Case-6-10 Change: More Pain than Gain? – Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspectives Approach : Book Guide

This Document Contains Cases 6 to 10 Scenario #6: Change: More Pain than Gain? I. Introduction The scenario depicts the difficulties that arise when two companies merge and highlights the role conflicts employees face in such situations. Analyzing this case will generate a rich discussion of the issues involved in promoting the acceptance of change and managing a difficult change process. II. Learning Objectives To assess students’ understanding of change concepts and the challenges of change management. To identify ways to decrease resistance to change. To analyze and evaluate change leadership behaviors. III. Scenario Description: Overview: A national media communications company acquires a regional communications company. As a result of the merger the regional marketing department is re-organized, combining the staff of the two organizations. Our Manager is overseeing the restructuring process and is having a lot of difficulty with people shifting roles, sharing assignments and adapting to new hierarchies. The manager meets with two department members who are very displeased with the new changes. The employees eventually ask the manager to leave the company and head a start-up – funding is already in place. Profile: Carlos Alarcon is the Vice President of Marketing at MediaWorld and manages a team of 120 people. MediaWorld recently acquired Franklin/Warner a regional company where Carlos has worked for 14 years. Carlos was a key player in organizing and managing this merger. Rita Finch is the Associate Director of Advertising and has worked at Franklin/Warner for eight years. Since the merger, a second Associate Director of Advertising, Ronny Peters, has been moved into Rita’s office suite. Over the course of their six months working together, Rita has found Peters insulting and uncommunicative. Juan Rayes is the Creative Director and has worked at Franklin/Warner for seven years. Since the merger, a second Creative Director, Bill Jackson, has been moved into Juan’s office suite. Like Rita, over the course of their six months working together, Juan has found Jackson uncooperative and deficient in his creative skills. References: The references included in the DVD are: Concepts in Change (PPT 6-3) Merging Organizational Cultures (PPT 6-4) Forces Resisting Change (PPT 6-6) Reducing Resistance (PPT 6-8) Back History: Alarcon, Rayes and Finch have been working together at MediaWorld for over eight years and have a very amicable working relationship. Since the merger, Finch and Rayes are now sharing their roles with two employees from the merger company, Jackson and Peters. They both perceive Jackson and Peters to be incompetent and a hindrance to the productivity of their departments. Each have different issues, complaining of arrogance, condescension, slacking, and poor communication skills, but at the root of the problem, they are furious that they are in essence working under people who are less experienced and less knowledgeable than they. Scene Set-up: Alarcon is having check-in meetings with all of the employees in his department, to assess the progress of the reorganization since the merger took place. Scene Location: Alarcon’s Office, MediaWorld; 3:00pm Friday The Meeting - Summary: Carlos apologizes for the delay in meeting and asks them to share their feelings. Rita and Juan complain that their new counterparts are difficult to work with and they are very dissatisfied with their roles and their jobs in the new organization. Carlos says that they need to work out the personal issues on their own. Juan and Rita both indicate that they don’t see a future and are ready to quit. They insinuate that they would like Carlos to leave with them so they can work together “on their own”. Carlos firmly rejects this offer and, while he admits the transformation is difficult, he says he plans to stay focused to make it work. Afterthoughts – Summary: Carlos is concerned about Rita’s and Juan’s actions before they leave. He wants to protect company property and clients because he is sure that they will leave the organization sooner or later. He did not think that it was ethical for them to approach him about leaving the organization with them – especially in the workplace. He is concerned that they indicated that many people are unhappy and admits that he needs to ensure the communication channels are open so that he can prevent further turnover. Carlos suggests that he would have tried harder to keep them if he didn’t think their minds weren’t already made up. While he hates to lose this talent, the merger plan accounted for some turnover to occur. Dossier: The specific artifacts included in the DVD are: New Hierarchy/ Department Structure Rayes’ notes on Jackson’s daily schedule over the course of two weeks Voicemails left for Rayes from various clients stating that they would rather have their accounts managed by a new company instead of continuing with MediaWorld. IV. Discussion Questions: The References and related Discussion Questions may be found in PowerPoint slides 6-1 to 6-9. Learning Objective #1: To assess students’ understanding of change concepts and the challenges of change management. Refer to “Concepts in Change” (PPT 6-3). What stage of change is this organization in? How do you know? At this point the merger has already occurred and employees are performing in their new roles. Therefore, they are in the refreezing stage where decisions are made and policies are enforced that support the new organizational structure and direction. Which strategy would be the most effective in merging these company’s organizational cultures (see PPT 6-4)? Provide justification for your answer based on information from the scenario. The separation strategy would be the least appropriate because we know that the employee’s from Franklin/Warner and MediaWorld have the same positions and job titles. This indicates that the companies provided the same services. Keeping their cultures separate would hinder the successful integration of their strengths. From the conversation, it seems that Franklin/Warner had a positive culture in which the employees enjoyed working with each other. Therefore, deculturation would likely inhibit the productivity and acceptance of change on the part of Franklin/Warner employees. Given the fact that MediaWorld is a much larger company than Franklin/Warner was, assimilation may work well depending on how strong and effective MediaWorld’s culture was. Integration may also be appropriate if both had relatively weak cultures. The scenario does not provide definitive information on this point.  