Case 1

The Virtual Environment Work Team

T. A stearns was a national tax accounting firm that provided popular tax
preparation service for individuals. The company used superior computer
databases and analysis tools for counseling which gave the company
superior reputation.
The whole programe was carried out by four programmers in a virtual
environment. All four sites were internally connected and they are also
connected to the company by mail, telephone, and conferencing software.
The four were Tom Andrew, Cy Crave, Merge Dector, and Megan Harries.
In the course of their work these four people met together for lunch at least
once in a month. Besides this they exchange e-mail messages many times a
day. When the company needed to develop its programming then the
programmers developed programming tools called macros. It saved times,
but the programmers did not share the information about the macros with
management, though there was a profit sharing plan from the company.
Because they believed that, their group will suffer if the management
learned about the innovation, as one of them would probably lost his job.
Finally, Dave Regan, the manager of the work group learns to know about
the innovation. But he did not tell his own manager about his suspicions,
reasoning that both quality and productivity were up he did not really need
to pursue the matter further.

Question: 1
Why is this group a team?

A team is a cooperative small group in regular contact that is engaged in

coordinated action.
Here, there is a small group of 4 members who contact with each other
regularly by email, telephone and conferencing software. Although there
were formal meeting placed only a few times a year but the workers met
informally outside Of these scheduled occasions. This is a team because
Product quality – increased
Response time – quick response time
Degree of innovation – high
Customer/client satisfaction – high
Efficiency – high
Question: 4
Has Dave been an effective group leader? What should Dave do now?

Some characteristics of effective group leader

• Honesty
• Desire to lead
• Self confidence
• Cognitive ability
• Flexibility and adaptiveness
• Positive affectivity
• Knowledge of business
These all are some traits efficient leader. Here I found almost all traits in
Dave Regan.
When he picked up on the innovation he did not embarrass his group
members by telling about the innovation. That show the traits desire to lead.
He also did not tell the situation to his own manager thinking that both
quality and productivity are good. So why he creates such situation that
would make problems for both employee and employer and also for
organization. It shows that Dave has proper business knowledge and he is
flexible and adaptive.
It is the time to tell about the new innovation to the Dave’s boss as he knows
that his own boss will soon hear of the situation. So there is a risk of losing
one’s job from four. But Dave should protect the one’s job as the team
performs very well as a team and loosing of one member can hinder the
performance.
Summary of the case-2

A large university medical school and teaching hospital has two institutions,
a state school and a state-supported hospital. There was hostility and
competition between the hospital and the medical school as only one top
official was common—the provost.
The most complicated and unstructured part of the hospital and medical
school was the financial part. The hospital workers were the civil worker so
they had a civil salary scale, but the medical workers had no salary scale. So
the medical workers frequently used grant money to supplement the salary
scale.
Dr. Robert Uric, head of rental unit, was most popular by the hospital
workers with whom he worked. Although he was a source of wonder and his
staffs’ works were sincerely appreciated by the patients and their families,
but other faculty members found Uric to be a constant source of
embarrassment and discomfort.
Dr. Uric was a successful researcher in kidney transplant. He had several
federal grants from the National Institutes of Health to pursue research on
kidney transplantation. The characteristic of his research was that, he began
by solving small, individual problems for specific patients and then
generalizing and publishing the solutions.
When Uric invented a new thing and offered it to the NIH, NIH officials
refused to accept his innovation. Then Uric offered it to a large nursery
supply manufacturer, and the firm named it flower Life. The story broke in
the newspaper, so Uric and his peculiarities were no longer a private joke.
As a result the faculty became concerned about the reputation of the
hospital, and Uric had been dismissed from his position.
Dr. George Conrad, who was the in charge of the dialysis unit, was the idle
person to assume the responsibility for the rental unit by the executive
committee.
But with the disposition of Dr. Uric, the structured work of the rental unit
was broken down. Though the executive committee expected a period of
adjustment, but the disruption of the routine exceeds anything the members
imagined. Finally to handle the situation the executive committee decided to
place Dr. Uric as head of the rental unit.
Case 3
Creative Toys Company
John Wilson, a carpenter by hobby, is the founder of the creative toy
company, which produced wooden toys for the children. One department in
particular had been highly productive, the transportation department that
produced toy cars and trucks in the firm’s product line. Total 8 people work
in transportation department. When 4 made car in morning other 4 made
truck, and in evening the work between those employees reversed to
decrease monotony.
In the past, upper management allowed each department to determine its
own procedure and methods. But in recent time when demand for the
product increased, management decided to coordinate between the
department. On the other hand decision regarding the work lay out on the
transportation department also taken. This shift of the work of the
transportation department decreased the productivity of the transportation
department.

