Running Head: SOLUTIONS TO RESISTANCE AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES

Solutions to Resistance and Internal Struggles in Teamwork

Elijah Li

The Ohio State University

Author Note

Elijah Li, SMF program, Fisher College of Business

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Elijah Li, Fisher College

of Business, the Ohio State University, 2466 Neil Ave Columbus, OH, 43202

Contact: li.6141@osu.edu

Copyright by Elijah Li, li.6141@osu.edu

SOLUTIONS TO RESISTANCE AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES IN TEAMWORK

Problems and situation in the case

Ken Winston, the regional sales manager of Campbell and Bailyn is struggling with the

resistance and problems caused by the rearrangement of team framework in Boston office.

Due to a meltdown in the mortgage-backed securities, increasing competition from peer

firms and specialized products from competitors, Campbell and Bailyn suffer from a great

loss of sales， grumbles， and complaints from customers； especially in Boston Office,

one of the biggest regional offices.

Admittedly, Winston made some changes to improve sales and increasing of customers.

It is undeniable that they also caused many new problems. First of all, new KAT team caused

some worries and resistance from employees. For example, John Oates worried that new

structure would force them into a too specialized role to limit their career prospects and it

may cause a decrease in compensation， which was purely related to sales volumes. Secondly,

new KAT structure also raised concerns and unfavorable judgments from clients because,

“making large, multiproduct trades was now more complicated.” Moreover, the new structure

forces them to work with two or three different sales people rather than just one they are

accustomed, which causes trust issue for new specialists.

Solutions:

In the Boston office, Winston has to solve at least three major problems. First, group

members always disagree with their superior; which lead the whole arrangement and daily

management to become inefficient. Secondly, group members are selfish and don’t contribute

to the group’s interest. The group members are standing on their own interest and do

everything to benefit themselves, which leads a “dead weight loss” of the whole company.

Third, team members must learn how to cooperate with each other. Mr. Winston must specify

responsibilities, maintain a positive communication among team members, and minimize

SOLUTIONS TO RESISTANCE AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES IN TEAMWORK

arguments. According to former research about the hierarches, building hierarchies can help

Winston solve each of them.

1. The power of leader

Hierarchies help the top manager get the “power of leader”, which will solve the

problem by holding the “absolute power”. Group leaders can give disproportionate control to

group members. The low ranking members can’t go against the high one. No member can

disagree with the top leader. The power of leader will build a pyramid structure which is the

core of hierarchies system. The concentration of power will provide the leader a complete

control of decision making, which will address the inefficiency and resistance from

subordinates (Baleset al., 1951; Berger, Rosenholtz, & Zelditch, 1980; Goffman, 1967;

Keltner, Gruenfeld, & Anderson, 2003).

Meanwhile, hierarchies can also increase the quality of decision-making.

Disproportionate control can provide the most competent individuals to hold more power in

decision making, which will avoid the distraction from low level co-workers. Generally,

competent individuals are assumed with better decision-making ability to make better

decision than less competent individuals do. Therefore, hierarchies are functional to solve the

resistance from sub-ordinates (Berger et al., 1980; Davis & Moore, 1945; Eibl-Eibesfeldt,

1989; Ridgeway & Diekema, 1989).

2. Motivating members

To solve the problems that group members are not likely to focus on the group’s interest

but their own interest, the hierarchy can motivate members to contribute to the group’s

benefit by providing materials, social, and psychological incentives. The hierarchy will build

ranks. A higher rank means stronger power, greater respect, authority, autonomy liberty,

SOLUTIONS TO RESISTANCE AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES IN TEAMWORK

material support, self-esteem, well-being, and wider social resources. Individuals are willing

to sacrifice for the group and contribute to the group interest because hierarchy will change

the group’s interest to a mutual interest, which will benefit individuals if they contribute to

the group’s interest. Then individuals perceived as working hard will lead to a higher rank.

On the contrary, inefficiency and selfishness will cause the dropping of ranks. Therefore, the

whole group will be motivated to work towards group interest, which leads to teamwork

success (Blau, 1964; Flynn, Reagans, Amanatullah, & Ames, 2006; Ridgeway & Diekema,

1989; Hardy & Van Vugt, 2006; Willer, 2009).

Numerous studies have consistently found people who sacrifice more to the group will

receive a higher ranking. On the contrary, people who are perceived as being selfish and lazy

or even harmful to the whole group will have a lower rank. (Blau, 1964; Amanatullah &

Ames, 2006; Ridgeway & Diekema, 1989; Roethlisberger & Dickson, 1939).

3. Improving group cooperation

Hierarchies can also improve the groups’ cooperation by giving disproportionate control

to members. Members in higher ranks have better chances to reach more resources or join

more decision making processes. Members in lower ranks may have fewer chances to do so.

Disproportionate control also helps members in the higher ranks, have more power than

members in the lower ranks. Moreover, the lower rank members are not allowed to go against

the higher rank members. Therefore, hierarchy offers an entry barrier for different ranks of

people. (Barnard, 1964; Berger et al., 1980; Chance,1967; Durkheim, 1893/1997; Katz &

Kahn, 1966; Keltner et al., 2008; Leavitt, 2005; Magee & Galinsky, 2008; Marx,1844/1964;

Mintzberg, 1983; Parsons, 1961; Tiedens, Unzetta, & Young, 2007).

