Stories to Tell Your Students

Stories to Tell Your Students

Transforming toward
Organizational Growth

Edited by

Joan Marques, Satinder Dhiman,

and
Jerry Biberman
STORIES TO TELL YOUR STUDENTS
Copyright © Joan Marques, Satinder Dhiman, and Jerry Biberman, 2011.
All rights reserved.
First published in 2011 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke,
Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-349-29738-2 ISBN 978-0-230-37043-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-0-230-37043-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stories to tell your students : transforming toward organizational growth /
edited by Joan Marques, Satinder Dhiman, Jerry Biberman.
p. cm.
1. Organizational behavior. 2. Management. 3. Storytelling. I. Marques,
Joan. II. Dhiman, Satinder. III. Biberman, Jerry, 1949–
HD58.7.S753 2011
658.3⬘124—dc23 2011026025
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India.
First edition: October 2011
 C on t en t s

Foreword xi
From the Editors xv
Teaching Story Methodology xvii
About the Authors xxi

Part I Formal Workplace Reflection Stories

1.1 Powerful or Influential? 3
Joan Marques
1.2 The “Me” Place 5
Jerry Biberman
1.3 Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broken! 7
Thomas A. Conklin
1.4 I Bet You Never Had a Cat Thrown at You in Your Job 9
Gary Stark
1.5 Being the Boss isn’t Easy 11
Robert S. Fleming
1.6 Why Can’t He See? 13
Jane D. Parent
1.7 Making the Right Impression, but Padding the Estimates 15
Nathan S. Hartman and Charles A. Watts
1.8 Coaching a Newly Promoted Manager 17
Linda J. Ferguson
1.9 Does Eating Ice Cream Really Cause Boating Accidents? 19
Gary Stark
1.10 Motivation in the Workplace: Knowing Your People 21
Howard C. Fero
1.11 Finished Before Ever Beginning 24
Michael Y. Moon
1.12 Reducing Social Loafing 26
Gary Stark
vi CONTENTS

1.13 The Dual Career Ladder 28

M. Eileen Higgins
1.14 Why Didn’t This Program Work? 30
Robert S. Fleming
1.15 Alice 32
Joan Marques
1.16 Fredrick Taylor and Scientific Management:
Alive and Well at James & Smith 34
Jane D. Parent
1.17 Uniform Delivery 36
Jerry Biberman
1.18 Gaining Greater Cultural Awareness 38
Thomas A. Conklin
1.19 Carrying Emotions at Work 40
Linda J. Ferguson
1.20 Setting Realistic Goals 42
Robert S. Fleming
1.21 Feedback versus Criticism 44
M. Eileen Higgins
1.22 Compensation Complaints 46
Thomas A. Conklin
1.23 That’s Not My Job! 48
Robert S. Fleming
1.24 Losing Now Could Lead to Winning in the Future 51
Joan Marques
1.25 Professional Dissatisfaction and the Power of a New Idea 53
Michelle St Jane
1.26 Violence in the Workplace 55
M. Eileen Higgins
1.27 Charismatic Leader 57
Jerry Biberman
1.28 Theories of Motivation 58
Thomas A. Conklin
1.29 The Bully in the Workplace 60
Maria Humphries
1.30 Inside and Outside Roles 62
Robert S. Fleming
 CONTENTS vii

1.31 The Impact of a Small Gesture 65

Joan Marques
1.32 Mixed Management Messages 67
Jane D. Parent
1.33 Is It Ok to Say “That’s Not My Job”? 69
Gary Stark
1.34 Partnering for Change 70
Maria Humphries and Anna Cox
1.35 Handing Over Responsibility 73
Robert S. Fleming
1.36 Training Session Time Management 76
Virginia F. Fleming
1.37 What Goes Around Comes Around 78
Joan Marques
1.38 The Practicality of Scientific Management 80
Gary Stark
1.39 A Failure to Involve Staff 83
Robert S. Fleming
1.40 Housewives and Students 85
Jerry Biberman
1.41 Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibilities:
Real or on Display? 87
Maria Humphries and Dale Fitzgibbons
1.42 Put Me in Coach, I’m Ready to Pay 89
Gary Stark
1.43 An Assignment Doomed to Fail 91
Robert S. Fleming
1.44 Study Director and His Wife 93
Jerry Biberman
1.45 If You Build It, You’ll Have To Negotiate 95
Gary Stark
1.46 The Last-Minute Performance Evaluation 97
Robert S. Fleming

Part II Multicultural Stories

2.1 Hanuman: Unleashing Hidden Potential 103
Mala Kapadia
viii CONTENTS

2.2 Learning from Nature 105

Chellie Spiller
2.3 Rude Awakening: A Story of Two Trees 107
Joan Marques
2.4 Eklavya: The Archer Par Excellence! 109
Edwina Pio
2.5 I Just Want to Bang On the Cans All Day 112
Gary Stark
2.6 “FīfīIkaMaka”: Preparing and Sharing the Gifts
from the Ocean 113
Alisi Numia Katoanga and Maria Humphries
2.7 Okoné and the Hunt 116
Joan Marques
2.8 The Power of “Hissssss” 118
Edwina Pio
2.9 Powers of Perception 120
Chellie Spiller
2.10 The Anti-Hurry-Scurry-Worry Pill 122
Joan Marques
2.11 Kiwi Kiwi 125
Edwina Pio
2.12 Tāne’s Journey to Retrieve Knowledge 127
Chellie Spiller

Part III Fairy Tale-Based Creative Stories

3.1 The Misunderstood Genius 133
Joan Marques
3.2 Sixteen Bean Diversity 136
Thomas A. Conklin
3.3 Sam and His Neighbors 138
Joan Marques
3.4 The Simple Soul and the Executive 140
Joan Marques

Part IV Short Metaphor Stories

4.1 A Modern Tale Regarding Alcohol and Worms 145
Satinder Dhiman
4.2 Avoiding Falling into a Hole 146
Jerry Biberman
 CONTENTS ix

4.3 A Story about a Sufi and Moths 147

Varinder Kumar
4.4 Chinese and Greek Artists and
the Restoration of an Old Palace 148
Satinder Dhiman
4.5 Treasure under One’s Own House 149
Jerry Biberman
4.6 Walking the Talk: A Story about Mahatma Gandhi 150
Satinder Dhiman
4.7 Concentration Camp and Commander’s Humanity 152
Varinder Kumar
4.8 Be the Change You Want to See in the World:
The Leadership Art of Mahatma Gandhi 153
Satinder Dhiman
4.9 The Difference between the Window Glass and
the Mirror Glass 154
Satinder Dhiman
4.10 Real Obstacles are Inside Us! 156
Varinder Kumar
4.11 Celebrate Your Diversity: Joys of Noncomparison and
the Virtue of Patience 157
Satinder Dhiman
4.12 The Joy of Giving Joy to Others: Cultivating
Abundance Mentality 159
Satinder Dhiman
4.13 Let Your Life Speak: “YOU” May be
the Only Scripture Some People Will Ever Read! 161
Satinder Dhiman

Part V Two Cases

5.1 Samaritan House 165
George G. Klemic
5.2 Managing Change: A Public Library Moves to
New Space and Everything Goes Haywire 172
Martha M. Mattare

Part VI Creating and Telling Your Own Story

6.1 Notes on Storytelling for Leaders and Managers 183
Donald W. McCormick

Index 189
 For e wor d

Fables, myths, and stories reach back to the dawn of civilization itself. Long
before humans learned to write and invented history, they told stories to
make sense of the seasons, marriages, births, deaths, and any one of a thou-
sand incidents and events.
Everyone is familiar with fables of one kind or another. Nearly everyone
has heard one or more of Aesop’s fables. The fable of “The Tortoise and the
Hare” is so familiar that it’s a part of our everyday vocabulary. It is so pop-
ular that there are even cartoon versions for young children. Similarly, the
fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen are also part of our general makeup,
so much so that we take them for granted. And, of course, every culture has
its own special myths and stories as well.
In spite of the immense variation among them, fables, myths, and stories
share a number of common features. One, they generally take place in magical
realms that are deliberately far removed from the constraints of the ordinary
world. As a result, the characters can say and do things that they would never
do in everyday life. In this way, they teach us lessons unencumbered by ev-
eryday realities. Two, they employ animals and mythic and superhuman char-
acters. The characters are deliberate, larger-than-life exaggerations of human
qualities such that we can see both their good and bad sides, often simul-
taneously. Three, unlike in real life, things generally get resolved in happy,
clear-cut endings. The “good guys” are rewarded and the “bad guys” are
punished. And typically, there is a clear distinction between the “good guys”
and the “bad guys.” Four, the resolutions generally come in the form of clear
moral lessons or principles. In other words, there is little, if any, ambiguity.
As you read the fables in this book, listen carefully to the feelings that
each of the characters and the stories raise in you. Do you instinctively like
or dislike any of the characters or situations? Why? What aspects of the fables
remind you of your organization and why? Do the characters do a better or
worse job of solving problems than either you or your organization?
More often than not, we remember stories long after we have forgotten
theories or eloquent statement, no matter how good they are. If everything
were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten! For this
reason, I applaud this initiative of Joan, Satinder, and Jerry, and the self-
less collaboration of more than twenty other professors of Organizational
Behavior from all over the world. They have given their colleagues a truly
powerful tool in improving the effectiveness of education. I want to express
my enthusiasm by ending with a fable of my own!
xii FOREWORD

The Problem of the Kindly Old King

Once upon a time, an old and kindly king by the name of Whispo lived in
a strange and far-off land called Meum. The king had three sons: Meso,
Mineso, and Soso.
Whispo lived a long and fruitful life. He had a beautiful wife by the name
of Ohso with whom he had the pleasure of growing old. They loved one an-
other more and more with every passing day.
The king was very good to his people. He knew every one of them by
name. He even knew the names of all their pets.
Whispo loved his people as if each and every one of them was a member
of his own family. In turn, they loved him back just as much.
There was of course one problem, and it was a big one at that. The day
was fast approaching when the king could no longer rule. He had to appoint
one of his sons to succeed him.
The problem was that none of his sons seemed right for the job. Meso,
the first born, was intelligent enough; indeed, he was very bright. He consis-
tently bagged the first prize in every one’s of Meum’s math and science con-
tests. But there was something missing that Whispo couldn’t quite put his
finger on. Meso seemed to be lacking something essential that allowed him
to connect deeply and sincerely with Meum’s people. It was as if one couldn’t
really trust Meso with matters of the heart, spirit, and conscience.
Mineso, the second born, was also very intelligent, although it was of a
very different kind than that of Meso. There wasn’t a practical problem, such
as determining the exact number of berries in a field without counting them
one-by-one, that Mineso couldn’t solve. Similarly, there wasn’t a broken ma-
chine that Mineso couldn’t fix. But as with Meso, Mineso also appeared to
be lacking in an essential human quality that would make the people trust
and love him.
The last son Soso was frankly a dolt. To say he was a disappointment to
the king was putting it mildly. Soso appeared to be lacking in intelligence of
any kind. However, he did seem to draw small animals and young children to
him. Perhaps it was because he couldn’t or wouldn’t speak. Nonetheless, as if
by magic, there was a sparkle in his eyes and a smile on his face that somehow
drew everyone around to him.
The king decided to put each of his three sons to a test. The one who
solved it successfully would become king.
In a deep forest in the middle of Meum lived an old witch by the name of
Bebil. Bebil was very old indeed; she was rumored to be over 800 years old.
In the middle of the thatched cottage in which she lived was an exotic bird
that laid silver and gold eggs. Once in a very long while, the bird also laid
eggs that were made of rubies and other precious stones.
The test involved slaying the witch and bringing the bird to the king. This
had been attempted by many before but none had succeeded. In fact, all who
had tried had suffered horrible deaths.
 FOREWORD xiii

The first son set out at a quick gallop. He felt supremely confident, if not
arrogant, that with his great knowledge and intelligence, he could trick the
witch into giving him the bird.
Meso decided to make a costume that would make him look every bit as
real and like the bird he was trying to trick the witch into giving him. He
also invented a very clever and smaller mechanical bird that would produce
eggs that looked even more beautiful than the eggs that Bebil’s bird laid.
Meso traveled for many days and months. At last, he reached the clearing
in the forest where Bebil lived. As soon as he appeared, Bebil came rushing
out of her house, her face bursting with anger. “Who dares to intrude in my
home? Answer me quickly or I will strip the meat from your bones and de-
vour you instantly!”
Meso replied, “Oh great witch! I am just a humble creature that has come
to make you a present of another bird. It lays eggs even more precious and
beautiful than the ones you already have.”
Meso walked slowly but steadily closer and closer toward Bebil. His hope
was that Bebil would become so mesmerized and taken in by his trick bird
that he could slip inside her house and take her bird for his own.
Finally, Meso got to within an arm’s reach of Bebil. He could see her ugly
red eyes. He could smell the foul stench on her breath.
Meso very carefully laid his small mechanical bird in front of the witch.
Bebil was as enthralled by Meso’s contraption as he hoped she would be. It
seemed perfectly real, and it laid the most beautiful eggs that Bebil had ever
seen.
There was no doubt whatsoever that Bebil was completely drawn to Meso’s
mechanical bird. She showered all of her attention on it. In this way, Meso
was able to walk directly into Bebil’s cottage, pick up the magic bird, place it
in a sack and walk out to the edge of the clearing and beyond.
Meso thought to himself, “That stupid old witch; she was easier to fool
than I thought. She was no match at all for my brains and intelligence.”
At that very instant, Bebil appeared directly in front of him. As a matter
of fact, a circle of Bebils surrounded him completely. There was no escape
whatsoever.
“Foolish creature,” she shouted. “You think you could fool me! Don’t
you know that I have the ability to read thoughts? If you hadn’t thought you
were smarter than me, you could have escaped. But now you are mine!” And
with one gulp, she completely devoured Meso such that there was no trace
left of him whatsoever except for his belt buckle.
The belt buckle was all that remained of Meso. It was brought back im-
mediately to the king when it was discovered. Upon seeing the buckle, the
king was greatly saddened for he knew instantly that his first-born had not
only failed, but was killed. He would never see Meso again.
Whispo worried that his second son would fail as well, but there was no
choice. If Mineso wanted to become king, then he had to undertake the test.
There was no other way.
xiv FOREWORD

Mineso tried a totally different approach. He had always scoffed at Meso’s

overly impractical thinking. Meso’s downfall was thinking that he could out-
think the witch. Mineso knew better.
Mineso sent out teams of experts to learn of the witch’s dwelling. They
found out that the clearing upon which Bebil’s cottage stood was really a
swamp. In reality, the witch was actually a fish that depended upon water for
its sustenance and very existence. Therefore, Mineso reasoned, if he could
drain the swamp, he could kill the witch, and hence get her magic bird.
Mineso cleverly surrounded the witch’s swamp with hundreds of workers
that were loyal to him. They built scores of tiny straws that slowly but surely
sucked the water out of Bebil’s clearing.
As a result, Mineso was able to walk straight up to Bebil’s cottage, grab
the bird, stuff it in a sack, and casually walk out of the forest.
“That stupid witch was no match for me!” Mineso exclaimed. At that exact
moment, Bebil appeared and said, “So you think you are smarter than me, do
you! Don’t you know that I don’t need water for my existence? I am water. I
carry it with me wherever I go!” With that, Bebil quickly devoured Mineso.
News of Mineso’s death also reached the king. As before, he was greatly
saddened. Yet, he had no choice but to send his youngest, and last, son to
meet the test.
Unlike his two brothers before him, Soso made no elaborate plans. He
merely walked into the forest, and when he finally reached the edge of the
clearing, he just sat down. The numerous small animals and birds that had
been following him sat down as well.
With that, Bebil charged out of her cottage shouting, “Who’s there? What
do you want? Don’t you know who I am and what I can do to you?”
Soso merely smiled and said, “Yes, I know who you are. I have come to ask
you if I can borrow your bird so that I can bring it to my father so that I can
become king. I promise you with all my heart and soul that I will bring the
bird back to you once my father has seen it. I do not want the bird for myself,
or the eggs that it produces, for I know that under your care and protection,
the bird has brought great happiness and prosperity to my father’s kingdom.”
With that, Bebil said, “No one has ever spoken truthfully and from the
heart to me as you have. Yes, you can take the bird because I know you will
bring it back. I grant you a long and happy life.”
And this is the story of how Soso, supposedly the dullest of the king’s
three sons, became the greatest ruler of them all.
The moral of the story: Brains alone will not succeed where the heart and
soul are lacking.
I wish you lasting pleasure in reading and learning from the fables in this
book.

I AN I. M ITROFF
Adjunct Professor UC Berkeley
Professor Emeritus USC
 From the Editor s

If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.

—Rudyard Kipling

Stories to Tell Your Students is the result of a series of events that started with
a resounding call from our students to tailor the way we were facilitating
organizational behavior courses to the preferences of today’s students and
tomorrow’s workforce members. It was not difficult to relate to this wish: we
too were students at one time, and the most memorable lessons we received
were shared through stories. Stories are timeless, and they always fascinate
us. A good story can mean different things to us at different stages of our
lives, but it sticks like the fragrance of a good perfume: light, and not always
apparent, but every so often noticeable.
We decided to try the concept out with fellow OB faculty from all over
the world, and submitted workshops based on storytelling to major confer-
ences for OB facilitators. Over the course of three years of formal and in-
formal brainstorming, presenting, and gathering feedback, we decided to
take our intentions to the implementation level: we approached colleagues
from all over the world to create a storybook, and ensure that it would not
only convey the OB message in story form, but also have global appeal. In
a world that is now truly a global village, we felt that we needed to consider
organizational behavior in as broad a perspective as possible. That explains
why this book entails stories that pertain to formal work settings, and others,
which are set in more exotic parts of the world. The purpose is dual: we want
to enhance the user’s familiarity with multiple cultures, but we also want to
demonstrate that, aside from the obvious differences, there are some human
traits that remain intact, wherever the stage may be set.
We thank the authors who have made this book possible by submitting
their stories, whether experiential, fictitious, reflective, metaphoric, case-
based, long, short, reality-based or fairy-tale like. Together we have created
an OB text, twenty-first-century style, which we proudly present to you. We
invite you to use it to your own and your students’ advantage—to elevate
your students’ awareness, increase their tolerance, raise their understanding
and appreciation for other cultures, expand their horizons, and help prepare
them for the challenges of working and living in the twenty-first century.
JOAN M ARQUES, SATINDER DHIMAN, AND JERRY BIBERMAN
 Te aching S t ory M e t hod ol o g y

Teaching stories have frequently been used in the wisdom traditions of the
past for their entertainment, moral, and developmental value. Most teach-
ing stories contain an element of humor that ensures their longevity. The
humor is also used as a cloak to conceal the profounder meaning. As Plato
has pointed out, “Serious things cannot be understood without laughable
things.” But to stop only at the humor level is to miss their real meaning.
Robert Anton Wilson explains: “If you don’t laugh, you’ve missed the point.
If you only laugh, you’ve missed your chance for illumination.”
Psychologically speaking, stories have the following dimensions1:

1. Intuitive. The moment the speaker says “let me tell you a story,” the lis-
tener shifts gears (figuratively speaking) and a different faculty of com-
prehension is brought into play. In scientific terms, a better harmony
between the left and right hemispherse of our brain is established.
2. Participative. A story is a sort of invitation that prods the listener to
participate in its proceedings by identifying himself/herself as one of
its characters. And it is common knowledge that participation enhances
the quality of learning.
3. Multiplicity of impacts. A good story carries a constellation of impacts
within its fold and thereby creates multiple impacts on the listener’s
mind. This enables us to view things from several perspectives, which,
in turn, facilitates holistic thinking.
4. Tip of the iceberg phenomenon. At a deeper level, there are several un-
derlying messages. The listener/reader receives the nourishment for
which he/she is ready. Like the skins of an onion, one will peel off one
depth after another. Thus, a story offers something to all levels of ex-
perience. This is the reality behind the concept that we cannot really
exhaust the entire meaning of a tale. And probably this is the reason
that all great teachers choose to speak in parables.
5. Element of shock. A good story also contains an element of “shock”—
an unexpected incongruity to wake the reader from the slumber of ha-
bitual thought patterns. By an unexpected turn or twist, the story teases
a greater attention span out of the reader, besides preparing a way to a
deeper understanding of the intended message. To quote Harvey Cox,
“A parable is a story that draws the listener’s attention to the normal
events of ordinary life, but then introduces an unexpected twist, a
xviii TEACHING STORY METHODOLOGY

surprise inversion that undercuts the audience’s normal expectations

and pushes them into looking at life in a new way.”

The parables of Jesus provide a classic example of the element of shock. For
example, the extrawelcome reception of the younger son in the parable of the
prodigal son, the extraordinary help offered by the Samaritan in the parable
of the good Samaritan, and the payment of the same wages by the vineyard
owner in the parable of vineyard laborers are sterling examples of the principle
of unexpected shock in operation. One can only imagine the feelings of the
listeners of these parables—the feeling as if the rug has been pulled out from
under them unexpectedly, after having been drawn into the story!
The following tale2 may serve as an illustration:

On one occasion, a neighbor found Mulla Nasrudin down on his knees look-
ing for something.
“What have you lost, Mulla?”
“My keys,” said Nasrudin.
After a few minutes of searching, the neighbor said,
“Where did you drop them?”
“Inside my home,” said Mulla.
“Then why, for heaven’s sake, are you looking here?”
“Because there is more light here,” said Mulla.

The entertainment value of the tale is quite obvious. The moral of the
story is: Don’t look for things at wrong places. Now let’s dig further into the
tale for its deeper dimensions of symbolic or instrumental value. Here are a
few of the underlying dimensions.
Mulla is trying to demonstrate that:

● There are keys (solutions to the problems).

● Keys are not conveniently located (i.e., they are not placed next to the
door).
● Mostly, keys are inside. Its “management” relevance is obvious: The
solutions to the problems of an organization lie within the organi-
zation. For two decades, American automakers were looking for the
“keys” outside, blaming the Japanese competition. As soon as they re-
alized that the enemy is not “out there” but “in here,” they experi-
enced a significant improvement. GM’s Saturn car, Ford’s Taurus, and
Chrysler’s Mini Van are sterling examples of finding solutions within
the organization rather than blaming the environment.
● Looking is the key.
● To know how (and where) to seek is to find it.

Peter F. Drucker, widely acknowledged as the father of modern man-

agement, has pointed out that organizations are very good at solving the
wrong problems. This story, in a very subtle way, indicates just that. In this
manner, clarifying subtle management concepts through illustrative stories
 TEACHING STORY METHODOLOGY xix

contributes to better assimilation and retention of information. This meth-

odology, used where appropriate, sharpens learners’ conceptual skills and
helps to develop a habit of mind so essential to thrive during twenty-first
century: the ability to look beyond the surface.
Muriel Ruckeyser has said, “The universe is made up of stories, not
atoms.” This book is made up of stories from varied sources, both secular
and sacred.

SATINDER DHIMAN, JOAN M ARQUES, AND JERRY BIBERMAN

Notes
1. Idries Shah’s numerous books such as Learning How to Learn, Elephant in the
Dark, Perfumed Scorpion, Seekers After Truth, Tales of Dervishes, and Caravan
of Dreams amply demonstrate these aspects of stories. His unique contribu-
tion to the genre of teaching stories is evident from the fact that he single-
handedly published over one thousand such stories. This writer is indebted to
Idries Shah for the discussion of these elements of stories. Almost all the tales
of Sufi masters are based upon his twenty-some books.
2. Idries Shah, The Sufis (New York: Anchor Books, 1971), 70.
 A bou t the Au thor s

Jerry Biberman, PhD, is professor of management at the University of

Scranton. For over twelve years he served as chair of the Management/
Marketing Department at the University of Scranton. He obtained his MS,
MA, and PhD from Temple University. He writes, teaches, consults, speaks,
and conducts workshops in the areas of work and spirituality, workplace di-
versity, and organization transformation. Dr. Biberman has served as co-
editor of the Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion, and has
coedited several special editions on work and spirituality for the Journal of
Organizational Change Management. Dr. Biberman is also the coeditor of
Managing in the Twenty-First Century: Transforming toward Mutual Growth
(Palgrave MacMillan, 2011) and Spirituality in Business: Theory, Practice and
Future Directions (Palgrave MacMillan, 2008). Dr. Biberman was a founder
and first chair of the management, spirituality and religion interest group of
the Academy of Management. He twice received the University of Scranton
Kania School of Management Scholarly achievement award.
Thomas A. Conklin, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Organizational
Learning and Leadership PhD program at Gannon University. His research
interests are in leadership, appreciative inquiry, phenomenology, pedagogy,
and careers. He has published articles in Journal of Management Inquiry,
Advanced Management Journal, Advances in Developing Human Resources,
Organization Management Journal, and Journal of Management Education.
He has served as a consultant to many fortune 500 companies in areas of or-
ganizational development and change including Eaton Corporation; Coca-
Cola; Ameritech; AT&T; University Hospitals, Cleveland; Cleveland Public
Schools; Cablevision; Delta Dental Plan of Massachusetts; and the Idaho
Post Register. He holds a PhD in organizational behavior from Case Western
Reserve University, an MBA in finance and an MS in counselor education
from Illinois State University, and a BA in psychology from Eastern Illinois
University.
Anna Cox, a Catholic of Irish and English descent, was raised in the jutting
green hills and valleys of the rural Waikato, New Zealand, where she grew up
in a loving family full of passionate social critics and practical farm workers.
Concerned about the well-being of people and the injustices of society, Anna
has worked for the past decade in the areas of health promotion, commu-
nity development, and community action research. Raising three children
with her Vermont-born husband Tim, Anna is studying toward a master’s in
xxii ABOUT THE AUTHORS

philosophy focused on community gardening, building on her earlier mas-

ter’s degree from the University of Waikato. Anna also works part-time for
Poverty Action Waikato, an action research project focused on reducing in-
equality and poverty in the Waikato region.
Satinder Dhiman, EdD, serves as associate dean and professor of manage-
ment at Woodbury University’s School of Business, Burbank, California.
Dr. Dhiman regularly co-organizes and presents workshops for business and
nonprofit entities in the Los Angeles area, through the Business Renaissance
Institute, and the Academy of Spirituality and Professional Excellence,
ASPEX, both of which he cofounded. Dr. Dhiman is the coeditor of four
scholarly journals, and is the recipient of the 2004 ACBSP International
Teacher of the Year Award and the 2006 Steve Allen Excellence in Education
Award. His research interests include transformational leadership, spirituality
in the workplace, and mindfulness in life and leadership. Dr. Dhiman is the
coeditor of several books, including Managing in the Twenty-First Century:
Transforming toward Mutual Growth (Palgrave MacMillan, 2011). He holds
a doctorate in organizational leadership from Pepperdine University and has
completed advanced executive leadership programs at Harvard, Wharton,
and Stanford.
Linda J. Ferguson, PhD, is an HR consultant, job/life coach, and moti-
vational speaker. Her fìrst book, Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work,
was published in 2001. Linda has conducted workshops and presentations
around the county helping people fìnd “ways to work spiritually and align
their gifts, passion and purpose.” She is currently finishing her second book,
Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand. Dr. Ferguson has led community-based
organizations; taught undergraduate and MBA courses in management,
ethics, and organizational behavior; and has been a consultant in stra-
tegic planning, organization development, meeting facilitation, training,
and program evaluation. Linda received her PhD from Indiana University
School of Business, where she specialized in organizational behavior, and
conducted her research on corporate whistle-blowing. Linda also received
her MA in social psychology at Indiana University, studying group dynamics
and decision-making.

