Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Conflict Management in Leader Development: The Roles of Control, Trust, and Fairness

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Leader Development Deconstructed

Part of the book series: Annals of Theoretical Psychology ((AOTP,volume 15))

  • 2093 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter contributes to research on leader development by evaluating how managers can effectively address leader-employee conflicts (goal, task, personal) by applying specific forms of organizational controls (input, behavior, output), by building particular forms of trust (demonstrating their ability, benevolence, and integrity) and by promoting distinct forms of fairness (distributive, procedural, interactional). By examining how leaders can preserve, protect, and promote their legitimacy and authority through multifaceted conflict management strategies, the ideas described in this chapter are presented in an effort to move leadership research past its current focus on singular types of control, trust-building, and fairness-promotion actions to examine how complementary forms of these activities can jointly motivate employee cooperation. The discussion at the end of the chapter examines how the principles outlined in this theory can be integrated into leadership development initiatives.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adams, J. S. (1965). Inequity of social exchange. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 276–299). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arrow, K. J. (1974). The limits of organization. New York, NY: W. W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arvey, R. D. (1979). Fairness in selecting employees. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baird, L., & Kram, K. (1983). Career dynamics: Managing the leader/employee relationship. Organizational Dynamics, 11, 46–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnard, C. I. (1938). The functions of the executive. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R. A. (1991). Positive effects of conflict: A cognitive perspective. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 4, 25–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R. A. (1997). Positive effects of conflict: Insights from social cognition. In C. K. W. de Dreu & E. Van de Vliert (Eds.), Using conflicts in organizations (pp. 177–191). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barney, J. B., & Hesterly, W. (1996). Organizational economics: Understanding the relationship between organizations and economic analysis. In S. R. Clegg, C. Hardy, & W. R. Nord (Eds.), Handbook of organization studies (pp. 115–147). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, T. N., & Green, S. G. (1996). The development of leader-member exchange: A longitudinal test. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 1538–1567.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bendersky, C. (2003). Organizational dispute resolution systems: A complementarities perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 28, 643–656.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bies, R. (1989). Managing conflict before it happens: The role of accounts. In M. A. Rahim (Ed.), Managing conflict: An interdisciplinary approach (pp. 83–92). New York, NY: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bies, R. J., & Moag, J. S. (1986). Interactional justice: Communication criteria of fairness. In R. J. Lewicki, B. H. Sheppard, & M. H. Bazerman (Eds.), Research in negotiation in organizations (pp. 43–55). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blau, P., & Scott, W. R. (1962). Formal organizations: A comparative approach. San Francisco, CA: Chandler Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyle, E. H., & Lawler, E. J. (1991). Resolving conflict through explicit bargaining. Social Forces, 69, 1183–1204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bromiley, P., & Cummings, L. L. (1995). Transactions costs in organizations with trust. In R. Bies, B. Sheppard, & R. Lewicki (Eds.), Research on negotiations in organizations (pp. 219–247). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardinal, L. B. (2001). Technological Innovation in the Pharmaceutical Industry: The use of organizational control in managing research and development. Organization Science, 12(1), 19–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardinal, L. B., Sitkin, S. B., & Long, C. P. (2004). Balancing and rebalancing in the creation and evolution of organizational control. Organization Science, 15, 411–431.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardinal, L. B., Sitkin, S. B., & Long, C. P. (2010). A configurational theory of control. In S. B. Sitkin, L. B. Cardinal, & K. Bijlsma-Frankema (Eds.), Organizational control (pp. 51–79). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Y.-R., & Church, A. H. (1993). Reward allocation preferences in groups and organizations. The International Journal of Conflict Management, 4, 25–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colquitt, J. A. (2001). On the dimensionality of organizational justice: A construct validation of a measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 386–400.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day, D. (2001). Leadership development: A review in context. Leadership Quarterly, 11, 581–613.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day, D. V., Fleenor, J. W., Atwater, L. E., Sturm, R. E., & McKee, R. A. (2014). Advances in leader and leadership development: A review of 25 years of research and theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 25, 63–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deutsch, M. (1975). Justice in the “crunch”. In M. J. Lerner & S. C. Lerner (Eds.), The justice motive in social behavior. New York, NY: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson, L. (1990). The ethereal hand: Organizational economics and management theory. Academy of Management Review, 15, 369–381.

