Reference no: EM133176754

MINI-CASE: LAW and ORDER INC.

Janine is one of six senior 'partners in a firm of employment law specialists. She is finding a number of teamwork problems as the firm is expanding and taking on bigger workloads. She feels that something needs to be done to help the firm improve, especially during the time of a virus pandemic when extra strains are being put on the organisation. Law and Order Inc. have various teams in the business, all working independently. Each consists of between eight and ten people, and all have individual targets to achieve. Within these teams members appear to guard information and are very competitive which, in a cut-throat environment can be an important quality to have.

As a result, teams do not tend to help each other when there are problems, and although there are open-plan offices, there does not tend to be a lot of communication between teams or sometimes, within a team as they focus on completing projects and assignments by their deadlines. Occasionally, some individuals have taken on too much work or accepted client briefs that are far too demanding and beyond their competence. As a result, this has lead to some dissatisfied clients and even complaints to the local law society.

Of course, as an employment law specialist the lawyers are as good as what they know, but there is a real reluctance to share information with others. The lawyers are 'technically' competent, having taken their professional examinations, and developed specialist expertise in a variety of legal fields. However, their interpersonal skills and self-confidence are underdeveloped when it comes to "thinking outside the box" and identifying strategic options that could take the whole firm forward. The key challenges seem to be balancing technical competence with the increasing need to invest in personal and "strategic thinking" skills, all within a competitive and challenging environment.

Question 1. Describe and analyse in detail responsibilities and tasks of individuals at senior partner level and lower associate levels of the organisation that are likely to impact the team interactions at Law and Order Inc. Use theories and concepts studied during the course to enhance your arguments.

Question 2. Law and Order Inc. does not have a human resources department and the senior partners do not see a need for a small firm of professionals to have one. Using the context of the case, analyse in detail what might be the cause for poor teamwork. In your response Consider aspects of work design and job analysis. Provide supporting justification, with specific, researched examples to illustrate your reasoning.

Question 3. The senior partners of Law and Order Inc. are considering the creation of a human resources department to help deal with planning arising from human resources issues during the pandemic. Discuss to what extent you believe this is a good idea. In your response consider the planning processes and the current workplace challenges using the case context, classroom concepts and supportive research.