Case 4

Eastern International Food Service Corporation

Eastern International Food Service Corporation was a food service

corporation in the eastern area of the United States. EI had a contract with
Ocean Point to serve its services to the park premises and it established 15
stands on the park premises. Since the park was only open in the summer.
There were many part time workers who were mainly students. All stands
and restaurant managers had to report their supervisors about the sells.
Every worker knew that the EI food service was a lessee. Their job was not
permanent. Rather when amusement park manager applied new work
division there was a rumor flew that stands were set up to allow the park to
develop the skills needed to administer concession. If the contract was
renewed, then nothing would happen, but if the contract was not renewed the
company had no operation in park and all part time workers lost their job.

As a result, labor turnover had been increasing, employee morale had been
dropping and food cost percentage is climbing while profit margins on sales
were declining.

Question: 1

Assess Strayhorn’s communication effectiveness. What impact has his

approach had on morale and productivity?

Communication is the transfer of information and understanding from one

person to another. Effective communication is a two way process. Sending
the right message, that is also being correctly received and understood by the
other persons.

So here, strayhorn’s communication is not effective because he cannot send

the part timers the right message. When the rumors spread out, the
management or srtayhorn’s can take effective steps to handle the situation.
But the management did not take into account the rumors. So the employees
thought that, it is the last or ending season of their job. So

1. The attitude of EI employees had gotten steadily worse

2. managers of stand had become irresponsible

3. employees were wasting food and theft of food also increased

4. workers slowed their pace and failed to serve numerous customer

Question: 2

Comment on the impact of anxiety, stress, and crises on employee use of

informal communications in this case.

Impacts:
 • Labor turnover has been increasing, employee morale has been
dropping, and food cost percentage is climbing, while profit
margins on sales are declining.

• The attitude of the EI employees had gotten steadily worse.

• Food cost was rising as a result of the amount of theft and waste.

• Workers slowed their pace and thereby failed to serve numerous

customers.

• Potential sales of the season were reaching their peak, actual sales
and profits had declined.

Case 5

Goodman Company
Case 11

TRW—Oilwell Cable Division

Bill Russell was acting general manager of TRW and now he is being
appointed as general manager with an assignment of lay off twenty people or
achieves an equivalent reduction in labor cost.

The Oilwell Cable Division is part of the Industrial and Energy Segment of
TRW that represent 24 percent of its sales and 23 percent of its operating
profits. The Oilwell Division is a acquired business by TRW what was
Crescent Wire and Cable Company of Trenton. The four reasons for moving
the Oilwell cable (Crescent Wore and Cable Company) from Trenton to
Lawarence are

• Lawerence is considerably closer to the customer

• Lawerence has a more supportive labor environment.

• The wage rate for the Lawerence area are very reasonable

• There is an already existing building

Gino stripoli, formal general manage, was gien the task to start operations in
Lawrence and he established new management system. He established
eleven team relating the activities and all teams were doing their jobs very
well. There is also a co-ordination team.

The team is successful. Though there were some problems initially. There
was a good deal of mistrust among employees regarding management’s
motives. There were also some technical problems. But after two years Gino
solved the problems.

Though TRW has ten competitors in the cable market, its market mainly
depends on the demand of the submersible pumps. Because the basic
product produced by the Oilwell Cable Division is wire that provides power
to submersible pumps used in oil drilling.

Question: 1
Evaluate team management at TRW’s Lawrence plant. What
organizational behavior system is it most similar to? Does it
reflect theory X or theory Y assumptions?
Answer:
• There were in total 11 teams where five production teams are formed
around the production process.

• Each team meets on a weekly basis or as needed and resource team

meets every two weeks. That increases the coordination between the
team and team members.

• There was no formal agenda but the meeting on production process

and labor scheduling which increases the production.

