Report

On
Wendy Peterson

In partial fulfilment of
WAC Course

Submitted to

Prof. Madhusri Shrivastava

Submitted By:-
Eshan Bhatt 2015PGP019

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MemoofTransmittal

Date: 29/01/2016

Sub: Submission of report on Wendy Peterson

As instructed by you, this document has been submitted in partial fulfilment of WAC course and contains
the analysis of the case Wendy Peterson. Followed by the options that would be feasible as per the
problem defined. We have evaluated these options on the basis of various criteria and come up with an
action plan. As per our recommendation, Wendy should not fire Wu, rather she should take a
compromising stand as an immediate measure, she should agree to some of his demands in lieu of Wus
agreement to follow the norms and rules of the team.

If you need any further information, please let us know. Well be happy to discuss.

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Contents

Executive Summary.................................................................................................... 4

Situation Analysis....................................................................................................... 5

Problem Statement..................................................................................................... 5

Options....................................................................................................................... 5

Criteria for Evaluation................................................................................................. 5

Recommendation....................................................................................................... 6

Action Plan.................................................................................................................. 6

Further Course of Action............................................................................................. 6

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Executive Summary

In order to achieve the revenue targets Wendy the VP of AcountBacks Plano office had planned to enter
into the Chinese market. For this she had hired Wu, who she believed would be able to penetrate the close
knit Chinese market. Initially Wu impressed everyone with his curiosity and attention to detail, however
later he became insubordinate and did not fit into the team. However his first client was the largest client
in the Plano office.
Wendy tried to explain Wu that he has to follow the norms of the team, however against all this he
demanded an assistant sighting too much work. Wendy had to tackle this situation, she could avoid,
accommodate, compete or compromise with Wu. Her decision had to be made considering the revenue
targets that she had set up.
In my opinion she should take the compromising stand at the moment, setting up targets for Wu and
informing him that he should prove himself and then his demands shall be considered, therefore seeking a
middle ground for both the parties. She should also start looking for substitutes for Wu, so that she does
not create a power cell in the team.

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Situation Analysis

Wendy Peterson was Vice President of sales at AccountBacks Plano office. She tried to bring the Plano
team closer and made a collegial environment in the office. She wanted her direct reports to comply with
her rules or face the consequences otherwise, she had already fired a senior employee who went against
her.
In order to achieve the high sales targets she planned to expand into the close knit Chinese market. For
this purpose she hired Fred Wu, who had the required characteristics for the job. Initially Wus curiosity
and attention to detail impressed every one, he was punctual and willing to share his experience on the
sales management software. Considering the circumstances of Wus job, Wendy changed his sales targets
against the company tradition. After missing sales targets consecutively Wu finally landed the single
largest client in the office. This impressed Wendy and all the colleagues.

However Wu remained insubordinate, going against Wendys rules, he rarely filed his sales activities, was
inconsistent at weekly meetings, rarely worked from the office and asked for an assistant after just one
success. In one instance he provided add-on services to a client without Wendys approval, overriding her
authority.

Problem Statement
What should be Wendys course of action to cater to the situation with Wu?
Options
Avoid Wu and his demands
Accommodate and accept Wus demands
Compete with Wus demands
Compromise to reach a middle ground

Criteria for Evaluation

Advantages (Benefits involved in accepting Wus demands)
Disadvantages (Timing concerns regarding hiring a new candidate)
Implications on Wus and other employees behavior

Evaluation of Options
Option 1: Avoid Wu and his demands
Wus demands are unjustified and he needs to understand this, Wendy could avoid his demands and look
for substitutes for Wu. The issues are trivial and they may become clear to Wu if he takes some time and
understands the situation.
1. However this may not go down well with Wu as he may look for other employment options.
2. Wus client may not want to continue with AccountBack.
3. Wendy would have time to look for a substitute with similar characteristics.
4. For the other employees this would send the message that Wendy does not tolerate
insubordination even at the cost of business.

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Option 2: Accommodate and accept Wus demands

Accepting Wus demands means
1. Wus client shall remain with the AccountBack, and Wendy could now expect him to bring in new
clients.
2. There would be no need to look for a substitute.
3. Other employees may become averse, they would consider Wendy being partial towards Wu. She
had already relaxed Wus sales targets and would also provide him an assistant. Wendy would
show that she is ok with insubordination as long as you bring in big clients. The very culture that
she had developed in the team would be destroyed.

Option 3: Compete with Wus demands

Wendy could enforce the rules and straighten out Wu, she could argue that one success does not mean
everything.
1. This may or may not go down well with Wu, however Wendy would be able to maintain her
authority in the team, and this would also send a clear signals to others who may think like Wu.
2. She would have to start looking for another Chinese candidate for the team.
3. She could also take the client details from Wu and pass them onto another employee.
4. She could set hard deadlines for Wu against accepting his demands.

Option 4: Compromise to reach a middle ground

Wendy could sit and work with Wu to arrive at a solution that satisfies both of them.
1. This policy would mean that Wendy had mellowed down and is willing to come to terms for
employees who are successful. Other employees may follow Wu.
2. To prevent insubordination Wendy could set in deadlines and harder targets for the employees.
3. With Wu she could force him to fill in his activities and spend more hours in the office for some
of his demands.
4. Also she could set a future date before which Wu would have to prove himself before his
demands would be agreed upon.

Recommendation
Since the sales targets have been hard pressed onto the VPs and Wendy needs to achieve a 40% growth in
revenues she cannot let this client go. For now she has to retain Wu so a Compromising stand as in Option
4, should be taken up. As the relationship with Wu is already tainted and this may not go well she should
also start looking for suitable alternatives for him.

Action Plan
1. Call a meeting with Wu and set forward your terms and conditions.
2. Inform him you are ready to accept his requirements but before that he has to prove himself.
3. Also ask him to follow the company rules and policies, to fill in the activity software, and to
attend the meetings without which his demands shall not be taken up.
4. Set up a timeline for him to prove himself after which he can get an assistant.
5. Start looking for alternatives for Wu, who can handle the Chinese market and clients. Ask Wu to
train them by setting some of his appraisal goals to do so.

Further Course of Action

1. While hiring employees in the future ensure that there is no behavioral mismatch between him
and your culture along with person-job fit.
2. Hire at least two people for the profile and decide their functions during the training phase.
3. Make sure that the employees fill the activities and follow all rules from the beginning.
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