    Google Scholar 

  • Doney, P. M., Cannon, J. P., & Mullen, M. R. (1998). Understanding the influence of national culture on the development of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23, 601–620.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dornbusch, S. M., & Scott, W. R. (1975). Evaluation and the exercise of authority. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Agency theory: An assessment and review. Academy of Management Review, 31, 57–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K. M., & Bourgeois, J. L. (1988). Politics of strategic decision-making in high velocity environments: Toward a mid-range theory. Academy of Management Journal, 31, 737–770.

    Google Scholar 

  • Enzle, M. E., & Anderson, S. C. (1993). Surveillant intentions and intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 257–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fayol, H. (1919). General and industrial management. London: Pitman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Folger, R., Konovsky, M. A., & Cropanzano, R. (1992). A due process metaphor for performance appraisal. Research in Organizational Behavior, 14, 129–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank, R. H. (1988). Passions with reason: The strategic role of emotions. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galinsky, A. D., Magee, J. C., Inesi, M. E., & Gruenfeld, D. H. (2006). Power and perspectives not taken. Psychological Science, 17, 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghoshal, S., & Moran, P. (1996). Bad for practice: A critique of the transaction cost theory. Academy of Management Review, 1, 13–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, J. (1987). A taxonomy of organizational justice theories. Academy of Management Review, 12, 9–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, J. (1990). Look fair vs. being fair: Managing impressions of organizational justice. In B. M. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 12, pp. 111–157). Greenwich CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssen, O., Van de Vliert, E., & Veenstra, C. (1999). An interdependence-conflict model of team decision making. Journal of Management, 25, 117–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaworski, B. (1988). Toward a theory of marketing control: Environmental context, control types, and consequences. Journal of Marketing, 52, 23–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jehn, K. A. (1994). Enhancing effectiveness: An investigation of advantages and disadvantages of value-based intragroup conflict. The International Journal of Conflict Management, 3, 223–228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jehn, K. A. (1995). A multi-method examination of the benefits and detriments of intragroup conflict. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40, 256–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jehn, K. A. (1997). Affective and cognitive conflict in work groups: Increasing performance through value-based intragroup conflict. In C. K. W. de Dreu & E. Van de Vliert (Eds.), Using conflicts in organizations (pp. 87–100). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jermier, J. M. (1998). Introduction: Critical theory perspectives on control. Administrative Science Quarterly, 43, 235–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, T. M. (1995). Instrumental stakeholder theory: A synthesis of ethics and economics. Academy of Management Review, 20, 404–437.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, W. C., & Mauborgne, R. A. (1993). Making global strategies work. Sloan Management Review, 34, 11–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keltner, D., Gruenfeld, D. H., & Anderson, C. (2003). Power, approach, and inhibition. Psychological Review, 110, 265–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirsch, L. J. (1996). The management of complex tasks in organizations: Controlling the systems development process. Organization Science, 7, 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawler, E. E., Ford, R., & Large, M. D. (1999). Unilateral initiatives as a conflict resolution strategy. Social Psychology Quarterly, 62, 240–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, M. J. (1977). The justice motive: Some hypotheses as to its origins and forms. Journal of Personality, 45, 1–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leventhal, G. S. (1976). The distribution of rewards and resources in groups and organizations. In L. Berkowitz & E. Walster (Eds.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 91–131). New York, NY: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leventhal, G. S. (1980). What should be done with equity theory? In K. J. Gergen, M. S. Greenberg, & R. H. Willis (Eds.), Social exchange: Advances in theory and research (pp. 27–55). New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leventhal, G. S., Karuza, J., & Fry, W. R. (1980). Beyond fairness: A theory of allocation preferences. In G. Mikula (Ed.), Justice and social interaction (pp. 167–218). New York: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levinthal, D. (1988). A survey of agency models of organizations. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organizations, 9, 153–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lind, E. A., & Tyler, T. R. (1988). The social psychology of procedural justice. New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lind, E. A., Kanfer, R., & Earley, P. C. (1990). Voice, control, and procedural justice: Instrumental concerns in fairness judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 952–959.