What are the importance of Dissonance, Behavior and Communication?

This is a case study of jack, a 36 years old professional who works with a large hospital. Jack is a team leader and he considers himself a good leader who motivates and inspires his team members positively.  He is conscious of his health hence he is actively involved with recreational activities, exercise
 and eating healthy. However, for over a year he is not able to maintain this lifestyle because of his hectic career responsibilities. A follow-up visit to his doctor revealed his cholesterol level is high as such he would require a long-term treatment because of the nature of the ailment. Jack was speechless and refused to accept his diagnosis while the doctor gave him details of his condition and the side effects. The doctor gave some prescriptions which Jack tore and trashed because he still couldn’t believe his diagnosis. Jack is convinced this is happening to him because he hasn’t paid enough attention to his health lately, as well as his genealogy. Jack is determined to start living and eating right, but he is unsure how he can stick to his healthy living lifestyle without losing focus of his team (Self-Concept Case Study, 2010).

Jack has developed self-concept overtime that maintaining a healthy lifestyle will keep sickness away.  Self-Concept is all the belief system of an individual, learned overtime which controls the attitude, behavior, and opinion of an individual (cultural intelligence for leaders, 2012). Jack’s self-concept has been distorted by the doctor’s diagnosis which has also affected his self-esteem. Jack had self- confidence as a leader; he knew his capabilities and has successfully utilized it by being a great influence on his team. However, this new information has brought doubts and he is found questioning himself if he will be able to motivate and provide the necessary support to his team like he has done in the past.

Jack is in a state of dissonance as a result of his latest health information. Cognitive dissonance occurs when there is contradictory information that those not align with one’s belief which usually results in uneasiness (Prvulovic, 2015). Jack’s belief is that if you live a healthy life you will be free from chronic ailments and this belief was contradicted by his diagnosis because he had practiced healthy living in the past. In other for Jack to accept his diagnosis, he needs to let go of his past belief which is holding him back from accepting his diagnosis and getting necessary help. This belief is his blind spot which may result in detrimental outcome if not uncovered. Basically, Jack needs to be open-minded, adjust his belief system to accept that other factors aside eating healthy and exercising contribute to the general wellbeing of an individual. It is hard to change one’s belief or attitude but accepting change most times can be life changing (cultural intelligence for leaders, 2012). Jack needs to focus on the bright side which is being able to manage the ailment by taking his medication so that it can be controlled.

In other to get his team on board, Jack would need to properly communicate his present health situation to them to maintain trust and avoid disappointments due to high expectations. He should also make them understand the benefits of adopting the new process making sure to use words of affirmation and other reward systems (Heathfield, 2018).

The major cause of Jack’s disturbance of self-concept emanates from his belief that living a healthy life means being free from all sorts of chronic sicknesses. Jack practiced healthy living for years and he was not diagnosed of any ailment, just when he couldn’t continue for over a year he was told about his health condition. This dissonance totally affected his self-concept hence his resistance.

Deciding to disclose his diagnoses to his team members might help him overcome his fears. He might get help from team members who might be going through the same situation. He can decide to disclose only a fraction of the situation if he isn’t comfortable enough to disclose all. The concept of time, on the other hand, is different in every culture, in this case, Jack needs time to process the information before accepting his fate. Communication plays a very important role in jack’s overall acceptance because it is the means through which his behavior will be expressed which can be verbal or nonverbal. Jack can engage his team in this new healthy lifestyle by being sincere with them and making them see the need to change. He should be nonjudgmental allowing them to express themselves and also create means of feedback for efficiency. (Heathfield, 2018).

In conclusion, it is important for leaders to be open to change and willing to adjust to new information and cultures. Being open-minded is one of the keys to being culturally intelligent and helps to avoid dissonance.

REFERENCES

Cultural Intelligence for Leaders (2012). Saylor Academy. Creative Commons by-nc-sa 3.0. Retrieved from: https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_leading-with-cultural-intelligence/index.html

Heathfield, S. M. (2018, January 14). How to Reduce Employee Resistance to Change. You Can Minimize Employee Resistance to Change by Taking Appropriate Actions. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-reduce-employee-resistance-to-change-1918992

Prvulovic Goran (2015, April 25) Impacts of Cognitive Dissonance in the Workplace. Retrieved from: https://safetyrisk.net/impacts-of-cognitive-dissonance-in-the-workplace/