Reference no: EM133599302

Case Involving Power and Influence

Dynica Software Solutions

Dynica Technologies recently announced plans to construct a new production facility in River Woods. The new facility would replace the company's original production facility, which is adjacent to the company headquarters in Edgemont. In announcing the new facility, the company stated that, to the extent possible, it would be staffed by Edgemont plant personnel and that the excess personnel would be transferred to other Dynica plants in neighboring states.

Dynica management views the River Woods facility as the plant of the future, featuring lower processing costs and staffing requirements, as well as state-of-the art environmental standards. In a recent press release, the Dynica CEO noted they were replacing one of the least environmentally friendly plants in the industry with a facility that will be "greener" than any of their competitors' production plants.

Dynica is also using the River Woods plant to pilot a new decentralized management structure. In the past, the firm's marketing activities were directed from the home office by a vice president. Manufacturing operations and certain other departments were under the control of the company's senior vice president. In this centralized, functional arrangement none of the company's four production facilities had a general manager. Instead, each department in a plant reported on a line basis to its functional counterpart at the home office (e.g., director of production, director of engineering). In contrast, the new River Woods plant manager will be responsible for the management of all functions and personnel, except marketing and sales.

There is general consensus among the top management team that the long-term viability of the firm depends on the success of this initiative. However, some have expressed concerns about the difficulty of the task facing the River Woods general manager. They point to the shift from functional lines of communication and accountability to a plant-level focus, as well as the challenges of upgrading the skills of the Edgemont plant personnel, working out the bugs in new applications of advanced manufacturing processes to design and production, and dealing with the inevitable complaints from employees in a small company town who are not satisfied with their new assignments and who might serve as the catalyst for unionizing the facility.

Discussion Questions

1. If you were part of the selection committee for the River Woods plant manager position, based on what you've learned about the sources of personal power in this chapter, describe what you'd consider to be the ideal candidate's qualifications.

2. If you were offered the new River Woods plant manager position, based on what you've learned about the sources of positional power, what actions would you take to ensure that as the company's first general manager you have the necessary clout to accomplish your assigned duties?

3. Using the information on influence strategies in the second half of this chapter as your guide, strategize how you would address the challenges you are likely to encounter if you were to accept the position of River Woods plant manager.

Discuss a situation wherein you attempted to exert upward influence (over a superior, boss, parent, etc.). What approach did you use? Explain the outcome. Would you use the same approach again? Why or why not?