1. Why does Rita mention feeling alone? Assert control Win sympathy Reprimand him Rita is indirectly trying to reprimand him for being so hard to reach and communicate with during the initial period of this merger. Learning Objective #2: To identify ways to decrease resistance to change. Refer to “Forces Resisting Change” (PPT 6-6). Which of these factors are most strongly affecting Rita and Juan? Support your answer with examples from the scenario. Clearly, incongruent team dynamics are seriously affecting Juan and Rita’s job satisfaction. They feel that their counterparts from the other company do not treat them with respect. They also feel that the quality of their work does not meet the standards they and their clients expect. Breaking routines is another major factor for Rita and Juan because they now have to perform their jobs in concert with their counterparts rather than working autonomously. Therefore, every aspect of how they do their job is affected by this. Having to share responsibilities with someone else also creates resistance because the employees want to “save face”. They may feel belittled and denigrated by now having to share the jobs they used to do alone.  4. Why does Carlos share his perspective? Create camaraderie Persuade them Assert power Carlos would like Juan and Rita to stay but indicates that they have accounted for turnover when planning the merger. Learning Objective #3: To analyze and evaluate change leadership behaviors. How effective is Carlos in decreasing Juan and Rita’s resistance to change? (see PPT 6-8) It’s not clear what he has done prior to their meeting. Presently, he seems to not have been available for his employees and is apologetic for that. This has reduced the communication between them. Had the communication been more free-flowing earlier, they may not have been at the point of wanting to leave. During the conversation, he does not attempt to negotiate with them to make up for something they’ve lost. He places the responsibility of making the merger successful back on them. He suggests that they need to work out their personal differences on their own. These actions do not indicate that he is too concerned with losing these employees.  2. What is Carlos’ goal? Calm them Get clarification Redirect responsibility Carlo’s goal is to redirect responsibility to them for working out their differences with their new coworkers.  3. Carlos’ response demonstrates: Complacency Empathy Attempt to intimidate Because Carlos mentions the fact that turnover has been accounted for (while not Rita and Juan specifically), it seems he is being complacent about their dissatisfaction and impending departure.  5. How should Carlos respond? Win them back Fire the other two Say goodbye Given that Juan and Rita have been long-time effective employees, Carlos should probably have made more of an attempt to win them back. Instead, he seems to be completely prepared to say goodbye. Firing the other two would not facilitate the merger of these companies because employees of the other company would feel threatened.  6. Carlos’ response to their proposal is: Appropriate Short sighted Premature Acting as an agent of the company in his managerial role and change agent, Carlo’s response was entirely appropriate. His main goal is to ensure that the merger and its transition operate as smoothly as possible and result in a productive and profitable end state. Scenario #7: Partnership: The Unbalancing Act I. Introduction This scenario highlights a business partnership that is in decline. The conflict that this creates and the resolution of it provide a good background for discussion of the types and causes of conflict in organizations. Partnership agreements and issues with venturing into business with personal friends are also explored. II. Learning Objectives To assess students’ understanding of the sources of conflict in organizations. To analyze and evaluate approaches to conflict in a novel situation. To identify issues concerning business partnerships. III. Scenario Description: Overview: Jonas Goldberg and Rande Gedaliah, lifelong friends, went into business together to establish The LivingRoom, a café bookstore. Lately, Jonas has not been doing his fair share of the work and has been unreliable, shirking many of his important duties. Rande has reached the point of confronting Jonas and wants to take immediate action to resolve this situation. Profile: Rande Gedaliah is a Partner, manager, and co-owner of The LivingRoom, a café and bookstore with an active community center and bakery. She is solely responsible for overseeing the bakery, which distributes to local restaurants and stores. In addition, she also manages the café and its community events along with her partner. Jonas Goldberg co-founded The LivingRoom. As Co-owner and Manager, Jonas oversees all bookstore needs and manages the café and community events portion of the business with his partner and long-time friend, Rande Gedaliah. References: The references included in the DVD are: Sources of Conflict in Organizations (PPT 7-3) Types of Conflict in Organizations (PPT 7-5) Partner’s Duties (PPT 7-7) Nonwrongful Dissociations of Partnerships (PPT 7-8) Back History: “The Living Room” is a small business located in the Boston suburbs. The business is a new spin on the café bookstore, with the additions of an active community center and bakery, with distribution to local restaurants/stores. Jonas is a freelance writer and stay at home Dad with three young children. His wife is a District Attorney. He was looking for a side venture as well as supplemental income. Rande is a divorced mother of two young schoolboys and a successful sculptor who needed income with a schedule she could control. Randee is very level-headed and generally calm, as long as all the balls she’s juggling stay in the air. Rande and Jonas opened The LivingRoom two years ago and have recently expanded the hours/customer flow drastically in an attempt to finally make a decent income. They split most of the business duties, share the larger tasks, and each spend a certain number of hours in the café supervising – they are 50-50 partners. They have known each other for years and years [their parents are family-friends] and have had a generally smooth relationship. Jonas and Rande had agreed completely about increasing business hours so drastically about two months ago. But Jonas did not anticipate the impact this would have on his life and