How Unresolved Conflicts Between Leadership And Subordinates Ripple Through A Unit's Social Structure
Conflict is an integral part of human existence. It can arise from various sources, such as differing personalities, goals, values, ideas, and interests.
When conflict is left unresolved, it has significant implications for the team's morale, collective trust, and informal power hierarchies. This article explains how unresolved conflicts between leadership and subordinates ripple through a unit's social structure.
Unresolved conflicts between leadership and subordinates negatively impact team morale. Morale refers to the emotional and psychological state of employees that affect their motivation, performance, and engagement. When there are unresolved conflicts, the atmosphere becomes tense and stressful, leading to a decrease in productivity. Employees may feel frustrated, demotivated, or disengaged, leading to low morale levels. Low morale can also result in absenteeism, turnover, or reduced job satisfaction, which leads to higher staffing costs for the organization.
Unresolved conflicts lead to a breakdown in collective trust among team members. Trust is essential for effective communication and collaboration within teams. When leaders fail to address conflicts, they erode the trust that exists between themselves and their subordinates. Team members become wary of each other, leading to suspicion and mistrust. As a result, open communication becomes challenging, and team members become hesitant to share information with one another. The lack of trust creates a hostile work environment where employees feel isolated and excluded.
Unresolved conflicts contribute to informal power hierarchies within a unit's social structure. Informal power hierarchies refer to the unofficial relationships between team members based on their influence, expertise, or personalities. Leaders who do not resolve conflicts create an imbalance in these informal power structures, leading to resentment and animosity among team members.
If the leader favors some employees over others, it creates a sense of unfairness and jealousy among those who perceive themselves as being treated less favorably. This perception leads to further conflict and negatively impacts team cohesion.
To prevent unresolved conflicts from rippling through a unit's social structure, leaders must learn how to manage conflicts effectively. Effective conflict management involves recognizing the source of the conflict, acknowledging its existence, and taking proactive steps to address it. Leaders should communicate clearly and directly about the issue without blaming or attacking anyone. They should focus on resolving the conflict rather than winning or losing.
Leaders should involve all stakeholders in the resolution process to ensure everyone feels heard and respected.
Leaders should provide feedback and follow up after resolving the conflict to avoid future issues.
Unresolved conflicts between leadership and subordinates have significant implications for a team's morale, collective trust, and informal power hierarchies. Leaders must learn how to manage conflicts effectively by acknowledging them, communicating clearly, involving all stakeholders, and providing feedback and follow-up. Failure to do so can result in low morale, reduced productivity, hostile work environments, and informal power hierarchies that undermine team cohesion and effectiveness.
How do unresolved conflicts between leadership and subordinates ripple through a unit's social structure, influencing morale, collective trust, and informal power hierarchies?
Unresolved conflicts between leaders and their subordinates have been shown to create tension within a unit's social structure, eroding morale, diminishing trust, and altering the dynamics of power hierarchies. The effects of such conflicts are often felt throughout the entire organization, as individuals begin to form opinions about the leader based on how they handle disagreements.