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, C. P., Burton, R. M., & Cardinal, L. B. (2002). Three controls are better than one: A computational model of complex control systems. Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, 8, 197–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, C. P. (2010). Control to cooperation: Examining the role of managerial authority in portfolios of managerial actions. In S. B. Sitkin, L. B. Cardinal, & K. Bijlsma-Frankema (Eds.), Organizational control. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, C. P., Bendersky, C., & Morrill, C. (2011). Fairness monitoring: Linking managerial controls and fairness judgments in organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 54, 1045–1068.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, C. P., & Sitkin, S. B. (2006). Trust in the balance: How managers integrate trust-building and task control. In R. Bachmann & A. Zaheer (Eds.), Handbook of trust research. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, C. P., Sitkin, S. B., & Cardinal, L. B. (2014). Managerial action to promote control, trust and fairness in organizations: The effect of conflict. In J. A. Miles (Ed.), New directions in management and organization theory. Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, C. P. (2016a). Mapping the main roads to fairness: Examining the managerial context of fairness-promotion. Journal of Business Ethics, 137, 757–783.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, C. P. (2016b). Promoting fairness in the face of conflict: The moderating effect of social control. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 37, 593–608.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowenstein, J., Thompson, L., & Gentner, G. (1999). Analogical encoding facilitates knowledge transfer in negotiations. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 6, 586–597.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20, 709–734.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayo, E. (1945). The social problems of an industrial civilization. Boston: Division of Research, Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAllister, D. J. (1995). Affect and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organization. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 24–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendl, J. R. (1989). Managing to be fair: An exploration of values, motives and leadership. Administrative Science Quarterly, 34, 252–276.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merchant, K. A. (1985). Control in business organizations. Marshfield, MA: Pitman Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molm, L. D. (1984). The disruption and recovery of dyadic social interaction. In E. E. Lawler (Ed.), Advances in group processes (pp. 183–227). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molm, L. D. (1987). Linking power structure and power use. In K. S. Cook (Ed.), Social exchange theory (pp. 101–109). Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molm, L. D. (1990). Structure, action and outcomes: The dynamics of power in social exchange. American Sociological Review, 55, 427–447.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molm, L. D. (1991). Affect and social exchange: Satisfaction in power-dependence relations. American Sociological Review, 56, 475–493.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ouchi, W. G. (1977). The relationship between organizational structure and organizational control. Administrative Science Quarterly, 22, 95–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ouchi, W. G. (1979). A conceptual framework for the design of organizational control mechanisms. Management Science, 25, 833–848.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ouchi, W. G. (1980). Markets, bureaucracies, and clans. Administrative Science Quarterly, 25, 129–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perrow, C. (1986). Complex organizations, a critical essay (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfeffer, J. (1981). Management as symbolic action: The creation and maintenance of organizational paradigms. In L. L. Cummings & B. M. Staw (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (Vol. 3, pp. 1–52). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Popper, M. (2005). Main principles and practices in leader development. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 26, 62–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rousseau, D. M., Sitkin, S. B., Burt, R. S., & Camerer, C. (1998). Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23, 393–404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scandura, T. A., Graen, G. B., & Novak, M. A. (1986). When managers decide not to decide autocratically: An investigation of leader-member exchange and decision influence. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 579–584.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schriesheim, C. A., Neider, L. L., & Scandura, T. A. (1998). A within-and between-groups analysis of leader-member exchange as a correlate of delegation and as a moderator of delegation relationships with performance and satisfaction. Academy of Management Journal, 41, 298–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, B. A., Colquitt, J. A., & Layne Paddock, E. (2009). An actor-focused model of justice rule adherence and violation: The role of managerial motives and discretion. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(3), 756–769.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, D., Sheppard, B. H., & Cheraskin, L. (1992). Business in a handshake. Negotiation Journal, 8, 365–377.