Howard C. Fero, PhD, is an associate professor of business and leadership

and the director of the master of arts in leadership program at Albertus
Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut. He holds a PhD in orga-
nizational psychology from Claremont Graduate University and an MS in
industrial and organizational psychology from Baruch College, the City
University of New York. Dr. Fero’s research and consulting interests focus
on the development of leadership and the encouragement of motivation
in employees at all levels of organizations. He consultants with large and
small organizations facilitating workshops, designing programs, and coach-
ing individuals and teams in the areas of leadership, employee engagement,
team building, career development, and overall organizational effectiveness.
 ABOUT THE AUTHORS xxiii

Howard is involved in numerous professional organizations and is a past

president of the Institute of Behavioral and Applied Management (IBAM),
an international association of management scholars and practitioners. For
more information, please visit www.theleadershipdoc.net.
Dale Fitzgibbons, PhD, teaches in the areas of strategic management, lead-
ership, teams, and organizational behavior. His research interests include so-
cially responsible business, corporate governance, management spirituality,
and ethics. He has authored and coauthored articles in the Organizational
Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Organizational Change
Management, Journal of Human Values, the Organizational Development
Journal, Business Horizons, Research in Personnel and Human Resources
Management, Journal of Occupational Psychology, and the Journal of
Management Education, among others. From 2000 to 2003, he was the ed-
itor of the Journal of Management Education, where he now serves on the
editorial board. In addition, he is on the editorial board of the Academy of
Management Learning and Education, Journal of Leadership and Leaders,
Journal of Organizational Change Management, Electronic Journal of
Radical Organization Theory, and the Organization Management Journal.
Robert S. Fleming is a professor of management in the Rowan University
Rohrer College of Business, where he previously served as dean. The focus of
his teaching, research, and consulting has been on enhancing organizational
effectiveness. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in manage-
ment and organization behavior. His primary teaching responsibilities in-
clude teaching and coordinating business policy, the capstone course in the
business program. In addition to a doctorate in higher education administra-
tion from Temple University, he has five earned master’s degrees including a
master of governmental administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Fleming is a nationally recognized authority on fire and emergency
services administration. His two most recent books are Effective Fire and
Emergency Services Administration and Survival Skills for the Fire Chief. He
is frequently called upon as a subject matter expert on business and emer-
gency management topics by print, radio, and television media sources.
Virginia F. Fleming teaches technology at the Pennsylvania Leadership
Charter School. She holds a master’s in educational leadership, certificate in
e-learning, and certifications in business, computer and information tech-
nology, math, and technology education. She has also taught information
technology at the college level. The focus of her teaching is on assisting her
students in the development of essential computer skill sets and competen-
cies in technological systems and the design process.
Nathan S. Hartman, PhD, is an associate professor of management and
human resources at the Boler School of Business, John Carroll University.
His research interests include organizational citizenship behaviors, employee
selection, and leader development. He teaches undergraduate organizational
behavior, staffing organizations, and executive decision-making. At the
xxiv ABOUT THE AUTHORS

master’s level he teaches strategic human resource management. Dr. Hartman

is a member of the Academy of Management and the Society for Industrial
and Organizational Psychology. He has published in journals such as Groups
& Organization Management Journal, SAM Advanced Management Journal,
Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management, and Journal of Change
Management. He holds a PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University, an
MBA from Averett University, and a BS from Western Michigan University.
M. Eileen Higgins, DM, teaches numerous behavioral management courses,
both graduate and undergraduate for the College of Business, Department of
Management, Frostburg State University. She has authored and coauthored
many publications including those on spirituality in the workplace, moral
leadership, whole body learning, managing stress in the workplace, man-
agerial communication, and women managers in the twenty-first century.
Eileen regularly conducts workshops and interactive experiential exercises on
these topics at academic conferences as well as for managers in both public
and private industry in the Washington, DC area. She holds professional
certifications in Myers-Briggs type inventory, professional training, leader-
ship development, yoga teaching, and stress reduction and management. Dr.
Higgins holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Pennsylvania State
University, a master’s degree in business administration from Frostburg State
University, and a doctorate in management—organizational processes de-
gree from the University of Maryland University College.
Maria Humphries, associate professor, strategy and human resource man-
agement, has been teaching and researching in management education since
1989. Today all her teaching and research is conducted in “virtual space”—
allowing for a greater diversity of “students-as-coenquirers” than ever before.
Her work is infused with the attention she pays to critical management stud-
ies, feminist and indigenous orientations to human flourishing and ethics,
and a full life as mother and grandmother. She is a member of Response Trust
through which some of the idea(l)s implied in her stories are practiced.

Mala Kapadia, PhD, is director of human potential consulting named

“Tame the Monkey.” She is also a writer, healer, and teacher. She is ad-
junct faculty in the area of people and performance, at S. P. Jain Center of
Management Singapore and Dubai. She has been researching in the area
of well-being, holistic healing, and integrated intelligence for the past fif-
teen years, Mala is an internationally renowned speaker. She has developed
psychometric data based on the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and has done
a certification course on the topic. Dr. Mala is a certified facilitator of 6Sec-
onds & EQ Map. Her book Heart Skills Emotional Intelligence for Work and
Life has been awarded the ISTD Award for 2008–2009. Her work integrates
Western competency framework of EI (emotional intelligence) with Eastern
perspectives and wisdom of yoga and Ayurveda. She has been a pioneer in
teaching EI and leadership as one credit course to MBA students in India
and Singapore since 1999.
 ABOUT THE AUTHORS xxv

Alisi Numia Katoanga is Tongan born and went to the University of South
Pacific, Suva, for her tertiary education. She worked for the Ministry of
Education in Tonga as a secondary teacher and a science curriculum de-
veloper. She continued on as acting chief education officer (examination),
principal of Tonga High School Form 7, principal of Tonga Institute of
Education, and chief education officer (curriculum) before moving to New
Zealand in 2005. In New Zealand, she worked as a senior researcher/con-
sultant with Koloto & Associate Ltd, the Centre of Excellence in Pacific
Research and Advancement. She took part in conducting ground-breaking
research that informed the government’s policies and initiatives for Pacific
peoples in New Zealand. Currently she is also doing her master’s in manage-
ment social enterprises (MMS) at Waikato University.
George G. Klemic, DBA, is an associate professor in the College of Business
at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. He is a member of the Business
Administration Department. He was formerly associate professor, depart-
ment chair, and dean of the School of Business and Management at Notre
Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, where the story pre-
sented in this book was written. Dr. Klemic teaches a wide variety of man-
agement and business courses.
Varinder Kumar works as an associate professor in commerce in at the
Post-Graduate Department of Commerce, Government College, Kapurthala
(India). He has authored more than thirty books on business communica-
tion, business strategy, entrepreneurship, management, office practices, and
others, which are prescribed in the syllabi of different Indian universities.
His areas of interest include creativity in the workplace, spirituality in the
workplace, and organizational behavior.
Joan Marques, EdD, is director of the BBA program and assistant professor
at Woodbury university. She has (co)authored eight books, among which
are Joy at Work, Work at Joy, Living and Working Mindfully Every Day
(Personhood Press, 2010) and Managing in the Twenty-First Century:
Transforming Toward Mutual Growth (Palgrave MacMillan, 2011). Joan reg-
ularly co-organizes and presents workshops for business and nonprofit enti-
ties in the Los Angeles area, through the Business Renaissance Institute and
the Academy of Spirituality and Professional Excellence, ASPEX, of which
she is a cofounder. She is the founding editor of four scholarly journals, and
has been published in a wide variety of scholarly journals such as Journal
of Management Development, Corporate Governance, International Journal
of Organizational Analysis, International Journal of Leadership Studies,
Human Resource Development Quarterly, and Journal of Business Ethics. Dr.
Marques holds a bachelor’s degree in business economics, a master’s degree
in business administration, and a doctorate in organizational leadership.
Martha M. Mattare, MBA, MA, PhD, is assistant professor at Frostburg
State University, Frostburg, Maryland. Dr. Mattare is the author of two
books and has authored articles on change management, entrepreneurship,
xxvi ABOUT THE AUTHORS

communication, and organization development. Martga has conducted

numerous workshops and presented various papers at a number of confer-
ences. She is active in a number of professional organizations, including:
SCORE, United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
(USASBE), Society of Human Resource Management, and American
Evaluation Association. Martha’s research interests include the character-
istics of entrepreneurs, microentrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education,
strategy development, and organizational change management.
Donald W. McCormick, PhD, teaches at the Department of Management
in the College of Business and Economics of California State University
Northridge. He received his AB in psychology from the University of
California Santa Cruz and his PhD in organizational behavior from case
Western Reserve University. He is the author of many articles on manage-
ment, spirituality, and religion; management education; and organization de-
velopment, and his work has been published in journals such as Organization
and Management Journal, Journal of Organizational Change Management,
The Organization Development Journal, Journal of Managerial Psychology,
and Journal of Management Inquiry. His research focuses on mindfulness
in the workplace and classroom, the use of e-learning to teach empathic lis-
tening, and evidence-based approaches to management education.
Michael Y. Moon, PhD, MBA, is an assistant professor in the Department
of Public Affairs and Administration at California State University, East
Bay. He has consulted to the public sector and arts organizations on com-
munity engagement and organizational values. He is the primary advisor
and instructor for the organizational change option in the MPA program
at CSUEB. Dr. Moon’s research interests include bottom-up change, com-
mon sense, organizational role analysis, and training professionals to engage
in reflexive praxis. Dr. Moon’s article titled “Making Sense of Common
Sense for Change Management Buy-in,” published in Management Decision
(2009, vol. 47, issue 3), received a 2009 Highly Commended Award from
the journal’s editors.
Jane D. Parent, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of
Management at Merrimack College. She holds a BS in business adminis-
tration from the State University of New York at Albany, an MBA from the
University of Southern Maine and a PhD in organization studies from the
University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Parent has several years of industry
experience in the fields of cost analysis, marketing, and finance working
for such companies as Northrop-Grumman, United Technologies, National
Semiconductor, and Siemens, AG. She is the author of articles published
in the Journal of Management, Business Renaissance Quarterly, Journal of
the Academy of Business Education and Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in the
Workplace. She is a member of the National Academy of Management and
the Organizational Behavior Teaching Society. She is currently doing re-
search in the area of individual adaptation to organization changes, manage-
ment education, and experiential learning initiatives.
 ABOUT THE AUTHORS xxvii

Edwina Pio, PhD, is associate professor at the Business & Law School
of AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand, visiting professor at Boston
College, Massachusetts, United States, and visiting academic at Cambridge
University, United Kingdom, with research interests at the intersection of
management, migration, psychology, and spirituality. She travels exten-
sively on research and dissemination of her work and has been invited to
Austria (University of Vienna), The Netherlands (Radboud University),
Spain (ESADE), Sweden (Jönköping International Business School), and the
United States (Boston College). She is on the editorial board of several jour-
nals and has won awards at the Academy of Management, United States, and
in Japan at the International Conference of the Society of Global Business &
Economic Development. Edwina teaches graduate and postgraduate courses
and supervises PhD students, has written two books, and does pro bono work
for the Office of Ethnic Affairs and the Human Rights Commission. She is
a registered counselor with the New Zealand Association of Counselors and
works with migrants of all ages.
Chellie Spiller, PhD, is Maori and Pakeha (New Zealander of European
descent). She is a lecturer at The University of Auckland Business School
and a Fulbright senior scholar research award recipient studying indigenous
modes of business. Chellie has a master’s in international relations (Victoria
University) and a doctorate in Maori business (University of Auckland). Her
research shows why and how all businesses can create relational well-being
and wealth in terms of five well-beings: economic, social, environmental,
cultural, and spiritual. Her research has been published and presented inter-
nationally. She manages and teaches on the University of Auckland Business
School Huanga Maori Business Development Program. Chellie’s previous
roles have included fifteen years abroad during which she was codirector of
a niche wholesaler developing tours into countries as diverse as Bhutan and
North Korea. She has also worked in personal investment advice, training
and development, and sustainability with her husband Dr. Rodger Spiller.
Michelle St Jane is a social imagineer. Professionally, she is a barrister and at-
torney admitted in New Zealand (1997), Bermuda (1998), and Notary Public
(2003). She is the founder of K AIROS Philanthropy (2003), a Bermuda so-
cial enterprise law firm (doing business while doing good). Academically, she
is a doctoral student with the University of Waikato, New Zealand, on “map-
ping the landscape of Bermuda’s tragedy of the gap (social and financial
economies) using a methodology of transformative conversations focused
on solutions.” She has her master’s of arts in philanthropic studies, through
the Center of Philanthropy Indiana University Purdue University Indiana
(2010).
Gary Stark, PhD, teaches management courses at Northern Michigan
University. He has a PhD in organizational behavior from the University of
Nebraska and gained industry experience working for a public accounting
firm and Brach’s Candies in Chicago after graduating from Kansas State
University in 1987. Gary’s research focuses on why people seek performance
xxviii ABOUT THE AUTHORS

feedback and, more broadly, individuals’ construction and maintenance of

their self-identity. He is a frequent presenter at the Organizational Behavior
Teaching Conference and has published in the Journal of Management
Education. Past students have appreciated Gary’s enthusiasm, openness, sto-
ries and examples, and his willingness to apply a variety of learning methods
and theories. Gary enjoys singing in his spare time as well as running, ski-
ing, kayaking, hiking, and being outdoors in Michigan’s beautiful Upper
Peninsula where he lives with his family.
Charles A. Watts, DBA, is professor of operations management in the
Department of Management, Marketing, and Logistics, at John Carroll
University. He has published research that appeared in Journal of Operations
Management, Journal of Supply Chain Management, Production and
Operations Management, Management Science, Production and Inventory
Management, International Journal of Operations and Production
Management, International Journal of Production Research, and Operations
Management Review. He conducts research and consults in the areas of
supplier development, purchasing and materials management, supply chain
management, warehouse location and rationalization, scheduling in service
and manufacturing organizations, and the theory of constraints. Dr. Watts
was the 2004 program chair for Midwest Decision Sciences Institute and a
past president. He was president of the Toledo American Production and
Inventory Control Society (APICS) Chapter and served for several years
on the national steering committee for the Small Manufacturing Specific
Industry Group within APICS.
 PA R T I

Formal Workplace Ref lection Stories

 1.1 Powerful or Influential?

Joan Marques

Keywords: power, influence, fear, motivation, empathy, entrepreneurship

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior,
Organizational Change, Entrepreneurship, Principles of Management
Topics: communication, empathy, leadership, culture

The Story
Mr. Dawson was the most powerful man at QRS, a company specialized in
the development of quality research systems. He had been the president of
the company for over ten years. However, he was rarely visible, only a few
of the top managers at QRS had ever seen him. The program developers,
sales-people in the stores, and even the office managers had never met him—
even those who had worked at the company for the same ten years. It was
even rumored that Mr. Dawson did not really exist. But no one dared talk-
ing about it, because there were also whispers that some employees, who had
joked about Mr. Dawson’s vague state of being, had been fired for undis-
closed reasons.
At the end of every year there was a gift-package with season’s greetings
for every employee in the conference room. This package was given on top
of the bonuses. However, all celebrations and ceremonies were executed by
the department managers.
Mr. Dawson was powerful, indeed. “He is a billionaire” was what some
of the people in the company said. And, although never seen, he seemed
to have his ears everywhere in the organization, which inhibited employees
from even speculating about this “invisible” man.
Samuel was one of the senior managers at QRS. He had worked at the
company for ten years, and never missed a day at work. At least, not without
a very good reason. Like that one time when his mother passed away unex-
pectedly. Or the day that his wife gave birth to their child.
4 JOAN MARQUES

Everyone in the company liked Samuel, because he was open, caring,

and empathetic. He was often walking around the office and in the retail
stores, where he had a kind word ready for everybody he met: not only his
employees, but the ones that were not directly linked to his department as
well. Samuel was in fact more of a mentor figure. People throughout the
organization would call him to ask his advice on issues that oftentimes were
personal.
Samuel’s department was the one at QRS where everyone wanted to work.
There was an open atmosphere in the office, and his staff seemed to have
developed a wonderful subculture. There was trust and camaraderie, and the
Monday-morning meetings always had a pleasant ambience. Sometimes even
outside in the open air! Every week someone took care of the doughnuts or
the fruit for the sessions. There was a lot of laughter, and the entire spirit was
one of creativity encouragement. Ideas were never discarded without team
contemplation, and his employees knew that if they brought something up,
Samuel would do his best to get their point across.
Samuel was influential. His advice was important to many people through-
out QRS—professionally and personally.
Not long ago, Samuel decided to start his own company in research sys-
tems and other computer software services. He planned to start small, and
gave his notice in line with the company rules. No one liked to see this
wonderful man go. More strikingly, many of the very best employees at QRS
started applying for jobs at Samuel’s new company.
Within three years Samuel’s company had grown to a successful mid-
dle-sized organization, where suppliers, customers, and employees were all
happy and content. The company could have been much larger, for there was
enough interest from all sides, not in the least customers. But Samuel wanted
to keep the family spirit intact, and he realized that this would become
harder if the company grew out of proportion. He believed that the orga-
nization’s performance should not necessarily rest on moneymaking, but on
excellent performance from a happy workforce. The company’s core purpose
was, appropriately, “To accommodate America’s knowledge workforce by
providing the highest quality in products and service through team-work,
creativity, and trust.”
And QRS? That company ultimately went out of business. After Samuel
left, several other managers decided to either start their own businesses as
well, or find a job in a work environment where it was much more fun. They
all remembered the quote by Lao Tzu that Samuel had engraved in a little
plaque on his desk: “If you enjoy what you do, you never work a day in your
life.”
To all workers, QRS had served its purpose as a stepping-stone in their
career, but the lack of personal approach and the coercive atmosphere ulti-
mately drove the best workers away.
The powerful Mr. Dawson remained wealthy for the rest of his vague days,
although his power could be questioned in the long run, and the influential
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 5

Samuel is still going strong in the computer research software business. So

much for synonyms.

Reflection Points
While we often use the words influence and power interchangeably, they
don’t necessarily mean the same thing. A person, such as Samuel in the story
here, can have relatively little power, but be very influential. On the other
hand, a powerful person, such as Mr. Dawson, can have little influence in
the long run.

Three Questions
1. Having read this story, do you agree that there can be a difference
between influence and power? Do you know of any examples from
your own experience that can illustrate this?
2. Given your own circumstances today, can you think of an area or envi-
ronment where you are powerful and one where you are influential?
Please explain.
3. What are your personal takeaways from this story?

1.2 The “Me” Place

Jerry Biberman

Keywords: power, nepotism

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: power and influence, leadership, conflict of interest

The Story
In my first job after graduating college, I worked as a research assistant. My
boss Jim was the head of the department, and his wife Linda worked there
as well. Linda often used her relationship with her husband to garner more
6 JERRY BIBERMAN

power and influence than any of the other members of the department—in-
cluding the assistant head of the department (the person who had hired me).
Linda would regularly use her personal relationship to influence her husband
and many times it was against the direct advice of the assistant department
head. The following is one example of how her actions directly affected me.
One day the department head asked me to show a visitor around the work-
place facility. Normally, this is Linda’s job, but for some reason she couldn’t do it
that day. As is customary, I engaged in small talk with the visitor—including dis-
cussing my opinion about our company (which I love) and the weather. Linda,
who was on the phone during much of the tour, but could see us through her
office window, was concerned about the energetic conversation that happened
between our visitor and me. And when the tour was over she publicly chastised
me for what she believed was inappropriate conversation—stating it was not my
job to speak much during the tour and that I was only to say and do what she
told me to say and do. The conversation occurred in the middle of the hallways
outside several of the private offices. The assistant department head, who saw
the dressing down, remained silent. I never forgot this—and was careful around
the office from then on.
A few years later, Jim and Linda needed to take a leave of absence due to
health problems—both with the full intent of coming back to work shortly.
The assistant head of the department used the absence of the department
head and his wife to have their positions redefined and then assumed the
role of department head himself. Shortly thereafter, I left the organization
worried that the company culture did not meet my own expectations in
workplace behavior.

Reflection Points
This story illustrates abuse of power, and the negative effects this has
on coworkers. As shared in the story, people who abuse their power cannot
count on loyalty, and will be ousted, at the first opportunity that surfaces, by
those who might have otherwise been loyal team members.

Three Questions
1. Would you have responded to Linda if she publicly admonished you
as she did this employee? If so, what would you have said and why? If
not, why not?
2. How does this story illustrate abuse of power?
3. Why do you think the assistant department head used the absence of
the department head and his wife to get them demoted and to gain
appointment as head of the department?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 7

1.3 Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broken!

Thomas A. Conklin

Keywords: authority, responsibility, motivation

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: motivation, Hackman and Oldham, job enrichment

The Story
Let me tell you a story about a consultant named Tom. He spent four months
working with a teleservices company in Wisconsin helping service representa-
tives do a better job of up selling to customers who had complaints with their
accounts. The department was organized such that each representative had
a direct line that customers could call so they would deal with the same rep
each time. For customers with complicated problems this model had the effect
of facilitating relationships between reps and customers. Because the rep had
a better understanding of their customers they were given the authority and
responsibility to utilize resources at their discretion to ensure the customer was
happy with the resolution of the issue. After the rep solved the problem, they
would follow up with the customer when service had been restored to ensure
satisfaction. This whole arrangement had a very nice appeal for everyone who
was involved in the transaction: it boosted customer satisfaction, increased
employee responsibility and efficacy, and improved the company’s reputation.
Over time the management started looking for ways to increase efficiency
throughout the company, and it was decided that the customer service depart-
ment would benefit from a reorganization. Instead of a direct line customers
could use to access their rep, now customers would call in and be sent to a
call-routing system that would shepherd their call to the next open and avail-
able representative. This automatically reduced the likelihood that the customer
would get their usual rep by a significant factor. Once the call arrived, the rep
would simply determine the nature of the call and then route it on to one of five
categories where the call would be handled by a specialist in that area. As a result
of the restructure the turnover rate went up from xyz percent to xyz percent.
The nature of the work had significantly changed for the teleservice rep-
resentative. The original configuration of the work offered many satisfying
8 THOMAS A. CONKLIN

elements for them. In the new configuration most of these were reduced or
eliminated. Hackman and Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model can help us
understand what these were and why this shift occurred.
The original department organization allowed employees the following:

Skill variety: This was reflected in the variety of activities the rep could
engage in from start to finish to resolve the issue for the customer.
Task identity: The rep was responsible for the entire call. They had the
responsibility and power to enact multiple behaviors and mobilize the nec-
essary resources to resolve the issue for the customer.
Task significance: Their work had the potential to impact their experience
and more importantly the lives of their customers who were very depen-
dent on their telephone service for their businesses.
Autonomy: Their work required them to be very independent. They had a
great deal of discretion in how to make sense of a call and then what to do
about it. Their responsibility matched their authority.
Feedback: The reps knew that when they closed a call, it was resolved. They
had firsthand knowledge in what had been done and the outcome.

The presence of these five job characteristics led to the experience of the
three critical psychological states. Their work was meaningful for them and
others; they had responsibility for the outcome; and they knew the results of
their activities. These experiences led to high levels of intrinsic motivation,
satisfaction, and effectiveness. The new version of the organization elimi-
nated the context for most if not all of these experiences. This was evident in
the increased turnover, turnover ideation, and on-the-job complaints.

Reflection Points
This example provides a detailed context for Hackman and Oldham’s model.
It reflects the satisfaction employees feel when their responsibility is paired
with the requisite authority to get the job done. It also shows the differ-
ent perspectives that inhere in the consciousness of management and labor.
Given these different perspectives, the example highlights the need for
greater cross-talk between these often separated groups.

