Working with Authority Questioning Employees and Authority Hungry Managers

As a leader, there will have been a time in your career where someone would have undermined your authority. Whether you are put in charge of a particular project or you’re leading the organization, deal with the ones who are questioning your authority firsthand. You know they are up to no good. Make sure you deal with them effectively, ensuring there are zero roadblocks.

Questioning Authority

Someone who is constantly questioning your actions or authority can damage the spirit of your team and destroy your reputation. This can drastically affect your organization’s vibe.

Questioning your every move and decision can manifest in diverse ways:

• Trying to subtly sabotage meetings by asking questions that raise unnecessary doubts or create discord.
• Triangulation- Talking ill about the leader among peers.
• Defying directives on purpose
• Inappropriate use of language to denigrate the leader.
• Confronting the leader or putting them on the spot (we are talking about negative confrontation, not the one where peers produce different ideas) in public rather than having a private discussion.

There are two main reasons why people question authority-

• Personality conflict
• Resentment or jealousy

There is also a third kind! Some challenge you to test if you can hold the ground or if you are worthy of leading.

8 Ways to Deal with Authority Questioning Employees

1. Do not take it to heart

Yes, we know it is easier said than done, but you need to practice detachment if you do not want to lose control. Listen to their concerns and try to understand their intent. Use the situation to enforce your executive presence. You will be viewed and perceived as a confident, credible, and calm leader.

2. Spell out their roles and responsibilities clearly

Clarify that you are in charge of the project, and you intend to take it seriously. Define their role clearly and that you value their input.

3. Help them become a team player

It helps to make it evident that they are not the only “X” expert but are a member of a team working towards the same goal. Team building is necessary to create constructive collaboration between the members. Peers who trust each other tend to work 10 times better.

4. Do not beat around the bush. When a conflict presents (and it will), deal with it confidently

There are some who keep tugging on the issue even after a decision has been made. Do not let them. Take control and redirect the conversation if it is being derailed. Some managers think ignoring the issue will eventually make it go away. It will not. It will only make it worse. And over time, other members may start to wonder and question your authority as a leader.

5. Set Boundaries

Let the tyrant know that you are not one to stand down. Set clear boundaries and let them know about the consequences if they are crossed.

Do not ignore intolerant behavior. Difficult as the conversations may be, you need to have them. Speak privately, identify the problem, correct their behavior towards it. Let them know that disagreeing civilly is accepted, and some decisions that are made are not to be refuted.

6. Be mentally prepared to receive unwelcome news, at times

As a leader you need to have the heart to hear the good, bad, and ugly. If you are looking for honest feedback, and are listening intently, chances are good that your critics may become your allies. People like being heard. Honest feedback is good as you can reflect on your mistakes, learn from it and do better.

7. Encourage good conflict

Hear us out! Contrary views are not necessarily bad. If shared the right way, they can prove to be constructive. How? Productive team conflict creates a healthy relationship which does good to the organization’s productivity. Sometimes questioning authority indicates the need of the employee to be heard, no matter how valuable or not their concerns are.

8. Be their coach

Sure, you may be a problem solver, but do try the coach approach at times. Take a break from directing. Instead, start listening, asking, and get them to think through their problems. It will help your team build their analytical skills and learn and grow.

If you find yourself in a comparable situation, deal with it head on. But if the situation is starting to spiral out of control there is no shame in seeking professional help. Remember, prolonged toxic behavior can prove detrimental for your business and can even cost you. You do not want that.

Authority Hungry Managers

While we can agree employees need not question those in authority on a needless basis, you must also consider and not overlook authority hungry managers who create a chaotic environment.

Did you know that Chimpanzees that are at the top of the hierarchy are usually hostile towards the low-ranking members who have the mind and knowledge to question their authority? Research shows that power hungry bosses also do the same.

Some of the findings from a survey conducted by Charleen Case and Jon Maner at Northwestern’s Kellogg School revealed that, those who wanted to wield authority-

• Tried to prevent highly skilled “subordinates” from bonding and forming cooperative relationships. For example, when asked to choose seating arrangements, these leaders separated the most capable of the subordinates from all the other people, blocking peer-to-peer interactions that foster group success.

The Consequences of Letting Authority Hungry Managers take Control

Authority hungry sounds like a value laden term but research has found otherwise. Hoarding of rights to make decisions can have commercial implications for organizations. We are especially talking about those who are hungry to make decisions at the cost of sacrificing their organization’s expected earnings to remain under control.

Multinationals are the ones who suffer most. Prof. Richard Holden mentions a study of 100,000 IBM employees across 50 countries in the 1970s, which documented substantial variation in cultural attitudes toward hierarchy and authority, with leaders centralising decision making rights.

Dealing with Power Hungry Managers

There are several ways companies can limit managers’ tendency to go on a negative alpha mode.

1. Create accountability

Make sure that the leaders’ actions are visible to all, including superiors, peers, and subordinates. Letting subordinated know what is going on can help keep managers in check.

2. Institutionalize communication

Companies can start regulating communication among employees of all hierarchies, by conducting meetings as they see fit, whether they are monthly, bi-monthly, or whatever suits them.

3. Instigation of friendly competition among teams

Even power-hungry leaders make good decisions when their teams are competing against other groups. Enforcing friendly competitions can is a good step.

4. Ensure managers that their position is secure

Make sure you let your managers know that their place in the organization is theirs! And it is secure! There’s nothing more dangerous to group cohesion than a manager who feels threatened.

Takeaways

The one thing that is common in both authority questioning employees and authority hungry managers is their “need for dominance.”

Seeking to accomplish is a good thing, while seeking to control or degrade or have power over others indicates you are moving towards the dark side. Having said that, most successful people do not seek power or control. They fix things, solve problems, make products, and beat the competition.

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