Reference no: EM133099000
CASE STUDY
"She's a Smart Enough Broad"
The young man glanced at the nameplate on his desk after closing the file Cabinet drawer: James Washington, Center Manager. He leaned against the cabinet for a moment, smiling and thinking.
James really liked the way that title sounded. And why not? He was only 24 years old, had just completed the company's Management Associate Trainee Program, and had just assumed the manager's job at the Northview Servicing Center. He was eager to do a good job in this first assignment, and there was a lot about the job that he liked. However, there was one thing he didn't like, and he could see her through the glass partition of his office, out on the service center's main floor.
His problem was Dorothy Rogers or, more exactly, the way he felt about her. In his opinion, she was both pushing and resisting him. Dorothy was something of an established figure at Northview, having worked there for over 12 years as an assistant manager. She was now 59 years old and had dropped hints occasionally about retiring. "If only... ," James thought himself.
He remembered the first time he met Dorothy, about six weeks ago. James had just learned he was being promoted into the Northview manager's job. He went to visit the service center, to meet the personnel and begin the transition process with Hank Waters. Hank was the current manager and was being moved to manage a larger branch of the company, closer to his home. He had been at Northview almost two years.
After sowing James the facility and introducing some of the sales and service representatives, Hank had walked James to Dorothy's desk and introduced them. Although she was very pleasant and nice, James watched rather uncomfortably Hank tried to pass along an assignment to her regarding a customer account investigation. Six weeks later, their exchange, which follows, remained clear in James' memory.
HANK: By the way, Dorothy, can you follow up on the Williams' account problem we talked about earlier today? I just got word from downtown that-
DOROTHY (interrupting in a soft yet determined voice): Now, Hank, you know that if I do that for you, I won't be able to take care of the budget reconcilement report you have me do each week. Don't you think you can take care of it yourself?
HANK: (pausing a moment, obviously thinking): Well, yes, I know you're busy. I was just hoping that you could-
DOROTHY: (jumping back in, this time with a certain accusatory tone in her voice: Look, Hank what do you want me to do? I can't do both. You know I'm busy. She stares expectantly at Hank; James looks at her desk, which is neat and clean.)
HANK: (pausing again, biting his lower lip): Well, you know ... OK, you may be right. Let me go ahead and do it.
DOROTHY: (nodding in agreement): That's better, I think. Don't you?
Hank had seemed relieved to end the conversation. He walked with James back into his office. Dorothy went to get some coffee. She really runs this place," Hank told James. "I hate to impose. She knows so much about all the operational and service matters of this center." James nodded his head. "I guess she must be pretty important." Hank hadn't reacted as he sat behind his desk.
James moved back to the chair behind his desk. He continued to look at Dorothy as she finished working with her customer. He thought back to his first few weeks on the job. At first, Dorothy had been fine and, in fact, very helpful.
This was perfect because not only did James still have a great deal to learn about Northview's operations, he also had a lot of work to do elsewhere. For example, much of his time was spent outside the service center, meeting existing customers, doing sales calls, attending training and fulfilling similar obligations. In the month that he had been at Northview, he had spent probably no more than a total of five hours with her.
Unfortunately, most of that time with Dorothy had been spent sorting out and listening to a problem between her and Senior Service Associate Bonnie Johnson. Bonnie was Dorothy's age, but that was about all the two women seemed to have in common, for Bonnie was rather quiet and reserved. James had expressed his interest in Bonnie taking a more active role in working with the other service associates, but Dorothy had not liked that idea, thinking that James as trying to take away some of her job duties. Consequently, she started fighting with Bonnie over any little detail.
James learned about this bickering from comments and meetings with both Dorothy and Bonnie, as well as from some of the center's other service associates. Last Monday, after what seemed like a week of nonstop arguing, he had called them both into his office.
"Look, you two," he had told them, "I'm really getting tired of all this squabbling. I expect both of you to cooperate and function as a team. I'm the one running the show here. If this fighting doesn't stop, I'll have to put you on probation. And if it doesn't stop after that, I may just fire you." Shocked and silent, both had left his office without barely a glance in his direction.
After that meeting, Dorothy became quiet, but seemed unmotivated. She appeared to have settled into a low-energy and low-output mode. She would do what she was supposed to do, but nothing more than that. And James had overheard her complaining to other employees, both at Northview and elsewhere, about a number of things, including the company, the service center, and James. He had thought to himself, "She's just a negative person. Sure, she's a smart enough broad. She knows how far she can go. But don't expect her to be of any real help."
Upon remembering those thoughts, James leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. He could not argue with that estimation of Dorothy, only confirm it. His mind turned to what had happened at closing yesterday. The memory was so vivid it was as if the events were taking place at that very moment.
The last customer had just left and the doors are being locked. Everyone is busy closing their stations when suddenly Dorothy brings out a small portable television makes herself comfortable at her desk, and turns the television on, clearly intending to watch it.
James seeing her do this, is dumbfounded. He thinks to himself, "What in the hell is she doing? If my boss comes here, I'm in big trouble." He remembers the recent memo from headquarters, demanding more productivity and application to getting the work done.
He walks over to her desk. She smiles as he approaches and says, "Oh, it's OK, James. We do this every so often. Hank said I could watch it when I had to stay and finish up routine work, as long as I wouldn't let it interfere with the work."
James feels pushed to the limit. He decides not to say anything to her and leaves, certain that at this point she's testing him, trying to find out how far she can go. She is challenging his authority again, he feels, and this time he must do something dramatic. James was still trying to decide what to do as he watched Dorothy finish with the customer and return to her seat.
Questions
1. Describe with example from the case the components of Dorothy's attitude.
2. Explain whether or not Dorothy is satisfied with her job and the extent to which workplace deviance is evident in the case.
3. If Dorothy is dissatisfied with her job, assess the impact of her job dissatisfaction on this organization.
4. Discuss three (3) ways in which James as the manager could build his relationship with Dorothy and motivate her to ensure that she performs at her optimal level.
5. Assess the extent to which participative leadership style would aid the improvement of organizational effectiveness and thereby enhance the quality of relationship between James and Dorothy.