is struggling to deal with it. In the past six weeks Jonas has canceled meetings last minute, missed the Tax Accountant meeting altogether, forgot to do employees weekly payroll twice, and has not brought in a single community event for the month [both are responsible for booking at least three lucrative events/month]. Meanwhile the change in hours is exhausting Rande and Jonas’ unreliability is totally stressing her out. Scene Set-up: After calling Jonas three times to remind him, Rande and Jonas are finally meeting to discuss Rande’s dissatisfaction with Jonas’ contribution to the company. Scene Location: Back-room coffee-break area The Meeting - Summary: Rande indicates to Jonas that the distribution of the workload and his repeatedly missing meetings and other major responsibilities (e.g., payroll) is not acceptable. Jonas understands this but contends he is doing the best he can and is still contributing significantly to the business. Rande asks him what can be done to improve this situation. Jonas cuts the meeting off because he has to pick up his daughter. Rande tries to pin him down on another meeting time which he half-heartedly agrees to. 6 Days Later – Rande finally meets with Jonas again and asks him what solutions he came up with. He says he’d like to bow out gracefully but wants to reserve the right to sell his share to whomever he wants in order to make the most money. Rande seems relieved at his decision but explains that she has the first right of refusal and that she has already discussed their partnership agreement with their lawyer. They agree to meet with the lawyer the following Monday. Afterthoughts – Summary: Rande is shocked at Jonas’ expectation that he could sell his share of the business to anyone he wants. She feels the interaction went very poorly and is saddened that he didn’t seem to make their friendship or the success of the business a priority in his life. She feels he never truly appreciated the impact of his actions on their business or friendship. She notes the difficulty of going into business with a friend. Dossier: The specific artifacts included in the DVD are: Meeting notes on establishing the business Three voice messages from Rande’s assistant to Jonas Email from Rande to their lawyer IV. Discussion Questions: The References and related Discussion Questions may be found in PowerPoint slides 7-1 to 7-9. Learning Objective #1: To assess students’ understanding of the sources of conflict in organizations. Jonas and Rande are facing a difficult situation. What sources of conflict contributed to the problems they are having? See PPT 7-3. Several of the sources on PPT 7-3 could be offered. Specifically, scarce resources seem to be a primary source because they need to operate the store longer to be able to reach their financial goals. This increase in operations causes an added burden on the partners and increases their need to be effective time managers. Also, the partners have overlapping authority so Jonas has been abdicating his share of the responsibility because of his family demands causing Rande to do his share of the work.  1. What is the key problem? Time management Communication Overlapping tasks Time management is a critical issue because Jonas has not been able to manage his time to fulfill his responsibilities.  2. Jonas’ behavior indicates: Disinterest Burn-out Distraction Jonas’ behavior indicates distraction from the business due to family obligations. This is demonstrated when he needs to leave the meeting to pick up his daughter. Learning Objective #2: To analyze and evaluate approaches to conflict in a novel situation. Which type of conflict is depicted in this scenario? (see PPT 7-5) Interpersonal conflict because the problem is between two individuals, Jonas and Rande. Evaluate Rande’s approach to resolving this conflict. What conflict management style did she use: avoiding, accommodating, forcing, compromising, or collaborating? Support your answer with examples from the scene. Rande used a problem oriented approach, rather than person oriented. She maintained ownership of the problem and described it in specific behavioral terms rather than being judgmental or evaluative. She never raised her voice or became overly emotional. She was firm when she felt it was necessary (e.g., refusing to let him sell his share to someone else). She did not avoid or accommodate, she attempted to collaborate to reach a mutually beneficial solution.  3. How was this meeting? A success A good start A failure Rande feels that this meeting was a failure because she could not get Jonas to understand her point of view. However, the meeting could have gone a lot worse. The issue didn’t get completely resolved so it wasn’t a success but Jonas agreed to further communications and admitted that he had trouble meeting his responsibilities so it was not a complete failure. Learning Objective #3: To identify issues concerning business partnerships. What unique challenges did Rande and Jonas face when entering into this partnership? They both have family obligations to juggle as well as shared responsibility of every aspect of the business. They were friends prior to embarking on this business. Jonas was used to a slower paced job in which he had more control over his time (as a freelance writer). Rande was used to running her own agency and being in control of all aspects of it. What impact did their friendship seem to have on this partnership? Their friendship did not prevent them from creating a legal partnership agreement which was a good decision. However, Jonas may have taken advantage of his friendship with Rande figuring that she would pick up the slack when he couldn’t fulfill his responsibilities. Rande may have delayed this conversation because she didn’t want to have a difficult discussion with a friend. What partner duties did Jonas fail to perform? See PPT 7-7. Jonas failed to serve the partnership and exercise care. This is demonstrated by missing critical meetings and failing to issue paychecks on time to employees. What should happen to ensure that a nonwrongful dissociation of the partnership occurs? See PPT 7-8. The partner is volunteering to leave but he needs to abide by the partnership agreement. Rande has been informed by her lawyer that the agreement reads that she has the opportunity to buy Jonas’ share before he can seek other buyers.  4. How should Rande respond [to Jonas’ suggestion that he find a buyer]? Accept offer Refuse offer Negotiate Her appropriate response would depend on the specific language of the agreement. If in fact it states that she has first right of refusal then she should refuse Jonas’ suggestion that he find a buyer. If the language in the agreement was unclear than she may try to negotiation a better situation.  