Communication Strategies for Managing Conflict E-Book

Mary Lou Higgerson

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Serie: J-B Anker Resources for Department Chairs
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 628

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

The conflict management guide academic leaders have been searching for Communication Strategies for Managing Conflict gives academic leaders the tools and insight they need to effectively manage conflict affiliated with leading change and problematic faculty performance. Using case studies that bring typical issues to light, this book guides you through difficult situations with strategies and analyses of key issues, variables, and options. The real-life examples show you effective conflict management at work, and provide direct application to your own tricky leadership situations. You'll learn how to deal with difficult people, how to have difficult conversations, and how to successfully manage change in the face of departmental resistance. Written by an experienced academic leader, consultant, and writer, this practical guide provides the leadership training academics wish they already had. Successful conflict management is essential not just to departments, but to the entire institution. Senior leaders, faculty, and students all rely on you to smooth the change process and keep the department running smoothly. This book gives you a foundation in the critical skills for managing conflict when leading change and managing problem performance, and the insight to apply them appropriately. * Communicate more effectively with students, parents, and faculty * Navigate difficult conversations with tenured faculty more successfully * Lead change more effectively * Mentor and manage problem performance more effectively * Keep faculty performing well and focused on the right priorities Most academic leaders come into their position reluctantly, with little or no preparation for the role, receive very little training or coaching, and are thus not equipped to manage conflict when it arises. Communication Strategies for Managing Conflict is a lively, readable, and practical guide that will prove useful in the most difficult and common departmental situations.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

About the Author

Introduction

Why Focus on Chair Leadership?

Why Focus on Managing Conflict in Leading Change and Improving Faculty Performance?

How to Read and Use This Book

Special Features

Part One: Managing Conflict When Addressing Changing Conditions and Leading Change

Chapter 1: Communicating with Today's Students and Their Parents

Defining the Task

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Hindsight Is 20/20

Let's Recap

Chapter 2: Leading Curriculum Revision

Defining the Task

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Hindsight Is 20/20

Let's Recap

Chapter 3: Revising Organizational Structures

Defining the Task

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Hindsight Is 20/20

Let's Recap

Chapter 4: Developing a New Program without Faculty Support

Defining the Task

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Hindsight Is 20/20

Let's Recap

Chapter 5: Managing Resistance When Hired to Lead Change

Defining the Task

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Hindsight Is 20/20

Let's Recap

Part Two: Managing Conflict When Addressing Problem Faculty Performance

Chapter 6: Managing an Unsuccessful Promotion Application

Defining the Task

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Hindsight Is 20/20

Let's Recap

Chapter 7: Mentoring the Seasoned Professional Hired into an Untenured Faculty Position

Defining the Task

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Hindsight Is 20/20

Let's Recap

Chapter 8: Managing the Dismissal of a First-Year Tenure Track Faculty Member

Defining the Task

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Hindsight Is 20/20

Let's Recap

Chapter 9: Managing the Inappropriate Behavior of Tenured Faculty Members

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Hindsight Is 20/20

Let's Recap

Chapter 10: Managing the Dismissal of a Tenured Faculty Member

Defining the Task

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Putting Theory into Practice

Hindsight Is 20/20

Let's Recap

Postscript

A Summary of Leadership Communication Strategies Presented

Cited References

Index of Cases by Higher Education Issues and Administrative Tasks

Index

End User License Agreement

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Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

COMMUNICATIONSTRATEGIES FORMANAGING CONFLICT

A GUIDE FOR ACADEMIC LEADERS

Mary Lou Higgerson

Copyright © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by Jossey-Bass

A Wiley Brand

One Montgomery Street, Suite 1000, San Francisco, CA 94104-4594— www.josseybass.com

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax [phone], or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax [phone], or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Readers should be aware that Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written and when it is read.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Higgerson, Mary Lou, author.

Title: Communication strategies for managing conflict : a guide for academic leaders / Mary Lou Higgerson.

Description: San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015040851 (print) | LCCN 2015043429 (ebook) | ISBN 9781118761625 (cloth) | ISBN 9781118761656 (pdf) | ISBN 9781118761663 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Universities and colleges–Faculty. | Communication in personnel management. | College personnel management.

Classification: LCC LB2331.7 .H54 2016 (print) | LCC LB2331.7 (ebook) | DDC 378.1/2–dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015040851

Cover image: © Maciej Noskowski | iStockphoto

Cover design: Wiley

About the Author

Mary Lou Higgerson is vice president for academic affairs emeritus at Baldwin Wallace University. Since the 1980s she has used her knowledge of organizational communication and more than 30 years of experience in higher education administration to help other college administrators. Dr. Higgerson has been a regular presenter at the American Council on Education Chairing the Academic Department Workshop series and the Kansas State University Academic Chairperson's Conference. She has consulted at numerous institutions and is known for publications and presentations that offer immediately useful insights for practicing administrators. Recipient of eight prestigious teaching awards, including the Distinguished Teacher Award at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Bill Cashin Award for outstanding research contributions to the study and practice of higher education administration, Dr. Higgerson brings a helpful clarity to complex issues that pose stressful conditions for chairs, deans, and other academic leaders.

