Tag: personality

Managing dominant team members in meetings

Managing Dominant Team Members in Meetings

We’ve all been in team meetings where no one can get a word in edgeways due to dominant members of the team occupying the air space ! So why do some people feel the need to dominate and what can you do to address this ?

Effective team meetings are critical for fostering collaboration, making decisions, and driving projects forward. However, managing dominant team members can be a challenge, as their assertiveness may inadvertently stifle input from others, skew decision-making, or lead to frustration among quieter team members. By implementing strategic approaches grounded in research and best practices, leaders can create a more balanced and inclusive meeting environment. So why do certain people manifest dominance in meetings ?

Understanding Dominance in Team Dynamics

Dominance in meetings often manifests as frequent interruptions, monopolization of speaking time, or steering discussions towards personal interests. While dominant members may bring valuable insights and energy, their behavior can unintentionally overshadow the contributions of others, potentially diminishing the overall effectiveness of the group (Kozlowski & Ilgen, 2006). Certain individuals may act dominant in meetings due to personality traits, such as high extraversion or assertiveness, or as a response to perceived threats to their status within the group. Additionally, dominance can arise from a desire to control outcomes or ensure their ideas are heard, particularly in high-stakes scenarios (Anderson & Brion, 2014; Wisse & Sleebos, 2016).

Strategies to Manage Dominant Participants

  1. Set Clear Expectations Begin meetings with a clear agenda and ground rules. Establishing norms such as “one person speaks at a time” and “every voice matters” creates a framework for respectful interaction (Lehmann-Willenbrock et al., 2011). Additionally, distributing the agenda beforehand allows all members to prepare their contributions, reducing the likelihood of any single person dominating.
  2. Facilitate Balanced Participation The role of the facilitator is critical in managing team dynamics. Techniques such as round-robin sharing or directed questions can ensure equal participation. For example, asking, “Let’s hear from someone who hasn’t spoken yet,” invites input from quieter members (Kerr & Tindale, 2004).
  3. Use Structured Techniques Structured decision-making tools, like brainstorming followed by prioritization or the Nominal Group Technique, (NGT ) can help balance participation. The NGT is a process by which individuals first generate ideas independently, followed by a group discussion to prioritize these ideas. This ensures that all contributions are considered before dominant voices can overly influence the discussion (Van Breda, 2019).These methods encourage individual input before group discussion, reducing the influence of dominant voices.
  4. Leverage Nonverbal Cues None verbal cues can be powerful in managing behaviours (ask any teacher !) . Facilitators can use nonverbal communication to subtly manage dominance. Making eye contact with quieter members, gesturing towards them to speak, or gently interrupting dominant participants with phrases like, “Let’s pause here to get others’ thoughts,” can help redistribute speaking time.
  5. Provide Feedback and Coaching Addressing dominant behavior privately can lead to positive changes. Frame feedback constructively, focusing on the impact of their behavior and suggesting alternative ways to contribute. For instance, say, “Your enthusiasm is valuable, but I’d like to ensure others have the opportunity to share their perspectives as well” (Hackman, 2002).
  6. Cultivate Psychological Safety Psychological safety—the belief that one can speak up without fear of negative consequences—is essential for inclusive meetings. Leaders should model vulnerability, acknowledge diverse viewpoints, and actively encourage participation from all members. (Allen et al, 2023)

Managing dominant team members requires a proactive and empathetic approach. By setting clear expectations, facilitating balanced participation, and fostering a culture of psychological safety, leaders can create a meeting environment where all voices are heard and valued. This not only enhances decision-making but also strengthens team cohesion and morale.

References

  • Anderson, C., & Brion, S. (2014). Perspectives on power in organizations. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1(1), 67-97.
  • Allen, J, A. Lehmann-Willenbrock, The Key Features of workplace meetings: Conceptualising the why, how and what of meetings at work, Organisational Psychology Review, London Sage.
  • Delbecq, A. L., Van de Ven, A. H., & Gustafson, D. H. (1975). Group techniques for program planning: A guide to nominal group and Delphi processes. Scott, Foresman.
  • Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350-383.
  • Hackman, J. R. (2002). Leading teams: Setting the stage for great performances. Harvard Business Press.
  • Kerr, N. L., & Tindale, R. S. (2004). Group performance and decision making. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 623-655.
  • Kozlowski, S. W., & Ilgen, D. R. (2006). Enhancing the effectiveness of work groups and teams. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 7(3), 77-124.
  • Lehmann-Willenbrock, N., Meinecke, A. L., Rowold, J., & Kauffeld, S. (2011). How transformational leadership works during team interactions: Insights from a video-based field study. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(6), 1013-1024.
  • Wisse, B., & Sleebos, E. (2016). When the dark ones gain power: Perceived position power strengthens the effect of supervisor Machiavellianism on abusive supervision in work teams. Personality and Individual Differences, 99, 122-126.

Resources and blog posts relating to introverted leadership and inclusive practices.

Management Today: https://www.managementtoday.co.uk/does-introvert-hamper-chances-making-senior-management/personal-development/article/1811100:Does being an introvert hamper your chances of making senior management?

Do the HEXACO TEST AT : https://hexaco.org/scaledescriptions

BBC Ideas : BBC Ideas Programme, Writer and voiceover, https://www.bbc.co.uk/ideas/videos/the-power-of-quiet-leadership/p0929tnh now with 168 thousand views.

