Leadership and Corporate Culture

Address a key leadership trait that can assist in managing conflict
A key leadership trait that can assist in managing conflict is emotional intelligence. A
leader with high emotional intelligence knows how to identify and manage their own emotions as
well as emotions of other people (Maamari & Majdalani, 1). In an organization, conflicts are
inevitable. However, they need to be solved in an appropriate manner. If that is not the case,
conflicts can have very negative effects on the harmony of employees and, therefore, their ability
to work together as a team and accomplish their individual and group objectives (Maamari &
Majdalani, 1).
Whenever there is a conflict, a leader with high emotional intelligence will seek to
resolve the conflict through identifying and addressing the underlying problems (Maamari &
Majdalani, 1). They can then find a common ground between the two parties that are in conflict
and negotiate a solution acceptable to all the involved parties. They will also take measures to
reduce conflicts among employees or between employees and their superiors through addressing
their emotional and psychological needs.
A leader with high emotional intelligence will also know how to effectively interact with
employees. Through their excellent understanding of the emotions of employees, they will know
how to interact with the employees in a manner that leaves them feeling respected (Maamari &
Majdalani, 1). Such leaders create trust among employees. Thus, whenever the employees have a
problem, they will feel free to approach them to discuss and find solutions to their problems. Due
to the trust that the employees have in the leader, they will also always readily approach the
leader to solve conflicts among them.

Thus high emotional intelligence in a leader helps in managing conflicts in an
organization because it makes the leaders approachable and increases the trust of employees in
them. It also helps the leaders to resolve conflicts in a fair manner that satisfies the parties in
conflict.
Discuss a tool or strategy a leader can adopt for improving communication within the
organization
Communication plays an important role in every organization. Organizations that have
open communication channels generally perform better than those that put restrictions on
communication or have poor communication (Hall, 2). For employees to perform their duties
effectively, they need to know exactly what is expected of them at an individual and group level.
If the communication is unclear, they are unlikely to do what needs to be done effectively.
A potentially effective strategy a leader can employ to improve communication in an
organization is to use written communication as much as possible. Granted, there may be
messages that may well be communicated orally to employees because of time constraints and
other reasons. However, for all other communication, especially one involving important
instructions, it is important to communicate them in written form. Even when employees have
been told what to do verbally as it is the case with communication conveyed in meetings, it is
still important to explain what the leader wants from employees in written form. Using short and
concise notes removes any ambiguity and lets employees know exactly what they should do
(Hall, 2). It also serves to refresh their memories any time they forget certain details of
instructions provided to them (Hall, 2). Given the importance of this kind of communication, it is

important for leaders to always have persons that they designate for taking notes during
meetings.
Describe some methods for motivating employees and improving behaviors within the
workplace
Motivating employees helps to improve productivity in an organization as well as the
quality of the goods and services that the organization provides (Greene, 3). Leaders, therefore,
ought to find ways of motivating employees and teams under them if they hope to achieve the
objectives of the organization. There are many methods that leaders can use to motivate
employees. One of them is through regular and continuous feedback. Employees need to know
whether they are achieving the desired performance/behavior or not. The quicker this feedback is
provided the better the outcome. If an employee does not performed to the required expectations,
they should be corrected, preferably in private. For work that has been properly done, leaders
should praise the employees in public (Greene, 3). Public praising and private correction is a
powerful motivator of employees.
Leaders can also use rewards to motivate employees. The rewards can be either financial
or non-financial. To make the rewards truly a tool of motivation, they should be achievable,
appropriate, and the method of rewarding them transparent. When employees know that good
work is rewarded, they will strive to do their best for the organization in order to receive
whatever rewards the organization is offering. The rewards, however, have to be appropriate
(Greene, 3). If the employees do not find the rewards attractive or meaningful to them, the
rewards may not achieve the desired effect of motivating employees. The awarding should be
also be transparent. When employees, for instance, realize that some people have been awarded

because of their friendship or relation with their leader, they will not strive to get the reward.
There should, therefore, be very clear guidelines on what employees need to do in order to get
the awards.

References

1. Bassem Maamari and Joelle Majdalani. 2017. Emotional intelligence, leadership style
   and organizational climate. International Journal of Organizational Analysis.
2. Ashley Hall. 2016. Exploring the workplace communication preferences of millennials.
   Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict
3. Robert Greene. 2018. Rewarding performance: Guiding principles; custom strategies.
   Routledge.