Five dilemmas have been identified which confront executive leaders during the course of their work. These include clear and precise versus general and flexible, top-down versus bottom up, substance versus process, conflict resolution through confrontation versus compromise, and tangibles versus intangibles. The strategies that executives employ to resolve these dilemmas can affect the long-term performance of the executive as well as the organization, and the role that subordinates play within that organization, as well.
THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THE FIVE DILEMMAS
Of these dilemmas, the last (tangibles versus intangibles) may be the most important. The first four are intricately related to a manager's management style: whether the manager embraces conflicts or avoids it, whether the manager is flexible or specific, and whether the manager mentors subordinates or commands. These dilemmas focus on how the manager interacts with others. The last dilemma, tangible versus intangible, is the only dilemma that involves the strategic processes of the organization--which resources should be allocated to projects, whether short-term goals should be emphasized over long-term goals, and how compensation programs (as an example) should be structured.
This emphasis on the last dilemma in no way reduces the importance of the other four, however. Still, there are relationships that exist among the first four that are independent of the last one. As an example, a manager who favors a clear and precise approach to management is not likely to also favor process over substance. Such a manager is more likely to be interested in outcomes as part of his management strategy. Similarly, managers who are clear and precise may also favor a top-down approach to management rather than bottom up approach, and may be comfortable with confrontation as a management technique. Traditionally, these executives exhibit characteristics of transactional...