OGL 200 Paper 1- Lindsay Burney

For the following questions, be sure to connect to the reading material in your book. This is a writing
assignment, so answers should be written in complete and coherent sentences and paragraphs. Answers
in the A range will refer to the text and fully explain how the concepts learned in the text apply to the
question.

Part A: Short essay questions

1. Explain three of the five principles that communication scholar Dean Barnlund defines as the
basic components of human communication.

The first principle of communication that Dean Barlund establishes is that “Communication is not a

thing, it is a process” (Hackman, 2013, p. 6). Barlund suggests that communication goes beyond spoken

words, gestures or even body language. Rather, “that a conversation actually ‘begins’ with the

experiences, skills, feelings and other characteristics that a person brings to the interaction” (Hackman,

2013, p. 8). From this, one could surmise that Barlund implies communication is an ongoing development

beginning in the earliest stages of life; that it is an accumulation of traits influenced by one’s experience in

culture, society, home life, and education. When we communicate, we not only speak words or use

symbols, we present the entire process of who we are up until this moment.

Another principle that Barlund points out is that “communication is not linear, it’s circular”

(Hackman, 2013 p. 8). With his “transactional model” Hackman explains that Barlunds principle implies

communication is an ongoing, continuous process in which messages are sent and received at the same

time (2013, p. 9). Though only one person may be delivering a message, the recipient is simultaneously

sending messages via alternative means, such as body language or attitude. It is in this way that

communication is circular, or as some might say: a two way street.

One of the final principles of communication that Barlund presents is that “communication is

irreversible” (Hackman, 2013, p. 9). Not only once words have spoken, can they no longer be revoked,

they also leave an impression on a relationship and “continue to shape it” (Hackman, 2013, p. 10).

Hackman remarks that “while you can apologize for saying something inappropriate, you cannot erase
your message” (2013, p. 9,10). This principle can be directed connected to Barlunds initial principle

(communication is a process) in the sense that words, whether positive, negative, helpful, harmful,

useless or useful, will continue to shape a relationship or a line of communication even once they are a

part of the past. Any communication given and/or received becomes a part of the process; never to be

erased, yet always leaving a mark… “like a permanent ink stain” (Hackman, 2013, p. 9).

2. Describe what you think of when you imagine your prototypical political leader, student body
president, professor, and supervisor at work. How are these images similar? Different? Why?

When I imagine a prototypical political leader I think of someone who is charismatic, confident, self-

assured, well dressed and often well spoken. When I think of a student body president I think of someone

with personal, relatable experience; someone who is involved with the student body, intelligent,

considerate, well-spoken and politically well versed. When I think of a professor I think of someone

intelligent, educated, and experienced. And when I think of a supervisor at work I think of someone goal

oriented, approachable, confident, a good example, a follower and enforcer of rules, competent, helpful

and experienced.

For most of the examples, character traits I listed that are similar among most of the leaders

include intelligence, experience and confidence. Not only when I picture the face of one of these leaders

are these things that I see, but mostly these are traits that I have experienced with leaders in my own life.

From my experience with leaders, the perception is that a good leader has experience to know what to

expect and to see where they are going with tools from their past to guide them. They are intelligent in

the fact that they are competent in their field, able to think critically, and are emotionally intelligent. And

finally that they are confident, because in my experience if a leader is not self-assured, neither are their

followers.

When it comes to difference in the characteristics of these leaders, I believe that some of the traits

depend on the type of role that the leader is in. For example I don’t expect a college professor to be as

well dressed as I would a national politician. This is because addressing a classroom full of college
students is more informal than a national politician addressing the citizens of their nation. Likewise,

though I would expect my supervisor at work to be well versed in politics in the sense of working with

people and how to manage them, I would not expect them to be politically versed in the same sense as

our President, knowing foreign policy, national spending and trade agreements.

Overall, it is apparent that almost all leaders have some characteristics in common. Though each

leader may a few varying traits, as Michael Hackman states, is that “certainly [a variety of leaders] alike

all share this common characteristic—the higher the level of leadership, the higher the demand for

communication competence” (2013, p. 21). That is certainly one thing I would expect from any and all

leaders. More importantly, the common, notable trait that rises above all others is a leaders “concern for

the direction of the group” (p.14) and guidance towards “useful change” (Hackman, 2013).

Part B: Leadership Activity Journal: Reflecting on your leadership skills

1. Take the Leadership Communication Style Preferences Inventory on page 38 of your book.
a. Report on your scores

In the Authoritarian category I scored an 8.

In the Democratic category I scored a 17.

And in the Laissez-Faire category I scored a 9.

b. Reflect on what these scores reveal about your leadership behaviors and their
effectiveness

At the bottom of the self-assessment, Hackman states that “an unequal distribution of scores

indicates a stronger preference for a certain style” and that “relatively equal scores indicates a

more balanced preference of styles” (2013, p. 39). While the democratic style of leadership is

clearly my more prominent style, the scores for the authoritarian and laissez-faire styles of

leadership suggest that though they are more underlying, their presence in my leadership style is

more balanced.
 Because I grew up in an authoritarian home where whatever my step-dad said went, no

matter how ridiculous or unreasonable it seemed, I was nervous that this self-assessment would

reflect that in my own leadership style. Fortunately, the democratic style prevailed and the

authoritarian style scored the lowest in this assessment. In his book, Michael Hackman notes that

“democratic leaders engage in supportive communication that facilitates interaction between

leaders and followers” (2013, p. 40). This is a direct reflection of how I operate as a leader in my

current job role. I believe in working to motivate and inspire my co-workers to do their best and

help meet store goals, rather than dictating them to be involved. I constantly invite my co-workers

to have open conversations with me to build bridges of trust and honesty. I check in with my

baristas before, during, or after their shifts for feedback and am vigilant about taking these

conversations into consideration. Another comment that Hackman makes that resonates with me

is that “democratic leaders assume that followers are capable of making informed decisions”

(2013, p. 40). I do not believe in micro-managing my team. In fact, on the question in the

assessment about “encourage[ing] followers to initiate decision making without first seeking

approval” I chose ‘Agree’ (Hackman, 2013, p. 39). I believe in the ability of my co-workers to make

the right call in the moment. In some circumstances this would not appropriate if it was not

following health and safety or company policy. However, on a day-to-day basis I trust that my co-

workers understand how to operate inside those limits appropriately.

