The following are the implicit assumptions made by Ned Wicker

i. The Monday morning meetings seemed to last longer and in his view soon
consume the entire day, a luxury he felt the department could not afford.
ii. He also had a nagging feeling that, as the departments manager, he needed
to be better prepared at the Monday meeting to discuss the merits of the
RFPs in order to assist the group in reaching the soundest decisions possible.
iii. He thought to have answers ready might speed up group decisions on
Mondays, and it will be in a manner which would not allow his opinions to
directly influence members of the group.
iv. In the review meetings the analysts were holding back their ideas and
technical judgment, both of which Ned knew were crucial to arriving at the
soundest bid/no bid decisions.
The following are the implicit assumptions made by the analysts
i. The analysts felt that their opinions were not considered while deciding on
the proposals.
ii. The analysts efforts were not appreciated on the earlier two won contracts.
iii. The analysts will not have scope for growth if Ned Wicker overtook all the
Monday morning meetings.


2. Describe Ned Wickers group as a subculture within Graubart Electronics. How
does the subculture of the group constrain communication?

Organisational Subculture

While the culture of an organization is representative of the company as a
whole, many smaller subcultures also exist within this structure. Organisational
subculture are pockets or segments of culture which (while reflecting the
dominant aspects of the main culture) show different customs, norms, and
values, due to differences in geographical areas or (within an organization)
departmental goals and job requirements. Each individual subculture has its
own unique set of characteristics making it distinguishable from the other
subcultures, but together, they still operate as a whole striving for the same
overall goals.



Ned Wickers group as a subculture

Ned had 7 different people under him. These people were hired by him and all
were highly qualified as systems analyst. By scrutinizing everyones
background we can establish facts about the individuals to help us classify
them into sub-cultures. Knowing the different sub-cultures will allow better
management and communication specific to the sub-groups present.
Managers will be able to plan approach and strategies that will be suitable to
the sub-cultures present in the department.
In Neds department, aside from the usual demographics such as age, gender
and race, the more important facts to consider are the experience and
knowledge of individuals. Knowing these facts will provide Ned with better
insight in handling his people.