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, B. H., & Lewicki, R. J. (1987). Toward general principles of managerial fairness. Social Justice Research, 1, 161–176.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, B. H., & Sherman, D. M. (1998). The grammars of trust: A model and general implications. Academy of Management Review, 23, 422–437.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sitkin, S. B. (1995). On the positive effect of legalization on trust. In R. J. Bies, R. J. Lewicki, & B. H. Sheppard (Eds.), Research on negotiations in organizations (pp. 185–217). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sitkin, S. B., & Bies, R. J. (1993). Social accounts in conflict situations: Using explanations to manage conflict. Human Relations, 46, 349–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sitkin, S. B., & Roth, N. L. (1993). Explaining the limited effectiveness of legalistic remedies for trust/distrust. Organization Science, 4, 367–392.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sitkin, S. B., & Stickel, D. (1996). The road to hell: The dynamics of distrust in an era of quality. In R. M. Kramer & T. R. Tyler (Eds.), Trust in organizations. Frontiers in theory and research (pp. 196–215). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snell, S. A. (1992). Control theory in strategic human resource management: The mediating effect of administrative information. Academy of Management Journal, 35, 292–327.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spreitzer, G. M., & Mishra, A. K. (1999). Giving up control without losing control: Trust and its substitutes’ effects on managers’ involving employees in decision making. Group and Organization Management, 24, 155–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suchman, M. A. (1995). Managing legitimacy: Strategic and institutional approaches. Academy of Management Review, 20, 571–610.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thibaut, J., & Walker, L. (1975).P rocedural justice: A psychological analysis. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thibaut, J., & Walker, L. (1978). A theory of procedure. California Law Review, 66, 541–566.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, L., Gentner, D., & Lowenstein, J. (2000). Avoiding missed opportunities in managerial life: Analogical training more powerful than individual case training. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82, 60–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tjsvold, D. (1989). Interdependence approach to conflict Management in Organizations. In M. A. Rahim (Ed.), Managing conflict: An interdisciplinary approach (pp. 41–50). New York, NY: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyler, T. R., & Lind, E. A. (1992). A relational model of authority in groups. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 151–191). New York: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Maanen, J., & Schein, E. H. (1979). Toward a theory of organizational socialization. In B. W. Staw & L. L. Cummings (Eds.), Research in organizational behavior (pp. 209–264). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wanous, J. P. (1980). Organizational entry: Recruitment, selection and socialization of newcomers. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M. (1918). Economy and society (1968 trans.). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitener, E. M., Brodt, S. E., Korsgaard, M. A., & Werner, J. M. (1998). Managers as initiators of trust: An exchange relationship framework for understanding managerial trustworthy behavior. Academy of Management Review, 23, 513–530.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wicks, A. C., Berman, S. L., & Jones, T. M. (1999). The structure of optimal trust: Moral and strategic implications. Academy of Management Review, 24, 99–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilkins, A. L., & Ouchi, W. G. (1983). Efficient cultures: Exploring the relationship between culture and organizational performance. Administrative Science Quarterly, 28, 468–481.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, O. E. (1975). Markets and hierarchies. New York, NY: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yukl, G., Falbe, C. M., & Youn, J. Y. (1993). Patterns of influence behavior for managers. Group & Organization Management, 18, 5–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yukl, G., Guinan, P. J., & Sottolano, D. (1995). Influence tactics used for different objectives with employees, peers, and leaders. Group and Organization Management, 20, 272–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zelditch, M., Jr., & Walker, H. A. (1984). Legitimacy and the stability of authority. Advances in Group Processes: Theory and Research, 1, 1–25.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tobin College of Business, St. John’s University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY, 11439, USA

    Chris P. Long Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Chris P. Long Ph.D.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chris P. Long Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Matthew G. Clark

  2. College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Craig W. Gruber

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Long, C.P. (2017). Conflict Management in Leader Development: The Roles of Control, Trust, and Fairness. In: Clark, M., Gruber, C. (eds) Leader Development Deconstructed . Annals of Theoretical Psychology, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64740-1_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation