Reference no: EM133584143

Society of Equals

"Hey Bobby," says Richard, leaning through the door, "you got a minute? I've just restructured by office. Come and take a look. I've been implementing some great new concepts!" Stanley is always interested in Richard Henderson's new ideas, for if there is anyone Bobby wants to do as well as, it is Richard Henderson. Bobby follows Richard back to his office and stops, nonplussed.

Restructured is right! Gone are Richard's size B (junior executive) walnut veneer desk and furniture, and his telephone table. In fact, the room is practically empty except for a large, round, stark whitecafeteria table and the half-dozen padded vinyl swivel chairs that surround it. Isn't it a beauty! As far as I know, I'm the first executive in the plant to innovate this. The shape is the crucial factor here - no front or rear, no status problems. We can all sit there and communicate more effectively."

We? Communicate? Effectively? Well, it seems that Richard has been attending a series of Executive Development Seminars given by Dr. Sturtz. The theme of the seminars was - you guessed it - participative management. Richard Henderson has always liked to think of himself as a truly democratic person. "You see, Bobby," says Richard, managing his best sincere/intense attitude, "the main thing wrong with our culture is that most of the communication is top-down. We in the executive suite send our messages down the line, but we never ask for ideas and suggestions from the rest of the company. Just because we have more status and responsibility doesn't mean that we are necessarily (Bobby duly noted the word necessarily) better than the people below us. In fact, with our customers' needs changing so fast these days, we need all the ideas we can get. We've got to shift to a culture of participation and employee involvement if we want to keep up with today's fast pace of business."

"So that's what the cafeteria table is for? Bobby asks. "Yes!" says Richard. "We need better two-way communication - up the line as well as down the line. We managers don't have all the answers, and I don't know why I never realized it before that seminar. Why, for example the folks who run those managers out there. I'll bet any of them knows a thing or two about how to speed up our manufacturing process that I've never thought of. So I've transformed my office into a full-feedback communication net." "That certainly is an innovation around here," says Bobby.

A few days later Bobby passed by Richard Henderson's office and was surprised that Richard's desk, furniture, and telephone table were back where they used to be. Bobby, curious about the rearrangement, went to Sharon for enlightenment. "What," he asked, "happened to Henderson's round table?"

"That table we were supposed to sit around and input things? she said. "All I know is, about two days after he had it put in, Mr. Morris came walking through here. He looked in that office, and then he sort of stopped and went back - and he looked in there for a long time. Then he came over to me, and you know how his face sort of gets red when he's really mad?

Well, this time he was so mad that his face was absolutely white. And when he talked to me, I don't think he actually opened his mouth; and I could barely hear him, he was talking so low. And he said, "Have that removed. Now. Have Mr. Henderson's furniture put back in his office. Have Mr. Henderson see me."

My, My. You would think Richard would have known better, wouldn't you? But then, by now you should have a pretty firm idea of just why it is those offices are set up as they are.

Question 1. How would you characterize the culture in this company? What are the dominant values?

Question 2. Why did Richard Henderson's change experiment fail? To what extent did Richard use the appropriate change tools to increase employee communication and participation?

Question 3. What would you recommend Richard do to change his relationship with subordinates? Is it possible for a manager to change cultural values if the rest of the organization, especially top management, does not agree?