5. What are Rande’s rights? Choose partner Buy out Jonas None Rande says that the lawyer says she can buy out Jonas.  6. What is the best solution? End partnership Solve problems Redistribute work Given the fact that Jonas admits he is overwhelmed and unable to contribute enough to the business, they should probably end the partnership. Scenario #8: Cultural Differences: Let’s Break a Deal I. Introduction The internationalization of companies has created the need to become more aware of cultural differences in order to successfully conduct business. This scenario depicts a situation where individuals in a business relationship have incongruent cultural norms and values. Using this vignette as a springboard to discussing how to manage cultural differences in the global economy would be valuable for students of Management, Organizational Behavior, or Human Resources. II. Learning Objectives To assess students’ understanding of different cultural values and their impact on business relationships. To analyze and evaluate a cross-cultural business meeting. To explore aspects of self-awareness using Johari’s Window as a model. III. Scenario Description: Overview: Michael Sokolow has just been tasked with handling international clients. He needs to close a deal with Norio Tokunaka from PopWear that has already been thoroughly worked out with Sokolow’s predecessor, Roger Small. Michael is unaware of the need to establish a relationship with Norio before he discusses business. Norio becomes disenchanted and refuses to sign the deal. Profile: Michael Sokolow is the Director of Foreign Sales at Mustang Jeans. After working at Mustang as a real estate attorney for six years, acquiring property for retail and manufacturing, Sokolow moved into sales at an executive level. Norio Tukunaka has worked at PopWear, a large retail clothing chain for his entire career. In his current position as Vice President of Merchandising, Norio is responsible for expanding the contemporary clothing line, which includes adding new suppliers and brands for PopWear’s 36 stores throughout Japan. References: The references included in the DVD are: National Cultural Values (PPT 8-3) Hofstede’s Model: Definitions (PPT 8-4) The Johari Window (PPT 8-10) The Johari Window: Definitions (PPT 8-11) Back History: Michael Sokolow has been a sales manager at Mustang Jeans for two years. He was “recruited” or “wooed away” from a competing company. He was given “an offer you can’t refuse”, an indication of his stellar reputation. Sokolow is very much a no-nonsense straight-ahead kind of guy. He is friendly, but not big on small talk. He fits the stereotypical American businessman in many ways – informal, a little loud, all about money, very direct and forthright. Michael’s career has focused in national sales – this is his first foray into international business. Mustang Jeans is reorganizing to increase efficiency – all managers are now assuming larger territories. Tokunaka has been with PopWear for his entire career. He has been working with American companies for many years, importing a variety of products. Most of these American companies are alliances that were formed by Tokunaka’s superiors, many years before. All of Tokunaka’s accounts are pre-existing accounts as opposed to newly created accounts. This year, PopWear is expanding their contemporary clothing line, which includes adding new suppliers and new brands. Tokunaka has been working on a deal with Michael’s associate for a very long time. Michael has just taken over this region. The prior associate’s report indicates that the Tokunaka account is a done deal, with only logistics and details remaining. Sokolow and Tokunaka are having their first meeting. Scene Set-up: Norio arrives at Michael’s office after arriving from Japan. Scene Location: Michael’s office at Mustang Jeans corporate headquarters The Meeting - Summary: Michael spends less than a minute building rapport with Norio. He then begins to talk about signing the deal that had been previously worked out with Small. Norio wants to continue to talk about good Japanese food and seems insulted that Michael doesn’t like eel. Michael continues to press for the deal but Norio is very evasive. Michael then gets interrupted by his assistant notifying him of his next appointment. He apologizes to Norio about the short amount of time that he has to spend with him. Norio says he’ll just leave and come back later in the week. 3 Days Later – Norio comes back and Michael apologizes for the prior meeting. When asked to sign the deal again, Norio suggests that he’s been talking to other companies in the past few days in New York. He doesn’t commit to the deal and says he’d enjoy hosting Michael in Japan and hopes they can maintain their relationship. He leaves before signing the deal to catch a plane. Afterthoughts – Summary: Michael notes his frustration with the interaction. He acknowledges that he should have waited for Norio to start talking about the deal first. He understands that the Japanese businesspeople place a high priority on the relationship but also points out that he didn’t have a long time to devote to small talk when it was unclear whether Norio was going to sign the deal or not. Dossier: The specific artifacts included in the DVD are: Emails between Small and Sokolow after the 1st meeting Small’s PopWear Account Notes Voice message to Norio Tokunaka from Slo-Groove (competitor of Mustang Jeans) IV. Discussion Questions: The References and related Discussion Questions may be found in PowerPoint slides 8-1 to 8-11. Learning Objective #1: To assess students’ understanding of different cultural values and their impact on business relationships. How did the differences between Japan’s and the United States’ national cultural values affect the interaction between Norio and Michael? Use the information on PPT 8-3 and 8-4 to support your answer. Long-term orientation differences seemed to have a major impact. While Norio is likely to value a long-term approach to developing and conducting business, Michael’s relatively shorter-term approach was insulting to Norio. However, Norio demonstrates less achievement orientation than Michael in this particular scenario which is somewhat contradictory to Hofstede’s research. You may ask students their opinions and alternative explanations for this. Hofstede’s research on national cultural values has practical implications for business people. Assume you are Michael and you have to conduct a similar meeting with another client from Russia. How will you modify your behavior to effectively conduct business with this individual? Use the information on PPT 8-3 and 8-4 to support your answer. Student’s answers will vary. Students should incorporate the fact that Russians tend to have a short-term orientation, much like Americans, in their answer.  