Three Questions
1. This story is a good example of the job specialization that often
increases as organizations get larger. As you consider your own career,
what interests you about work? What kind of organization would you
like to work in given this potential?
2. As you think of work or school project experiences that have been
meaningful for you, what was it about them that created that meaning
for you?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 9

3. As a future manager what does this story tell you about what you may
need to pay attention to as you manage others?

1.4 I Bet You Never Had a Cat Thrown

at You in Your Job

Gary Stark

Keywords: emotions, dissonance

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior,
Organizational Psychology, Leadership
Topics: emotional labor, emotional dissonance, supervisor support, stress

The Story
This story was originally written by Elizabeth Baumann, a student at
Northern Michigan University, and is shared with her permission. It has
been modified to fit the context of this book.
From day one of working the front desk at the Humane Society, Elaine was
told the job required her to be calm, respectful, happy, and helpful no matter
what situation she was in—something that is generally referred to as “emo-
tional labor.” Emotional labor is when an organization specifies the emotions
(or lack thereof) an employee is expected to display. Most retailers demand
emotional labor of their sales staff and front-line employees, as they specify that
these employees must be, like Elaine, calm, respectful, happy, and helpful.
Beginning with day one, Elaine experienced many trying situations where
she indeed remained respectful and calm, in spite of the challenges thrown at
her, exhibiting emotional dissonance—when the emotions actually felt by an
individual do not match the emotional display specified by the organization.
The following story relates a situation where Elaine felt some very strong
emotional dissonance.
The manager of the Humane Society was out of town for two weeks and
Elaine was in charge. This wasn’t the first time she had been in charge so
she knew of many situations she would have to take care of—impounding
stray dogs and cats, releasing them back to their owners, giving people the
10 GARY STARK

news that the shelter didn’t have their lost dog or cat, impounding peoples’
animals that they can no longer take care of, rejecting animals because the
shelter is too full, and so on.
The first day the manager was gone everything was going really well,
until a man came in with a cat. He said he needed to leave the cat at the
shelter. Elaine’s first question was whether the cat was a stray or his own cat.
If the cat is a stray the shelter is obligated to take it, whether there is room at
the shelter or not. The man replied by saying it was his own cat and that he
had to get rid of it because he was moving and couldn’t take it with him (a
typical response). At that time the shelter had over ninety cats and the limit
was around fifty, and Elaine had to reject the cat.
Elaine calmly told the man that the shelter was over limit and had no ken-
nels open. He was clearly agitated. He said “Well, I can’t take this cat so if you
don’t take it I will just have to shoot it.” Although this threat or something
like it was typical to hear at the shelter, it never ceased to infuriate Elaine. Still,
Elaine remembered her obligation to perform emotional labor and again calmly
explained that there was no way she could accept the cat and began listing other
shelters and rescues he could call. He complained that they were all too far away
and yet again claimed that he would simply shoot the cat.
Still furious, Elaine very respectfully told the man that maybe the shelter
could find a volunteer that would be willing to transport his unwanted cat to
another shelter. The man glared at Elaine, took the cat out of the kennel, threw
the cat at her, told her to take his “*%!@ cat,” and raced out the door.
That was when Elaine could no longer hold it in. She gently put the cat
into a kennel and brought it to the back isolation area away from all of the
customers. She went to the back room and called the manager who was
away. The manager encouraged Elaine to let it all out. Elaine told the man-
ager what happened, let out all her emotions, while the manager listened.
Elaine felt much better after doing that and it was nice to know she had
someone with whom she could express herself without fear of recrimina-
tion. From that day on the manager has encouraged all the staff to come
to her if they have to let out emotions they had to keep in on the job and
she listens.

Reflection Points
Many jobs demand emotional labor and cause emotional dissonance. This
story demonstrates how common (and uncommon!) interactions at work can
lead to emotional dissonance and suggests that good supervisor support can
help alleviate the effects of emotional dissonance.

Three Questions
1. What effect does emotional labor and emotional dissonance have on
workers and how is this illustrated in Elaine’s story?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 11

2. What can management do to help alleviate the toll emotional disso-

nance has on employees?
3. Is emotional labor required in all jobs? Why or why not?

1.5 Being the Boss isn’t Easy

Robert S. Fleming

Keywords: promotion, supervision, job transition

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: change, communication, empowerment, human resource manage-
ment, management, motivation, promotion, stress, supervision, supervisor-
subordinate relations, workplace behavior

The Story
Sally had worked in a clerical capacity in a busy medical practice for the past
six years. The office staff was composed of an office manager, Lisa, who had
been with the practice since it was established fifteen years ago. Upon Lisa’s
retirement, Sally was promoted to fill this position eight months ago.
Over the years the size of the office support staff has grown in accordance
with a steady growth in the number of patients, as well as the increased
workload resulting from insurance reimbursement requirements and prac-
tices. In just the past five years the practice has more than doubled in the
number of patients served and the medical staff has grown from the original
three doctors to the current five physicians. The current office staff consists
of the office manager, a lab technician, three full-time clerical staff, and two
part-time clerical staff.
It was known by all that Sally would be the likely replacement when Lisa
retired. Sally had actually aspired to this position and was excited about
assuming these additional responsibilities and having the opportunity to
make some changes that she believed would enhance the effectiveness, effi-
ciency, and customer service of the practice. After eight months in this posi-
tion she began to reconsider her decision of accepting this position. While
things had been going well and the transition has been fairly transparent to
12 ROBERT S. FLEMING

the patients, she has become increasingly frustrated and concerned about her
working relationship and effectiveness with her office staff (whom she has
always counted as her close friends). This concern was actually raised in her
first performance evaluation as the office manager.
Sally had just assumed that the clerical staff would rally around and fully
support her and respect her authority. The physicians in the practice had
likewise assumed that this would be a successful transition and that Sally
and her staff would further excel as the practice continued to grow. While for
the most part this has happened, there have been some personal challenges
where the line between supervisor and subordinate with her former peers has
become somewhat fuzzy.
Certain members of her staff, particularly those who have worked with
her for a long time, began to take advantage of her on an increasingly regular
basis, which caused some disruption—such as asking for days off at the last
minute or coming in late and asking Sally to cover for them. Additionally,
there has been a growing number of instances where the doctors have treated
her as one of the clerical staff, rather than as the office manager.
Sally has become anxious about this situation and has doubted herself and
her ability to be a good manager. She has even considered stepping down from
the supervisory position and returning to her former position. She did not
bring up her concerns during her performance evaluation with all the medical
partners but has since spoken to the physician that she originally worked for
and with whom she feels most comfortable about this issue. In thinking about
her recent challenges Sally has begun to see that she did not allow herself time
to ease into a transitional period; rather, she jumped right into this new role
assuming she would be treated the way her predecessor was.
She has also come to appreciate the fact that it can be difficult and perhaps
undesirable for her to supervise former coworkers. While she loves her new
job, she has come to the conclusion that she values her friendships with a
number of her former peers and having a manageable level of stress at work
more than being the boss.

Reflection Points
When an individual is promoted within an organization it must be recog-
nized that he or she is “making a transition.” This transition can be more
difficult when, as a result of a promotion, an individual now supervises for-
mer peers. It is a responsibility of management to be proactive in supporting
a successful transition.

Three Questions
1. What factors contributed to the current situation that exists in Sally’s
office?
2. What could the practice physicians have done to prevent this
situation?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 13

3. What should be done now to address this undesirable situation and to

enable Sally to succeed in this important position within the medical
practice?

1.6 Why Can’t He See?

Jane D. Parent

Keywords: retail management, employee morale, management darlings

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Business
Ethics, Human Resource Management
Topics: workplace ethics, leadership, decision-making

The Story
Nora and the others continue to be confused about the actions of their man-
ager. They are part of a team of sales associates that work at a local pharmacy.
Nora is a mother of three who works part time to help pay for her children’s
college expenses. Although she is college educated with a degree in account-
ing, she chose this job because of the flexible hours and the fact that she can
leave her work behind when she’s done with her work day. The pharmacy is
close to home, the work is relatively easy, and she earns a decent hourly wage.
Lately, however, Nora finds herself thinking about work more than she cares
to. She and her coworkers have been very agitated by the actions of their
store manager, Don.
Don has been employed by the pharmacy for five years. Prior to that, he
held numerous retail management positions in the food services industry.
Most employees, including Nora, enjoy working for Don. He seeks to make
all of the employees happy in their work. He delegates the work appropri-
ately, he is very flexible with the sales associates’ work schedules; overall he
likes to please both employees and customers alike.
Everyone except Don has problems with one of the sales associates
named Sarah. She is a divorced, single mom of two teenaged children. She
is very clear to everyone who will listen that she has financial struggles.
While at work, she complains about how difficult her life is and how she
can’t make ends meet at home. Ever the “nice” boss, Don gives Sarah
14 JANE D. PARENT

special privileges at work. Examples included lending his car to her, allow-
ing her to leave work for long periods of time to take one of her children
to GED classes while still clocked in at the pharmacy, and purchasing her
lunch every day.
The sales associates resent Sarah’s special treatment. Recently, cash has
been missing from employees’ personal belongings as well as from the cash
registers at the close of business. Nora suspects that Sarah is stealing. Nora
even had to bring a personal lock to secure her personal belongings because
of cash missing from her purse at the end of her shift. She found out that
the locks issued by the pharmacy could all be opened by a master key, which
only Sarah possessed!
While some of the sales associates were written up for their cash short-
ages and asked to pay it back, Sarah received no recourse for her shortages.
On one occasion, she was two hundred dollars short and Nora noticed that
Don actually gave her the money out of his own pocket to make up for her
shortfall. No one ever did that for Nora or any of the other sales associates.
When Nora and the others approached Don about their dilemma, he did not
want to hear about it.
At their wits’ end, the sales associates wanted to prove to Don that Sarah
was stealing from the store. Because he refused to listen to them, one eve-
ning, they decided to take matters into their own hands. The set Sarah up
to get caught stealing from the pharmacy. There is a cash dropbox behind
the sales counter. It is used by all the sales associates to place their large bills
in during their shifts so their cash drawers aren’t filled with a lot of cash.
There is also a surveillance camera constantly filming the cash dropbox
and the area behind the sales counter. The sales associates left the tip of a
twenty-dollar bill sticking out of the cash dropbox under the sales counter.
They attached to a string and weight inside the cash dropbox so that if
someone (namely Sarah) tried to take the bill, the string would extend until
the weight caught the inside slot and the twenty dollar bill could not be
hidden by the thief. Sure enough, Sarah took the bait! She was caught on
film taking the stringed cash and putting it in her pants pocket only to have
it ripped out when the length of the string was reached. Don was forced to
fire her.
Even after Sarah left the company, Don continues to talk about how pro-
ductive an employee Sarah was. Nora and the others just scratch their heads
in confusion.

Reflection Points
Employees want fair and equitable working conditions. There are some
instances where equity is unattainable.
Today’s manager should be aware that their style should vary based on
specific situations.
Personal relationships are bound to form in our work. It is important to
understand how to maintain professionalism within these relationships.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 15

Three Questions
1. Has your judgment ever been clouded with regard to coworkers or
employees?
2. Was setting Sarah up fair—even legal?
3. How could Don, the manager, have handled things differently?

1.7 Making the Right Impression, but

Padding the Estimates

Nathan S. Hartman and Charles A. Watts

Keywords: performance, teams, time management, planning, deadlines

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Management
Skills, Project Management
Topics: time estimation, perception, impression management, punctuated
equilibrium model

The Story
Jennifer was the type of employee who wanted to be seen as someone who
was relied upon to get the job done and met management expectation. At
work everyone knew Jennifer was a hard worker and Audrey her project man-
ager was not surprised to see that Jennifer was the first member of her team
to provide an accurate estimate for how long it would take to complete a
market research report on a specific trend topic. While the other members
had not provided their estimates for the research reports she wanted from
them she felt Jennifer’s estimate was reasonable in part because she had a
track record of getting her work done on time. Audrey was unaware that
when Jennifer estimated it would take her two weeks to deliver her report
Jennifer was very confident it could be easily completed within in one week.
Jennifer padded her time estimate because she felt it was the best way to be
sure she would not disappoint her manager, who was known for her disdain
of employees who could not deliver work on time. So, by guaranteeing she
would not deliver a late report to Audrey, Jennifer would be viewed as a one
of the dependable employees.
16 NATHAN S. HARTMAN AND CHARLES A. WATTS

Once the project was approved Jennifer knew she had plenty of time to
complete her report and was more than happy to help her coworker catch
up on a project that was currently overdue. By the end of the week Jennifer
began to feel anxious about completing her market research report and on
that Friday afternoon she committed some serious effort toward her own
project. Over the weekend Jennifer got food poisoning and decided to take
a sick day on Monday and was not able to work on her report again until
Tuesday. After experiencing a couple of minor delays and unexpected prob-
lems on Wednesday Jennifer knew it was still possible to finish the task within
the estimated two weeks, but she suspected Thursday and Friday would be
long, stressful days.
On Thursday night of the second week when Audrey left work at 6:30
P.M. she ran into Jennifer paying the pizza delivery man at the building’s
entrance. Jennifer indicated she was going to have a working dinner and
would be working late to ensure that her report would be delivered on time.
Audrey felt a little guilty that Jennifer was working late to complete her proj-
ect, but she also really appreciated the effort and knew Jennifer’s report was
a critical aspect in a future project.
With a major push in the last two days Jennifer, looking tired and a bit
disheveled, was able to submit her report to Audrey at 4:30 P.M. on Friday
just ahead of the 5:00 P.M. deadline. After a single glance at the full-color
report along with printed and bound reference material, which included tes-
timonials from local business owners, Audrey was completely confident in
the quality of Jennifer’s work. Audrey gave herself a mental pat on the back
for choosing Jennifer to complete this project. After seeing the report she
also recognized what good hard work, a few late nights, and some commit-
ment by an employee to her work could really do to ensure the overall suc-
cess of a project. Audrey knew that she needed to make sure she was able to
get full use of Jennifer’s talents on future projects.

Reflection Points
The example is illustrative of a few common issues in project management
and in team work. During project planning it is not uncommon for employ-
ees to conservatively estimate the amount of time it would take them to
complete their assigned tasks. Padding estimates ensures that ample time is
available to complete the necessary tasks, while also working at a pace consis-
tent with a normal workday. Conservative time estimates also make it easier
for the employee to manage the impression the project manager or super-
visors have about their work effort and quality. In general, when tasks are
completed on time or slightly before the deadline, employees are held in a
high regard. Employees can become cautious about completing assigned task
too early, because they may be rewarded on future projects by having their
time estimates being reduced by project managers or supervisors. Those who
consistently finish early could get the negative reputation associated with
sandbagging or being purposely deceptive.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 17

Finally, students may be able to appreciate the willingness of a well-

intended Jennifer to wait before beginning her part of the project. This
behavior is illustrative of the punctuated equilibrium model where groups
or teams tend to wait until the midpoint of a project’s time line before they
dedicate a lot of effort to its completion. While this is a natural phenom-
enon it also represents that insufficient time is frequently dedicated upfront
to plan properly and usually prevents the possibility of finishing tasks or the
overall project early. The frenzied work at the end of the project can lead
to misperceptions about the actual work behaviors of the employees, hides
the real cost realized by the employee in terms of work-life balance, and
creates a real danger of mistakes and lower quality output. This could high-
light how employees engage in impression management at work and how a
manager’s impression of employees’ value may not be based on completely
accurate observations.

Three Questions
1. If Jennifer started her market report at the start of the first week,
would that have changed how she was perceived or the success of the
overall project she was working on?
2. If Jennifer started right away and finished the market report on Friday
afternoon of the first week, should she submit it to Audrey the project
manager on that day? Why or why not?
3. Is Jennifer being deceitful when she padded her estimate for the
amount of time it would take her to complete the market report?

1.8 Coaching a Newly Promoted Manager

Linda J. Ferguson

Keywords: coaching, human resources, coworkers, promotion, passion,

effectiveness
Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management, Human
Resource Management, Organizational Behavior
Topics: mentoring and coaching, advancement, self awareness, interpersonal
relations
18 LINDA J. FERGUSON

The Story
Sallie is in her late twenties and is a rising star that needs guidance. Two years
after starting with her firm she was promoted to supervisor and in the next
two years was promoted again to the post of a midlevel manager at a new
branch office. This was a promotion that the HR director didn’t support but
her department director felt was a good move. Sallie was very good with her
customers and the staff she supervised. She was passionate about her work, tal-
ented, enthusiastic, and fun. Sallie’s communication style was direct, she rarely
sugarcoated what she said. When she was particularly passionate and focused
on what she wanted to accomplish, she sometimes came across as combative
rather than simply enthusiastic. In meetings she said things without filtering
her words. Often this led to hard feelings or misunderstandings among her
coworkers. While she would defend her people to the fullest, she could be criti-
cal of anyone who opposed her ideas or blocked her from reaching her goals.
She was assigned a coach by her department head upon the recommenda-
tion of the HR director. She was in too high profile a position to alienate
coworkers. While Sallie was very talented and had a bright future, she also
could hurt her department’s reputation and possibly sidetrack her career if
she didn’t learn how to be more polished in her approach toward people or
in addressing disagreements among coworkers.
Initially she was guarded about coaching and felt it was a punitive mea-
sure. As she said. “I feel I’m being called in to talk to the principal.” When
her manager and her coach assured her that she was a talented person and
needed some additional training to reach her potential, she was more open
to working with her coach. Over the course of her work with the coach, she
saw that she could more effectively respond to disagreements. More impor-
tantly, she saw that her focus and passion was a real asset but to the extreme,
especially in stressful situations, it was a liability. Since she wanted to be
effective, not only for her own professional reputation, but also the success
of her branch, she worked with her coach to notice when she overreacted and
how her comments could be perceived by her coworkers.
After working with her coach for three months Sallie became much more
effective with her coworkers and in particular a manager in her area who worked
with her daily. They had tensions that they needed to address and didn’t trust
each other. Over time as they worked on projects together and built more
respect, they saw that they had different philosophies toward their mission.
They recognized that each philosophy was accurate and that their branch was
a hybrid of the two. They both became more skillful in honestly expressing
how they saw their mission without blaming or attacking each other.

Reflection Points
Sallie became more aware of how she responded when people disagreed with
her. Sallie was able to differentiate when and with whom she could be direct
and when she needed to speak with more finesse. The key to coaching her
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 19

was to reassure her that she was talented and that the coaching would help
her reach her full potential. She was ambitious and talented, but her enthu-
siasm needed some refinement. When she understood that continuing as she
had would create more problems and disagreements, she saw that changing
her approach was in her and her department’s best interest.

Three Questions
1. How have you handled yourself when others have disagreed with you
and you felt strongly that your way was the right way?
2. What are the pros and cons of requiring a manager to work with a
coach? How would you coach someone who doesn’t see how their
actions and words alienate other people?
3. Do you think there is a double standard for women managers who are
driven and direct versus male managers who are driven and direct?

1.9 Does Eating Ice Cream Really

Cause Boating Accidents?

Gary Stark

Keywords: correlation, causation, research methods, statistics

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior,
Organizational Psychology, Research Methods
Topics: evaluation, management, decision-making, data analysis

The Story
I have a friend Rob who works for the state parks bureaucracy in Michigan.
The state has been very concerned recently with the large number of boating
accidents that occur on state lakes and wishes to reduce this number. That’s
where my friend comes in. His boss asked him to help determine some ways
to reduce the number of boating accidents in the state. Rob was excited
about this assignment. This was a chance for him to impress his boss by solv-
ing a serious problem.
20 GARY STARK

Rob started the project by looking at a lot of data. He wanted to see what
events were associated with boating accidents and he used his knowledge of
statistics to calculate correlations. Other governmental agencies and depart-
ments were generous in sharing data with Rob, and he found many interest-
ing correlations. The most fascinating relationship though was that there is a
very high correlation, in the state of Michigan, between ice-cream consump-
tion and boating accidents.
Rob was quite excited about finding this correlation. First, it was a strong
correlation. Second, it seemed like an event the state might be able to do
something about. There were other strong correlations with boating acci-
dents, such as the correlation between boating accidents and temperature,
but most of these were things the state had no control over. Rob realized the
state might have some control over ice-cream consumption.
Just one short week after receiving his assignment, Rob marched into his
boss’s office with a plan to reduce boating accidents in the state. Rob pro-
posed that there be no ice-cream sales at all state beaches and all state parks
that include a lake. To make doubly sure that there would be no ice-cream
consumption on state lakes, he proposed banning ice-cream sales in all stores
within two miles of any Michigan lake. The potential impact of this proposal
was large, since no person in Michigan is ever more than six miles from an
inland lake. Rob knew the Michigan dairy industry would not be happy with
the proposal, but he presented it to his boss anyway.
Rob still has his job with the parks department, but his ice-cream pro-
posal did not go over well. The boss laughed at him and dismissed him from
his office.

Reflection Points
Statistics can be a powerful tool to help uncover relationships between
variables. However, it is easy to be misled by statistics. Careful consider-
ation should be given to the theoretical or logical basis behind a statistical
relationship. As statisticians are fond of saying “correlation does not equal
causation.”

Three Questions
1. It is doubtful that ice-cream consumption actually causes boating
accidents (unless, perhaps, the ice cream in question is rum raisin
flavor). What do you suppose is the real cause of the correlation
between boating accidents and ice cream consumption? Is there a
third variable that drives both? Do boating accidents cause ice-cream
consumption?
2. In the next few days, pay attention to the news, to advertising claims,
or to political rhetoric and note instances in which someone claims a
causal relationship based on a correlation between two variables.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 21

3. Describe the meaning of the phrase “correlation does not equal

causation.”

1.10 Motivation in the Workplace:

Knowing Your People

Howard C. Fero

Keywords: motivation, leadership, management, need for affiliation, com-

mitment, loyalty, money
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management, Leadership
Topics: job motivation

The Story
When I teach motivation and leadership I often discuss the importance of
knowing your staff—not only as workers, but as people. It is so important
for all of us to understand that everyone is motivated by different things,
and it is the successful leader who is able to identify these drivers that guide
each one of us. This concept and tool is important whether we are a manager
trying to encourage our employee to work, an employee attempting to work
with a peer on a project, or even an employee trying to “get” his or her man-
ager to follow their lead!
The importance of “knowing your people” became clear to me in my
previous life as a small business owner in Long Island, New York, when I
was fresh out of my undergraduate studies. Prior to returning to academia
to attain my masters degree and subsequent PhD I was the owner of a small
delivery service that provided same day and overnight delivery service around
the country. The company was comprised of both employees and indepen-
dent contractors and it was during my time there that I learned my first les-
sons in organizational behavior.
We had both employees and independent contractors working for the
company. Two of the contractors who did work for the company were named
Harvey and Andrew. They were both approximately the same age, both
22 HOWARD C. FERO

semiretired, and both worked around the same amount of hours each week
for my company as well as some others.
When orders came in for deliveries it was up to my partner and me to
choose a contractor to complete the job. To be successful in this venture I
quickly learned how to talk and inspire these contractors to take the jobs I
desired. For example, 4 P.M. on a Thursday evening an order comes in for a
delivery that needs to be made ASAP from Long Island into Manhattan; not
a bad trip during the day, but heading into rush hour, not a pleasant one at
all. When a job like this came in it was vital to know how to approach the
contractors to persuade them to take the job.
Andrew, one of the two contractors I mentioned earlier, was highly com-
mitted and loyal to the company and had been working for my partner for
some years before I came on board. If I approached Andrew and said, “I have
a delivery that needs to get done right away, head into the City and I will pay
you double for the job,” he would have whined a bit and said that he really
didn’t want to do it. If, on the other hand, I said something like, “Andrew,
we have this delivery that needs to get done, it’s for customer ABC, one of
our top clients, can you please take care of it for me?” Andrew would whine
a bit, but he would head out the door and be on his way to NYC. You see,
Andrew’s motivation was to please, and he had a high need for affiliation (see
McClelland’s Theory of Needs; McClelland, 1961). But if I went to Harvey
and used the approach about keeping a top customer happy, he would say
something that would not be appropriate to print here, basically telling me
to go do the job myself. If however, I told Harvey I would pay him double
for the job, he would be out the door before I finished the sentence.
This example is just one of many that I have encountered exemplifying
the need to know our people, a concept so simple, but so important. We see
this at work, and we see it at school. Think, for example, about a situation
where you have a class project to complete. Whether you composed the team
yourself or your instructor composed it for you, chances are that some form
of conflict will arise during the process.
We are all aware of the stages of team development (ala Tukman), and
when it comes to a class project, the process from storming to adjourning
can often move quite quickly! In a perfect world we would use a personal-
ity assessment such as a Hogan or DISC to understand what makes each
individual on the team unique; we would want to learn their style and their
tendencies. In a classroom setting or in a workgroup set up ad hoc, we must
use our own abilities to serve as our own assessments.
How is it that we can learn about our people? How is it that we can
“know” how to inspire our team toward our goals when we don’t have any
formal tools or training? The answer is simple, we must ask, assess, and
observe . . . or perhaps, observe, assess, and then ask! We as leaders (which we
all should be acting as) need to observe the behaviors of our team members,
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 23

we need to talk to them about their work ethic and talk to them about their
own goals for the project at hand. Once we can understand their position,
then, and only then, can we determine our own course of action.
Recently I was asked to intervene with a team that was working on a proj-
ect in one of my classes. The team here was put together with a group of “all
stars,” students who were all “A” students, but students who all employed
very different styles in completing their work. In this situation it was evident
that we had a team of High Ds (see the DISC Assessment), and when a team
of Ds works together, it is important that each of them learn a bit about how
to give up control, and act a bit as a follower.
When meeting with the group I reinforced to each of them the impor-
tance of knowing themselves (Drucker, 2000), and seeing the value in the
team process. A team comprised of students all high on nAch (need for
achievement; see McClelland, 1961) will need to stay focused on the task at
hand and use their individual drives to inspire their colleagues.

Reflection Points
Knowing your people is important in helping to inspire others to find their
motivations. Although we cannot motivate others we can help them to be
successful in what they do by creating an environment or scenario where
they can thrive.

Three Questions
1. How does emotional intelligence factor into the concept of “knowing
yourself” and “knowing your people”?
2. The scenarios mention “need for affiliation” and “need for achieve-
ment’; can you think of other theories which might pertain to Andrew
or Harvey’s behaviors?
3. Which type of employee, Harvey or Andrew, would you want working
with you in an organization and why? What are the pros and cons of
each?

