Abrasive Consultant - Essay Example

The Abrasive Consultant Essentially the key issues we observe in this case study relate to a failure of management and a minor crisis with a role reversal of sorts. This is a direct result of the two individuals’ contrasting personality types. While Julia, the subordinate in the management hierarchy, is abrasive and aggressive, Cathy, who is Julia’s manager, displays a management approach that is more in the nature of a laissez faire style. Julia exhibits strong features of a personality disorder, possibly Borderline Personality Disorder. The lack of emotional control in her behavior markedly deviates from the accepted norm in terms of cognition (perception and interpretation of situations and other individuals), as well as affect (appropriateness, intensity, and range of emotional response as well as arousal) besides her poor handling of interpersonal relationships. She displays inflexibility in her attitudes that has an unfavorable impact on her work environment. Though Cathy, too, is emotional, her personality and leadership style, again, are too passive to be effective. Her situational responses are inadequate and weak. Cathy lacks firmness, direction, and resolve. Her major error in judgment is not informing Julia of the reason for her recall to the office. Peter Drucker was of the opinion that “We know nothing about motivation. All we can do is write books about it.” (Spillane and Martin, 2005, pg. 46). Although Drucker had a rather hopeless view on the subject, from a psychological perspective it is possible to conjecture about an individual’s agendas. To consider the possible reasons for Julia’s behavior, we must first analyze her personality type. An abrasive personality is one that annoys others and causes hostility as a result. The dictionary meaning also lists synonyms that include ‘overly aggressive’. Abrasive behavior that is erratic, resulting in heightened conflict, the blame game, ambiguity, overt contempt, and defensiveness is typically seen as an outward symptom of hidden feelings of inadequacy and fear. In addition there is a self-generated environment which, according to theorists, is another complex layer in the relationship between human behavior and environment. The concept postulates a particular type of behavior produces conditions that affect future behavior. For instance, individuals who have abrasive personalities, contribute to the creation of a social environment that is hostile, leading to further aggression from them. This is a self perpetuating cycle sustained by the aggressive individual. Granted the state of a parent’s health can be an emotional issue, but Julia could easily have made a few calls herself to verify her mother’s health. This lapse and her subsequent rant at Cathy at the office indicate a tendency toward manipulative behavior, either conscious or subconscious. Cathy’s feelings of guilt are a direct result of her being emotionally blackmailed by Julia into feeling guilty. This manipulation results in a role reversal, where Julia, who in actuality has a subordinate position, assumes a dominant role, forcing Cathy into a subservient one. Indeed, Julia may derive a secret pleasure from this short lived but repeated forced reversal and dominance. It also results in the vital issue of client dissatisfaction not being addressed, again, due to the manipulative tactics Julia may have adopted to avoid being warned. What can Cathy do in the face of such abrasive behavior? The traditional responses such as keeping a record of incidents and reporting them to Human Resources may be helpful when addressing some kinds of situations but are not effective in all circumstances. Aggressive individuals affect the self-esteem and confidence of others involved in the interaction. The best approach would be to use proactive strategies offering both constructive action and perspective. The best strategy in this particular situation would be to allow some time to pass before attempting to readdress the issue. Cathy could bring up the topic again after learning assertive management techniques and to set appropriate boundaries. She should be firm about leaving any emotional baggage out of the equation and address the crucial concern of client dissatisfaction, making it abundantly clear that a repeat instance will not be tolerated. Julia could also be advised to seek professional help for her emotional issues, though with her lack of insight, it is doubtful that she would actively seek help. Before advising Cathy on how to deal with Julia’s behavior in the future, we must address the issue of setting appropriate limits. In order to do so, we must understand that there are fundamentally three ways individuals relate to each other: aggressively, passively or assertively. “Aggression is about domination and invasion; it is fundamentally disrespectful of relationship partners personal boundaries. Passivity is about submission and being invaded; it is fundamentally disrespectful of ones own personal boundaries.” (Dombeck and Wells-Moran 2006). Passive individuals may not enjoy being dominated but allow it as it may seem appropriate at that point in time; or it may be to steer clear of a threat of coercion or violence. Assertiveness lies midway between aggression and passivity. Assertive individuals use necessary techniques of defense (force included) if others try to dominate them. Though they are capable of aggression and domination, they never act in that manner, but are civil and polite at all times. An applied behavioral sciences approach in management marries group dynamics and its studies on leadership motivation and conformity, with psychology and its aspects of perception and sensation. Perception deals with how you see an issue or an object and implies an overlay of subjectivity and ambiguity. Observation in contrast, brings with it an objective viewpoint – one of rational and analytical thought. After research on motivation, Dr. Joyce Brothers came to the conclusion that “…the person who truly knows what he or she wants out of life and who is willing to work for it will achieve that goal. The first — and most important — step is to find out what you …the inner you, really wants out of life.” (1987, pg. 9). Leadership in business has an undeniable, pivotal role in management. A great leader will build a great business while a mediocre leader will fashion a mediocre business. When an understanding of motivation and the practice of management merge, situational leadership emerges. Stephen Covey once quoted Drucker as stating, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” (2004, pg.101). All three elements of perception, motivation and leadership come into play in this case study. Julia’s perception of situations, clients, and her insight into her own behavior are clouded by her emotions of fear and inadequacy. Cathy, too, has poor perception of the underlying problems plaguing Julia. Julia’s possible motivations have already been scrutinized above, as have Cathy’s lack of leadership qualities. References Spillane, Robert and Martin, John. Personality and Performance: Foundations for Managerial Psychology. Sydney. UNSW Press. 2005. Dombeck, Mark and Wells-Moran, Jolyn. Setting Boundaries Appropriately: Assertiveness Training. 3 July 2006. 27 October 2010. http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=9778&cn=353 Brothers, Joyce. How to Get Whatever You Want Out of Life. NY. Random House. 1987. Covey, Stephen. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. NY. Free Press. November 2004. Read More