2. What is Michael’s strategy? Find problem Pressure Norio Show patience Michael says “let’s get the ball rolling’ indicating that he’s trying to pressure Norio into signing the agreement because it’s important to the company and he has other business to attend to.  3. How was this [initial] meeting? Successful A failure A good start Seems to be a failure, they neither established a firm relationship or accomplished Michael’s goal of signing the deal. Learning Objective #2: To analyze and evaluate a cross-cultural business meeting. What information should Michael have possessed before his meeting with Norio? Michael should have been better prepared by Roger as to what to expect from Norio. He needed to know the history of the interactions and the best way to proceed and to explain the transition to Michael. Why is Norio acting somewhat evasive with his responses? Even though the deal was almost done, Norio was expecting to now build a relationship with Michael. He seems to be offended that his contact has been reassigned and is unsure he wants to move forward.  1. What is Norio hinting [when he mentions Roger likes sushi]? Misses Roger He’s hungry Dislikes deal He misses Roger and that fact he knows Roger likes sushi indicates that they had a gotten to know each other. He expects to develop a relationship with his business associates and Michael wants to get right to business. What could Michael have done better in the second meeting to continue the business relationship? Learn more about the cultural differences at play. He also could have tried to contact Norio earlier and ask him to a social event (like the competition did) to begin to build the relationship. He makes the same mistake in the second meeting by again insisting on signing the deal. His apology for the first meeting is appropriate and seems to be well-received but is not enough to woo back Norio.  4. Norio is indicating [when he says he’s been meeting with other people]: There’s competition He enjoyed trip Deal is off He’s suggesting that there is competition but Michael doesn’t seems to grasp that and makes a flippant comment that he expected Norio would have other meetings while in New York. Michael doesn’t take this opportunity to discuss his stay in New York, but instead tries even harder to have Norio sign the deal.  5. Michael’s concern [that they are having a communication problem] is: Accurate Off target Insulting It was probably insulting because it insinuated that Norio’s language ability may have been contributing to the problem. They were misunderstanding each other because there was a lack of sensitivity to each other’s cultural norms. Both individuals in this scenario were acting in alignment with their cultural norms and values. Who should have the primary responsibility for changing their interaction style? When is it “too much”, as Michael suggests in the Afterthoughts, and necessary to refuse to change one’s business style? This question should generate an interesting discussion among students. Some factors to consider may be who has more to gain (leverage) in the situation, whose values and norms are relatively stronger, etc. Learning Objective #3: To explore aspects of self-awareness using Johari’s Window as a model. Apply the concepts of the Johari Window to this scenario (see PPT 8-10 and 8-11). How do these concepts help explain what happened in this scenario? As relationships progress, more information about oneself becomes known to others and to oneself. Disclosure and feedback flow more freely which enhances a relationship. In this scenario, Michael was not disclosing at all and did not seem to interpret subtle hints of feedback. This approach was not consistent with what Norio had come to expect from his interactions with Roger.  6. Michael should [when Norio says “I’m sure we’ll have a good relationship in the future”]: Be angry Be gracious Keep trying At this point, being angry or continuing to try would not result in positive outcomes. He needs to be gracious and then reevaluate his approach with Norio. Scenario #9: Project Management: Steering the Committee I. Introduction Conflict among work groups is a common problem in organizations. This scenario depicts an organizational conflict and highlights different conflict management styles. A discussion of these styles and their effectiveness would be valuable for students in Management or Organizational Behavior courses studying organizational conflict. II. Learning Objectives To assess students’ understanding of the sources of conflict and the conflict process. To analyze and evaluate different conflict management styles. To identify ways to ensure functional, rather than dysfunctional, conflict occurs. III. Scenario Description: Overview: Three months ago, Patrick was given goal of implementing a computerized tracking system on the factory floor with the expectations that it would raise quality control and workflow by a significant percentage. The team spends an enormous amount of time revising/fixing chips after they fail quality control testing – mostly due to lack of information. There would be a serious review of the project after the first phase is complete – that is now. Patrick is called to a meeting with three top executives. The tracking system project is very costly and has not been proven, although the company was gung-ho, because their competitors were using all sorts of computerized systems in their production facilities. Patrick has spent a little time writing a report, but is feeling generally confident. Profile: Patrick Bennett is the Managing Supervisor of Production at TechBox, a desktop design software house, who oversees production and supervises a floor of 50 employees. Morgan Baines is the Vice President of Distribution. He works at corporate headquarters and builds relationships with potential clients in expanding markets. Lucinda Bergen is the Director of Product Management. She oversees all production at TechBox’s manufacturing factories. She works directly with the factory managers and reports to corporate headquarters. Sam Adelson is the VP of Operations. His responsibilities include overseeing department