Reference no: EM133044857
CASE: Differing Perceptions at Holland Industries
Janet Dominguez continued to drum her fingers on her desk. She had a real problem and wasn't sure what to do next. She had a lot of confidence in Roland Fernando, but she suspected she was about the last person in the office who did. Perhaps if she ran through the entire story again in her mind she would see the solution.
Janet had been distribution manager for Holland Industries for almost twenty years. An early brush with the law and a short stay in prison had made her realize the importance of honesty and hard work. Henry Santos had given her a chance despite her record, and Janet had made the most of it. She now was one of the most respected managers in the company. Few people knew her background.
Janet had hired Roland Fernando fresh out of prison six months ago. Janet understood how Roland felt when Roland tried to explain his past and asked for another chance. Janet decided to give him that chance just as Henry Santos had given her one. Roland eagerly accepted a job on the loading docks and could soon load a truck as fast as anyone in the crew.
Things had gone well at first. Everyone seemed to like Roland, and he made several new friends. Janet had been vaguely disturbed about two months ago, however, when another dock worker reported his wallet missing. She confronted Roland about this and was reassured when Roland understood her concern and earnestly but calmly asserted his innocence. Janet was especially relieved when the wallet was found a few days later.
The events of last week, however, had caused serious trouble. First, a new personnel clerk had come across records about Roland's past while updating employee files. Assuming that the information was common knowledge, the clerk had mentioned to several employees what a good thing it was to give ex-convicts like Roland a chance. The next day, someone in bookkeeping discovered some money missing from petty cash. Another worker claimed to have seen Roland in the area around the office strongbox, which was open during working hours, earlier that same day.
Most people assumed Roland was the thief. Even the worker whose wallet had been misplaced suggested that perhaps Roland had indeed stolen it but had returned it when questioned. Several employees had approached Janet and requested that Roland be fired. Meanwhile, when Janet had discussed the problem with Roland, Roland had been defensive and sullen and said little about the petty-cash situation other than to deny stealing the money.
To her dismay, Janet found that rethinking the story did little to solve his problem. Should she fire Roland? The evidence, of course, was purely circumstantial, yet everybody else seemed to see things quite clearly. Janet feared that if she did not fire Roland, she would lose everyone's trust and that some people might even begin to question her own motives.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Give the central problem
2. Give the Must and Want Objectives