What Would You Do? 1 Running head: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Homework #2- What Would You DO? LaShae Birt Professor Jerry Goldstein MGMT 630 October 10, 2011 Turnitin Score- 8% green

What Would You Do? 2 As the leader of this group, my first approach would be mediation between the two members who are not getting along. I would first meet with Harpreet to hear her side of the story. Next, I would meet with Arash, and listen to his complaints. Once I have met with Harpreet and Arash individually, I would request a mediation session with them both and myself. I chose to go this route first because in my personal life I have experienced that talking about a situation before any other step is taken seems to work best. Simply, because it gives the other two a chance to talk, while I the mediator remains neutral. The mediation session can eliminate any arguments and negativity they may feel toward each other. This route gives the two; in this case, Arash and Harpreet a chance to express their feeling and misconceptions of the situation. Furthermore, it allows the mediator to dictate the flow of the conversation to get to the heart of the issue. In this case, religion seems to be the problem and I believe that is probably a misunderstanding. It can be as simple as Arash having a lack of knowledge of Harpreets religion or vice versa. If this is the case, it is important address the situation by having them educate each other on their misconceptions. I think that a discussion of ethnocentrism should come up at this point. Ethnocentrism is the tendency for individuals to place their own group at the center of their observations of others and the world (Northouse, 2010). Harpreet believes that Arash bickers with her because of her Hindu background, and this may not even be the issue. According to Northouse, ethnocentrism is a major obstacle that can prevent from fully understanding and respecting each others viewpoints. It seems that Harpreet feels some type of prejudice coming from Arash against her. Prejudice can show its self in crude and demeaning comments about one another (Northouse, 2010), which in this case is probably the bickering.

What Would You Do? 3 If this does not work; I will take another approach. My second approach would be to simply make them come to an agreement or find a way to put their difference aside until the project is completed. In making them come to an agreement, its important for the mediator to assert how their problem is affecting the groups productivity, maybe by doing this they will realize that their problem is minuet compare to the real issue at hand which is completing the group work assigned. I would also address the group as a whole about the situation. By addressing the entire group it will help the group get back on track. I think that being open with the group about the situation is good because they may continue to be distracted if they dont feel like anybody is stepping up to solve the problem. During the time that I address the group, I will also remind them that we all have differences and are a very diverse group, but must work together to complete the task assigned to us. Sometimes simple meetings with people solve a lot. After I have completed all of the above steps I would hope that out group can get back on task and continue our project. I would not expect them to become the best of friends but hope that they could respect each other in the workplace for the sake of themselves and others. If my approaches do not work, I would then step back and look at myself as a leader. I would refer to the five cross-cultural competencies: Understand the business, political, and cultural environments worldwide. Learn the perspectives, tastes, trends and technologies of many cultures, Be able to work simultaneously with people from many cultures. Adapt to living and communicating in other cultures.

What Would You Do? 4 Learn to relate to people from other cultures from a position of equality rather than cultural superiority. (Northouse, 2010) I chose to evaluate myself on these competencies because I feel like if the leader is not competent in these areas, how will they coach a team when they are having problems with such topics. A leader needs to be able to understand every employee on their team. Being competent in these areas also allows a leader to articulate and implement their vision is such a diverse work group (Northouse, 2010).

What Would You Do? 5

Bibliography
Northouse, P. G. (2010). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.