References
Drucker, P. F. (2000). Managing knowledge means managing oneself, Leader to
Leader, 16, 8–10.
McClelland, D. C. (1961). The Achieving Society. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand.
Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. C. (1977). Stages of small group development revis-
ited, Group and Organizational Studies, 2, 419–427.
24 MICHAEL Y. MOON

1.11 Finished Before Ever Beginning

Michael Y. Moon

Keywords: HRM, recruitment, psychological contract, strategy, ethics

Courses this story could be used in: HRM, General Management,
Leadership, Strategic Planning and Implementation, Ethics
Topics: HR policies and practices, motivation, leadership and succession
planning, power and influence

The Story
A large health insurance company was recruiting aggressively at a highly
regarded Ivy League business school. At the time there was much media cov-
erage surrounding the transformational and public turnaround of the com-
pany. Philip, who was a second-year MBA student, attended the company’s
presentation and was impressed that an executive VP of the company, David
Kosel, made the effort to visit the campus and give a rousing talk about their
new two-year MBA Leadership Rotational Program. Philip was particularly
interested in this leadership program because it offered him the opportunity
to make meaningful contributions in the human resources (HR) and strate-
gic marketing departments, reflecting his areas of concentration in business
school and his prior career.
Philip’s application to the program was enthusiastically received. He par-
ticipated in a full day of interviews at the corporate headquarters including
an intense group interview during which about a dozen applicants and senior
VPs who represented departments across the company engaged each other in
an enormous conference room. Philip felt that he performed strongly in that
hot seat setting as well as in one-on-one interviews with the SVPs of HR and
strategic marketing. As Philip rode home in the limousine that the company
had provided for him, he reflected on his day of interviews. He marveled at
the high-profile, broadly sponsored rotational program. All the executives
that he met that day seemed enthusiastic about the program’s possibilities
and eager to bring Philip on board.
The following week, Philip received a call from David Kosel, the executive
VP, offering him a spot in the program with assignments first in strategic
marketing and subsequently in HR. Later that day, an HR representative
called with details regarding a relatively generous salary and benefits pack-
age. Philip had one week to respond to their offer.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 25

Although Philip already had a standing offer for the post of marketing
manager at a prominent financial services company in New York City where
he had fulfilled his summer internship requirement, he was intrigued by
the chance to finally integrate his dual interests in marketing and human
resources. Even more important than the question of compensation, the
prospect of making meaningful contributions to the company by advocat-
ing a carefully considered link between these two domains was exciting to
Philip. After a few days of realizing how well the Leadership Rotational
Program fit his interests and career aspirations, Philip called David Kosel to
accept their offer.
The first two months of work in the strategic marketing group were
going well for Philip when he began to hear rumors that David Kosel,
whom Philip learned was the principal sponsor of the MBA Leadership
Rotational Program, was leaving the company. Philip became rather con-
cerned, but he held out hope that even if the rumors were true he could
trust the remaining company executives, many of whom he had met during
his interviews, to continue their support of the program. While collaborat-
ing with others throughout the company, Philip learned about a thriving,
highly regarded leadership rotational program that HR had already been
sponsoring for many years. Managers across the company nominated their
“star” employees to submit to a rigorous and competitive selection pro-
cess. Whenever Philip mentioned the newly established MBA Leadership
Rotational Program, he was met with surprised reactions and confusion.
With a successful rotational program already in place, Philip’s colleagues
could not understand why the company needed another that did not seem
sufficiently differentiated. After a month of unsuccessful attempts to sched-
ule a meeting with David Kosel, he was deeply dismayed to learn that the
executive VP was no longer employed at the company. Philip wondered
what he had signed up for.
Over the course of the next several months, as Philip attempted to gather
more information, he sensed that the doors of the executives—who seemed
to have greeted him with open arms only months earlier—were quickly
closing on him. No further mention of the MBA Leadership Rotational
Program was made, and Philip’s repeated attempts to understand the status
of the program from HR and others resulted in vague, evasive responses.
Even a PR executive with whom Philip had sensed mutual affinity during
their half-dozen or so past conversations avoided eye contact and seemed not
to recognize him as they happened to ride an elevator together.

Reflection Points
When things go wrong in organizations, it can be easy to cast blame. The
various participants in recruitment efforts that do not fulfill initial expec-
tations often point fingers and attribute failure to others. Yet, we see in
this story that the processes that lead to a disappointing outcome can be an
elaborate affair for which many actors share responsibility.
26 GARY STARK

Three Questions
1. In your opinion, why did the remaining executives initially seem highly
supportive of the new MBA Leadership Rotational Program and sub-
sequently appear to withdraw support?
2. Assuming Philip’s perception of the executives’ withdrawal of support
for the program was a fair representation, what should David Kosel
have done differently to ensure the program’s sustainability even after
his departure?
3. What was HR’s role in this story? What responsibilities did HR have to
prevent an outcome such as Philip experienced?

1.12 Reducing Social Loafing

Gary Stark

Keywords: teams, social loafing, goals, schedules

Courses this story could be used in: organizational Behavior, Organizational
Psychology, Leadership, Group Development
Topics: groups, social loafing, team performance

The Story
This story was originally written by Patrick Covey, a student at Northern
Michigan University, and is shared with his permission. It has been modified
to fit the context of this book.
Social loafing is when individuals expend less effort when they are work-
ing in a group then if they were working by themselves. Social loafing is
common among large groups of people because it is generally more difficult
to see contribution in a large group than it is in a small one.
Jeff is his fraternity’s house manager and is in charge of setting up sched-
ules for cleaning the house, along with several other responsibilities. House
clean-up is usually after the chapter meetings every Sunday afternoon. Most
people show up because Jeff takes attendance, and there are financial and
social penalties for a member’s absence. The problem is not really getting
people to show up, it’s getting them to work.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 27

Rationally it would make sense that the house would be cleaner for each
additional person that shows up. This doesn’t happen, of course, because of
social loafing. The more people that show up, the more opportunity there
is to loaf because there are more people to hide among and pretend they are
cleaning. This is a problem because the house never really gets clean and no
one individual can really get blamed for not cleaning.
Jeff decided to test a theory about reducing the social loafing of the group.
He broke the whole fraternity into small groups and assigned each one a
specific area of the house such as the kitchen or the basement. The groups
were randomized each week and everyone assigned a different area or task so
that it didn’t become redundant and because some areas of the house were
much easier to clean than others. Jeff posted the rooms and people assigned
to them with specific tasks for each room to be checked off as completed.
Jeff then inspected each room to be sure it was cleaned to his satisfaction.
This cut down on social loafing by minimizing group size and helping to let
people see the results of their own work.
This system works much better than simply setting the men to work at
random, but the results prove much better at reducing social loafing with
Jeff’s system.

Reflection Points
Social loafing does not necessarily have to happen any time you get a group
working together. This system was time consuming for Jeff to set up and
implement each week. It would be much easier to just have a free for all and
let everyone clean with no organization Careful planning by one person can
reduce social loafing and contribute to a much greater combined effort by
the group.

Three Questions
1. Jeff identified one method for reducing social loafing; what are some
others?
2. What were the original causes of social loafing in this case and how
did Jeff address them?
3. A highly cohesive group may or may not perform better than a group
with low cohesion. What determines if a cohesive group will perform
well?
28 M. EILEEN HIGGINS

1.13 The Dual Career Ladder

M. Eileen Higgins

Keywords: communication, change management, leadership, HR

Courses this story could be used in: Leadership, Managerial Communication,
Organizational Behavior, Hr, Strategic Change Management, and Strategy
Topics: trust, equity theory, managerial communication (self-disclosure,
active listening, feedback), conflict management, and motivation

The Story
Years before I began teaching MBA and other business classes, I was an
upper-level manager for a publishing company in an urban area. At one point,
my own MBA studies were dovetailing with the new management responsi-
bilities I received after a promotion. My creative and managerial juices were
flowing as I both analyzed cases for school and redesigned my department
for higher efficiency and profitability. I soon understood the adage: a little
knowledge is a dangerous thing.
My first creative error occurred when it was time for staff evaluations.
Two of the most productive editors were deserving of a promotion, but there
was only one managing editor position available. Although Jon1 was just a
bit more skilled than Carla and would be the one to receive the promotion,
I did not want to deal with the appeals I knew would be forthcoming from
Carla when Jon got the promotion and she did not.
I then got a “brilliant” idea based on a case I analyzed for my then current
MBA class. I created a dual career ladder. One ladder was “professional” the
other “technical.” “Professional” meant that the editors on it would eventu-
ally move into upper management; “technical” meant that the editors on
it would eventually move into supervision of the in-house copy editors and
proofreaders and external freelancers.
I then pondered about where to place the rest of my staff on the ladders.
When I had finished doing the assigning, I took my new dual career ladders
to the VP of my division. He thought it was a great idea and approved it.
Performance evaluation time arrived. I spoke with Jon first, and he was
quite pleased with his promotion to managing editor. I showed him who his
direct reports would be (on the “professional” career ladder steps behind
him), and he was quiet but accepting. I spoke with Carla next. She did not
understand the dual career ladder concept and why she had been placed on
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 29

the “technical” career ladder, even though she was at the top. However, she
seemed happy with the editors who would be reporting to her.
Then came the quiet before the storm during which time I congratulated
myself for having solved the problem of how to reward two almost equal
associates. The quiet ended first with a call from the HR department. Carla
had been to see them to complain about her seemingly arbitrary assignment
to the “technical” career ladder, which she believed would close her off from
ever moving into management. HR also questioned the validity of the “tech-
nical” career ladder because I had not cleared the pay scales with anyone.
Next, Laura came to see me. I had assigned Laura to report to Carla on
the “technical” career ladder. Laura did not understand why she would no
longer be reporting to Jon. As she spoke to me, she teared up several times.
“I’m wondering why you did not ask me who I would rather work with
before you did your department restructuring. I have always worked with
Jon and have always enjoyed it. I have always found it difficult to work with
Carla, and now I have no choice. If you do any more restructuring, I would
appreciate it if you would please put me back with Jon.” Laura told me that
she was on the verge of resigning.
Next, one by one, came just about everyone on my staff. Jon was unhappy
with those I had selected to report to him; Carla was resentful at being
closed out of management; everyone assigned to the “technical” career lad-
der was insulted and embarrassed to have been “arbitrarily” deemed not
management material. I went home at the end of the day stunned and sick-
ened. How was I going to fix this?

Reflection Points
No matter how great a management idea may seem at the time, it is essential
to get feedback from others before blindly implementing it. In fact, the more
enthusiastic one is about an idea, the more important it is to get feedback
because once one is “in love” with an idea, the less able one will be to detect
the flaws in it. One may want to try implementing an untested idea as a
“pilot program” to allow for feedback from everyone affected.

Three Questions
1. What do you think the author of this story should do next to prevent
a possible uprising?
2. How do you think Jon, Carla, Laura, and the rest of the editorial staff
handled their disappointment?
3. How would you explain the reaction of the author’s boss when he was
presented with the dual career ladder idea?

N OTE
1. All names have been changed.
30 ROBERT S. FLEMING

1.14 Why Didn’t This Program Work?

Robert S. Fleming

Keywords: change, communication, delegation, leadership style

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: change, change agent, communication, conflict, customer respon-
siveness, delegation, employee involvement, leadership style, management,
motivation, resistance to change, workplace behavior

The Story
Debbie, a staff member at a community social service organization, attended
a professional conference where through attending the classroom sessions
and networking with other professionals she realized that her organization
could enhance its effectiveness and responsiveness to the community that
it serves by becoming more proactive in terms of certain new prevention
programs, rather than simply operating in a reactive manner, offering tradi-
tional services once a situation has occurred. She was so excited about this
concept that she called her supervisor to discuss the idea while still at the
conference.
Her passion for the idea developed further and she outlined the activities
that would be involved in one such initiative during her return flight. Upon
returning to work she further discussed her preliminary thoughts with her
manager who indicated that she would welcome the opportunity to review a
proposal for the initiative. Debbie organized her idea into a formal proposal,
which received a warm reception from her boss. She was told that the project
was approved and given the go-ahead to “make it happen.”
Debbie’s idea involved expanding the activities of the case workers in
the organization as they met with clients in their residences. In addition to
addressing the well-being needs of their clients, Debbie had recommended
that they devote a limited amount of time to address fire and life safety issues
when meeting with their elderly clients. This would include handing out rel-
evant risk reduction literature and suggestions regarding fire safety and fall
prevention. Shortly after receiving the approval to proceed with the project,
Debbie met with related organizations, such as the local fire department
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 31

and Red Cross chapter, who were all extremely helpful in providing advice,
assistance, and materials.
Six months after initiating the program, Debbie’s boss asked that she pre-
pare a report on the program’s activities, results, and accomplishments. In
surveying the agency’s personnel she discovered that while the program had
been implemented by a number of field personnel, many others had not
bought into the program or attempted to implement it. In talking to the
involved personnel Debbie came to the realization that her coworkers had
never been formally advised by management that she had been authorized to
proceed with this initiative, nor had they received what they considered to be
the necessary training and support to successfully implement these expanded
services. While it was clear that most of the agency’s staff were concerned
about the well-being of their clients, they needed clarity about the organiza-
tion’s intent with respect to this program.
Debbie decided to do some research in management literature in the inter-
est of determining what had happened to compromise her program. In doing
so, she came to the realization that there are three essential components of
effective delegation: delegating responsibility, delegating necessary author-
ity, and holding the recipient of delegation accountable for accomplishing
the assigned responsibility through using the assigned authority. Perhaps the
lack of success of her program resulted from ineffective delegation when she
received the initial approval to proceed with the program.

Reflection Points
The manner in which delegation takes place can often contribute to the suc-
cess or failure of a program or initiative. It is important that an individual
accepting a delegated assignment receive the necessary authority to accom-
plish the assigned responsibility, and in turn be held accountable for results.
It is also imperative that management communicate the delegation to all
appropriate parties.

Three Questions
1. Discuss the effectiveness of the delegation process through which
Debbie received approval to proceed with this initiative.
2. What should have been done differently in initiating this program
within the agency?
3. What should Debbie and her boss do at this point in the interest of
getting this initiative back on track?
32 JOAN MARQUES

1.15 Alice

Joan Marques

Keywords: respect, humility, compassion, connectedness, reflection,

generosity
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Business
Ethics, Workplace Diversity
Topics: leadership, learning, motivation, emotional intelligence

The Story
As Janine was holding up her thumb to show her colleague that the potential
sponsor on the other side had just agreed to support their next project, she
heard a gentle knock on the office window. It was a beautiful sunny day and
the small office building was easily accessible from the street.
From the corner of her eyes Janine saw her: an old lady with scruffy gray
hair and a worn-out dress of which the colors were hard to distinguish. “It’s
the old orange-selling lady again,” Carla, Janine’s colleague, whispered to
nobody in particular. She nodded to one of the office clerks to send the old
woman away. But it was right there and then that something caught Janine’s
unbridled attention: A clear, gentle voice was asking in a very tender way if the
office people really didn’t want to try her delicious oranges this time? Janine’s
call was finished: the deal was sealed, so she got up. That voice . . . could it
be? Janine stared at the window to catch a glimpse of the lady. Who was she
fooling? There she was: Alice. Janine could not believe her eyes. She felt the
emotions shooting through her body, and swallowed. Alice . . .
Twenty years ago Alice had been the housekeeper from the neighboring
family of a Dutch diplomat. She was a very generous, religious woman and
had a kind remark or a consoling word ready for each child in the neighbor-
hood. If you skinned your knee or bumped your head, Alice knew the secret
to make you feel better. Her hands were soothing, her kiss on your forehead
was comforting, her hug was gentle, and her voice was, well, like only Alice’s
voice could be: clear, gentle, consoling. She was everyone’s mother.
Alice remained the mom of all the kids in the neighborhood until the
family for which she worked moved to their home base again, because the
economic situation of the country excluded the possibility of a contract
extension. Janine never saw her again, and, to be honest, had forgotten about
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 33

Alice in the course of twenty years. But hearing her voice on that day was the
most overwhelming experience she could imagine.
Life had not treated Alice well. That was obvious. A woman in her seven-
ties, she was vending oranges and other fruit in the streets. Her slippers were
worn out, as was she. For one single moment Janine was in doubt: should
she just let the employee send the old lady away and stay in her comfortable
office, or should she go and say hi? Alice had not seen her yet, and probably
wouldn’t recognize her anyway, Janine thought to herself.
The moment of doubt was soon over: Janine almost ran to the door and
called out, “Hello Alice.” Alice looked at Janine and smiled broadly. “You
remember me?” she asked. Janine was speechless. “Do YOU remember me?”
she asked in return. Alice laughed out loud now. That warm, rich, familiar,
crystal-clear sound of her contented, motherly laugh. “Of course I do! I’ve
seen you drive into this driveway for the past months. How is your mother,
Janine?”
As she engaged in a pleasant conversation with the old lady, Janine real-
ized a few important things: (1) Never assume that people you knew in the
past won’t remember you, and (2) never forget the good things others did to
you. Alice remembered Janine, but had not dared approaching her from her
humble position: she had felt as if she was on her way down on life’s ladder
of esteem, and Janine was on her way up at that moment. What Alice had
overlooked, however, was that Janine had not forgotten the compassionate
lessons she taught her long ago.
Janine took a few oranges out of Alice’s basket. She was well aware that
Alice’s self-respect would not let her just donate money without purchasing
something. She made sure, however, to pay Alice an amount that represented
a significant multiplication of the value of the products she bought. Janine
also told Alice that she could stop by every time she was in the neighborhood
to sell her some fruit, and Alice did so from that day on.
Fortunately, Alice didn’t only acquire Janine as a generous customer from
that day on, but all Janine’s colleagues as well, for Jan made sure to tell them
about Alice’s wonderful personality in her childhood years.
Janine’s confrontation with this old lady from her past made it clear to her
how important it is to keep in mind that many of the people we see perform-
ing in modest positions, and maybe even look down on or ignore, are Alices
to others. It also made her realize that humility is neither a crime nor shame:
Alice earned her daily bread in an honest and respectable way. And her good
heart allowed her to generate more from her work—financially and emotion-
ally—than she initially expected. Goodness seldom goes unrecognized.

Reflection Points
Alice’s illustrates the importance of respect. It provides a good example of
connectedness between people who seem to have nothing in common, yet
can relate very well when reflecting on a distant past. The story underscores
the importance of humility, even when we reach the top of the corporate
34 JANE D. PARENT

ladder. Every person has a story that is worthwhile if we care enough to

listen. While making money is important, we should not forget our human
connection.

Three Questions
1. This story presents a situation that we all face in different forms: being
confronted with someone who could use a kind word or a helping
hand, but who also wants to maintain his or her dignity. How will you
react when you face a situation like that?
2. Do you consider it morally justified to give a vendor such as Alice some
extra money and invite her to come back? What are the advantages and
disadvantages you see?
3. As a current or future workforce member, what did you learn from
Alice’s story?

1.16 Fredrick Taylor and Scientific

Management: Alive and
Well at James & Smith

Jane D. Parent

Keywords: office life, time management, work structure, employee morale,

human fulfillment at work
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Business
Ethics, Human Resource Management
Topics: work structure, motivation, leadership

The Story
James & Smith is a company that specializes in risk assessment for large
insurance companies. The company employs approximately forty people;
most work out of an office in a small town in northern New England. Most
are college educated and work in professional positions within the company.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 35

The average age of the employees is forty-five years. Many have worked in
the insurance industry and in related fields for over twenty years.
Alexander is the CEO of the company. He takes a very “hands on”
approach to management of the company. He has specific ideas and rules
about how to complete work at James & Smith. Even if a customer wants
some special consideration in their sales agreement, Alexander is reluctant to
offer contracts that don’t adhere to his ideal standard. It is not uncommon
for him to get involved with the specific details of the work and the day-
to-day operations of the company. For example, he was recently involved in
writing a contract with Alison, one of his inside salespeople. Alison has been
working for James & Smith for over a year; she also has over fifteen years of
sales and customer support experience in both insurance and other indus-
tries. Writing a contract is one of the basic components of her job.
Alison is accustomed to doing whatever it takes to get the job done. She
has always been willing to stay late at work to finish the job. Needless to say,
Alison was offended by Alex’s micromanagement of a very simple contract,
the likes of which she completes on a daily basis. Other employees have the
same problem: they feel insulted when Alex gets involved in work details
that they are capable of handling individually. They are highly trained pro-
fessionals; they don’t need directions when it comes to the small details of
day-to-day operations.
Additionally, Alison and the other employees are bothered by Alex’s very
strict rules about time management and the hours of operation of James &
Smith. Everyone must be at their work stations by 8:00 A.M. They receive
forty-five minutes for lunch break; they are scheduled to complete their work
by 5:00 P.M. Personal cell phones must remain off for the entire workday.
Employees find this policy problematic. They would prefer to have more
autonomy during their workday to attend to personal business. Because of
Alexander’s management style and his rigid policies, employees seldom stay
past 5:00 P.M. and are always reluctant to do more than what their specific
job functions entail.
Alison and the others dread their workday. They find no joy in going to
work, other than to collect their paychecks and receive minimal benefits.
They experience stress when they are sick or have to tend to sick children
because when they miss work, they are chastised by Alexander for their
lost work. As Alison is in her kitchen getting ready for work on Monday,
she thinks about how James & Smith could be a better workplace if only
Alexander were a different type of leader. Didn’t Alexander realize that there
was more than one approach to work structure?

Reflection Points
It’s important to give employees a certain amount of autonomy in their work.
When managers insist on accomplishing goals “their way,” employee morale
suffers.
36 JERRY BIBERMAN

Rules are important in all organizations although sometimes it is neces-

sary to adjust the rules in order to achieve goals.
Managers need to recognize that employees are motivated in different
ways and adjust their leadership style accordingly.

Three Questions
1. Is there “one best way” to structure this office environment? Why or
why not?
2. Is Alexander justified in his strict time management rules? What
could Alexander do differently to motivate the employees at James &
Smith?
3. Using what you know about contingency approaches to leadership,
diagnose the current leadership and make recommendations as to how
it could change to create a better working environment.

1.17 Uniform Delivery

Jerry Biberman

Keywords: worker sabotage, culture

Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management, Leadership,
Organizational Behavior
Topics: organizational culture

The Story
When I was a graduate student I worked for several months at a formerly
family-owned uniform delivery company that had recently been taken over
by a national uniform delivery chain. The delivery workers remained the
same, but the managers changed under the new ownership. Before the
change in ownership, communication processes in the company were very
informal. Managers were located in the same large room with the delivery
persons, and the delivery persons felt free to approach and talk to supervisors
and managers without needing any special permission. The new managers
moved their desks to separate offices away from the workers, and initiated
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 37

and insisted on using formal communication protocol and procedures to

communicate with them.
The new employees did not like the style of the new managers, because
they had been used to a more lateral and flatter communication structure,
where delivery persons did not have to go up the “chain of command” in
order to communicate with a member of management Because the workers
did not like the management style of the new managers, they tried to find
ways to sabotage or make life difficult for the new managers. This story will
describe one of these occasions.
One of the new managers asked if he could accompany some of the work-
ers as they were delivering uniforms to one of their clients. The company
was located on the tenth floor of an industrial building. The workers did not
tell the managers that the building had an elevator, and, instead, walked the
uniforms and the managers up the ten flights of stairs. When they returned
from the delivery, the workers laughed at how they made the managers walk
up all of the flights of stairs. Because of the newly initiated communication
procedures, the managers’ offices were in a separate and isolated location
away from the delivery persons. The managers were thus not able to hear
what the delivery persons were saying to each other. The managers were
not at first aware that the workers had played this trick on them. Since the
manager only accompanied the workers on this one delivery trip, he was not
aware of the company having an elevator. There were thus no immediate
consequences to the delivery workers’ actions.

Reflection Points
This story illustrates the importance of treating workers fairly, of not under-
estimating the knowledge that workers have, and of how workers can use
their knowledge to harm or slow down the operation if they feel that they
are not being treated fairly.

Three Questions
1. Why do you think the workers acted as they did in the story?
2. Do you approve or disapprove of the way the workers acted in this
story? Why?
3. Name at least two theories or concepts that this story illustrates.
38 THOMAS A. CONKLIN

1.18 Gaining Greater Cultural Awareness

Thomas A. Conklin

Keywords: scripts, schemas, stereotyping, diversity, nonverbal communication

Courses this story could be used in: Workplace Diversity, Organizational
Behavior, Principles of Management
Topics: diversity, stereotyping, cultural norms

The Story
Let me tell you a story about a teacher named Tom who was teaching a class
on diversity as part of an organizational behavior class. The class was a fairly
heterogeneous mix of students with a variety of ethnic and cultural back-
grounds from around the world. As the class unfolded, the topic of cultural
differences and nonverbal communication practices in various cultures came
up. During the discussion the class struck upon the practice of nodding their
heads in an up and down motion to indicate “yes.” This act is understood in
the United States to mean “yes” and yet over the course of the discussion, it
became clear that what was taken for an affirmative nod was not a message
of acceptance in all parts of the world. In Bulgaria, for instance, it means just
the opposite. Moving the head up and down indicates the negative reply of
“no” and moving the head side to side means “yes.”
When this difference was revealed, one particular U.S. student responded
with disbelief and negative judgment proclaiming “What’s wrong with those
people? Why can’t they get with the program?!” It was apparent that this
student was judging the difference in custom against what she knew from
her own life experience, and unwittingly took to be the only possible truth.
This clearly indicated a parochial, if not ethnocentric, frame of reference
where others, who are not like oneself, are seen only through the eyes of
one’s own culture causing them to be considered different and often they
are misunderstood. In the worst case scenario, they are judged to be wrong,
underdeveloped, confused, or just plain ignorant. The tacit assumption is
that what one knows is right and superior.
This event evoked quite a response from the class who took the initiative
to educate the student about cultural variations in communication that may
be unknown to many. The tone and tenor of the ensuing discussion was
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 39

supportive, inquisitive, and insightful while also being firm in the convic-
tion that there are a multiple means of communicating in our world, none
of which are more or less “right” than others. The student who initiated this
interchange gained greater consciousness and reported that throughout the
interchange she felt supported, educated, and psychologically safe. She indi-
cated that she felt no threat from the other students and that at no time did
she experience any loss of self-esteem.

Reflection Points
While this story serves to underscore issues of cultural norms and com-
munication practices, it also helps us understand the limits of the human
strength of patterning. Patterning enables us to make sense of our world in
efficient ways. Through patterning we create schemas and scripts1 to cat-
egorize events, situations, and circumstances in ways that relieve us from
the challenge of having to engage with each new situation as though it were
the first time we had encountered it. Patterning provides familiar lenses that
enable us to act in our lives with a greater efficiency, effectiveness, ease, and
success. However, the limits of this skill are met when we fail to attend to
the subtleties and nuances of any given situation. When we unthinkingly
apply our patterns and schemas to any new situation, we are in essence put-
ting our patterning into overdrive, which then leads to stereotyping. While
this skill enables us to move efficiently through our worlds it is important to
recognize that contained in the heart of every solution is the seed of its own
demise. No pattern serves as the final interpretation of our life experience.
This is underscored in the ever-changing world that students are inheriting.
In this sense it is important to recognize the need for us to be aware of the
world’s changing nature and respond appropriately when we encounter new
people, experiences, and ideas. Every solution is at best partial and we need
to remain in touch with our unique human capacity for sensitivity to fine
gradations of experience.