• Team also build relationship between various level of the

organizations

Collegial organizational behavior system is most similar to.

It reflects Theory Y assumption.

Question: 2
Examine the results from team management at Lawrence. Do
they support a “satisfaction causes productivity” or a
“productivity causes satisfaction” relationship? Explain.
 • There were some initial start-up problems, but late it seems to be a
success.

• In the beginning there was a good deal of mistrust among employees.

But later it being solved.

• First there was a lot of frustration with a high level of turnover.

Because there was only one union employee brought from Trenton.
To solve the problem a compensation scheme was developed that
encouraged employees to master the various pieces of equipment in
the plant.

• Turnover dropped from in excess of 12 percent to a range of 2 to 4

percent. Also employment had dropped from a high of 132 to what
seemed to be a more optimal level of 125.

They support “satisfaction causes productivity”. From the workers’ point of

view, the major benefit of team management is their ability to control their
jobs. This control has resulted in a high level of commitment by the
employees, as evidenced by the numerous suggestions made by the teams
that have resulted in significant improvements in quality and productivity.

Question: 4

Can participative and team management approaches work equally well

during times of organizational crisis and during normal times? Explain.

NO, from my opinion, though during normal times participative and team
management approaches work equally but during organizational crisis it
can’t work equally.

The responsibility of the team management is to solve any problem equally

and help other team members to solve the problems. But in participative
approach people can deny to help others. Beside this when contradiction
between the people exist the situation also become more complicated in
participative approach.
Case 10

The Patterson Operation

Carrington Inc, is an international company that produced and distribute
pharmaceuticals, proprietary drugs and cosmetics and toiletries. In a plant
Carrington, Inc, management was faced with some problem. But the
management introduced some system to overcome the problems with this
management also introduced incentive system 50-50 incentive plan that is
time saved bonus plan.

Section 10, a assembly room that was located in a part of the main room.
The working conditions of the room were outstanding; the work area was
very clean; well lighted and air-conditioned. In spite of good condition
discipline in section 10 was poor and supervisor was constantly having
problems. As a result, performance is poor.

Because of the section 10 problems management decided to move its

operation to other plant known as “Patterson operation”. The new facility
was not so good and as clean as the section 10. Despite these obstacles
management decided to move the operation.

Despite of some problems in new plant surprisingly the moving gave the
company better profit. The new supervisor of the new plant established some
fules and regulations. That gave the ci,pany increased productivity and the
employees getting incentive bonus frequently which was seems to be
impossible in the section 10 plant. Employees had influence and opinion in
decision making. As a result employees came to view Patterson as their own
“company”

Question: 1

Has the Patterrson operation been successful? To the degree that it can be
judged a success, what factors have contributed to it?

Yes,
Factors

• Management’s decision to assigned Fred Hammond as first line

supervisors.

• Fred Hammond decisions to give the opportunity to the employees to

influence the decision making.

• Manager’s decision that individuals could work on the same job until
the particular order was completed.

• Others nonstandard conditions that workers did not have to follow any
dress codes.

Question: 2
Identify the leadership styles of Fred Hammond and May Allison. Apply
several of the leadership models to the case, such as Fidler’s contingency
model and Hersy Blanchard situational model.

Behavioral Approaches

• Positive leadership

• Participative leadership

• Employee orientation

Fidler’s Contingency model

Leader Member relation – High

Task structure – Structured

Leader-position Power – strong

Hersy Blanchard situational model

Participating Delegating

(Low directiveness and high (low directiveness and low

supportiveness) supportiveness)

Fred Hammond
Telling Selling

(High directiveness and low (High directiveness and high

supportiveness) supportiveness)

Question: 3
Comment on the informal organization at Patterson. In what
ways did the employees create their own “company”?
Answer: Employees came to view Patterson as their own “company”, in
the following ways-

• A feeling of mutual co-operation between employees

• Employees got chance in important decision making

• Workers shifted their work time depending on their mutual benefits,

when the unbearable heat of the late afternoon in the warehouse
increased.

• Employees got the incentive bonus and profit bonus so they were
thinking as own company

• Patterson employees made decision and acted independently in

regarding the company’s soft-ball team called the Patterson Warriors.