaknesses and to recount real-life scenarios and accomplishments. The selection team also

Case questions and answers

What does nice mean to you? Do you think nice is a good trait for leaders or the kiss of death?

Students’ answers may vary for this question. Some may say that the word nice means having a

good relationship with the employees. Just being nice to employees will not be considered a

Is nice related to any concepts in the chapter, such as one of the big five personality dimensions,

Myers–Briggs components, or left–right brain dominance? Discuss.

Students’ answers may vary. Some may say that a nice manager might not have a very high

If Harry is passed over for promotion, what feedback and advice would you give him about how

to improve his leadership skills for possible future promotion?

Students’ answers may vary. Some may say that, Harry must learn to manage his employees and

II. Environmental Designs International

Synopsis

Carver was a highly skilled architect and responsible for managing a team of designers in

Environmental Designs International’s (EDI) Chicago office. Although his abrupt personality

had helped him climb the corporate ladder, his intimidating communication style was beginning

to create problems and hamper his ability to get results. Carver learned in his performance

Case questions and answers

At the senior management level, you get hired for competence. You get fired for personality.” In

your opinion, is this statement true or false? How does it relate to Barry Carver and his current

leadership style?

Students’ answers may differ. Many of them may say that the statement is true. Once a person

assumes a senior management position, it is imperative to get followers on board to carry out the

corporate ladder, Carver’s intimidating communication style created problems and hampered his

ability to get results.

Identify the behaviors described in this case that were damaging to Barry Carver’s work

relationships. Why would a manager behave this way? What negative consequences did these

behaviors have on his peers and subordinates?

The behaviors that were damaging to Barry Carver’s work relationships were abruptness,

intimidation, insensitivity, alienating his peers, and displaying anger.

A manger with the personality attribute of authoritarianism would behave this way. Individuals,

like Barry Carver, who have a high degree of this personality trait tend to adhere to conventional

rules and values, obey established authority, respect power and toughness, judge others critically,

How realistic is it that Carver (or anyone) can change his own leadership skills? What kind of

help might he need?

Students’ answers may differ. If an individual is made aware of his leadership skills, it is

possible to change them particularly with management education or an executive coach.

Sensitive to the growing animosity toward him, Carver reconsidered how he interacted with his

Digital Homework Grid

Case Assessment Questions

Topic

Category

Which of the following is an

example of a leader who is a

perpetual jerk?

a. Annie executes her leadership role

by trying to please everyone.

b. Annie tends to be too nice while

leading her followers.

c. Annie tends to bully, humiliate, and

emotionally abuse others.

d. Annie cannot tolerate even a mild

degree of conflict.

Leadership Challenge #1

Connect

Which of the following is an

example of a leader with a blind spot

of being too nice?

a. Jennifer tends to bully, humiliate,

and emotionally abuse others.

b. Jennifer cannot tolerate even a mild

degree of conflict.

Leadership Challenge #1

Connect

Given below are a few scenarios

depicting individuals with the Big

Five personality dimensions. Drag

and drop the options below into the

illustrated box categorizing them

into scenarios or personality

dimensions.

Answer Options: Nicole heads the

administrative department of an

academic institution. She tends to be

reserved, detached, and unsociable.

She likes to engage in solitary

activities rather than team

activities/High internal locus of

control/David is the assistant

manager of a bank. He tends to be

rude, cold, and thick-skinned while

interacting with his coworkers. He

does not care about the feelings of

his subordinates/High levels of

conscientiousness/Justin heads the

sales team of an insurance

corporation. He is highly

responsible, independent, and hard

working. He sets a few concrete

goals and strives to achieve them

successfully/Low degree of

emotional stability/Michelle tends to

be anxious and apprehensive before

Leadership Challenge #2

Perform

conversations with different people,

and so on/Low degree of

agreeableness/Frank heads the

finance team of a firm. He believes

that his actions will entirely establish

if he will succeed or fail while

executing his tasks. When he sets

goals, he is absolutely sure that he

will achieve them because he makes

sure that he follows through on

SCENARIOS

BIG FIVE

PERSONALITY

DIMENSIONS

Nicole heads

the

administrative

department of

an academic

institution. She

activities.