managers at the manufacturing factories and corporate headquarters. He also acts as a liaison between his company and the officers of a number of high-end computer companies. References: The references included in the DVD are: Sources of Conflict (PPT 9-3) The Conflict Process (PPT 9-4) Conflict Management Styles (PPT 9-7) Structural Approaches to Conflict Management (PPT 9-9) Back History: TechBox produces a specialized computer chip for a large client base of high-end computer companies such as Dell, IBM, and Compaq. Within the TechBox compound are the manufacturing factories and the corporate headquarters. Patrick Bennett is the new hotshot manager overseeing the production of the main component of the chip. He has started to implement a computerized tracking system to increase quality control and workflow. He supervises a floor of 50 workers. Patrick has been working at TechBox for 2 years and has been widely praised for numerous successes and improvements on the factory floor – improvements with very positive financial results. He is young and motivated, possessing a unique comprehension of production/engineering knowledge and management sensibilities. He is greatly admired by his team and generally received well by top senior management. Sam Adelson has worked his way up from the mailroom. He does not embrace change and is skeptical of young hot shots and young people in general. He also does not embrace computerized system enhancements, which is odd for a man in high tech. In a nutshell, he’s stodgy, grumpy, and difficult. Lucinda Bergen is the only female executive at TechBox. She is generally compassionate, understanding, and easy going, but is quick to defend her position within the company and over assert herself when she feels confronted. She is very comfortable with young, talented people and has instituted many technological systems for workflow improvement within her own department. Morgan Baines is the class clown and jokester of the company. He speaks without thinking – supports, attacks, and withdraws without rhyme or reason. Everyone always has the impression that he’s on their side; the kind of guy who agrees with the last person who spoke. He’s been around very many years, successfully overseeing product distribution – between wisecracks. Scene Set-up: A meeting is held with key stakeholders of Patrick’s project to discuss the status of it in terms of time and budget. Scene Location: TechBox conference room The Meeting - Summary: Stakeholders in the project note their concern with the project going over budget and missing deadlines. Patrick, the project manager, defends himself and assures them that everything will work out because the longest phase of the project is complete. He cites his past track record and says the budget may go over just a little but it will be ok. The other team members say that going over budget is not an option. He concedes and says he will take a look at exactly how he can improve the progress of the project. They agree to meet again in a week for a status check. One Week Later - Patrick assures the group that they are now firmly under budget and plan to be done on time. Lucinda mentions that Frank, one of Patrick’s employees, said he thought the project was going to be late. Patrick defends himself by saying that Frank’s role would not allow him to be privy to all the information that Patrick knows and that he has this job for a reason – his talent and prior track record. Sam suggests supporting Patrick with an additional staff member. Patrick doesn’t think that would be necessary. Instead he suggests a daily email to the group updating the project in terms of budget and deadlines. They compromise by having the “1st deputy” be responsible for sending those daily emails and keeping track of all the relevant numbers. Afterthoughts – Summary: Patrick doesn’t think the meeting went very well. He says he didn’t feel listened to and was upset that the group was more persuaded by people indirectly involved in the project than by him. He felt he did ok and tried to work with them on an individual basis. In the second meeting, he said if he hadn’t stood his ground they would have “squished” him. Dossier: The specific artifacts included in the DVD are: Bennett’s Progress Report 5/6/02 Bennett’s Progress Report 5/31/02 Voice message from Frank Jambey to Lucinda Bergen IV. Discussion Questions: The References and related Discussion Questions may be found in PowerPoint slides 9-1 to 9-10. Learning Objective #1: To assess students’ understanding of the sources of conflict and the conflict process. What sources of conflict were present in this scenario? Refer to PPT 9-3 to construct your answer. Many sources of conflict come into to play here. Ambiguous rules may have been a source of conflict because Patrick didn’t seem to think that going over budget a little was going to be a big problem. He found out that that would be completely unacceptable which caused him to reevaluate his costs. Related to the budget – scarce resources may also be a factor contributing to this conflict. The other project members continually stress the need for the project to be on time and under budget. Communications are also contributing to this conflict because people were not actively listening to each other. Also, other communication channels (e.g., Frank) had an impact on the discussion and caused frustration for Patrick. On PPT 9-4, The Conflict Process, overt behaviors are depicted as indicators of manifest conflict. What overt behaviors did you identify during this scenario? Lucinda repeatedly rolled her eyes and displayed negative affect towards Patrick. She was also very impatient and insulted Patrick by saying that interrupting him would get him off track. Patrick went on the defensive almost immediately. Adelson maintained composure but insinuated a lack of confidence in Patrick.  1. Patrick’s strategy should be to: Emphasize progress Defend himself Impress superiors Patrick should emphasize his progress in terms that the rest of the group will understand and be persuaded by. Defending himself based on his reputation will only go so far to influencing the group on this particular issue. Emphasizing his progress will impress his superiors. In actuality, Patrick defended himself based on his past reputation.  2. What does Sam Adelson insinuate about Patrick [when he calls him a