While Hackman states “that researchers have concluded that the democratic style of

leadership communication is often most effective…[and] is associated with increased follower

productivity, satisfaction, and involvement/commitment”, I do believe that is important to have a

well-rounded leadership communication style. Using the authoritarian style when necessary or

appropriate can help in setting goals that might be beyond the team (corporate goals, for

example), or directing tasks when employees are unfocused or need direction. Also, allowing the

laissez-faire style to dictate aspects of communication can be helpful to allow employees space to
 develop critical thinking skills, and build trust by allowing employees to make decisions within

appropriate boundaries. Overall, I am satisfied with the results of the self-assessment.

c. Describe how you can build on your strengths and address any weaknesses.

To build on the strengths of being a democratic style communicator as a leader, I will continue

to practice involving my team in conversations about our store, our company and our co-workers.

I will continue to inspire and motivate my team by providing positive feedback and constructive

criticism, or coaching in the moment, and also by keeping them up-to-date on company policies

and products. I will keep the two-way communication open, as I already do, use active listening

skills and create conversations with my co-workers about goals. One aspect of the laissez-faire

style communication that underlies my democratic style is to help my co-workers set more

specific goals, rather than provide them with a broad range of goals.

Part C: Planet Jockey Simulation

Level 1: How to create a high-performing team

Play through Level 1 and answer the following questions:

1. Copy and paste (or screenshot) your Level overview and scores. You can find this
information again in your Overview & Profile
 2. Reflect on the scenarios presented in the game. Was there anything you found particularly
difficult? Anything that surprised you?

Because I found that most of the scenarios were situations I have experienced in my past or current

workplace, there were not too many elements of Level 1 that I found difficult. While I thought the initial

agenda presented in Scenario 3 was appropriate, once the more detailed agenda was revealed in the

correct response I understood that having a more detailed agenda with clear goals is more powerful in a

team meeting. The only scenario that I pondered over for an amount of time was whether or not to

encourage Mia, the outspoken and insightful employee, or ask her to hold off. While I found value in the

fact that she contributed so much in the meetings and considered that she would make a great team

leader, ultimately I decided that it was important for all employees to have an opportunity to contribute

in a meeting.

There were not any surprises in this round of the game.

3. How could you use the concepts discussed in this simulation in your job today? Relate these
concepts to the other course materials and to your own experiences.

Recently while several employees were trying to promote at our store our manager filled one of the

two positions with an outside transfer employee. Many people at our store began saying negative things,

such as it was unfair for her to hire from the outside while several people were waiting to promote on the

inside, and that she made the promotion seem like a competition by limiting the available slots to one. In

the simulation on Planet Jockey there was a scenario where the boss hires a new manager from the

outside that seems unqualified. The prompt then asks if I explain my reasons to the employees or not. I

chose to explain my choice, which was the highest scoring answer. Looking back on the situation at my

own workplace, I feel that my co-workers would have found a deeper sense of trust and understanding in

our manager if she would have explained her reasoning as well. The game suggests that “you are not

diminishing your ‘authority’ by explaining things to people. In fact, when you convey transparency,

fairness, and openness, you’re actually bolstering your credibility” (Planet Jockey, 2016, level 1).

Hackman also explains in his book that democratic leaders (“the style of leadership communication that
is most effective” (2013, p. 46)) “engage in two-way, open communication” and “facilitates discussion

with followers” (2013, p. 41). I would like to keep these traits and pointers in mind for future situations

that might occur like this.

Another concept from the simulation that relates to my workplace is the scenario about conflict

resolution. Part of the job description for any role at Starbucks is “coaching”. We are encouraged as a

team to coach one another in the moment in order to help each other grow and be successful. The Planet

Jockey simulation encourages to not “fear conflict”, rather to “learn to manage it and leverage it into

building your high-performing team” (Planet Jockey, 2016, Level 1). I enjoyed that the scenario

encouraged me as a “boss” to let the co-workers in the debate work it out and then have me coach them

afterwards. Referencing the democratic leadership communication style again, Hackman states that this

type of leader “mediates conflict for group gain” (2013, p.41). In concurrence with this, Planet Jockey also

mentions that “to become a cohesive operating unit, a team must go through several stages of growth.

Conflict is an inevitable and necessary part of the beginning phases; it enables team members to explore

their positions and find their places within the group” (2016, Level 1). My goal is to consciously guide

conflicts in the workplace in a way that will benefit those involved, as well as the team.

Resource:

Hackman, M., & Johnson, C. (2013). Leadership: A Communication Perspective Long Grove, IL: Waveland
Press. ISBN-10: 1478602597

SSO | Planet Jockey. (2016). Level 1: How To Create A High Performing Team. Retrieved March 20, 2017,
from https://play.eigames.com/game/4#