Hierarchy also stimulates a more efficient message transmission between members.

Research proves that in the pyramid hierarchy, information travels from the low ranks to the

SOLUTIONS TO RESISTANCE AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES IN TEAMWORK

high ranks. The top rank will make decisions by using information from all diverse resources.

Then the decision will be implemented from high ranks to low ranks, flowing down to each

rank. This way, the decision maker has more resources, which will help make a better

decision. Thus, decisions will be transferred efficiently since the implement process comes

from higher ranks to lower ranks.

Evaluation:

For this company, top leaders want to maintain the working relationship mainly by being

friendly and casual to every employee. Under these circumstances, people may are

comfortable with less pressure and democratic working environment. However, losing of

authority will also cause inefficiency, resistance, and complaints. Building up hierarchy and

keeping an appropriate distance is necessary for top leaders. Therefore, hierarchy is the key to

solve all problems of this case.

However, hierarchy will also bring some drawbacks. First of all, hierarchy blocks a

democratic working environment. Secondly, hierarchy may cause implicit conflictions

between co-workers, which in the end hurts the efficiency of the whole firm.

To conclude, in this case, Winston should appropriately build up hierarchies. But he

should also keep an eye on the impacts of the hierarchy, to be careful about the implicit

impacts caused by hierarchy.

Reference:

Barnard, C. (1964). Functions and pathology of status systems in formal organizations. In W.

F. Whyte (Ed.), Industry and society (pp. 46–83). New York: McGraw-Hill.

SOLUTIONS TO RESISTANCE AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES IN TEAMWORK

Berger, J., Rosenholtz, S. J., & Zelditch, M., Jr. (1980). Status organizing processes. Annual

Review of Sociology, 6, 479–508.

Goffman, E. (1967). Interaction ritual. New York: Anchor.

Ebenbach, D. H., & Keltner, D. (1998). Power, emotion and judgmental accuracy in social

conflict: Motivating the cognitive miser. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 20, 7–21.

Eibl-Eibesfeldt, I. (1989). Human ethology. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine De Gruyter.

Ridgeway, C. L. (1984). Dominance, performance and status in groups. In Lawler, E. (Ed.).

Advances in group processes: Theory and research (Vol. 1). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Hardy, C. L., & Van Vugt, M. (2006). Nice guys finish first: The competitive altruism

hypothesis. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32,1402–1413.

Willer, R. (2009). Groups reward individual sacrifice: The status solution to the collective

action problem. American Sociological Review, 74, 23–43.

Willer, R., Feinberg, M., Flynn, F. J., & Simpson, B. (2010). Is generosity sincere or strategic?

Altruism versus status-seeking in prosocial behavior. Working paper. Berkeley, CA:

University of California.

Problem (Case) Analysis Research Grading Rubric

Student: Elijah Li

Item PointsFormat 15%

☐ The title page contains a clear and insightful title, student’s name, day of submission with correct spacing

☐ The text is set up with a header that has running head and page#.

☐ The typed paper is double spaced throughout.

☐ Times New Roman 12 point font

15

SOLUTIONS TO RESISTANCE AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES IN TEAMWORKthroughout the paper.

☐ Standard margin (an inch).☐ Half an inch indentation to the first line of

the paragraph☐ The body of the paper is 3-4 pages in

length (excluding the Title page and the reference section).

Components of the Paper 15%

☐ Situation: The paper has pertinent background information about the case (company, institution, departments, etc...)

☐ Problem: The paper has thorough and clear descriptions and of the problem in this paper

☐ Solutions: The paper provides solution(s)/recommendation(s) to the problem. The solutions are justified with clear description/analysis of how and why they work.

☐ Evaluation: The paper evaluates the solutions and provide recommendations to deal with any potential complications and drawbacks.

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Organization of Ideas 40%

☐ The introduction section (situation & problem) situates the problem (case) in a big context and effectively addresses the importance of the problem (case)

☐ The paper has a clearly stated thesis statement that focuses on the problem and provides a framework of the paper.

☐ The proposed solutions sufficiently address the problem (case).

☐ Correct and effect use of outside sources to support the claims and arguments in the sections of solutions and/or evaluations

☐ The evaluation section is well thought out with clear emphasis on its relevance to the thesis statement.

☐ The conclusion wraps up the paper effectively.

☐ Tone is credible and knowledgeable.☐ An objective point of view is consistently

used throughout the paper.☐ For balance, the key features are treated

adequately and fairly with not too much emphasis on one thing and too little of another.

☐ Headings or sub-headings are used to provide an overview of the paper.

☐ Flow of ideas runs smoothly from beginning to end, showing planning and connecting of ideas.

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Writing Style 15% 15

SOLUTIONS TO RESISTANCE AND INTERNAL STRUGGLES IN TEAMWORK☐ Word choice exhibits effective strong

verbs, specific details.☐ Sentence structure uses a variety of

lengths and structural variety to create the natural flow of speech.

☐ Punctuation helps to establish and clarify the meaning; very few errors occur.

☐ Paragraphing aids the development of the content material by giving each idea its own clear setting.

☐ Transition words and other cueing devices help to make the connections clear without losing the reader.

Documentation 15%

☐ The paper uses in-text citations at necessary places throughout.☐ The format of in-text citations is correct.☐ The documentation correlates with the sources on the References section.☐ The References section gives all the sources used in the correct APA style format .

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