hot- shot]? He’s arrogant He’s incompetent He’s inexperienced Adelson insinuates that Patrick is inexperienced, though apparently competent. The comment falls short of actually signifying confidence in Patrick.  3. How was this [first] meeting? A success A failure A good start Patrick thinks it was a failure because he did not feel supported or listened to. Learning Objective #2: To analyze and evaluate different conflict management styles. Various conflict management styles are depicted on PPT 9-7. For each of the participants in the scenario, describe which style(s) they used and cite examples to support your answer. Lucinda – Competing – she doesn’t seem to want to listen to Patrick’s position or reasoning and puts roadblocks up to any suggestion that is not her own. Sam – Compromises – he tries to give Patrick more support which is initially rejected but then reinforces Patrick’s daily email idea with a person to perform that function Patrick – attempts Competing in that he rejects any suggestions for changing the current situation. He eventually attempts to compromise with the daily email idea. In the end he seems to accommodate to the rest of the group in accepting additional help. Morgan – Avoidance – he really stays out of any substantive discussion on this project.  4. How should Patrick respond [when Lucinda says “Frank says you will need an additional 3 weeks’]? Defame Frank Provide facts Admit fault Patrick indirectly defames Frank by saying he is in a lower-level position for a reason. A more persuasive technique would have been to provide facts to refute Frank’s claim. If Frank was correct, than Patrick should have admitted fault. Learning Objective #3: To identify ways to ensure functional, rather than dysfunctional, conflict occurs. Review the Structural Approaches to Conflict Management (PPT 9-9). Several approaches to minimizing dysfunctional conflict are provided. Identify at least two specific actions taken by members of the group to minimize dysfunctional conflict. Clarify rules and procedures – Patrick suggests a daily email to keep the group posted on the project. This will minimize conflict by continually monitoring the situation so there are no surprises. Increase resources – Sam offered to provide Patrick with a #2 deputy to assist him in managing the project. Choose two approaches (on PPT 9-9) and provide specific examples of what could have been done in this scenario to reduce dysfunctional conflict. The superordinate goals that all members share should have been discussed up front. This guides the discussion and ensures that information provided is maximally influential to other group members. Improve communication and understanding – group members should have tried to take the others’ perspectives. Many behaviors indicated that people were not actively listening and had pre-determined ideas on the best course of action and were not willing to change.  5. Confidence is low. Patrick should: Fight back Accept help Clarify position It’s unclear why Patrick is resistant to accept help other than to preserve his ego. Generally resources are difficult to acquire and he is being offered another staff person to help him. Ultimately he does accept the help but at first he refuses.  6. How should Patrick respond? Refuse offer Change approach Accept offer Once it is established that he will maintain control over the project, he agrees to the offer. Scenario #10: Diversity: Mediating Morality I. Introduction The diversity of employees and the potential conflict that may arise as a result is the focus of this scenario. Specifically, sexual orientation as a dimension of workplace diversity is presented here. This scene provides a background for a rich and compelling discussion of how to handle difficult issues related to individual differences. Applying this situation to other dimensions of diversity (e.g., religion, gender) will further the discussion and highlight to students the challenges of managing a diverse workforce. II. Learning Objectives To assess students’ understanding of workplace diversity and diversity management. To analyze and evaluate approaches to managing diversity in the workplace. To identify equal employment laws relevant to diversity management. III. Scenario Description: Overview: At the conclusion of a previous meeting between Syl Tang and two employees, Daniel Simmons and Bob Franklin, Daniel asked Tang about the same-sex partner benefits that he had requested earlier, incidentally informing Bob Franklin that he was homosexual. Bob expressed both discomfort and disapproval, and refused to continue to work with Daniel as a result of this revelation. Tang suggested meeting with each of them separately to discuss their concerns and then to regroup and discuss a solution. The individual meetings have taken place and now they are meeting together. Profile: Syl Tang is the Senior Supervisor of Research and Production at EarthFirst Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to the research and production of vaccines for various diseases. She manages eight different teams with specific areas of specialization. Daniel Simmons is a Vaccines Manager. He is an expert in tropical plants and botanical remedies. He leads a team of scientists and collaborates with other research teams at EarthFirst. He is also active in procuring funding for further research. Bob Franklin is a Natural Resources Manager and is an expert in certain types of chemical re-actives. In his role as Natural Resources Manager, he leads a team of scientists and collaborates with other research teams at EarthFirst. He is also active in procuring funding for further research. References: The references included in the DVD are: Dimensions of Workplace Diversity (PPT 10-3) Managerial Roles and Diversity (PPT 10-4) Promoting Effective Management of Diversity (PPT 10-6) Major Equal Employment Laws (PPT 10-9) Back History: Syl has been the supervisor for seven years and is highly respected and regarded. Her teams often cross-collaborate on special projects – each team has a specialized field of expertise. The teams are quite large, totaling over 100 people. With such a large department, Syl has less one on one contact with the employees than she would like. Simmons and Franklin have not worked together often, just on one or two short-term projects. They are currently collaborating on a high-pressure project, heading down the homestretch. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened at the office for a while. Tang is compiling her end of the month reports, without much stress or pressure. Simmons and Franklin are at the stage of their joint project where they are separately recording the joint findings as it pertains to their field of expertise. Simmons is gay and just started planning a commitment ceremony with his partner of 4 years. Simmons has never made any declaration in the office about being homosexual – some people know, some don’t. Scene Set-up: Simmons, Franklin, and Tang meet to discuss how they can meet the project’s objectives. Scene Location: Tang’s office The Meeting - Summary: Syl explains that she and Bob have discussed a solution that would enable two of Bob’s employees to take on a larger responsibility and still meet the needs of the project. Daniel states that Bob simply doesn’t want to work with him anymore because he is a gay man. He is concerned that if the word gets out that Bob was uncomfortable working with Daniel and found another solution, then a precedent will be set that negatively impact Daniel’s career. Syl argues that if Daniel didn’t get along with another co-worker she would not make Daniel work with him/her if there was another equally viable solution. She says that no one’s personal life will be discussed outside of this meeting and Daniel strongly disagrees. Syl suggests that Daniel come up with an alternative proposal and discuss it with her on Monday. Afterthoughts – Summary: Syl admits that Daniel has a good point because Bob probably will tell others that Daniel is gay. She doesn’t feel that Daniel is being discriminated against because as long as the project is completed well, he will receive the credit regardless of how the other team was staffed. She suggests that Bob should probably attend sensitivity training but says that there’s not much that can be done about employee’s personal feelings. Dossier: The specific artifacts included in the DVD are: Benefits Policy Excerpt Daniel Simmon’s Engagement Invitation Harassment Policy IV. Discussion Questions: The References and related Discussion Questions may be found in PowerPoint slides 10-1 to 10-9. Learning Objective #1: To assess students’ understanding of workplace diversity and diversity management. The Dimensions of Workplace Diversity are provided in PPT 10-3. List all of the dimensions of diversity you observed in this scenario. Students will point out evidence of the diversity, beyond sexual orientation present among the three employees. Race, ethnicity, age, gender, behavioral style, occupation Which of the managerial roles shown on PPT 10-4 did Syl demonstrate? Syl took on the role of the disturbance handler and liaison. How effective was Syl in performing the roles you cited in #2? Syl’s approach was very task-focused and she was interested in finding ways to separate the two co-workers rather than figuring out a way for them to work together. Learning Objective #2: To analyze and evaluate approaches to managing diversity in the workplace. Provide examples from the scenario in which Syl either effectively or ineffectively promoted diversity. Use the information in PPT 10-6 to support your answer. Syl did not effectively increase the accuracy of perceptions or encourage flexibility. She seemed very willing to let Bob change the staffing of the project simply because he was uncomfortable around a gay man. Thus, he has predicted that a negative interaction will take place simply because Daniel is gay, when they have been working together fine in the past. Syl should attempt to challenge Bob on this belief. She also did not empower Daniel to challenge discriminatory behavior. When Daniel did, she shut him down and explained that this was an appropriate solution. She provided an analogy of two co-workers who don’t get along – a similar solution would work for them.  1. What is Syl’s objective [when suggesting to delegate certain portions of Bob’s work to Ralph and Jennifer]? Avoid conflict Complete project Mend team Syl states that her goal is to complete the project. It seems she is also interested in avoiding conflict by separating the two co-workers. There is no indication that she wants to mend the team.  2. Daniel’s perception [that Syl is letting Bob’s personal opinion affect a working relationship] is: Clouded Accurate Biased Syl believes that Daniel’s perception is clouded. Students should debate this issue. It seems that it is accurate given the fact that the working relationship is ceasing and Syl is trying to find alternative staffing models to complete the project.  3.How should Syl respond [to personal attacks in the meeting]? Mediate Change topic End meeting Syl believes she should change the topic. Again, students should discuss the pros and cons of this action. What are the dangers of not addressing the issue at hand, what are the advantages?  4. What is the main issue [when Syl states there is not going to be a discussion of anybody’s personal life]? Confidentiality Completing project Upholding morals Syl believes the main issue is completing the project. Confidentiality as a concern doesn’t make much sense since there was an email invitation to Daniel’s engagement party distributed to the entire company.  5. Why does Syl propose this [having Daniel come up with an alternative solution]? Shirk responsibility Mediation tactic Empower Daniel Syl is attempting to empower Daniel. Students should discuss the effectiveness of this approach. Isn’t it clear that Daniel wants to continue the working relationship? What valid reason has been given to change the working relationship? Learning Objective #3: To identify equal employment laws relevant to diversity management. According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, is Daniel being unlawfully discriminated against (see PPT 10-9)? No, Title VII does not protect people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, same-sex sexual harassment was found to be illegal by the Supreme Court in Oncale vs. Sundowner Offshore Service, In. (1998). According to EarthFirst’s Harassment policy, is Daniel being discriminated against? Yes, the policy clearly states that employees who feel they are being discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation have recourse. What are the long-term implications of allowing Bob to refuse to work with Daniel? If Syl allows and condones this action, it could become a slippery slope. Daniel has a point (and Syl admits this in the Afterthoughts) that this will set a precedent for other employees to not accept Daniel because he is different from them. What actions should Daniel take next if he is separated from other employees? Daniel should follow the procedures clearly defined in the company’s harassment policy. Solution Manual Case for Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspectives Approach Ian Palmer, Richard Dunford, David A. Buchanan 9780073530536, 9780073404998