Low degree of

extroversion

David is the

assistant

manager of a

bank. He tends

Low degree of

agreeableness

to be rude,

cold, and thick-

skinned while

interacting

with his

feelings of his

subordinates.

Justin heads

the sales team

of an insurance

corporation.

He is highly

responsible,

independent,

and hard

working. He

sets a few

concrete goals

and strives to

achieve them

successfully.

High levels of

conscientiousn

ess

Michelle tends

to be anxious

and

apprehensive

before she

starts leading a

project. She

generally has

low self-

assurance and

is always

worried if her

team will

receive

criticism.

Low degree of

emotional

stability

Benjamin

heads the

public relations

team of an

Openness to

experience

curious. He

likes to be

creative while

making

Frank heads

the finance

team of a firm.

He believes

that his actions

will entirely

establish if he

will succeed or

fail while

executing his

High internal

locus of control

Mark heads an

accounting

firm. He has a

high regard for

traditional

values and

procedures. He

obeys people

High

authoritarianis

m

Individuals who have a high degree

of authoritarianism:

a. like to share power with

subordinates.

b. tend to have the willingness to

consider new ideas.

c. tend to adhere to conventional rules

and values.

d. approve of the expression of

personal feelings.

Leadership Challenge #2

Connect

Which of the following is a terminal

value ranked higher by leaders than

non-leaders?

a. Pleasure

b. National security

c. Loyalty

d. Logical thinking

Leadership Challenge #3

Engage

Identify the instrumental value

ranked higher by leaders than non-

leaders.

a. Ambition

b. Cleanliness

c. Wisdom

d. Salvation

Leadership Challenge #3

Engage

Which of the following is an

assumption of Theory Y?

a. The average human being has an

inherent dislike of work and will

avoid it if possible.

Leadership Challenge #4

Connect

d. Due to the human characteristic of

dislike for work, most people must be

threatened with punishment to get

them to put forth adequate effort.

Which of the following statements is

true of attitudes?

a. A leader’s attitudes are primarily

negative evaluations of people.

b. Attitudes can affect perceptions, but

Leadership Challenge #4

Connect

Ryan makes an extra effort to

organize extracurricular activities

and has an excellent record of

attendance. However, the quality of

his work and level of attention are

not all that impressive. Despite these

shortcomings, Ryan was promoted

as a manager merely due to his

initiative and attendance record. The

decision to promote Ryan on the

basis of a few facets is known as

_____.

a. the self-serving bias

Leadership Challenge #5

Perform

The best safeguards against errors

based on projection are self-

awareness and _____.

a. dominance

b. empathy

c. satisfaction

d. attribution

Leadership Challenge #5

Connect

Listed below are a few scenarios

involving perceptual distortions.

Match each scenario with the

Leadership Challenge #5

Perform

appropriate perceptual distortion.

SCENARIOS

PERCEPTUAL

DISTORTIONS

Stephen heads

the research and

development

team of a

company. He

tends to be

sociable,

outgoing, and has

External

attribution

Timothy heads

the technical

department of

Millennium Inc.

When his

subordinate was

unable to

complete the

maintenance of

servers

successfully,

Projection

Barry is the vice

president of an

organization. He

tends to

overstate his

effort in making

Perceptual

defense

decisions and

executing tasks

when his projects

turn out to be

successful. On the

contrary, he

tends to

Demi, the

manager of a

company, got a

complaint from

his subordinates

that their project

lead, Harry, fixes

unreasonable

Stereotyping

Edgar is the

manager of an

engineering firm.

He maintains a

belief that

females score

lower than males

in Mathematics.

Self-serving bias