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Scholarly Journal 2a

The Crucial Conversations points out that, “Respect is like air. As long as it is present,

nobody thinks about it. But if you take it away, it is all that people can think about” (Rogers). A

survey by Christine Porath of Georgetown University that involved 20,000 employees recruited

from various organizations across the world sought to know what employees regard most in a

workplace. Feelings of respect by senior management topped the list (Rogers). Embracing

mutual respect is critical in reducing workplace stress and conflicts. However, some managers

believe in instilling fear among employees arguing that “Sometimes, I want my followers to fear

me.” Undoubtedly, embracing degrading behaviors – disrespect and intimidating employees, like

in the case of Courtney Sample in the workplace result is a poor culture that is likely to increase

conflicts and turnover. As a result, the dynamic of having fearful followers is neither appropriate

nor desirable.

Embracing respect will help Courtney improve communication between her and

employees, increase teamwork, and productivity. It is clear that six months into her position,

Courtney is frustrated. She has not been able to complete a single project, and morale among the

senior leadership team is low. Most of the employees and physicians in the facility are unfamiliar

with her, and she is feared by those who know her. Evidently, there is a gap – physical and

psychological between her, senior leadership, and employees. Martinelli posits that a positive

culture is instrumental in the workplace since it results in employee satisfaction. To correct

Courtney's misguided attitude, Will Cheng should showcase to her that respect is a subset to
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productivity and a path to thriving feelings of inclusivity. Showing respect, therefore, will help

Courtney reduce the gap between her, the senior leadership team, and employees.

The construct of respect is constant in all settings of leadership. Regardless of the size

of the organization and its location, leaders should embrace respect since it signals civility and a

feeling that all employees are inherently valuable. Intimidating employees’ poses far-reaching

effects, notably, making employees become anxious and low esteemed that are precursors to low

productivity. Blake Ashforth, psychologist and professor at Arizona State University, in his

paper “Petty Tyranny in Organizations” argues that fear is attributable to low team cohesiveness,

a surge in employee stress, and creation of work alienation feelings (Rogers). Instilling fear

becomes an entrenched marker on the culture of an organization that portends toxic effects in the

long run. Those leaders who argue, "Sometimes, I want my followers to fear me" should

understand that this dynamic is not appropriate because apart from stifling creativity, fear

inhibits collaboration. All managers, thus, should cascade respect to unify the organizations.

The dynamic of having fearful followers is neither appropriate nor desirable. Fear

forces employees to refrain from expressing their views to the managers and other superiors. In

the article, "Do I Dare Say Something?" by a Leadership and Management professor at the

Harvard Business School, the fear of offending superiors is widespread (Rogers). While working

with Java Script Company as a clerk, I remember I would not express my viewpoints because I

feared being perceived to be critical or challenging my supervisor. Ultimately, encouraging two-

way communication will motivate Courtney’s senior leadership team and employees to discuss

and contribute to the implementation of the facility projects. In addressing the gap between the

upper management and employees, managers have to inculcate and cascade respect, embrace a

cultural change, and encourage employees to openly communicate with the upper management.
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When respect and confidence thrives, employees will remain focused and only think of

productivity.
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Works Cited

Martinelli, Katie. “Importance of Respect in the Workplace.” Hub, 3 January 2018,

www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/hub/importance-of-respect-in-the-workplace/.

Rogers, Kristie. “Do Your Employees Feel Respected?” Harvard Business Review, July–August

2018, https://hbr.org/2018/07/do-your-employees-feel-respected.