Introduction

The role of department chair has become more complex and challenging as institutions of higher education face increased public scrutiny, more competition for students and extramural funding, and tighter fiscal constraints. Institutions depend on effective chair leadership to help develop and implement changes deemed essential to navigating the formidable challenges facing higher education. Chairs are also expected to mobilize and improve faculty performance in support of the institution's response to these changing conditions that, on occasion, threaten institutional welfare. Consequently, many of the tasks on any chair's to-do list fall into the general categories of leading change and enhancing faculty performance—two responsibilities that require chairs to be skilled in managing the conflict that can occur when faculty resist change in the department and/or their performance. This text is designed to serve as a resource for chairs, who find themselves charged with leading change and enhancing faculty performance. In particular, this text will help chairs become more effective in managing the conflict that can occur when leading change and addressing problem faculty performance.

This book has relevance for all practicing administrators who have reason to sharpen their leadership skill in managing conflict when leading change or improving performance because the cases, analyses, and leadership communication strategies presented are generalizable to other leadership positions and situations. However, the cases presented describe scenarios managed by department chairs and the analyses presented discuss specifically the chair's role in managing the case scenarios. To be clear, when referring to the department chair, this text is referring to role responsibilities and leadership communication strategies that are relevant for program, school, division, or department chairs or directors and any frontline leadership position in which the incumbent works directly with faculty or staff in leading change and improving performance.

Why Focus on Chair Leadership?

Having worked at both large, public doctoral granting research and small, private liberal arts institutions and having served at every administrative level of the institution from chair to positions in central administration, I know full well how dependent senior administrators are on effective chair leadership. There is no way a provost or dean can implement changes at the department level without effective chair leadership. The changes deemed necessary in responding to public scrutiny, fiscal constraints, new accreditation standards, and other such conditions and challenges rely heavily on chair leadership for effective implementation.

More institutions are investing in leadership development opportunities for chairs through on-campus programs and through support for chair participation in national meetings and webinars. Individual chairs frequently seek out specific conferences, webinars, and other resources that will enhance their effectiveness in managing chair responsibilities. This text is designed to help support personal leadership development for chairs and be a resource for persons charged with developing chair leadership. This text can be used to facilitate leadership development in other academic leaders because the case scenarios and their leadership communication strategies are generalizable to situations managed by other academic leaders.

Why Focus on Managing Conflict in Leading Change and Improving Faculty Performance?

I have known many bright and talented individuals who elected to leave the chair role after a short tenure in the position because they found the task of managing conflict too time-consuming and stressful. From my work with countless chairs serving at all types of institutions during the past 30 years, I recognize that individuals must be able to manage conflict effectively and comfortably for them to remain in the chair position or accept other administrative positions.

Leadership communication strategies can be taught so that every chair can learn to manage conflict more effectively and, in turn, more comfortably. The demands being placed on chairs today require them to lead change and improve faculty performance—two tasks that frequently involve managing conflict. The focus for this text is the point at which leading change and improving faculty performance intersects with the need to manage conflict. In other words, this text does not include cases or leadership communication strategies for improving faculty performance in those instances where routine mentoring and other support for faculty development are working as intended. Instead, this text focuses on the most difficult situations encountered when leading change and addressing problem faculty performance. At the same time, the text is written to help readers generalize beyond the specific case scenarios presented and use the leadership communication strategies in other situations and in other academic leadership positions.

How to Read and Use This Book

The entire book is designed to help enhance the reader's leadership effectiveness in managing conflict generally and more specifically when leading change and addressing issues of problem performance. For this reason, it is preferable to read this entire book, even though one need not read the chapters sequentially. The text is divided into two parts: Part One focuses on leading change, and Part Two focuses on addressing problem faculty performance. The chapter titles are intentionally descriptive, so it is possible to identify a specific chapter that has relevance for a particular situation.

Part One, “Managing Conflict When Addressing Changing Conditions and Leading Change,” includes chapters on communication with today's students and their parents, leading curriculum revision, revising organizational structures, developing a new program without faculty support, and managing resistance when you were hired to lead change. Part Two, “Managing Conflict When Addressing Problem Faculty Performance,” includes chapters on managing an unsuccessful promotion application, mentoring a seasoned professional hired into an untenured faculty position, managing the dismissal of a first-year tenure track faculty member, managing inappropriate behaviors of tenured faculty, and managing the dismissal of a tenured faculty member. The issues addressed in these 10 chapters provide the reader with risk-free leadership development experience in managing conflict among faculty, between faculty and the chair, between the department and the administration, between faculty and students, and between department faculty and other constituencies on- and off-campus.

Special Features

Relevant Leadership Communication Strategies

For each administrative task, relevant leadership communication strategies are presented in the form of practical guidelines for chairs. Special care is taken to present these strategies in a way that is meaningful for practicing chairs who may not possess formal training in communication theory. The objective is to equip department chairs with practical strategies that can be immediately useful in carrying out assigned leadership responsibilities.