Three Questions
1. As our world becomes more global and diverse, what communication
habits do we possess that we might need to reconsider as we expand
our contacts with others?
2. What habits (winning formulas, or ways of thinking and making sense)
are reaching the limits of their usefulness as we expand our awareness
of our global world?
3. They say it’s a small world. Is that true? Or is it getting bigger instead?
Please explain.
40 LINDA J. FERGUSON

Note
1. J. Piaget, Genetic Epistemology, E. Duckworth (trans.) (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1970).

1.19 Carrying Emotions at Work

Linda J. Ferguson

Keywords: feelings, conflict, stress, emotional intelligence

Courses this story could be used in: Leadership, Organizational Behavior,
Principles of Management
Topics: emotional intelligence, reflections

The Story
Unfortunately, too many people believe that emotions do not belong in the
workplace. However, everyone has emotions and emotional triggers. This
cannot be avoided. It’s a matter of how we handle them that determines
whether one is emotionally intelligent or not.
Resolving conflicts and effective communication are essential to high per-
formance in any organization. At the heart of these matters are the feelings
and needs of the individuals involved. Emotional intelligence involves under-
standing your feelings and needs, moderating them, and effectively respond-
ing to the feelings and needs of others around you. Having the awareness
to identify one’s feelings in the midst of conflict and then honestly com-
municating those feelings are critical skills. It takes a fair bit of emotional
intelligence to have the awareness, insights, and courage to name and claim
emotions that come up at work and see how it affects one’s performance.
One coworker Susan had a short fuse and seemed always ready to pick a
fight. It created tension in the office. Susan was a fairly caring person and
wanted to do the right thing for her customers; however, she didn’t have
much tolerance for people who didn’t show respect and she fiercely defended
herself if she was challenged or overwhelmed (very nearly a weekly occur-
rence). She needed to learn how to manage her emotions so that she could
effectively respond to her customers and her teammates. Her ability to moni-
tor and control her emotions directly affected her performance.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 41

Over time, it became clear she had stresses at home that were affecting
her work. As a result, Susan came to work often fatigued and irritated only
to carry that feeling throughout the day with any coworker who caused her
extra work or hassle. Susan was frequently angry and didn’t know how to
effectively express her frustration in moderation at work when things went
wrong, or at home when she needed to address the problems she was con-
fronted with. While she took some classes to more effectively communicate,
she frequently either bottled up her feelings or burst out in rage. Neither
approach was effective with coworkers, and neither helped her resolve her
conflicts.
The five competencies of emotional intelligence are self-awareness,
self-regulation, self-motivation, interpersonal skills, and empathy. Self-
awareness and self-regulation were the two competencies that Susan most
needed to work on to improve her performance. Once she got skilled at
those, she would be able to improve her relationships with her coworkers
and customers.
Susan received help identifying her feelings and needs so that she could
more effectively communicate them to others. She was encouraged to find
more effective ways to respond when she felt overwhelmed. Because of her
low self-awareness, she didn’t realize that if she didn’t find better strategies
for dealing with her anger, she would continually have problems at work and
not deal with her customers and teammates effectively. Since self-awareness
is the first competency of emotional intelligence, she needed to acknowledge
how the emotions she was carrying to work and in work were affective her
performance.

Reflection Points
Once Susan recognized how her anger and emotions were affecting her
work, she realized she needed to manage her anger better. While the com-
pany didn’t have an anger management class per se, it did offer a series on
emotional intelligence. Susan was open to working on her emotions to better
respond to her customers and teammates, so she agreed to take some of the
emotional intelligence classes. She saw that if she learned how to manage
her anger that she carried from home, she’d be better able to handle con-
flicts that arose with her customers and her teammates without exploding
or responding in a negative manner, thus smoothing her relationships and
improving her performance.

Three Questions
1. What would you recommend for Susan to help her deal with her anger
and frustration?
2. If you were her supervisor, how would you handle her bringing in her
home problems to work?
42 ROBERT S. FLEMING

3. What would help Susan identify her feelings and needs so she can best
address them?

1.20 Setting Realistic Goals

Robert S. Fleming

Keywords: goal setting, motivation, rewards, strategic planning

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management, Leadership
Topics: communication, decision-making, goal setting, incentives, leader-
ship style, management, motivation, organizational change, organizational
goals, planning processes, rewards, strategic planning, stress

The Story
Several years ago, a major oil company initiated an aggressive strategic plan-
ning process that was announced at a corporate meeting. Corporate, division,
and territory managers all attended the meeting. The concept of strategic
planning was new to most of the management personnel, particularly those
with responsibilities at the territory level. The sales organization was struc-
tured as a geographic organization with the retail units organized into ter-
ritories that reported to a divisional management structure. The manager of
each territory was typically responsible for fourteen–sixteen retail locations.
Dave, the manager of a territory comprised of sixteen retail outlets in
a well-established geographic region, learned at the meeting that the new
approach to organizational planning involved a top-down process wherein
each division would be assigned sales targets from corporate and in turn
would translate these aggressive sales targets into sales goals that it would set
for each of its territories.
It was up to the division managers throughout the company to use discre-
tion and sound decision-making judgment, and perhaps even collaboration,
in determining the sales goals for each of the respective territories. Dave’s
division manager did not approach this planning exercise in this manner.
Instead he informed each of his managers that he had been instructed by
corporate to increase the sales of his division by 20 percent over the next
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 43

three years, and he thus expected each territory manager within his division
to likewise increase his or her sales by 20 percent.
The corporate expectations that were communicated to the various
divisions with respect to sales goals varied based on the corporate staff’s
determination of challenging but realistic goals in accordance with relevant
demographic and business factors associated with each division. Dave’s ter-
ritory was part of a division that included a diverse collection of territories
in terms of the potential for sales growth, ranging from long-established
geographic areas with strong competition resulting from a gas station on all
four corners on most major intersections to contrasting districts where new
residential and commercial development had triggered the expansion of new
retail outlets. The expectation of a 20 percent sales increase, while realistic
and perhaps even understated for the territories with new store development,
was unattainable in territories like the one for which Dave was responsible.
While he knew that the expected sales goal was unrealistic and unattain-
able for his territory, Dave did all he could to motivate his store managers.
All along he thought that a goal of a 5 percent sales increase would be more
realistic, with an 8 percent increase being a stretch goal. Through their com-
bined hard work, the territory attained a remarkable increase of 12 percent
in sales growth over the three-year planning period. Dave and his managers
were extremely proud of what they had accomplished.
His division manager decided to have a banquet to celebrate the sales
accomplishments of his division. In addition to the territory managers, all
of the store managers were invited. All of the managers in Dave’s terri-
tory were in attendance at this meeting, given their pride in their collective
accomplishment.
When they arrived, they found that the division manager had adopted
a rather unique seating arrangement, wherein all of the personnel from
the three territories that had achieved the 20 percent goal were seated at
head tables that were raised above the banquet room floor. Those from the
“underperforming” territories that had failed to meet the sales goal were
seated at tables on the floor.
Closer observation revealed that the elevated tables had cloth tablecloths
and fine dinnerware, while the floor tables had paper tablecloths and plastic
utensils. The insult became more pronounced when the managers from the
“underperforming” territories discovered that they would be helping them-
selves to hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and potato chips, while their
counterparts, who in large part made the goals by being in the right place at the
right time, were being served a surf and turf dinner with all the trimmings.
Suffice it to say, an ill-conceived motivation experiment had failed and its
devastating outcomes impacted the organization for many years to come.

Reflection Points
Goals serve as the focal point of a successful strategic planning initia-
tive. While it is desirable that goals be challenging, they must be realistic.
44 M. EILEEN HIGGINS

Collaborative goal-setting processes result in involvement, authorship, and

commitment on the part of those responsible for goal achievement.

Three questions
1. What mistakes did the manager make with respect to setting sales
goals for the territories within his division?
2. What characteristics of well-written goals were not present in this
situation?
3. Why did this experiment, wherein the “underperforming” territories
were segregated and publically humiliated, fail?

1.21 Feedback versus Criticism

M. Eileen Higgins

Keywords: communication, feedback, active listening, trust

Courses this story could be used in: OB, Leadership Process, Managerial
Communication
Topics: conflict management, MBTI, communication, emotional intelligence

The Story
At the beginning of my career at a publishing company, I was editorial assis-
tant to the managing editor Peter.1 Peter had recruited me from the IT divi-
sion, having been impressed with both the quality of my work and my work
ethic. When a position became available in his department, he offered it to
me, and I accepted.
Peter trained me well. I loved my work and felt both challenged and
rewarded as I helped turn rough manuscripts into finished books, journals,
and newsletters. We worked well together, and I had the utmost respect for
him and his position. But as an employee who was much younger and less
experienced than him, I was both awed and intimidated by him, as are many
students by their teachers.
One day Peter gave me a new project—collating and editing a supple-
ment for a subscription product. I had not done this type of assignment
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 45

before, but he waved his hand at it and said it was self-explanatory. The
work took me several hours because I kept questioning myself if I was
doing it right. But because he had said it was self-explanatory and simple,
I did not check with him midway to make sure I was doing the work
correctly.
When I finished, I dropped the materials on his desk and went to lunch.
When I got back from lunch, Peter came into my office; I looked up and
smiled, expecting the usual praise for how well I had handled the assign-
ment. However, his face said it all. The work was not what he expected.
He took the manuscript, put it on my desk, and told me it had to be com-
pletely redone. He sounded upset. I was speechless and in fact upset at his
response.
Hours later, he called me into his office and continued to ask me why I
didn’t get it right. Why couldn’t I figure it out? Why didn’t I check with him
if I was confused? He then pulled out another copy of the manuscript and
this time explained to me how to prepare it.
I returned to my office, barely holding back the tears and began to again
work on the project. It wasn’t long before Peter returned to my office. “I
would like to give you some feedback,” he said. “OK,” I replied.” I looked
up, startled, not knowing what was coming. I could not remember anyone
ever telling me before that they would like to give me feedback. “Before I
begin, though, I want to assure you that I value both you and your work very
much. You are one of the best editors I have ever had the pleasure of working
with. However, I want to tell you how you came across to me a little while
ago in my office. For example, when I was asking you questions, I noticed
that you did not look at me when you answered. I observed you looking at
your hands and clenching your fists.
Doing that made me think you were not open to a dialogue about the
project and were not really listening to me. When I asked you why you
did not check with me if you were uncertain about how to proceed with
the project, I noticed that you stared at me several seconds, looked down
again, and then just shrugged your shoulders. Those behaviors made me
think that you were angry but afraid to confront me or even explain your
side of the problem. Now, do you have any questions about what I just
told you?”
I don’t recall what happened after that, but I do know that this was
a significant and powerful learning experience. Peter acknowledged my
value and worth before the feedback, and the feedback itself was strictly
on my behaviors and how Peter interpreted them. I was invited to ask
questions, which I probably did not do at that time. Years later, teaching
a new MBA course—managerial communication—this exact method of
giving feedback was described in the text book: ask if the person would
like some feedback or offer to provide it first; affirm the person’s value to
you and the company; begin each problem with an “I” statement; describe
the behavior, not the person’s character; do not accuse or judge; and invite
follow-up questions.
46 THOMAS A. CONKLIN

Reflection Points
There is an art to giving effective feedback. It should be meant to help the
receiver, not put him or her down, which is criticism and can be destruc-
tive. All employees receiving feedback have the right to ask questions or to
“defend” themselves if they feel unjustly accused or judged. The most effec-
tive way to receive feedback is to just listen—not explain, defend, or justify.
Employees should also ask questions to make certain they understand what
was communicated.

Three Questions
1. What would you have done if you had experienced what the author
experienced in terms of the manager treating the employee with a com-
pletely different demeanor and manner from previous experiences?
2. How would you diagnose the author’s reticence to engage in a dia-
logue in Peter’s office or her failure to explain her side of the problem
(defend herself)?
3. How would you diagnose Peter’s inconsistent reaction to a valued
employee’s work?

Note
1. All names have been changed.

1.22 Compensation Complaints

Thomas A. Conklin

Keywords: work environment, teams and relationships, compensation

Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management,
Management and Organizational Behavior, Leadership
Topics: motivation, justice, the art of management, expectancy theory of
motivation
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 47

The Story
Tom was a consultant who worked with an ad hoc team of independent
consultants who were called on in whole or in part for work that required
the skill set of those invited to join. The agency who called these consultants
would negotiate various day rates of pay with each consultant. As it turns out
there was a wide range of incomes being earned by people who were doing
essentially the same work.
While compensation is supposed to be a private issue, it often seems that
people find out what others are earning. On occasions where this happened
the agency staff was often confronted by those who experienced inequity.
They were unhappy, believed they had been slighted, demanded more money,
and had hard feelings about the arrangement. Those who fell into this cat-
egory can be described as sensitives. They had no tolerance for perceived
inequity and were moved to resolve these differences. The agency claimed
that while the work was similar, the skills each brought to the project var-
ied and therefore justified the various day rates. This only satisfied some of
the disgruntled. Others engaged in complaints with coworkers, exhibited
decreased effort, expressed apathy toward clients, and often had premature
departures from the project.
There were others who believed that what they negotiated was adequate
and had it not been they would have negotiated something else. These peo-
ple fell into a group called benevolents. This may reflect more of an internal
locus of control over their environment and experience. Rather than a sensi-
tive orientation, these consultants were at peace regarding the pay disparity
and were seemingly unaffected by the inequity present.
An example of this particular dilemma occurred when two brothers ended
up on a project together. The first brother, Steve came in two weeks before
Brian who was invited in by him. These two brothers were close friends
and in the coming few weeks the topic of day rate arose between them. As
it turned out Steve was earning $100 per day more than Brian. This upset
Brian and they had a “friendly” chat about it just between the two of them.
Steve had been on numerous consulting projects in his career and held a
PhD in management. Brian on the other hand was now on his first consult-
ing project and held a bachelor’s of science degree in agri-business. In the
evolving conversation between them these two facts were shared by Steve
and readily received by Brian. Given the healthy relationship between these
two brothers this news had the effect of mollifying Brian’s feelings and rees-
tablishing the equilibrium between them. While somewhat sensitive, Brian
mostly displayed facets of a benevolent. When presented with compelling
evidence and an argument for the disparity of income he easily realized the
reason and readily accepted it as valid.
This story can be used to illustrate distributive, procedural, and interac-
tional justice and expectancy theories of motivation.
48 ROBERT S. FLEMING

Reflection Points
People are sensitive, but not everyone is equally sensitive to the same things.
Managers must remain available to these various levels of sensitivity that
may require them to treat different employees differently based on what is
motivating to each. Compensation differences among employees are a sen-
sitive issue and managers will eventually be approached by staff about any
disparity. When that happens it will be important for them to have adequate
justification that can be shared publicly or the means to address the differ-
ence. At the same time it is important to recognize that despite our highest
hopes, the world is not a fair place. The conversation about the various forms
of justice can be enriched through discussing the connections between the
ideal and theoretical with real lived experience.

Three Questions
1. When have you experienced a disparity in rewards?
2. What did you do about it?
3. Did you feel any different after you took action? If you did not take
action, how did you feel over the long term?

1.23 That ’s Not My Job!

Robert S. Fleming

Keywords: communication, realistic job preview, role ambiguity, role

conflict
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: communication, employee orientation, human resource manage-
ment, job design, job performance, job satisfaction, management, motiva-
tion, realistic job preview, role ambiguity, role conflict, selection, supervision,
training, workplace behavior
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 49

The Story
Steve was recently hired as a firefighter in a large suburban community. This
is a position that he has aspired to for many years. While he shares a com-
mon interest with most members of the fire service in his desire to serve and
protect his community, he was drawn to this career decision by the action
nature of the job in terms of responding to various fire, rescue, and other
emergency incidents.
His fire department has twelve stations and 136 personnel, including
the fire officers, driver/operators, and firefighters. It is a well-respected fire
department within the region in terms of its operational capabilities and
growing emphasis on community risk reduction initiatives.
After completing a ten-week firefighter training program, Steve satisfied
the training and certification requirements to become a probationary fire-
fighter and was assigned to his first station, a fairly busy one in terms of the
number of responses to incidents and the nature of these incidents.
Steve was thrilled with his initial assignment. The activity level of this
station would afford him the opportunity to gain some real experience and
would meet his expectations in terms of the job. During his recruit training
at the regional fire academy he had also learned that this station was known
for preparing firefighters for future advancements within the department.
He considered this a great first assignment and reported to work for his first
shift with high expectations.
Early in his first shift, his new firefighting colleagues took the time to
review the response district with him and to familiarize him with the loca-
tion and operation of all of the firefighting tools and equipment carried on
the apparatus housed in their station. Without looking too anxious, Steve
thought about having the opportunity to use each tool or piece of equip-
ment at an actual working fire or rescue incident.
Following the orientation provided by his new coworkers, the station
captain took about an hour to further orient Steve to the fire district and
his station. In doing so he discussed the various roles and responsibilities
that, as a firefighter, Steve would have on an incident scene. He then took
time to discuss the additional roles and responsibilities of the firefighters off
the incident scene, including in-station training, apparatus and equipment
maintenance, public education, public relations, and station maintenance
and housekeeping.
These station duties in Steve’s mind were the nonglamorous aspects of
being a firefighter. While he was aware of the importance of station training
and equipment maintenance from his time at the fire academy, he was sur-
prised at the amount of time that he would be expected to devote to station
housekeeping and maintenance. He had just assumed that the fire depart-
ment would have personnel whose duty it was to handle these tasks.
50 ROBERT S. FLEMING

In reality, major station maintenance was handled by the municipality’s

facilities department, with the firefighters at each fire station handling only
minor station maintenance. The really bad news, from Steve’s perspective,
was that there was no dedicated custodial staff to handle the fire stations. As
a firefighter, housekeeping was part of his job.
The more he thought about it, the more he became sure that these duties
were never explained in his training at the fire academy. In reviewing the
recruitment advertisement for firefighters, he discovered that all of the duties
that the station captain had explained to him were included in the position
description.
While he was not thrilled when he heard about his housekeeping respon-
sibilities, for the first few months on the job he did what he had to in terms
of housekeeping chores. With the passing of time, however, he has signifi-
cantly reduced his attention to and activities with respect to housekeeping
and has increasingly focused on the activities directly related to his reasons
for joining the department.

Reflection Points
It is important that management clearly delineate the roles and responsibili-
ties of each position within the organization before an individual is offered
and accepts a position. When there is a discrepancy between an organiza-
tion’s expectations with respect to the role and responsibilities or a position
and that of the position incumbent, role ambiguity exists. When a discrep-
ancy exists between the position incumbent’s understanding of the expecta-
tions for a position and how he or she enacts these roles and responsibilities,
as in Steve’s case, role conflict exists.

Three Questions
1. What factors contributed to the present situation?
2. Discuss this situation with respect to role ambiguity and role conflict.
3. What actions should the station captain and the fire department
administration take to address the present situation and prevent its
occurrence as future members join the fire department?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 51

1.24 Losing Now Could Lead to Winning

in the Future

Joan Marques

Keywords: passion, overachieving, organizational fit, decision-making,

leadership, vision
Courses this story could be used in: Leadership, Organizational Behavior,
Business Ethics, Entrepreneurship, HR Management
Topics: leadership, communication, motivation, trust

The Story
Francine used to work in the human resources department of a midsize
company. It was not necessarily the job Francine would have chosen if jobs
were up for grabs, but since this job was available at the time, and many of
Francine’s friends told her that it would at least help pay the bills, she applied
and got the job. As weeks turned into months, Francine actually became
very good at her job, but she also realized that it just wasn’t her passion. She
had other things in mind: more artistic things. She loved writing and paint-
ing and wanted to reach out to a larger community than the one she cur-
rently served. She dreamed of being an entrepreneur, but the dream seemed
far away, so she decided to make the best of her work in HR.
Francine was well-liked by the employees she served, and soon found time
to start working on reports that tracked trends of employee behaviors in the
company. It was this act of going above and beyond her job requirements
that made Francine start attracting the attention of some higher members
of management. The COO took a liking to the additional tasks Francine
took upon herself to fulfill: keeping track of percentages of employees that
reported ill in certain times of the year, measuring how many departmental
crossovers there were annually, and so on. All these measures delivered valu-
able information about the company and brought a number of interesting
facts to light. The fact that Francine’s trend reports reached the desks of
some executives was upsetting her supervisor, a woman of approximately the
same age as Francine. In fact, the supervisor grew increasingly annoyed with
Francine’s uninvited overachievement.
When Francine had to meet with her supervisor for her first semiannual
evaluation, she made sure she prepared all self-evaluation reports, and took
52 JOAN MARQUES

them with her to the meeting. The supervisor, however, entered the room
empty-handed. She made it short and quick: “We are not a good fit,” she
said to Francine. Francine was speechless. When she finally regained her
composure, Francine asked if she had done anything wrong, but the supervi-
sor denied anything specifically. So, Francine did what seemed best to her
at the moment: she asked for a few days to think this over. In the days after
the shocking meeting with her supervisor, Francine discussed the situation
with her mentor, James. When asked what she wanted, Francine responded
to James, “I think I should leave. It will be very difficult to work with some-
one who doesn’t seem to appreciate my presence. I have lost my trust in her.
However, I would also like to save up some money before moving on.” James
suggested for Francine to tell the supervisor in the next meeting that she
would work till the end of the year and then resign. The supervisor accepted
the offer, and six long months started for Francine. It is hard to go to work
when you know you’re not appreciated.
Shortly after Francine left her job, she found part-time employment in
an area that was much closer to her heart. The part-time job paid enough
to leave room for Francine to do all the things she had not been able to do
before: she wrote, painted, and within five years, she was able to reach global
audiences with her message. It was then that she realized something impor-
tant: losses are actually future wins. We just lack the ability to see how our
experiences today will lead to opportunities tomorrow.

Reflection Points
When we review our experiences over time, we learn about their purpose.
Being an overachiever is not necessarily a gateway to success in organiza-
tional settings: in many cases, one will have more success as a good fit, even
if she performs mediocre, than one that is an overachiever, but a bad fit.
When you find that you don’t work out in a workplace, it just means that
you didn’t work out there. It does not say anything about your qualities.
Workplace success is oftentimes dependent upon human chemistry. If that is
absent, the relationship will not be very successful.
People with a high internal locus of control often find themselves more
comfortable in an insecure work climate that provides them a chance to
flourish, than in a “secure” one that suffocates their creativity.

Three Questions
1. In your opinion what leadership style did Francine’s supervisor apply?
2. Was it ethical for the supervisor to confront Francine with such a harsh
reality? How could she have handled the situation differently?
3. What OB-related lessons did you learn from this story?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 53

1.25 Professional Dissatisfaction and

the Power of a New Idea

Michelle St Jane

Keywords: social entrepreneur, social justice, dissatisfaction, success, peer

pressure
Courses this story could be used in: OB Courses At All Levels, Strategic
Management Courses, Business Government and Society, Human Resource
Management
Topics: values, motivation, social entrepreneurship, multiple bottom line

The Story
Susan is the general counsel of a multinational private company present in
numerous international jurisdictions and yet she is both dissatisfied and
bored with her current position. She does not understand the source of these
feelings. How can she be bored when she is on the top of the professional
heap?
Susan wonders if this is a midlife crisis or if she is simply burned out. She
would have to think about this burning discontentment after she had worked
her way through a mountain of contracts and leases urgently waiting to be
redlined with her comments.
At Christmastime, Susan treated herself to a two-week stay-vacation—
what a relief to stay out of airports and hotels. It was a rare event to be out
the office. Her team had never known her to be out of the office over any
holidays. She was going to rest and relax with her family. Perhaps that would
ease her discontent.
After the usual family chaos and clearing away of Christmas debris she
said to her husband “Honey, I think I want to leave the corporate world.”
“To do what?” Pete responded with eyebrows raised! She said “I have this
idea of starting a law firm that provides access to justice and invests in suc-
cessful families.” She went on: “I am not sure if this will work. I am sure I
do not want to do another year in the corporate world.”
Pete was supportive of the idea: “You may want to work on the business
plan before you let too many people hear about this honey . . . it sounds a
little on the edge don’t you think?”
54 MICHELLE ST JANE

During her much-needed Christmas break Susan found the buzz of work-
ing on a business plan, strategic plan, and marketing plan energizing. She
had decided on a dual bottom line for this business. Profit was going to be
necessary but not everything. Social impact was just as important and would
be measured as the second bottom line. The social enterprise gave her scope
to use her skills and talents to address social injustice. With her efforts to
formalize the social enterprise structure she discovered the difficulties of fit-
ting a chimera in to the traditional corporate vehicle. With her background
in corporate law she was well suited toward fueling changes in the legislation
and regulation.
Deciding to work full time on this concept gave her the chance to fulfill
her passion of making a difference in her community and the evolution of
social enterprise while infusing interest in her networks and relationships on
the opportunities to do business and do good while doing well.

Reflection Points
Career paths and are often decided by where the job opportunities are pro-
jected. There are many ways to think about this. Education may offer a path
toward creating new career paths and business ideas that may not all reside
within the corporation.
What are the risks of narrow educational and training programs that do
not invest in intellectual capital or in teaching us how to critically think about
the social issues and opportunities for social business to serve in resolving
these?

