Reference no: EM133584842

Case: Hailey was recently promoted to the position of production manager in the manufacturing plant of a company that makes desktop printers for commercial and home use. Her department is responsible for producing the printer drums that house the cartridges. Hailey has an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering and an MBA. She aspires toward eventually holding a high-level leadership position in manufacturing or operations. Hailey therefore considers her promotion to production manager to be a building block in her career. She says, "Our country became great by building things. That's why I love manufacturing. Here's my chance at age 26 to make a difference as a manufacturing leader."

Having worked as an industrial engineer for two years at the plant, Hailey understands the technology behind printer drums, as well as the manufacturing process. During her first week in her new assignment, Hailey spent a lot of time talking with her two supervisors and many production technicians. She was particularly looking for ways in which she could provide leadership to the group.

Hailey asked Jud, an experienced supervisor, what changes needed to be made in the functioning of the department. Jud replied, "Right now things are going well.

Despite the worldwide decline in the number of desktop computers purchased, we have a nice steady demand for new drums. The office-supply stores still sell a lot of replacement drums for existing printers. I notice too that morale is okay in my department. Just keep the year-end raises and bonuses flowing (said with a laugh)."

Hailey asked Jenna, a supervisor with five years of experience, the same question. Jenna said, "I think the biggest problem we face is not having enough new, qualified production technicians. Maybe making drums is hum-drum, but you need skill to do the job right. These days, most young people don't want to make things. They just want to stay glued to their mobile devices. Also, a lot of the people we recruit for entry-level jobs can't do much math, and they don't want to talk. We need to find a pipeline of new blood for our basic production jobs."

Hailey spoke with Barney, a production technician with twenty-five years of experience, about what changes he thought a department leader should bring about. Barney replied, "Not much, Hailey. I know that you are well educated and very smart, but don't worry much about changes right now. The other guys and gals in the department and I are all happy that our jobs have not been shipped to another country. We also like the idea that we have not been replaced by robots so far."

Hailey was particularly interested in the comments of Gloria, another production technician, who said, "I am a little worried about the future of our department. We are making printer drums, but how long can this last? Maybe you as the leader can find another product for us to make that will keep us going at least until I retire."

Hailey reflected, "I have been collecting a lot of information. But what do I do with the information? As the department leader, how can I make a difference now and in the near future?"

Question 1. Advise Hailey on where she should get started in making a difference as a leader in the drum manufacturing department.

Question 2. To what extent do you think it is advisable for Hailey to interview workers in the department to get some input as to what she should do as their leader?