Problem Statement:

With Triple-F meeting due in a few hours, how should Sarah address the
communication gap that existed between Josh and her.

Options:
The issue can be resolved through any of the following ways:
A. Transfer Josh to another project
B. Reprimand Josh with an authoritative control
C. Give formalized training on how to work together in teams
D. Resolve the gap by listening to his concerns and validating his ideas.

Criteria:
The above mentioned options can be evaluated based on the following criteria:
A. Joshs job satisfaction
B. Josh and the project performance
C. Authoritative control
D. Conformity to the organizational culture and time spent in meeting
E. Effective communication between Sarah and Josh

Evaluation:
Transfer Josh to another project:
Removing Josh from her team will demand explanations from Sarah. Since
Josh had been a new hire and has been complying with the deadlines,
Sarah will have to look for a much more solid reason. Also Joshs fresh new
ideas will be useful for other future projects which will have enough time
to implement new ideas. If Josh is moved to another project, Sarah will
lose access to those innovative ideas. Also it has an impact on her other
subordinates work as they will be afraid to think out of the box in the
future fearing their job safety.
Reprimand Josh with an authoritative control:
Again this option would help Sarah to have her authoritative control over
Josh. Josh will be forced to comply with the hierarchy and to report to
Sarah on his work. But this will not help Sarah to resolve the
communication gap between Josh and her. Josh will be even more

dissatisfied with his job and will not be motivated to do his tasks. The
relationship between Josh and Sarah will be severed.
Give formalized training on how to work together in teams:
A formal training to Josh and other people on how to work together
effectively in teams will help Josh comply with organizational pecking
order and work together with his boss. But Sarah will not be able to
establish her authoritative control over Josh. Also Josh, from the next Ygeneration will not be comfortable to undergo these types of training and
he will have to attend the training because he is forced to. He just would
want to get onto the job and implement his new ideas. This will harm the
relationship between Josh and Sarah.
Resolve the gap by listening to his concerns and validating his
ideas:
Setting up a meeting with Josh and listening to his concerns will help Sarah
understand the issues faced by Josh on his job. It will help Sarah follow
organizational practices of investing time with new hires. She can also
come up with a plan to give to bridge the communication gap. She can do
this by validating his ideas for its feasibility, giving proper feedback about
his work and allowing him to refine, perfect his work. But Sarah will not be
able to establish much of an authority over Josh.

Recommendation:
By evaluating the available options based on the above mentioned criteria it
turns out that Listening to Joshs concerns and validating his ideas along with
feedback will benefit Sarah and the organization greatly. So I would recommend
to go forward with this option. Sarah has to think from Gen-Y mindset and has to
give recognition and credibility to his feasible ideas. Joshs innovative ideas will
ultimately benefit Sarah attaining EVP position in the organizational hierarchy.

Implementation:
First Sarah has to setup a meeting with Josh and will have to listen to his side on
why he bypassed her and went to the CEO. She can justify that there was no
sufficient time to implement his new ideas and that was why his ideas were not
taken into consideration. She can then assure him of providing any help in the
future. She also has to provide ample time period for him to come up with his
ideas and enough time to implement his ideas. She should also conduct review
meetings once in 3 days or a week to monitor his progress and give feedback,
recognition and direction to his ideas. This will help have an authoritative control
as well over Josh. She also has to be accessible for Josh to have informal
meetings incase Josh needs some clarifications to refine his work. This would

bridge the communication gap and develop a good employee relationship

between Josh and Sarah, so that they can work together effectively.