Putting Theory into Practice

Short case studies follow the sections on relevant leadership communication strategies. The case study method allows the reader to observe how communication functions in the context of real-life situations and, in particular, to witness how effective leadership communication can enhance leadership effectiveness when leading change and improving faculty performance. Cases are not presented all at once but are given in episodes that help the reader see how it develops and allows the other features listed below to be used to enhance the reader's engagement with the case scenario and the reader's ability to apply it to their own situations.

The case study method provides readers with an opportunity to learn from the experience of others in a risk-free environment. The use of case studies accelerates the type of learning that typically accompanies professional experience making it true that one does not need to live it to learn it. For this benefit to be fully realized, the reader must remain an active participant and not slip into the more comfortable role of third-person observer. Chairs will benefit most from this text by placing themselves in the case situations, analyzing the available alternatives, and developing strategies for managing the leadership challenges presented in each case study.

Let's Analyze the Case

This text does not supply the answers because no simple answer transcends all institutional and personality types. Effective chairs seldom start with all the information necessary to address a specific problem, but they must be able to recognize and articulate the important questions that need to be answered. This text helps the reader identify and analyze the key issues, variables, and options for effective leadership by presenting a brief analysis that delineates the major components of each case situation. These insights and analyses are designed to equip chairs with ways of thinking and methodologies that help them identify early warning signs of problems and know how to address them effectively.

It's Your Turn

Each case is followed with a series of questions. These queries invite the reader to participate in the case scenario. They offer the reader an opportunity to consider alternatives and make decisions from the role of the chair in the case. The questions guide the reader in practicing the leadership communication strategies. Analyzing cases in this directed format will improve the reader's ability to think critically about how to effectively use the leadership communication strategies in the case and in his or her own conflict situations.

Please Consider

Sometimes new case information and other considerations are presented that alter how the reader might approach the case situation. These case addendums are intended to prevent the reader from truncating the analysis of the problem before gaining a compete understanding of all variables. Solutions are workable only if they accurately account for the dynamic interrelationship of all relevant components of the problematic situation. This section will help the reader comprehend the true complexity of each case.

Let's Recap

This section completes the loop, moving the reader from the specific case back to the leadership communication strategies that were described earlier in the chapter. It presents the reader with a checklist for assessing the merit of his or her proposed strategy for managing the case scenario. It also serves to reinforce the leadership communication strategies that can be generalized beyond the immediate case study.

Hindsight

Hindsight is 20/20. This section addresses actions that the chair in the case might have taken to avert or ease the immediate problem. When chairs learn when and how to intervene before a conflict situation escalates, the task of managing conflict becomes easier and less stressful.

Part OneManaging Conflict When Addressing Changing Conditions and Leading Change

This section of the text discusses leadership communication strategies that can be helpful in managing the conflict often encountered when responding to changing conditions and leading change. To be effective leaders, department chairs must help department faculty, staff, and students understand and embrace changes needed to assure departmental and institutional viability. Each of the following chapters addresses a specific change scenario in which departmental and institutional success depends on effective chair leadership.

Chapter 1

: Communicating with Today's Students and Their Parents

Chapter 2

: Leading Curriculum Revision

Chapter 3

: Revising Organizational Structures

Chapter 4

: Developing a New Program without Faculty Support

Chapter 5

: Managing Resistance When Hired to Lead Change

Chapter 1Communicating with Today's Students and Their Parents

Many of today's traditional-age students enter college with an unrealistic assessment of their preparation for doing college-level work. Moreover, doing academic work is seldom the only or even a top priority for many of today's traditional-age students, who find it essential to work to help afford college and a lifestyle that includes perceived essentials such as cell phones and vehicles. Some traditional-age students need time for personal commitments such as girlfriends or boyfriends or ill family members that detract from studying. Many traditional-age freshmen are accustomed to, and reliant on, parents who help them make decisions and manage daily activities. Some traditional-age students are accustomed to relying on parents to help with such routine tasks as getting up on time for school, doing daily homework assignments, and completing projects by the assigned deadline. When parental support is insufficient to earn the desired grade in high school, students may have relied on extra credit work to rescue a final grade. Consequently, many high school graduates boast transcripts that are not always a true reflection of their academic ability or their preparedness to do college work.

Nonetheless, today's traditional-age students are typically experienced at being successful. They grew up in a time when even losing athletic teams were recognized for their efforts and when parents and educators alike were conscious of providing feedback that bolstered their self-esteems. Consequently, faculty members find themselves teaching traditional-age students who are accustomed to receiving good grades despite not being well prepared to do college work and being insufficiently experienced to independently manage academic work and life. At times, department chairs must manage parents who are poised and ready to intervene to help their child succeed and avoid the discomfort that sometimes accompanies a hard-learned lesson. For more about the societal influences that shape the attitudes and behaviors of today's students, see Levine (2005) and Twenge (2006).