Three Questions
1. This story provides a description of a successful professional who is not
satisfied. Can you describe a time when you were dissatisfied and made
a U turn or choose a completely unexpected direction to go in?
2. Skills and competencies are an important part of education. What
transferrable skills do you have that might create innovation in busi-
ness opportunities?
3. What are the dominant educational values that underpin your degree
courses? Are these diverse enough for the development of your aspira-
tions for yourself?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 55

1.26 Violence in the Workplace

M. Eileen Higgins

Keywords: human resources, workplace violence, fear

Courses this story could be used in: HR, Leadership, Ethics
Topics: conflict management, workplace violence, emotional intelligence,
office relationships, fear affecting productivity

The Story
Life in the office had been humming along nicely for months. My staff
appeared to be happy and productive. Then one day there was a crisis. I was
sitting in my office, and Jon,1 my managing editor, came to me quietly and
in a fearful manner. He closed the door and said that there was a problem
but he did not know what to do about it. It seems that an editorial assis-
tant and excellent and popular employee of mine named Ryan had been in
a romantic relationship with Jon’s friend, Emma, who worked in another
department. Emma had decided to break it off with Ryan and told him so
the night before. Ryan had not taken it well. Emma, who was in a neck brace
from a car accident, came in to work as usual that morning. Ryan went to
her office several times to try to talk with her, but she said she was busy and
could not meet with him until lunch time.
Well before lunch time, Ryan began pacing around in front of Emma’s
office. Finally, exasperated, Emma went out to talk with him. She suggested
they go to the lunch room, but Ryan, extremely agitated by that time, said
no, they needed to talk right now, right there. There was an altercation that
many people overheard, and it ended with Ryan slugging Emma in the face.
Ryan returned to his office, and Emma called Jon. She did not know what to
do. Jon came to me because Ryan was my employee.
I was not sure what to do either. Ryan had always been a wonderful,
friendly, nice, personable, laid-back employee. How could this story be true?
Jon assured me it was true. I called Emma and tried to speak with her. She
was crying hysterically. I called Winston, the director of human resources
and told him the story. He said to send Emma to his office, which I did.
After she told him her side of the story, Winston called an ambulance for her
and sent her to be checked out in the emergency room of the nearby hospi-
tal even though she said she was OK and did not want to go. Winston then
called Ryan and me, as his manager, to his office. Without any preliminaries,
56 M. EILEEN HIGGINS

Winston fired Ryan on the spot. He had arranged for a policeman to escort
him to his car, and later encouraged Emma to file battery charges. I was sent
to Ryan’s office to gather all of his personal items, pack them up, and take
the box to the mail room to be sent to him. Ryan was also told that he was
forbidden to set foot on the company property ever again, and was given a
restraining order to stay away from Emma as well.
I, as well as everyone else, was stunned by this immediate firing of Ryan
and the escort from the property by a policeman. Winston told me that
the company had a 100 percent no-tolerance policy for any violence of any
kind in the workplace. “You can’t bring your best self and best work to the
table if you are in fear,” he explained. The immediate firing of Ryan and the
care given to Emma created an atmosphere of trust throughout the entire
company.

Reflection Points
While this story is a rare occurrence, it is not inconceivable, and it is impor-
tant to realize that violent acts in the workplace must not be tolerated under
any circumstances. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure safe work-
ing conditions for its employees, including having freedom from fear of a
coworker. One never can know who might snap, but when someone does, he
or she must be dealt with immediately and assertively.

Three Questions
1. What did you expect to happen to Ryan? Why?
2. What do you think could have been done to prevent this violent
incident?
3. Why do you think Ryan was not sent to employer-paid counseling?

Note
1. All names have been changed.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 57

1.27 Charismatic Leader

Jerry Biberman

Keywords: charisma, humor, leadership

Courses this story could be used in: Leadership, Principles of Management,
Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior
Topics: leadership, charismatic leadership

The Story
When I was a college student I worked part-time at a market research firm
on the East Coast of the United States that collected its data using mainly
telephone interviews. I worked at the same company over a period of sev-
eral years, during which the managers and supervisors changed. When I
first began working for this company, I was trained by and experienced the
leadership style of the person who created the telephone interview opera-
tion at this company. He was, in my opinion, a very charismatic leader. He
presented a vision to all of the interviewers of how important accurate col-
lection of survey data was, and of how the interviewers’ accurate collection
of the data contributed to successful project completion and the ultimate
success of the company. He trained each new interviewer in the importance
of obtaining and recording accurate survey information. He then encour-
aged interviewers—through frequent informal and encouraging interac-
tions with each—to accurately record the survey answers of each respondent.
Interviewers were instructed to not only correctly record survey answers,
but also indicate when respondents hung up on the interviewer or did not
complete an interview.
His personality and appearance reminded me of Groucho Marx. He was
funny and always carried a cigar with him, which he did not smoke but kept
in his mouth. He encouraged the market interviewers to talk with him and
with each other about their interview experiences in between interviews,
therefore encouraging camaraderie and supporting a good team atmosphere.
He was open to suggestions as to how interview questions or the interview
experience could be improved, and encouraged interviewers to speak up.
Because of his encouraging and open approach, he was respected by all
of the study directors and supervisors, as well as by senior management. He
earned their respect by developing the training system that the company
58 THOMAS A. CONKLIN

used, by his thorough knowledge of survey telephone interviewing and data

analysis techniques, and by his emphasis on conducting quality research pro-
cedures that contributed to excellent project results.

Reflection Points
This story illustrates the characteristics of a charismatic leader, and how such
a leader can add to and impact the quality of work in an organization.

Three Questions
1. Describe at least two characteristics of a charismatic leader that this
story illustrates.
2. Would you describe this leader as more of a Theory X or Theory Y
manager, and explain why you would say so.
3. Describe why you would either like or not like to work for the leader
described in this story.

1.28 Theories of Motivation

Thomas A. Conklin

Keywords: motivation, culture, norms

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management, Leadership
Topics: intrinsic motivation, McGregor’s theory X and Y

The Story
McGregor’s theory Y claims that people are ambitious and self-motivated.
They find natural interest in their work and it is an outlet for creativity.
Theory X on the other hand suggests that people are inherently lazy, disin-
terested, and lack ambition. A relevant experience for students that helps to
contextualize these theories relates to intercollegiate sports.
As many students know there are only so many sports scholarship dol-
lars that go around. At smaller schools many athletes often receive no
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 59

financial support for their participation in intercollegiate sports. They

commit significant time and energy to their skill development and the
competitions are often at distant locations. Travel to such locations is a
further drain on their time and energy. So, how are we to explain this high
level of commitment? Theory Y may be a viable approach. Since athletes
appear to be interested in their sport and their performance, we might
surmise that they are receiving something else as a benefit from their
participation. Sports command the sacrifice of valuable academic time to
pursue activities for which there is no financial support and which are
unlikely to yield any opportunities in the professional arena beyond the
collegiate experience.
Student athletes can often be heard proclaiming their love of their game.
They describe the joys of developing their skills and talents. This is multi-
plied when they have a winning season. However, even during less successful
seasons students often remain involved, striving even harder and working
more diligently during the off-season in preparation for the next, thereby,
reflecting a future orientation and anticipation of success. Something beyond
money or pressure from the coach has taken up residence in their conscious-
ness enabling them to transcend the small and limiting interpretation of
human motivation as driven solely by external rewards.

Reflection Points
We are motivated by many things in the world. Some of them fit neatly into
the monetary interpretation that reflects the dominant economic paradigm
in Western society. However, it is important to note that there are many
other drivers of human behavior that fall outside of what is taken to be the
norm. The challenge for managers then is to understand what motivates
the staff. How can they organize so that staff feel valued and are motivated
beyond the simple contribution to their pocket book.

Three Questions
1. Why are you here . . . in college? What is the true benefit of attending
university education?
2. Can you remember a time when you worked really hard at something
for the sheer pleasure of knowing you did something well, at the very
highest level?
3. What are you most proud of in your life? What success have you accom-
plished that you are most proud of? Why?
60 MARIA HUMPHRIES

1.29 The Bully in the Workplace

Maria Humphries

Keywords: power, bullying, job insecurity, loyalty

Courses this story could be used in: Human Resource Management,
Corporate Law, OB, Ethics, Diversity Management, Strategic Management
Courses, Business Government and Society
Topics: power, control, workplace bullying, exploitation, motivation, com-
munication, diversity, ethics, team work, mentoring and succession plan-
ning, leadership, core values

The Story
Louise was very pleased with her new job at The Bank. It had been some
years since she had left the banking industry to raise her children, but her
husband had passed away and she needed to provide for the household. It
had been difficult to find a job that allowed her to meet the financial needs
of her family, consisting of herself and the two little boys she was now rais-
ing alone.
A small insurance payment had covered the costs of the funeral and the
necessary rehousing of her little family into a more affordable neighborhood.
It was now up to her to both earn the income and take care of the boys. And
here it was! The perfect job!
It was not long before Louise had worked her way to a position of respon-
sibility. A number of staff members were placed under her care and her own
work increasingly became project focused. Her coworkers liked her and did
well under her guidance.
Ed, her manager, was nice, but occasionally and barely perceptibly at first,
Ed’s behavior seemed to change. There were the slightly over-the-top com-
pliments when they were alone. There was the odd invitation to accompany
him on work trips that seemed not quite to fit the job. There seemed no
real need to think these odd invitations through however, as travel away
from home was totally out of the question for her. Then came the slightly
cutting comments at staff meetings and an odd remark made in front of her
new boyfriend and her sons at The Bank’s family function recently about her
friendship with her trusted young friend and colleague Mike.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 61

As part of her research into the creative potential of The Bank, Louise
had set out several ideas in a report to the general manager James. She had
received a nice thank you note from James and had heard nothing more.
One evening when the boys were in bed, Louise received a phone call.
It was from Liz, an employee hired on a three-year contract two-and-a-half
years ago. Liz had taken on many of Louise’s previous tasks and excelled at
her work. She seemed creative, smart, and diligent. Louise had grown to
respect Liz, a respect she believed to be mutual. Louise imagined that at the
end of the contract, Liz would most certainly be offered full-time employ-
ment. She hoped so. She and Liz would make a great team on some of the
projects Louise had in mind. She had shared some of these ideas with Liz.
Liz was clearly uncomfortable making the call—but the story soon came
out.
Ed had summoned Liz to his office. He complimented her on her work.
He told her that not only was she diligent and successful in her work, but
she was also very attractive. This was always good for The Bank. “What you
really need is a full-time permanent job. Might you be interested once your
contract is over?” asked Ed. Liz’s spirits soared! It was just what she had
hoped for. “We’d have to work something out,” continued Ed. He reminded
her that times were tough in banking. Budgets had been cut and, of course,
his section of the bank was already overstaffed. He appeared to be mulling
this issue over and suddenly lit up with an idea. Out of his drawer he pulled
a short project proposal.
He said it was work he and James were setting up outside of The Bank.
Perhaps Liz could provide some administrative support. She might like a
little extra money to meet her many obligations. It would be a chance to
see how well they worked together before making a decision about the per-
manent job. Liz skimmed the proposal. It looked suspiciously like the ideas
Louise had shared with her. Liz asked Ed for time to think about it. “Of
course!” enthused Ed. “Now, Liz, if Louise was thinking of leaving . . . ”
“Louise’s departure would certainly create some room for you on the
staff,” mused Ed aloud. After all, he continued, Liz’s CV looked not unlike
Louise’s—and obviously The Bank could not support two such beautiful
and competent individuals. He inquired if there was something in Louise’s
performance that Liz could think of that would suggest Louise might find
leaving The Bank an attractive proposition . . .

Reflection Points
Workplace bullying is receiving greater attention for both the legal cost
of redress and the personal cost to those being bullied. Such bullying
may take a sexual form—but not necessarily so; it occurs across all levels
of organizations. Bullies may use flattery or aggression to groom their
targets. They may use race, class, sexual orientation, age, or any other
62 ROBERT S. FLEMING

aspect of an employee’s identity to begin the process of undermining the

confidence of the employee and the light in which they are seen by team
members and managers. How does a person being so attacked recognize
the signs that they are a target? How easy would it be to challenge the
dynamic?

Three Questions
1. Louise loves her work. How much attention should she be paying to
the nuances she has picked up? How might Liz’s phone call alert her to
something much deeper amiss in the management of The Bank?
2. Ed and James have joint business interests outside of The Bank. How
might this affect Louise’s reflection on whether to approach James
about Ed’s behavior? If Louise does approach James about Ed’s behav-
ior, what are the risks if he acts to discipline Ed? What if he does not?
3. How does the liberal use of contracted labor, such as Liz, alter the power
dynamics of the workplace? (I don’t think this can be answered on this
story—it seems to be beside the point. Need a new question here.)

1.30 Inside and Outside Roles

Robert S. Fleming

Keywords: managerial roles, role ambiguity, role conflict, time

management
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: change agent, conflict, job design, job performance, managerial
roles, organizational change, organizational commitment, organizational
culture, resistance to change, role ambiguity, role conflict, time manage-
ment, work priorities

The Story
Bob was recently hired as the fire chief of a medium-sized combination
fire department. The department has forty-eight full-time paid personnel
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 63

and thirty-six members serving in a volunteer capacity. Prior to assuming

this new position, Bob was the deputy chief at a large, well-respected fire
department that had received significant national recognition as a progres-
sive department that had positioned itself to continue to operate in an effec-
tive, efficient, and safe manner, despite the many unprecedented challenges
facing contemporary fire departments. Bob was in large part the architect of
many of the remarkable accomplishments of this fire department, and these
accomplishments weighed heavily in the decision to offer him the position of
fire chief in his present department.
Bob was the first fire chief to be recruited and hired from the outside,
with the six fire chiefs in the department’s history all being promoted from
within. The search committee for the fire chief’s position realized that the
department had become stagnant based on more than a hundred years of
tradition, and recognized the need for visionary and innovative leadership.
After a comprehensive search process, they identified Bob as a highly desir-
able candidate for the position. After interviewing six candidates, it was clear
that Bob was the right person to lead the department.
After ten months on the job, all stakeholders of the fire department were
impressed with the passion, enthusiasm, and wisdom that Bob demonstrated
as fire chief. Many commented on the fact that he took time to learn about
the fire department both before and since assuming the position. He likewise
spent his first two months on the job meeting and developing working rela-
tionships with all of the paid members and most of the volunteer members of
the department. He had proven himself to be a quick study and a person that
values the contribution of each and every member of the department.
While no one debates that he is doing a great job and has the vision and
passion to enable the department to successfully navigate through the many
challenges that it faces in the present and will likely face in the future, a con-
cern has been developing on the part of a growing number of stakeholders
of the fire department.
That concern relates to how and where the fire chief allocates his time.
Past fire chiefs, particularly the one that he replaced, responded to almost
every fire call and devoted the rest of their time to administrative duties
at fire headquarters and to visiting the fire stations. None of them were
involved in activities outside the fire department or community. Bob, in
comparison, has recognized the importance and value of his participation in
county, state, regional, and national associations, committees, meetings, and
initiatives that will be beneficial to his fire department in various ways. While
in his previous department, his participation in such activities had resulted
in gaining important insights about proposed changes in laws, regulations,
and standards, as well as enabling his department to compete successfully for
a number of competitive grants that enhanced its operational effectiveness,
efficiency, and safety.
During a recent meeting with the city manager to whom he reports,
the issue of how much time he spends on activities outside the jurisdiction
was raised. Bob was surprised that this was perceived as an issue, given that
64 ROBERT S. FLEMING

during the interview process he was clear on the importance of both the
“inside” and “outside” roles of the contemporary fire chief. In discussion he
sensed that there were really two possible concerns about his outside involve-
ment. The primary one was obviously the fact that these activities were tak-
ing him away from spending time in and doing things directly related to the
municipality. A second, but even more disturbing, theme that he detected
was that his motivation was to use his current position as fire chief and his
continued outside activities as a stepping stone to attain the position of fire
chief in a larger and more prestigious department.

Reflection Points
One of the greatest challenges in a senior-level managerial position is balanc-
ing the “inside” and “outside” roles associated with the position that are
necessary to ensure the success of the manager and that of the organiza-
tion that he or she leads. Striking this balance often involves meeting the
sometimes conflicting expectations of an organization’s internal and exter-
nal stakeholders. Ascertaining a proper balance is something that should
take place in a timely manner upon assuming such a position and that should
be revisited periodically based on changes within the organization and the
environment in which it operates.

Three Questions
1. What challenges are associated with balancing the “inside” and “out-
side” roles of a managerial position?
2. What factors may have contributed to the current situation?
3. How should the fire chief proceed in addressing these current
concerns?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 65

1.31 The Impact of a Small Gesture

Joan Marques

Keywords: connection, territoriality, culture, gifts, trust, appreciation

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Workplace
Spirituality
Topics: organizational culture, trust, territoriality, connection

The Story
Laura was working in a small corporation with about two hundred employ-
ees. It was a cozy work environment, and everybody knew everybody else.
People were usually friendly and informal in their approach toward one
another, and there was a decent level of openness about the organization’s
operations. Yet, there was a downside: due to the small size of the company,
there was also a high level of territoriality. Some of the supervisors were very
protective of their positions, and made it hard for their subordinates to enjoy
their work.
Laura had observed her colleagues and the various subcultures that existed
in the different departments during the six years that she worked for this
corporation. She liked her job and was fortunate to work under the supervi-
sion of an easygoing supervisor, who trusted her and allowed her enough
space to fulfill her tasks with pleasure. Deadlines were set, and she made sure
that she met them. But between the goal formulation and its achievement,
she had a lot of implementation space, which sparked her entrepreneurial
spirit, and enabled her to surprise her supervisor with constructive ideas time
and again.
However, not everyone in the corporation was as fortunate as Laura.
Linda, one of her oldest colleagues, had been transferred to a department
that was known as “The Drill Station.” A few years ago, the department
where Laura, Linda, and a number of other coworkers had spent many fun
experiences together had to be closed, and those who had not been laid off
were placed in different departments. Linda was transferred to this central
office, where a team of haughty supervisors was demanding administrative
tasks to be fulfilled in near-impossible turnaround times. The few times that
Laura visited Linda at her new workstation, she could tell that her old friend
was overworked and stressed out. But Linda was approaching sixty, and too
tired to look for another job in this volatile economic climate.
66 JOAN MARQUES

On a sunny Monday morning, Laura spontaneously decided to pick a

long-stemmed rose from her garden and take it to her old colleague Linda.
She was hoping to unexpectedly brighten her old friend’s day. She entered
the office and said to Linda, “Here, Linda, for a wonderful woman, who
deserves to receive this token of appreciation. This is for all the things you
are and all that you do.” Laura soon found that she had greatly underesti-
mated the effect of her gesture. She saw her friend’s eyes tearing up, and
realized that she could not have done anything better on this particular day.
It seemed that Linda could definitely use the positive reinforcement.
Several months later, Laura had to run an errand near Linda’s worksta-
tion again, and her old friend gestured her to come closer. Linda proudly
pointed to an elegant, dried rose that was proudly decorating her desk. It
was the same rose Laura had offered her a while ago. She said, “I wanted to
thank you again, Laura. I kept your rose, as you can see, because it tells me
so much more than you think. It makes me realize, whenever I look at it,
that there are people who appreciate me for who I am and what I do, and it
helps me through difficult days here at work.” This was the moment when
Laura realized the importance of giving unexpectedly. It was not the size or
the price of the gift that mattered, but the thought behind it. This experi-
ence encouraged her to repeat this behavior of unexpected giving more often
toward others.

Reflection Points
We should consider such small gestures more often toward those we work
and live with. We should not wait until we have enough money to buy a
“decent” present, or until we have time to go to the mall, or until our friends
or loved ones are celebrating a birthday or anniversary. Unexpected giving
can do wonders for the spirit. Little things mean a lot, and they can help a
person face hardship with more resilience. Nurturing a spiritual mindset at
work entails showing appreciation to those who may need it. Moreover, the
gratification we feel when we give is much deeper and stays much longer
than the one we feel when we receive.

Three Questions
1. Have you ever done something spontaneously for another person?
What was the response?
2. Can you think of some other things to make coworkers happy in the
workplace (even if you don’t work yet)? Please list five small things you
could do.
3. What is the main message (in one sentence) in this story?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 67

1.32 Mixed Management Messages

Jane D. Parent

Keywords: mixed messages, bank life, employee-employer relationships

Courses this story could be used for: Organizational Behavior, Human
Resource Management
Topics: motivation, leadership, conflict management, organization
communication

The Story
Jill is the head teller at the main branch of the Savings Institute. She has
been employed by the bank for three years, starting as a part-time teller and
working her way into her current position of head bank teller at the largest
branch in the company. This was Jill’s first professional job after staying at
home for over ten years to raise three children. Jill takes her job seriously and
is grateful for work in a recession economy. She likes the work, but she has a
problem with the mixed messages she gets from her management. Recently
she asked for a few hours of personal time to see her son’s first high-school
varsity football game and her manager refused the time off. On the other
hand, when she began her work at the bank she experienced several family
deaths and the bank management gave her many extra days off to attend
their wakes and funerals.
As head teller, she completes all the regular duties of a regular bank teller
and in addition, she is in charge of the vault of cash that is used for daily
branch operations. This means that when anyone in the bank needs cash
from the vault, Jill must approve. When Jill was not present in the bank,
Linda, the branch manager, was in charge of vault transactions.
Jill left work at her scheduled 4 P.M. departure time on a Friday in early
November. It was her regularly scheduled Friday evening and Saturday off.
During her family dinner on Friday evening, Jill received a frantic voicemail
message at home from Linda, the branch manager. As Jill listened to the
message, she could understand that Linda was clearly agitated and accusa-
tory toward Jill with regard to missing cash from the vault. At the end of
Friday’s shift, the vault was short $250,000! Jill immediately phoned Linda
to help resolve the problem. Over the course of the weekend, their numer-
ous phone calls were extremely strained because of the accusations Linda
68 JANE D. PARENT

kept making about Jill’s alleged mistake with the vault cash. Jill spent the
whole weekend worrying about the missing $250,000. When the issue was
finally resolved on Sunday night, it turned out that the assistant manager
had actually taken the money from the vault and forgotten to tell Linda.
Linda offered no apologies to Jill for ruining her weekend.
A few weeks later, Jill received another voicemail message at home to
please call Linda ASAP. Naturally Jill recalled the previous frantic phone call
and her anxiety over the missing cash so she was reluctant to phone Linda
back. The consummate professional, Jill decided to put aside her apprehen-
sion and phone her manager back that evening. Interestingly, the message
couldn’t have been more different than that first phone call. Linda wanted
to share news about a recent management meeting where Jill’s name was
mentioned on numerous occasions. Linda told Jill that management was
very pleased with her performance and her willingness to “go the extra mile”
for the bank and as a reward they were offering her four box seat tickets to
the next evening’s Boston Celtics basketball game. While pleased with her
reward, Jill remains even more confused about her employer’s uneven man-
agement style.

Reflection Points
Positive and negative feedback are necessary for successful working environ-
ments. Managers and employees must learn how to give and receive feedback
in a meaningful way.
Management is a critical part of smooth operations. As such, managers
should be consistent in their actions.
Employee motivation is critical to an organization’s success. Both employ-
ees and managers should discuss what motivates them.

Three Questions
1. Is it okay to send mixed messages to your employees? Why or why
not?
2. As an employee, how do you respond to the accusations? The praise?
3. What might Linda have done differently when the vault did not bal-
ance at the end of the work day?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 69

1.33 Is It Ok to Say
“That ’s Not My Job”?

Gary Stark

Keywords: employee, employment, jobs, gender, relationships

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior,
Organizational Psychology, Human Resource Management
Topics: organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behaviors,
job analysis, job design

The Story
Most of us agree that in a healthy work relationship an employee generally
will do the “little extras” that help an organization. That’s because in a
healthy work relationship, this extra effort will be usually be reciprocated. In
fact this concept of doing the “little extras” is heavily researched in OB and
is called organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). However, we can’t let
OCBs become the main component of the job.
A former coworker Melissa, who never complains, continues to accept ran-
dom assignments on her already overloaded plate. It has short-term benefits
because the work gets done and the company does not have to go through
the time and expense of hiring someone else to do it.
But what is the long-term result if the organization does not stick reason-
ably close to Melissa’s job description in giving her extra work? Work is like
any other relationship—there needs to be trust from both sides, you need
clear and honest communication, and so on. Work is a relationship and in
this case, the organization may be “using” Melissa. As in any other rela-
tionship, if Melissa continues to be used she may eventually leave. Melissa
is a good employee and her departure would hurt the organization. If she
doesn’t leave she will burn out or the feeling of being used will manifest itself
in that relationship in a likely negative way.
Besides the relationship aspect, we need to be concerned about how the
practice of extra assignments affects our human resources management prac-
tice. It is doubtful that the organization carefully considered whether or not
Melissa is the best person to do them. There may be someone with a better
skill set more suited to these tasks within the organization. There may even
70 MARIA HUMPHRIES AND ANNA COX

be an employee that is paid less than Melissa and can appropriately do the
tasks for less expenditure.
By having Melissa do all “the little extras,” they become “big extras.” On
what basis should the organization judge her when they do her regular per-
formance appraisal? Is it fair to judge her on the “extras” when her training,
expertise, pay, and so on are based on something else? Is it fair to judge her
on the main components of her job if “the little extras” keep her from doing
her main job well?

Reflection Points
We like to think of employees who will do anything asked of them as heroes
to the organization. This story suggests that in the long term such an arrange-
ment may not be healthy for the organization or the employee.

Three Questions
1. This story suggests that job descriptions should be well specified and
that the organization should stick close to them. What is the argument
for the alternative—that an organization and its employees should be
more flexible in their job arrangements?
2. Describe how a job description guides the HR functions of selec-
tion, training, compensation, performance appraisal, or other HR
functions.
3. What are some of the predictors of OCBs?

1.34 Partnering for Change

Maria Humphries and Anna Cox

Keywords: Collective versus individual responsibility and entitlements, edu-

cation, development, corporate pollution, partnerships for change
Courses this story could be used in: Corporate Social Responsibility,
NGO and Development, Service Learning, Diversity Courses, Strategic
Management, Business Government and Society
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 71

Topics: competition versus collaboration, leadership, values, motivation,

communication, diversity, ethics, team work, stakeholder engagement

Story 1: Mugisa
More than anything Beatrice longed to be a schoolgirl. But in her small
African village only the children who can afford fees and books and uni-
forms can go to school. Beatrice knew that with six children to care for, her
family was much too poor. But then, one day, she received a most wonderful
gift from some people far away—a goat! Fat and sleek and ripe as a mango,
Mugisa (which means luck) gave milk that she could sell. Beatrice took good
take care of Mugisa. Beatrice and Mugisa seemed joined in a pact! Beatrice
made sure she found long juicy grass for her goat and a safe place for her to
sleep at night. Mugisa in turn produced lots of milk that Beatrice was able
to sell. With Mugisa’s help, Beatrice found the money to pay for the school
fees, the books, and a uniform purchased from a child who had graduated.
Now she was to follow in her footsteps—dressed in the very uniform a girl
her size had worn to study at and graduate from school!
One evening, while tethering Mugisa for the night, Beatrice heard a rustle
and noticed her friend Bunane heading toward her with his empty milk pail
and a coin. He eyed her new uniform and sighed. “You’re so lucky. I wish I
could go to school.” Beatrice reached out and touched Bunane’s arm. “I’ve
heard a rumor that you are next in line to receive a goat.” A smile crossed
Bunane’s face.

