In Focus/Relationships-How to Connect for Competitive Advantage

ships as tools used by the individual

(Answer 1) and seeing relationships

as the matrix in which people live,

think, feel, and interact with one

another (Answer 2).

If Answer 2 is applied to leader-

ship, we get a very different picture

of how leadership works and the role

of relationships in leadership. Answer

1 leads to the belief that leadership

starts with the leader and flows via

the relationship to followers. Answer

2, however, leads to the belief that

leadership starts in the relationship

itself and flows from the relationship

to the leader and followers. So from

the perspective of Answer 2, leaders

don’t create leadership but are instead

created by their participation in lead-

ership-generating relationships. And

the same goes for followers. From

this perspective, leadership is conta-

gious, in the sense that all who par-

ticipate in leadership in an organiza-

tion share the meaning flowing from

their common seedbed of relations.

The conversation’s most interesting

and exciting moments happen when

the speakers seem to be understanding

leadership and relationships in line

with Answer 2. When John says,

“How we work together is our com-

petitive advantage,” he is recognizing

that the particular and unique relation-

ships of his company form a genera-

tive matrix that no other organization

can imitate. The general principles of

leadership can be taught and learned

by anyone, but the unique, evolving,

living relationships of actual people

cannot be. The leadership that is cre-

ated in such relationships is unique to

that group of people, to that company,

and has the potential to provide a

competitive advantage. This same

point can be applied to Melissa’s

comment that “our relationships not

only connect to the bottom line but

also drive the bottom line.”

This conversation contributes

valuable ideas to thinking about how

leadership can be made more inclu-

sive and shared. I believe that the

success of this effort depends on

more people letting go of the com-

monsense way of understanding rela-

tionships represented by Answer 1

and taking hold of the sometimes

counterintuitive view of relationships

offered by Answer 2.

LIA •VOLUME 23, NUMBER 5 • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2003

17

working together to make decisions.

High-performing teams have effective

decision-making processes in place.

Team members know when the whole

team needs to make a decision and

when it’s okay for the team leader or

a small group within the team to

make a decision. They understand

and accept the decisions made

because they understand and accept

the process. But those processes don’t

just happen. Facilitating effective

decision making on a team is a pri-

mary challenge for any team leader.

But for leaders of dispersed teams,

the challenge becomes even more

complex because of the difficulties of

bringing the team together.

Separation by distance, time, and

sometimes culture makes it hard to

build consensus on and understanding

of a team’s decision-making process.

If the whole team needs to decide on

an action, for example, the decision

might be delayed because of the plan-

ning and time needed to set up a vir-

tual meeting or bring team members

together face to face. If the team

leader or a small group of members

makes a decision, it’s possible that

the decision will be misunderstood by

other team members because of lan-

guage or cultural divisions.

Conflict Resolution

It’s almost inevitable that a team,

whether local or dispersed, will expe-

rience some type of interpersonal con-

flict among its members. Depending

on how it is managed (or not man-

aged), such conflict can be either a

positive or a negative influence on

team effectiveness. Because dispersed

teams are separated by distance and

often time, it is difficult to bring con-

flict out into the open for discussion

and to resolve the issues that give rise

to it. Without the face-to-face immedi-

acy characteristic of local teams, con-

flict in dispersed teams can remain

hidden or grow unchecked.

The leader of a dispersed team may

find that he or she is the only member

willing to address an evolving conflict

and to work to resolve it. It’s up to the

leader to pay attention to the team’s

evolving notions of dealing with con-

flict and to ask team members to look

at how their methods of handling dis-

agreements benefit or harm the team’s

performance. By reviewing with team

members the common components of

conflict and by planning a process for

managing conflicts, the team leader

can reduce the negative consequences

and emphasize the positive outcomes

of conflict.

GETTING THE MOST

The similarities between local teams

and dispersed teams suggest that

organizations and team leaders can

use what they already know about

local teams to form and manage dis-

persed teams successfully. But lead-

ing a dispersed team presents unique

challenges. If organizations and their

leaders aren’t sure about why or how

to use dispersed teams, or if they

don’t have the resources to back them

properly with the right technology,

people, and training, they won’t real-

ize the full potential of these collabo-

rative units.

The Challenges of Leading a Dispersed Team

Continued from page 5