Which leadership function is most needed in the following scenario? A department within a large company has been asked to go on a team-building retreat. They need to decide where to go and what activities they think will best help them to work as a team. Evan: I think the team-building retreat should be at a ski resort. Allison: I don't know how to ski. Mark: We can teach you. It'll be a team effort. Allison: What if I hit a tree? Evan: That would be lame. Didn't that happen to one of the Kennedys? Mark: Yeah, and Sonny Bono, too. conflict management discussion management interaction evaluation

In discussions, the word leadership refers to the role of one or more people to direct the process of discussing for this to be effective. One of the functions of leadership is discussion management that is about directing the discussion by making sure everyone is able to participate, the focus in the discussion is kept and therefore, the purpose of the discussion is achieved. In the case presented, the main purpose of this discussion is to decide where to go for a team-building retreat and the type of activities this retreat will include.

In the excerpt presented the discussion begins as Evan purposes the retread to be in a ski resort which is directly related to the main objective of the discussion, but soon the discussion loses its focus and becomes ineffective. Therefore, the type of function of leadership that is needed is "Discussion management" as someone needs to direct this discussion to avoid losing the focus of it and get to the main objective.