Academic identities project resources

~The Art of Quiet leadership

This post first appeared on the OpenLearn Website : https://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-business/leadership-management/quiet-leadership-post-covid-world

The last ten years have seen the rise of populist leaders, characterised by their extroverted ‘style before substance’ self-promotion approach.

Individuals such as Donald Trump; Boris Johnson and Jair Bolsonaro, promote the ideal of the pushy extroverted leader, who speaks without thinking, reacts rapidly and excitedly and changes tack frequently.

For some time now there has been a general perception that you are better off in the workplace, and as a leader, if you have extrovert tendencies: In other words, if you are ‘boastful and booming’ rather than ‘contemplative and calm’. But research on quiet more introverted styles of leadership has shown that introverts may be far better suited to today’s challenges.

Introversion Vs extroversion

The perception that extroverted individuals make better leaders, is influenced by the fact that there are more extroverts in leadership positions, combined with the fact that extroverts are much more likely to tell you how good they are. The traits of extroversion and introversion, first introduced by the famous psychologist Carl Jung, are generally characterised by garrulous outgoing and energetic behaviours in extroverts, whereas introverted characters are more likely to be calm, reflective and often prefer the written to the spoken medium.

In actual fact, according to most personality tests that set out to measure these tendencies, behaviours are more often placed on a continuum rather than being confined to one extreme or the other: Ambiversion-the ability to shift between introverted and extroverted behaviours, is very common, for example, salespeople that on one hand, need to listen deeply, on the other, talk enthusiastically about their products (Kahnweiler, 2009,p, 3). …studies found that extrovert’s positive outlook can make them more resilient to stress…

Some studies, such as one that looked at extroversion in the workplace from a multiple countries perspective, found that extroverts are more likely to rise to leadership positions due to a greater motivation to achieve external goals, such as a promotion or increased salary. These studies found that extrovert’s positive outlook can make them more resilient to stress and more likely to bounce back from failure, both recognized qualities of strong leaders (Ledesma, 2014).  

But according to Susan Cain, author of the bestselling book ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that can’t stop talking’, society as a whole undervalues introverts, particularly as leaders. She argues that without introverts we wouldn’t have leadership achievements such as The Apple computer, or theory of relativity – Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein were both introverts.Graphic of introverts VS ExtrovertsCopyrighted image IconFigure 1 Adapted from information in (Kahnweiler, 2009)

The power of the introverted quiet leader

So what do introverts bring to leadership positions and how can they overcome their key challenges?

Research shows that introverts can bring a great deal to the table in leadership positions: they are more likely to listen and process the ideas of their team; they consider ideas deeply before acting; they are humble and more likely to credit their team for ideas and performance; they express themselves and their ideas well in writing and because their motivation generally comes from within, are less likely to compromise performance in seeking rewards such as money or power.

For this reason, their judgement is less likely to be compromised through excitement or promise of rich rewards.  However, there is a downside: Many western societies, including the US, have long favoured extroverted behaviours: Psychologist, Robert McCrae created a map of the world, showing the extent to which, different countries favour introverted or extroverted qualities (McCrae & Terracciano, 2005). Asian /oriental societies erred on the side of favouring introverted qualities whilst Western cultures revealed the opposite.

However, the Western predilection to favour extroversion has resulted in many leadership courses, such as MBAs being structured to favour extroverted activities such as; talking about achievements or large group presentations. These can leave introverted students feeling they lack the qualities necessary for ‘good leadership’.

So what are introverts key challenges and how do should they overcome them?

Jennifer Kahnweiler’s studies into leadership challenges for introverts revealed six key factors which can hold introverts back from rising to leadership postiions:

  1. People exhaustion (draining of energy due to too many people contact)
  2. Fast pace (leaving little time for reflection)
  3. Interruptions (particularly difficult given our ‘always on’ world)
  4. A pressure to self-promote
  5. An emphasis on teamwork
  6. An aversion towards negative impressions (introverts’ facial expression doesn’t often reveal their emotion as readily as extroverts)

She advocates a 4 Ps Process to overcome these challenges:

Preparation

Try to prepare in advance for people heavy situations such as meetings, create your questions when you have time to think about them

Presence

Show people, you are present by showing you are interested and aware through making eye contact or asking a question

Push

Push yourself out of your comfort zone as often as possible: more pain more gain!  

Practice 

Practice new behaviours such as telling stories, public speaking

Yet today’s world seems to demand extroverted qualities more than ever: leaders are expected to respond rapidly to increasingly complex scenarios; news travels faster than ever in an ‘always-on world,’ so why do we need more introverts in leadership positions?

Introverted leaders for the future

Introverted leaders have a great deal to offer in our complex and increasingly chaotic world: The creativity and staying power of introverts are vital to solving long term problems such as climate change or the increased possibility of worldwide viruses such as Covid19, which emerge due to complex social and ecological factors.

In addition, introverts recognize fellow introverts- introverts makeup 40-60% of the workforce if they are undervalued or not recognised, as is often the case if their leader is an extrovert, they are more likely to leave.

Finally, leaders cannot resolve complex problems without listening to their experts, failure to do so has been a leitmotif of populist leaders whose performance at controlling covid19 has been little short of catastrophic. Given these factors, it could well be the day of the populist extrovert is over and the time for the reflective quiet leader, is indeed upon us.