Story 2: Who Took the Water?

Beatrice wanted more than anything for her family and village to flourish.
She noticed that her people, though rich in spirituality and kinship, suffered
from malnutrition. The old ways of producing food had been diminished by
the redirection of the river to serve the farmers upstream. There was barely
a trickle within walking distance of the village and it often did not taste too
good. Increasingly, good tasting water was being delivered by truck in large
plastic containers, but to buy it the villagers needed cash. The new road taxes
also needed to be paid with cash. It seemed that the villagers needed to find
ever more money to pay for things that were once achieved through the shar-
ing of talents and the abundance of earth. Word of their [monetary] poverty
spread among people far away. Beatrice herself had been part of a film made
about her village. She had seen the film when the producers came to show it
at a village meeting. Along with the filmmakers came other people to listen
to the people in Beatrice’s village.
The visitors and the village people all talked about the things Beatrice’s
people needed to live flourishing lives. They talked about the need for clean
water and good food. The villagers talked about the time when food was
72 MARIA HUMPHRIES AND ANNA COX

abundant and water was clean and the events that had changed this. The
people of the village shared with the visitors their desire that their families
and their village may flourish. The people of the village listened carefully
to the knowledge of the people from far away, and to how this knowledge
might contribute to their own flourishing.
The people who came with the film makers left. They went to talk with
other people far away about the desire and hopes expressed by the villagers.
The people from far away set about learning more about the events that had
impoverished the once flourishing village. They realized they had learned
much from the village people—not only about village life, but also about
how their own lives were part of a pattern—a pattern that was causing the
poverty in the village life.

Reflection Points
“We are all equal now, members of one and the same family, and the affairs
of the entire world are now internal affairs” (the fourteenth Dalai Lama). Is
humanity really “as one”? Ought it to be? If so, how might such an aspira-
tion manifest? How well is such an idea offered for reflection in your man-
agement education? If it is not an idea to aspire to, by what criteria do we
decide who is entitled to what level of human existence? How do we decide
who has priority to the use of water or land, for example?

Three Questions
1. Can you differentiate the social and economic drivers in the two sto-
ries? What are the implications of each? Can you compare and contrast
both of the drivers to those implied or made explicit in your manage-
ment education?
2. In the first story, Bunane brought his empty pail and a coin to Beatrice
to buy some milk. Water (as well as road taxes and education) for his
family as for all the families in the village is increasingly dependent on
access to money. What is money? What are the risks of making money
the primary means of interdependence among people?
3. “Development” of communities within reach of Western interests
has been framed either through “philanthropy” or “aid”—by states,
churches, or NGOs—and now increasingly through social enter-
prise and microfinance programs. What are the implications of such
interventions in the lives of diverse communities, be they the exotic
distant villagers or the inner-city disenfranchised much closer to
home?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 73

1.35 Handing Over Responsibility

Robert S. Fleming

Keywords: managerial roles, managerial skills, motivation, role ambiguity,

role conflict, supervision
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: delegation, directing, human resource management, job design,
job performance, job satisfaction, leadership style, management, managerial
roles, managerial skills, motivation, personnel retention, realistic job pre-
view, role ambiguity, role conflict, sources of power, supervision, supervisor-
subordinate relations, teamwork

The Story
After serving his community in the local volunteer fire company for twelve
years, John was elected by the fire company members to serve in the posi-
tion of captain. As the captain, he was now responsible for supervising fire
company personnel both on and off the incident scene. John’s department
has been facing the same challenges as most other volunteer fire departments
in terms of recruitment and retention of the organization’s most important
resource—its volunteers.
It is essential to motivate and empower volunteer members who are donat-
ing their valuable time to serve their community. As a volunteer firefighter,
new members begin by attending the local fire academy where they gain the
knowledge and skills necessary to properly and safely perform crucial tasks
such as firefighting and vehicle rescue. A new member typically completes
these basic courses, which involve over two hundred hours of training, in
their first year of membership.
In addition to these outside training courses, all members are expected to
participate in the fire company’s in-station training sessions and to become
qualified to perform the various evolutions before being approved to ride the
fire apparatus and perform various tasks at an incident scene. An example of
this would be vehicle rescue. The process for becoming approved to ride the
rescue truck and use the power extrication tools to extricate a trapped victim
of a vehicle accident requires completion of the vehicle rescue course at the
74 ROBERT S. FLEMING

fire academy, completion of related training at the fire house, and demon-
stration of competency in rescue skills and equipment usage. Once a member
has met these requirements, he or she is approved to ride the rescue truck
and use the extrication tools at an accident scene.
John’s fire company has been more successful than most other depart-
ments in its recruitment efforts over the past few years, recruiting fifteen new
members. Twelve of these members completed all of the necessary training to
become “rescue qualified” within their first year of membership. As the cap-
tain, John played a fairly significant role in encouraging these new members
to stick with it to complete the necessary training and qualification activities,
and each of these newly minted rescue personnel looked forward to using
their new knowledge and skills under John’s supervision on the scene of the
many vehicle rescues to which the fire company responds each year.
While the fire company has been extremely successful in its recruitment of
new members, it has discovered that it has a major problem in the retention
of personnel. A growing number of the fire company’s members, including
many of the newer ones, have reduced their level of activity within the fire
company, including participation in training sessions and responding to inci-
dents. It has become apparent that some members are becoming “selective”
in the calls that they respond to, particularly rescue calls that happen during
the overnight hours. This has caused the average personnel responding to
each call to decrease and has proven problematic at a number of calls where
staffing proved insufficient to effectively, efficiently, and safely perform inci-
dent operations.
The administrative and operational officers of the fire company struggled
to identify the cause of the member response and retention problems that
they have been experiencing. After several meetings that proved unproduc-
tive in identifying the cause(s) and solution(s) of these problems, the fire
company president called a meeting of the general membership to discuss
the problem. After laying out the problem, the fire company president asked
the fire company members for their thoughts.
After several minutes of silence, one of the relatively new members spoke
up. He shared his pilgrimage, which began when he joined the fire com-
pany two years ago, spent a year involved in completing the required outside
and company training, and then become “rescue qualified.” In describing
his second year of service, he related numerous illustrations of responding
to vehicle accident calls requiring vehicle extrications and having the fire
officers, particularly the captain, grab the power extrication tools out of his
hands, using them to perform the extrication, and then instructing him to
return the tools to the truck.
Once the subject was on the table, numerous other members chimed in
providing additional examples of not feeling valued and sensing that even
though they had jumped through all the hoops to become “rescue quali-
fied,” the officers did not have confidence in their abilities. The situation was
perhaps best summarized when the member who initially raised the issue
suggested that if a member is not capable of properly using the equipment,
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 75

they should not be approved to do so, but once a member is “rescue quali-
fied,” the fire officers should afford him or her the ability to practice their
trade.

Reflection Points
As one advances within an organization, his or her roles and responsibilities,
as well as the corresponding skills they will be required to utilize, change. In
“making the transition” into a supervisory position, an individual is no lon-
ger responsible for doing the work directly; rather his or her responsibilities
now involve supervising. While it will be important that they have the nec-
essary technical understanding of the work that they are supervising, other
management skills such as human skills will become crucial to success as a
supervisor or manager. While the story illustrates the successful preparation
on the part of new fire department members to make the transition to being
“rescue qualified,” it unfortunately points out the fact that John, in assum-
ing the position of captain, has failed to shed his technical responsibilities
as a firefighter and to assume his proper supervisory responsibilities as a fire
officer.

Three Questions
1. Discuss the issues in this situation related to employee motivation and
empowerment.
2. What role does the fact that the members were volunteers have on this
situation?
3. Discuss the use of technical skills, human skills, and conceptual skills
as one advances from the firefighter ranks to the officer ranks.
76 VIRGINIA F. FLEMING

1.36 Training Session Time Management

Virginia F. Fleming

Keywords: employee development, productivity, time management, train-

ing, work priorities
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: communication, conflict, employee development, employee involve-
ment, job satisfaction, leadership, management, motivation, organizational
culture, productivity, quality of work life, stress, time management, training,
work priorities

The Story
Susan has worked in the office of a medium-sized service organization for
the past ten years. Throughout that time she has demonstrated her work
ethic and dedication to the organization. During her tenure with the orga-
nization, her responsibilities have increased significantly through delegation
of two new major responsibilities, as well as assuming additional smaller
responsibilities throughout her time with the organization.
While Susan usually maintains a positive approach to her job, she has
found that her frustration level has grown in recent months as she is now
finding it difficult to find the necessary time in the day to complete all of the
work that she is expected to do. The organization’s unprecedented success
and growth in business over the past three years have likewise contributed
to her increase in workload and in turn to her frustration in being unable to
complete all of her work in a timely manner.
A few years ago, Susan decided that she needed to develop her time man-
agement skills to become more effective and efficient, so she enrolled in
several noncredit courses at the local community college that addressed the
subjects of time and project management. She also read extensively on the
topic. These independent professional development activities have enhanced
her knowledge and skills in the essential areas of managing work projects,
as well as managing her time. Susan feels that she grew significantly during
the past two years in this area, and that she now manages her time more
successfully.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 77

Over the past six months, Susan has faced a new challenge with respect
to successfully managing her time and projects. The president of her orga-
nization attended a business conference and, inspired by the presentations
and networking with other executives, returned from the conference deter-
mined to have a three-hour in-service training session for all personnel once
a month. It was his belief that such an initiative would prepare the organiza-
tion to move to the next level of business success.
After attending the first four of these training programs, Susan and most
of her coworkers have come to the conclusion that these sessions are a waste
of time. They are not tailored to the needs of the business or to the respon-
sibilities of the various employees. Rather than enhancing the knowledge,
skills, and attitudes of the employees, these sessions are demoralizing the
employees who see little or no value in taking the time out of their incredibly
busy work schedules to attend these sessions.
In thinking further about it, Susan has recognized the value of professional
development activities based on her independent professional development
undertakings, but has concluded that more appropriate topics and facilitators
could have been selected had the organization afforded the employees the
opportunity to provide their ideas and input regarding this initiative.

Reflection Points
Most contemporary organizations rely on their employees to be productive
and to enact their duties and responsibilities in an effective and efficient
manner. While there will be times that meetings and training sessions are
necessary, the utilization of the organization’s most important resource, its
personnel, should be done in a judicious manner in the best interest of the
organization and in fairness to its employees. The value of employee input
and involvement in planning training and development programs should
likewise be recognized.

Three Questions
1. What factors contribute to the frustration that Susan is experiencing
in this situation?
2. How could the organization have better handled the planning and
implementation of this initiative?
3. What could the organization have done to enhance the relevancy and
value of this training?
78 JOAN MARQUES

1.37 What Goes Around Comes Around

Joan Marques

Keywords: workplace politics, organizational culture

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Leadership
Topics: organizational culture, organizational politics, decision-making

The Story
Burying his face in his hands Hank reflected on his life over the past five
years and what he concluded was not very pleasant. It had all been like . . . a
boomerang.1 As soon as the idea entered his mind he smiled about it. What
a silly metaphor! But almost immediately the smile was replaced by a frown
as his thoughts expanded into several areas of his life. It was a boomer-
ang. Everything had bounced back to him in one way or another. His work
situation was a perfect illustration: at the office Hank had cleverly chased
away four employees, among whom was Samantha, a bright and promising
employee. Samantha, as also the three others who had ultimately left, was
a committed worker who was just unfortunate enough to have been part
of the previous team at the office. So when Hank took over the manage-
ment position at that workplace four years ago, he did what most managers
do: evaluate who had worked under the previous management, which made
these people “guilty by association”; and shrewdly eliminate them, either by
taking away their responsibilities, by having them transferred to other, less
desirable departments, or by plainly ignoring. In meetings, he made sure
their suggestions were never considered.
Hank’s intentions paid off soon enough, when these four were gone and
the office was entirely staffed with loyalists to Hank’s regime. This was just
a matter of company politics. He did not feel any real antipathy against the
people he had banished. It was just the way things are usually handled in
organizations: Hank simply adapted the age-old elimination strategy.
Unfortunately, the tide had changed in the past year. The company had
been experiencing performance problems, and a major “rightsizing” plan
was implemented. Hank’s department was terminated last month, and he
had to look for another job. He came across a position offered by a fairly new
company that resembled his previous job quite well. The vacant position of
assistant manager was slightly lower than Hank’s previous job, but the salary
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 79

was approximately the same, so Hank thought that he would be satisfied, if

things worked out.
So Hank went and was selected for an interview. He even made it to the
second interview. But the morning of the third and final round, in which
the manager of the department and the human resource manager, together
with some other staff members, were present, Hank was confronted with
the boomerang effect. The manager of the department he aspired to get the
job in was Samantha. She had completed her business degree in the past two
years, and got promoted last month from assistant manager to manager in
this company, where she had found a job after having been pestered away
from the previous one by Hank. Since Samantha had accepted the manager’s
position, the department was in need of a new assistant manager.
Although the interview went well, Hank was unsure of what Samantha’s
decision would be. She had seemed nice enough during the interview and
had not displayed any sign of rancor, which was not what he could say about
himself in retrospect. He contemplated what he would do if he were in
Samantha’s shoes.
Left contemplating after the interview, Hank took a better look at his life.
He could easily sum up a number of other instances in which the boomerang
effect had manifested itself: in good ways and in bad. Like that one night
when he stopped for an old lady who stood in the rain, gave her a ride to
her destination a few blocks outside of his normal route, and found out later
in her “Thank You” note that she was the mother of one of the city’s most
influential men, who later facilitated Hank’s membership in one of the most
prominent clubs in the city. And that one time, not too long ago, when he
rudely ignored an old, silly-looking man whom he passed in the hall at work,
only to find out that this was the chairman of the board: the most influential
person in the decision-making process regarding staff-members’ staying or
being laid off.
Hank decided that evening that his reflections had taught him an impor-
tant lesson: no matter how rough things would be in the future, from now
on he would try to be righteous. He would cease going along with general
strategies and behavioral traits, and follow the way of his heart. For life is
a boomerang: everything that you do flies back in your face: if not sooner,
then definitely later.

Reflection Points
This story presents a frequent phenomenon in organizations: fueled by an
“us” versus “them” mindset, also referred to as in-groups versus out-groups.
People build their little powerhouses, oftentimes because they are afraid that
others might try to undermine them. We see the world as we are, so these
people think of the possible behaviors of others as a mirror of their own. This
excessive sense of self-protection often leads to the release of employees that
could have made an important contribution to the company.
80 GARY STARK

Three Questions
1. Hank had built a powerhouse, but ultimately, external circumstances
led him to lose his job anyway. Based on the information shared in this
story, what do you consider Hank’s mistakes in the past years?
2. If you were Samantha, would you hire Hank? Why, or why not?
3. What do you consider the most important lesson to be learned from
this story?

Note
1. Flat, curved wooden stick that returns to the thrower if thrown properly.

1.38 The Practicality of Scientific

Management

Gary Stark

Keywords: management, loading, people, intelligence, simplification

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior,
Organizational Psychology, Human Resources Management
Topics: management history, scientific management, job design, job
simplification

The Story
Frederick Taylor is known as the “father of Scientific Management.” Scientific
management is a mode of management that reached peak popularity in the
early 1900s and still has an impact on management today. The scientific
management approach is to break jobs into their simplest elements and deter-
mine the most efficient ways to do each task involved in a job. One way we
still see scientific management today is in the practices of the UPS delivery
company—famous for routing trucks with no left turns and for specific pro-
cedures as to how drivers are to enter and exit their vehicles, carry their keys,
and notify people of package deliveries.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 81

The problem with scientific management is that it sometimes simplifies

jobs and tasks so much that the worker is left bored by the job. There is an
excellent book by Ben Hamper called Rivet Head1 that explores the impact
of oversimplified jobs. It is both humorous and frightening. It is easy to
criticize scientific management for the fault of oversimplifying jobs, but
I find that the best way to criticize it is by using the words of Frederick
Taylor himself. The excerpts I use are from “The Principles of Scientific
Management” in Scientific Management by Frederick Taylor, published by
Harper Row in 1939.
One of Taylor’s most famous illustrations of Scientific Management was
the loading of pig iron—92 pound blocks of iron, at a steel yard. Taylor
describes the task of loading pig iron as such “this work is chosen because
it is typical of perhaps the crudest and most elementary form of labor which
is performed by man . . . This work is so crude and elementary in its nature
that the writer firmly believes that it would be possible to train an intel-
ligent gorilla so as to be a more efficient pig-iron handler than any man
can be.”
What should be pointed out about this Taylor quote is the disturbing
comparison of pig-iron handlers to gorillas. This suggests a less than com-
plete respect for the pig-iron handlers.
As to the pig -ron handling, Taylor observed that the handlers were load-
ing, on average, twelve and a half long tons per man per day. Taylor made a
few calculations and determined that by working more efficiently the han-
dlers could load, on average, forty-eight long tons per day. So, Taylor set to
work training a man identified as Schmidt in order to reach the forty-eight
long ton goal.
Here is how Taylor described the training of Schmidt. “Schmidt started
to work, and all day long, and at regular intervals, was told by the man who
stood over him with a watch, ‘Now pick up a pig and walk. Now sit down
and rest. Now walk—now rest,’ etc. He worked when he was told to work,
and rested when he was told to rest, and at half-past five in the afternoon had
his 47 1/2 tons loaded on the car.”
There are notable images in this example. The imagery of “the man”
standing over the worker. Furthermore “the man” carefully timing you
with a watch. Is this the way you want to work? With the man standing
over you?
In fairness to Taylor we should note the significant increase his methods
brought in productivity as he quadrupled the pig-iron handler’s output.
Finally, one more quote by Taylor drives home why it is that scientific
management may not be the best method of work for human beings. Here
he describes the ideal worker for his scientific management methods:
“Now, one of the very first requirements for a man who is fit to handle pig
iron as a regular occupation is that he shall be so stupid and so phlegmatic
that he more nearly resembles in his mental make-up the ox than any other
type.”
82 GARY STARK

Think about that. Think of the stupidest person you know. Now, think of
the smartest ox you know (any bovine will do, actually). Which is smarter?
What percentage of people then are fit for work of this sort? Zero. Work this
simplified is inappropriate for human beings.

Reflection Points
Management has evolved over the years and it is interesting to see where some
of the tactics we use today had their origin. We have largely moved beyond
the techniques of scientific management, which implies that this method no
longer works well. It is useful to contemplate why this approach no longer
fits most work situations. It is also interesting to contemplate the attitude
toward workers that such an approach as scientific management implied.

Three Questions
1. Identify jobs you or people you know have had and use those to illus-
trate ways that the jobs were oversimplified.
2. What effect does job simplification have on workers’ motivation and
mental health and why?
3. Managers during the era of scientific management often assumed that
workers were inherently lazy and avoided work (this is known as a
“Theory X” view). Is the Theory X view accurate? Is it a product of the
tasks that were given to the workers?

Note
1. B. Hamper, Rivethead: Tales from the Assembly Line (New York, NY: Warner
Books, 1992).
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 83

1.39 A Failure to Involve Staff

Robert S. Fleming

Keywords: employee involvement, organizational change, participation,

resistance to change
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: communication, conflict, continuous process improvement, cus-
tomer responsiveness, employee involvement, empowerment, leadership,
management, motivation, organizational change, participation, power, resis-
tance to change

The Story
Heidi is the advising coordinator at a regional university with 6,800 stu-
dents. The advising model utilized in her university is set up as follows: Her
staff of professional advisors advise students for the first two years of their
curriculum and then transfer the students to appropriate faculty members
for continued academic and career advisement during the second two years
of their program. This arrangement has worked well since it was instituted a
number of years ago.
The one glitch in the system from the standpoint of Heidi’s role in the
operation has always been walk-in students who wish to see one of her twelve
advisors without having previously scheduled an appointment. This happens
most often during the prime registration periods and routinely creates frus-
tration on the part of the involved students, as well as the advising and sup-
port staff of her office.
Over the years, this issue has routinely been on the agenda for the depart-
ment’s staff meetings, and while strategies such as communicating with the
student body through traditional and electronic means has increased the
number of students seeing their advisors in advance of registration periods
through scheduled advising appointments, the problem still persists. A com-
plicating factor is that, given the size of her staff and limited resources, the
office would not be capable of accommodating all of its assigned students
through the normal thirty-minute appointments within the typical five-
week registration periods.
84 ROBERT S. FLEMING

After much thought and reflection Heidi realized that the goal of the
office should be to accommodate the advising needs of as many students as
possible. She further recognized that while some students do need the thir-
ty-minute advising sessions, a significant number of students typically have
fairly simple questions, such as whether a given course will count toward
a specific program requirement. With these requirements in mind, Heidi
developed a new strategy toward the delivery of advising services. Not shar-
ing with or seeking input from her staff, she shared the strategy with the
academic dean, who shared it with her boss, the university president. They
both commended her on her resourcefulness and committed their support
to this new advising approach.
The following week Heidi called a special staff meeting where she announced
her new approach to advising that had been approved by the university admin-
istration and would be implemented the following week. The plan was that
the thirty-minute advising appointments would continue to be the mainstay
of their operation, but that on a rotating basis each of the advisors would be
scheduled to address “quick” walk-in questions or phone calls.
While this new approach came as a surprise to the entire advising staff,
some realized that it was a creative way to address a long-standing issue that
had confronted their office and negatively impacted its reputation and rat-
ings in the periodic student and alumni satisfaction surveys conducted by
the university.
With respect to implementation Heidi handed out the printouts of the
scheduled advising appointments of each advisor for the next month, along
with the rotation that she had determined for staffing the “quick service”
line. She asked that each advisor contact any advisees scheduled for their time
in the rotation and make arrangements to reschedule their appointments.
The new system was implemented and appeared to work fairly well in
improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and customer responsiveness of their
advising operations. Favorable comments were received from many students,
and the student newspaper did a feature story that commended Heidi for
making this happen. The story also included comments from some of her
staff. A theme in some of these staff comments was that although this was
Heidi’s idea, which for whatever reason she did not share with her staff until
it was a done deal, it was her staff rather than Heidi that was doing the
“heavy lifting” to make this new approach work. It was clear from some of
the comments from her staff that they did not appreciate the fact that even
the students knew about this before they did.
In a later story in the student newspaper, Heidi was quoted as saying that
she “did not understand why any member of her staff who was a professional
and cared about the students would have a problem with this new approach.”
In the interview she told the reporter that she had always been proud of
the professionalism and dedication of her staff, but based upon their resis-
tance to this necessary change had to wonder about their commitment to
the students.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 85

Reflection Points
An important role of the managers of contemporary organizations is that of
a change agent wherein they position their organization to more successfully
meet and, where possible, exceed the expectations of their stakeholders. It is
essential that a change agent involve the members of the organization in for-
mulating plans for change, since this participation typically leads to authorship
and commitment to the planned change. It is important to recognize that just
as change is necessary in a contemporary organization, the reality is that there
will always be those who may resist change and that these individuals are not
bad people; rather they simply have issues that the change agent must help them
address in the interest of having them buy in and support the planned change.

Three Questions
1. What should Heidi have done differently in this situation?
2. What reasons could explain the reluctance of some staff members to
fully embrace and support the change?
3. What strategies for overcoming resistance to change could have been
used in this situation?

1.40 Housewives and Students

Jerry Biberman

Keywords: stereotypes, assumptions

Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management, Leadership,
Organizational Behavior
Topics: leadership, Theory Y and X

The Story
While I was a graduate student I worked as a telephone interviewer for a
number of years at a market research firm. Over the years, I experienced sev-
eral managers and supervisors. One manager in particular elicited a strong
reaction from me.
86 JERRY BIBERMAN

The manager had recently been hired by the company, after recently
receiving an MBA from a rather prestigious local business school. I was,
therefore, surprised to see the way he treated the supervisors and telephone
interviewers in his department. He acted very much the way my business
class textbook described a Theory X manager as acting. He did not allow the
supervisors to interact with the interviewers, did not allow the interviewers
to talk with one another, and assumed that the interviewers would cheat on
the interviews unless they were monitored.
One day I brought in a copy of my textbook to show to the manager and
asked him why he treated the interviewers the way he did. He told me that he
had studied Theory X and Theory Y in his classes, but that the material did
not apply to the interviewers, because, in his words, the interviewers were
housewives and students (as opposed to presumably regular workers), and
housewives and students needed to be treated more in Theory X fashion.
I was surprised by his response to me, and asked him why he thought
that housewives and students should be treated differently. The manager did
not answer the question and told me to get back to work, and to keep my
opinions to myself.

Reflection Points
This story illustrates how a person’s stereotypes and assumptions influence
the attitudes and way in which he or she behaves toward others.

Three Questions
1. What stereotypes did the manager have about students and
housewives?
2. Why do you think the manager thought students and housewives
should be treated differently as workers?
3. How does this story illustrate the difference between Theory X and
Theory Y?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 87

1.41 Corporate Social and Environmental

Responsibilities: Real or on Display?

Maria Humphries and Dale Fitzgibbons

Keywords: extractive industries, mediators, public relations, power,

compliance
Courses this story could be used in: OB Courses At All Levels, Corporate
Social and Environmental Responsibilities, Corporate Law, Leadership,
Strategic Management Courses, Business Government and Society, Human
Resource Management
Topics: values, motivation, communication—public relations, diversity, eth-
ics, leadership, stakeholder engagement

The Story
“Welcome!” Despite a hectic schedule, Chris had made time to meet with
the two visiting professors, Nigel and Margaret. He was proud to show them
the environmental and social achievements of the gold-mining activities he
managed in this small coastal town. The town had fallen on hard times in
an earlier recession and the previous mine owners had left a nightmare of ill
feeling, desiccated land, and spoiled water ways.
When he arrived on the scene with the might of the company at his back
he knew he could make a difference to the lives of the people here. By any
mining industry standard, the company he worked for were the leaders.
Based on the promises of much greater corporate social and environmental
responsibility than evidenced by the previous owners, the community was,
on the whole, very supportive of the reinvigoration of mining. Chris was
pleased to talk with the professors—after all education was central to the
social responsibilities taken seriously by this company. Nigel and Margaret
were keen to learn more about this award-winning company. The company
had an excellent website full of detailed information about everything from
financial and technical mining information to community investments and
impressive environmental restoration programs. Nigel and Margaret had
read these reports well ahead of their visit. Now was the time to view these
achievements in person.
88 MARIA HUMPHRIES AND DALE FITZGIBBONS

Chris was certainly forthcoming. The picture he painted of the industry and
its relationship to the town challenged many of their ideas about the examples
of exploitative corporate behavior they used in class to attract their students’
attention to a little more critical insight into the functioning of capitalism.
Nigel and Margaret were keen to learn more following the meeting. They
were curious to know whether or not this really could be the example of an
industry that would reassure them that multinationals have the flourishing
of communities and the environment at heart. They had heard rumors that
not everyone in the town was happy with the activities of the corporation.
Perhaps they could find some people who had some enlightening stories to
tell. But first, there was the guided tour for visitors. It left the company’s
Information Center each day at 2 P.M.
The Information Center was in the heart of the town. Photo boards of
the history of mining showed images of rugged men at work, of families at
play and sport, children in school using the latest of technologies—much of
it sponsored by the company. There were stunning photographs of restored
areas on land once denuded by old-fashioned ways of mining. This company
sure appeared to have a heart of gold! It was soon 2 P.M. It was a breathtak-
ing ride: from the edge of the mine, through the tailings areas, and along
the new prospecting regions. The tour guide provided a dazzling array of
statistics, assurances, and examples of the contribution of the mining activi-
ties to the region, and the social, environmental and financial achievement.
The gorgeous scenery and the impressive technology used both to mine and
to restore the region were surely impressive!
Once off the tour, Nigel turned to Margaret. “If all of this is so financially,
socially and environmentally sound what are the gripers worried about?”
Having planned their day well, the next meeting was with Todd, the media-
tor employed by the company to help ensure the communication between
the various community groups and the company was good. It was important
to the company that the community understood the benefits of their pres-
ence and in particular that they understood that some of the difficulties
that might be associated with mining activities. Where they could not be
fully satisfied, fair and reasonable compensation would be assured. Todd was
proud of his achievements—in particular the very productive meetings he
facilitated with what were sometimes pretty stroppy residents. Some of them
were merely annoying—but some could be dangerous should he not appease
them—or at least not let their behavior annoy the company directors. He
was paid a lot to mediate!
The last part of the day was devoted to meeting some of the gripers. What
could they possibly have to worry about?

Reflection Points
CSR has really become “mainstreamed” these past few years. High-profile
cases such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the collapse of the mine and
the miraculous rescue of the miners in various parts of the world, and the
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 89

tragic explosion that killed twenty-nine miners in New Zealand are impor-
tant examples. In each case, the public relations staff of the corporations have
worked hard to inform the public of the issues at hand and the corporations
commitment to attend to them. Corporate reporting has also become a sig-
nificant industry. What concerns might you bring to mind as an employee,
board member, other stakeholder of such industries? What kinds of critical
questions might come to your mind as a citizen?

Three Questions
1. What are the relative financial budgets of multinational corporations
and other stakeholders for the dissemination of information? Do any
disparities matter? If so, to whom and why?
2. How helpful is the Internet for finding “alternative interpretations” of
events ? To whom much such alternative interpretations be important
and why?
3. What part should governments, educational programs, and the media
have in the dissemination of information about the activities of cor-
porate activities and their effects on communities near and far? Do
religious communities or other stakeholder groups have any special
obligations to be deeply informed and engaged? Do you?

1.42 Put Me in Coach, I’m Ready to Pay

Gary Stark

Keywords: employees, attitude, ignorance, behavior, sales

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior,
Organizational Psychology, Consumer Behavior
Topics: self-fulfilling prophecy, perception

The Story
The following story was originally written by Danielle Price, a student at
Northern Michigan University, and is shared with her permission. Slight
modifications were made to fit the context of this book.
90 GARY STARK

When I’m out shopping and walk into a store such as Hollister or
Abercrombie I can expect to see employees my age working there. As I walk
in I always get a “Hey check out our new hoodies!” (Or whatever is new at
the time). If I looked puzzled standing by a clothes rack at these stores some-
one will usually walk by and ask if they can help me find anything. I look
like I’m going to buy something at such a store because I’m usually wearing
something from that store when I walk in.
Something different happens if I walk into a “fancier” store.
A few years ago I walked into Macys with an old, cheap purse strapped
around my shoulder. I stopped at the Coach Purse station with the intentions
of buying a nice, new purse if I could find the one I was looking for. Sure
enough, it was there locked in a glass case in a few different colors I liked. I
watched the salesperson look at me, but she did not ask me if I needed any
assistance. I think she formed an expectation about me that I would not buy
anything at Macys. Where that expectation came from is an interesting ques-
tion, and might be analyzed by the perceptual process. Perhaps she made this
judgment based on my age, since I was a lot younger than any of the other
women shopping there. She might have assumed I couldn’t afford a Coach
Purse. She may have developed a schema about me based on my appearance
as well. I wasn’t carrying anything expensive, nor was I dressed up like I was
going to work, as were most of the women shopping around me.
Consistent with the “self-fulfilling prophecy,” the salesperson’s judgment
affected her behavior toward me. I watched her ask the ladies around me if
they “would like to see anything?” She informed them that they could “save
20% today by opening a Macy’s card.” Yet she ignored me.
I wanted to see one of the purses, look inside, and make sure I liked the
size. If the salesperson had approached me, I probably would have asked her
what color looks best and maybe would have asked a bit about the material
of the purse. She didn’t say one word to me—why waste her time waiting on
me if I wasn’t going to buy anything? Eventually, my belief about buying a
new purse changed. I started to believe I didn’t belong in that store and now
had less confidence about making the best decision. Because of this I left the
counter and walked out of the store. By doing so my behavior was consistent
with the salesperson’s original expectation. I didn’t purchase anything.

Reflection Points
Self-fulfilling prophecies are often unintended and we are often not aware
of the original beliefs or perceptions that result in a self-fulfilling prophecy.
They can be especially harmful to women or minorities. An awareness of the
process can help short-circuit it.

Three Questions
1. Identify the process of the self-fulfilling prophecy and how Danielle’s
experience fits with each step in that process.
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 91

2. What situations have you been in where you created a self-fulfilling

prophecy?
3. Much of the most interesting work with self-fulfilling prophecies has
been done in an educational context. Describe how a teacher’s beliefs
about your aptitude could create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

1.43 An Assignment Doomed to Fail

Robert S. Fleming

Keywords: delegation, empowerment, information sharing

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: communication, delegation, empowerment, information sharing,
job design, job performance, job satisfaction, management, motivation,
organizational support, stress

The Story
Jeff is a newly appointed safety officer at a small manufacturing company. The
company has experienced a significant increase in workplace injuries over the
past several years that are driving up its loss experience and its corresponding
workers’ compensation insurance premiums. Jeff has worked for the organi-
zation for twelve years and has served as a lead manufacturing team member
for the past five years. His new responsibilities for workplace safety represent
an additional assignment to his manufacturing duties in the plant.
In assuming his new job responsibilities Jeff received little guidance from
the plant manager other than encouraging him that “given his years of expe-
rience he would know what to do to reduce workplace injuries.” The plant
manager did give him a manual on reducing workplace injuries that had been
provided by their workers’ compensation insurance carrier.
During a weekend community event Jeff was talking to a neighbor who
likewise recently assumed responsibilities for safety in the manufacturing
facility where he works. He told Jeff about a group of area safety folks who
have decided to meet once a month for dinner to compare notes on safety
issues and hopefully assist each other. The following Monday, Jeff told his
92 ROBERT S. FLEMING

boss about this group and was encouraged to begin participating in the
group. Recognizing the potential value to their company in terms of enhanc-
ing workplace safety and reducing accidents and injuries, the plant manager
suggested that the company compensate Jeff for his time while attending the
meetings and that the company would also cover the cost of his meal.
Jeff subsequently contacted the individual who was organizing this group
and after a fairly lengthy conversation became further convinced of the value
of participating in the group. He indicated that he would be attending the
upcoming meeting of the group. In preparation for the meeting he started
thinking about how this group, its activities, and networking with its mem-
bers could enable him to succeed in his new assignment with respect to
safety, an assignment that he was very passionate about, given the number of
injuries that his coworkers had suffered over the past several years.
The day of the meeting proved to be an extremely busy one in Jeff’s plant,
due to the normal production workload, an unanticipated rush order for a
major customer, and the breakdown of a key processing line. As committed and
enthusiastic as Jeff was about the gathering that evening, after already working
late he actually considered not attending the meeting but realized that get-
ting in on the ground floor of these meetings would be beneficial to him and
his company. He therefore rushed to wrap things up at work and drove about
twenty miles to the restaurant where the group was scheduled to meet.
Upon his arrival at the restaurant he found himself in numerous conversa-
tions with individuals who, like him, were trying to figure out how best to
approach their responsibilities for workplace safety. He quickly realized that
he was in the right place for a “safety guy” and recognized that this resource
would be instrumental in contributing to his success and that of his company
with respect to workplace safety.
The informal networking before the meeting was followed by a work-
ing meeting throughout dinner and more networking and informal discus-
sion afterward. The meeting began with self-introductions of all participants
along with each person sharing what he or she would like to get from partici-
pating in this group. A clear theme was the value of focusing initial attention
on problems that all participants were dealing with, which would offer the
best “bang for the buck” as the group’s initial projects.
All participants agreed to do some research in their respective organiza-
tions and to be prepared to discuss the number of lost-time workers’ com-
pensation injuries that had occurred in their organization over the past five
years and to categorize these injuries by cause or mechanism such as “slips,
trips, or falls” or “overexertion in lifting.” All that was being asked for was
general information, rather than the specifics of any particular accident or
injury. The planned agenda for the next meeting would be to share this
information and, based on the themes presented, to identify an initial area of
workplace safety to address.
The following day Jeff contacted the company’s administrative person who
handles human resources management as well as insurance issues only to be
told that while the company maintains records of this information, he was not
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 93

authorized to have access to it. The unwillingness to give him access to this
information has caused Jeff to reconsider accepting the additional respon-
sibilities for workplace safety. He also realizes that it will be embarrassing
to attend the next group meeting without having his homework assignment
completed and having to admit what happened to his new safety colleagues.

Reflection Points
There are three critical components in the process of effective delegation:
responsibility, authority, and accountability. It is imperative that indi-
viduals receiving delegated assignments be given the necessary authority,
including access to and use of organizational resources, to accomplish
their new responsibilities. Through proper delegation an organization can
successfully motivate and empower its personnel while accomplishing its
goals.

Three Questions
1. Was the delegation through which Jeff was assigned the responsibility
for workplace safety handled appropriately?
2. What could have been done to avoid the resulting situation?
3. What should Jeff’s boss do to resolve the current situation?

1.44 Study Director and His Wife

Jerry Biberman

Keywords: culture, norms

Courses this story could be used in: Leadership, Principles of Management,
Organizational Behavior
Topics: organization culture, behavioral norms

The Story
When I was a college student I worked part-time as a telephone interviewer at
a market research firm on the East Coast of the United States that collected
94 JERRY BIBERMAN

its data using mainly telephone interviews. Interviewers worked in two shifts
seven days a week—a morning shift from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. and an evening
shift from 5 P.M. to 10 P.M. Each shift was supervised by a head supervisor
and several supervisors. The supervisors were in turn supervised by a depart-
ment manager. Each study that we conducted was conducted and managed
by a study director, who was considered part of upper management, and who
in turn reported to the manager of the study directors.
During meals and breaks the study directors met and ate in a separate
dining room with the other managers. The telephone interviewer supervi-
sors were not allowed in the manager’s dining room, so they ate in the same
dining room as the telephone interviewers and other hourly workers, but
they ate at their own table, and did not eat with or socialize with the inter-
viewers or other hourly workers.
During the years that I worked at the company, two of the supervisors
began dating and eventually married. One of the two married supervisors
(the husband) was then promoted to the position of study director. When he
was promoted to study director, the husband no longer ate with his wife and
the supervisors, but instead ate with the managers.
The husband would visit with his wife several times during the workday,
until one day the visiting stopped. Apparently, the husband had been told
that it was inappropriate for him to be seen socializing with those workers
who were not at his rank or above—even his own wife.

Reflection Points
This story illustrates the behavioral norms that arise out of the culture in an
organization.

Three Questions
1. What were the behavioral norms in this situation?
2. How would you have handled the situation if you were the study
director?
3. Why did the supervisors sit at a separate table in the dining room?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 95

1.45 If You Build It, You’ll Have To

Negotiate

Gary Stark

Keywords: cooperativeness, assertiveness, collaboration

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior,
Organizational Psychology, Unions/Collective Bargaining, Leadership,
Group Development
Topics: conflict, negotiation, yielding, forcing, avoiding, compromising

The Story
Several semesters ago a student of mine pointed out that home builders are
often very good negotiators. He insisted that they have to be or they would
lose clients to divorce! A lot of conflict occurs in building a home because
every detail of the home needs to be decided and it is impossible for a couple
to agree on every one of those details. For that reason, there is a high rate of
divorce among couples building a home.
A classic analysis of conflict negotiation specifies that there are two fac-
tors by which a conflict can be settled. Each settlement has some level of
assertiveness by each party and some level of cooperativeness by each party.
Assertiveness is the degree to which a party attempts to meet its own needs.
Cooperativeness is the degree to which a party attempts to meet the other
party’s needs.
Let’s imagine a situation where a couple has been shown several faucets
for their bathroom sink. Pat wants faucet A because it is made of brass, while
Chris likes faucet B because of the handles. Taking the conflict from the
view of Chris, there are several possible solutions:
Yielding is when a negotiator is low on assertiveness and high on coopera-
tiveness. Chris would be yielding if she agreed to faucet A (Pat’s choice).
Chris would be forcing if she insisted on faucet B. Forcing consists of low
cooperativeness and high assertiveness.
Avoiding is a situation wherein a negotiator exhibits low cooperativeness
and low assertiveness. In this situation neither party gets what it wants. For
the present example, perhaps the couple avoids the situation by picking neither
of the faucets and finding one that has no brass (so as to not offend Chris) and
completely different handles than Chris likes (so as not to offend Pat).
96 GARY STARK

Compromise represents a level of medium assertiveness and medium

cooperativeness. Perhaps in this example Pat and Chris would pick a faucet in
a material similar to brass and with handles similar to the ones Chris likes.
Contrary to what we may have been told, compromise is often not the
best solution to conflict. This is especially true for issues that are very impor-
tant to both parties. With collaboration, neither party really gets what they
want. If the issue is important, then collaboration is the best approach.
Collaboration represents a high level of cooperativeness and a high level
of assertiveness. That is, both parties get what they want. Too often nego-
tiation is seen as a win/lose situation where every solution involves give or
take. However, by carefully considering what each party really wants and by
carefully looking at alternatives a conflict can often result in a collaborative
solution.
This is where the home builder comes in. A home builder is interested
in making everyone happy. House decisions that result in a couple splitting
usually mean that there will not be a house purchase after all! And, if a home
builder can bring peace to a family and find the perfect solution that pleases
everybody, that builder has gained a lot of goodwill.
A collaborative solution is not always easy, but in this case it may be as
simple as the home builder having a broad knowledge of what bathroom
faucets are available. With a little calling around, the builder may be able to
find a brass faucet (like Pat likes) with the handles Chris likes. Everybody is
happy, the couple stays together, and the home builder keeps on building.

Reflection Points
This story serves as a reminder that we don’t have to accept the solutions
that are presented to us and that by thinking creatively we can come up with
new and better solutions. Further, it reminds us that negotiation and good
negotiators can be found in places you’d not normally think about.

Three Questions
1. How does collaboration differ from the other forms of negotiation on
the facets of cooperativeness and assertiveness?
2. Think of a conflict you have had and offer potential solutions that
illustrate each of these five conflict solutions.
3. The needs or wants of parties are not always clear from their initial
offers or stances. Often initial offers are just one possible solution to
what a party wants. Sometimes it takes hard work to uncover what the
party really wants. How can knowledge of topics such as motivation,
perception, and decision-making help uncover the real wants of each
party?
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 97

1.46 The Last-Minute Performance

Evaluation

Robert S. Fleming

Keywords: communication, empowerment, motivation, performance

appraisal
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Principles
of Management
Topics: communication, employee involvement, empowerment, human
resource management, job performance, job satisfaction, leadership style,
management, motivation, performance appraisal, personnel retention, quality
of work life, rewards, supervisor-subordinate relations, time management

The Story
Gwen is a manager in the corporate office of a large, well-known nonprofit
organization. She has held the management position for less than a year
and has been working hard to excel in her position. She, along with all
other management personnel in the organization, is scheduled to receive
her annual performance evaluations in June of each year, with the ratings
of the evaluation being a significant factor in the awarding of annual salary
increases effective July 1 of each year.
Gwen is one of eight managers who report to a given superior, who is
responsible for conducting each of their performance evaluations by the end
of June of each year. Her understanding from talking to the other managers
who report to her boss is that he really does not like doing these performance
appraisals and making the associated recommendations for salary adjust-
ments. In general, she has learned that he is a seasoned procrastinator, par-
ticularly when it comes to addressing problems or controversial situations.
Throughout the month of June Gwen learned through the grapevine
when various other managers reporting to her boss were called in for their
interviews. On three occasions it appeared that the meetings were scheduled
in advance, while the others were conducted in an ad hoc manner connected
with other scheduled meetings or by calling the person in and conducting
an unscheduled performance evaluation meeting.
98 ROBERT S. FLEMING

While Gwen has been extremely patient, she became concerned when the
last week of the month arrived and she had not received her evaluation yet.
Each and every day of the week she assumed that she would be called in at
any time and receive her evaluation.
On the last work day of the month, her anxiety had reached a high level as
she stood in the cafeteria line to purchase her lunch. As she turned around in
the line she found herself facing her supervisor who indicated that he needed
to see her that afternoon to handle her performance evaluation. He prefaced
his remark with the fact that since she was new to management she probably
did not realize that her evaluation had to be done by the end of the month.
She exhibited the utmost of restraint in not pointing out that she not only
knew that but was aware that all of the other managers had already received
their evaluations. The conversation seemingly ended with them agreeing
that she should stop by his office around 2:00 that afternoon.
As they were talking the line moved very little, given the number of
employees that had chosen to eat at the cafeteria that day and the limited
food service staff on duty. Gwen observed her supervisor glancing with dis-
pleasure at his watch several times as he became increasingly impatient with
the long wait. Abruptly, he stated that he did not have time for this with all
that he had to do that afternoon including her performance evaluation. Less
than a minute later she found that he had apparently decided to use this time
while waiting in line to actually conduct her performance evaluation.
She was told that her performance met his expectations and would be
recorded as “satisfactory” in all categories and that she should “keep up the
good work.” He also instructed her to stop by and see his secretary who
would have the performance evaluation document available for her to sign.
She followed his direction and signed the performance evaluation paperwork
later that afternoon, allowing her boss to turn in his required paperwork on
time.
As she drove home, Gwen realized that she had not been afforded the
opportunity to discuss her performance with respect to each of the evalu-
ation criteria, a number of which she thought she should have received a
higher rating. She had also been denied the opportunity to discuss how she
could more fully meet his expectations and her career aspirations within the
organization.
Further reflection throughout the weekend caused her to consider her
true value in the organization, given that her supervisor did not even con-
cern himself with her performance evaluation to the last possible day and at
that point did not even offer the courtesy to have an evaluation interview
professionally conducted in a appropriate setting by a supervisor committed
to her present and future career success in the organization.

Reflection Points
One of the most important responsibilities of a manager, who supervises oth-
ers, regardless of managerial level, is periodically conducting performance
 FORMAL WORKPLACE REFLECTION STORIES 99

evaluations. This is an opportunity to acknowledge good performance and

to discuss areas in need of improvement. Performance appraisal interviews
should be scheduled in advance and conducted in a professional manner,
including the logistics of the meeting place.

Three Questions
1. What did the supervisor do wrong in this situation?
2. How could this unfortunate situation have been avoided?
3. What should be done at this point to address this situation?
 PA R T I I

Multicultural Stories
 2.1 Hanuman: Unleashing Hidden
Potential

Mala Kapadia

Keywords: belief system, Johari Window, trust, receiving feedback, explor-

ing potential, mentor
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Psychology, Leadership,
Organizational Behavior
Topics: self: overcoming limiting beliefs, taking risk, receiving feedback;
interpersonal relationships: trust, mentoring
Background psycho-philosophy: I perceive all mythologies as coded knowl-
edge. They may depict history, or characters with extraordinary potential.
Unfortunately, they have become only religious symbols who are worshipped
externally. They may or may not be real people or gods, but they certainly are
energies that represent our own possibilities. Revisiting these stories allows
us at a deeper level to reconnect with our own energies and urge us to dive
within to discover them.

The story
The Ramayana is one of the ancient Indian epics. The story’s original version
in Sanskrit is known as Valmiki Ramayana, dating back to approximately the
fifth–fourth century BC. The Ramayana consists of twenty-four thousand
verses in seven books and five hundred cantos.
The story of Hanuman is drawn from this epic narrative. A general among
the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of
the Supra Energy, whose fate it is to aid the hero Ram in the struggle against
the demon king Ravan. Hanuman is significant not only in Indian tradition,
but also in Burmese, Javanese, Indonesian, Thai, and Malay traditions.
Also known as the Monkey God, he signifies various powers lying dor-
mant within. Hanuman was mischievous as a child, and sometimes teased
the meditating sages in the forests by snatching their personal belongings
and disturbing their well-arranged articles of worship. Finding his antics
104 MALA KAPADIA

unbearable, but realizing that Hanuman was only a child, the sages placed a
mild curse1 on him by which he became unable to remember his own abili-
ties unless reminded by another person.
Later as a young vanar general helping the dethroned king Ram to
find his wife Sita, he demonstrates phenomenal abilities during the war.
On reaching the southernmost end of India, and still unable to find Sita,
Ram along with his army chiefs is wondering about how to go further as
in front of them is the vast expanse of the sea. If they started building a
bridge, it would take much longer to even reach across, and they were not
even sure if Sita was there across the sea. Jambuvant, a senior in the army,
spots a quietly wondering Hanuman and reminds him of his abilities. One
of the eight powers that Hanuman was blessed with included the ability to
fly. If he flew across and got the needed information, time could be saved
and the war strategy finalized. Hanuman accepts Jambuvant’s feedback
about his own forgotten potential and takes the risk of flying. He manages
to cut across the vast sea and get into Ravan’s kingdom using his power of
changing body size by either expanding or becoming very small.
Hanuman meets Sita, assures her of rescue, and comes back to Ram with
all relevant information for war. In the epic Ramayan, this act of Hanuman’s
is very significant and helps in the winning of the war. Later Hanuman
becomes Ram and Sita’s trusted general once they unite and go back to their
kingdom to reign as king and queen.

Reflection Points
In OB you have learnt the Johari Window model with the four quadrants of
Known to Self and Others: Open window; Unknown to Others, Known to
Self: Closed window; Known to Others, Unknown to Self: Blind window;
and Unknown to Self and Others: Dark window. It is only through feedback
from others that we are able to access information about ourselves from the
blind window that is known to others but unknown to self. How will you
get this information?
Jambuvant made Hanuman aware of one of his potentials—that of flying
across the sea. As Hanuman reached Ravan’s kingdom across the sea, due to
his expanded windows of self-knowledge, he discovers his other abilities such
as changing body size and entering any place as and when required. These
were hidden in his dark window. How does the matrix of exposure and feed-
back impact our dark window of unknown to self and others? As mentor,
how will you help mentees expand their window?
Even if we receive feedback, what stops us from experimenting with new
behaviors? For example, for Hanuman, flying or any other activity was for-
gotten and hence new behaviors.
Hanuman signifies the hidden potential of our mind. Explore how the
brain is the hardware and the mind the software that writes the program for
our brain. This program contains all our past experiences and our possibilities
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 105

for the future. Even when you sit in one place, which means the brain is sta-
tionary, does the mind wander around, visit many places, and come back?
How will you tame the monkey mind? Do you see correlates with Monkey
God Hanuman?

Three Questions
1. Reflect on this story and review if there is a Jambuvant around you
who will give you feedback on your strengths, which you may not be
aware of. What is the role of trust in self and trust in others for you to
be able to succeed in these behaviors? How will you establish trust?
2. What belief systems or fears stop you from expanding the open win-
dow? How will you overcome them?
3. Make a list of behaviors you want to experiment with to expand
yourself. How will you increase your risk-taking ability? How will an
expanded open window benefit you, your team, and the organization
in achieving performance results?

Note
1. The curse is highlighted in Kishkindha Kanda and Sundara Kanda.

2.2 Learning from Nature

Chellie Spiller

Keywords: attitudes, behavior, conflict management, emotional intelli-

gence, internal locus of control, managing stress, organizational culture,
organizational commitment, performance, personality, person-job fit, resil-
ience, valuing diversity
Courses this story can be used in: Workplace Diversity, Leadership,
Organizational Communication, Organizational Behavior
Topics: understanding personality, emotional intelligence, internal locus
of control, person-job fit, conflict management, managing stress, building
social capital, organizational culture
106 CHELLIE SPILLER

The Story
For the Māori, learning from nature can be a powerful and enlightening
experience that leads him to better understand himself. For example, the
pāua,1 a member of the abalone family that lives in the rocky coastal regions
of New Zealand, provides a wonderful opportunity for developing insights
into organizational behavior. The pāua is oval-shaped, punctuated by a row
of holes used for breathing and reproduction. The black-footed pāua eats
seaweed with a rough tongue embedded with thousands of tiny sharp teeth
and usually grows up to 180 millimeter in size. The strong, muscular foot
enables them to glide across the rocks when foraging. Its predators include
crabs, lobsters, octopuses, starfish, and tube worms.
Pāua is much loved in the tribe I come from, Ngāti Kahungunu, both
as a kai moana, an edible seafood delicacy, and as a taonga, a precious gift.
When I was growing up we would race along the wild beaches hunting for
pāua shells to decorate our house and garden. Hunting for pāua at the low-
est spring-tide level we would use broad, blunt knives to prise them off the
rocks to which they cling with tremendous suction. Later, after pounding
them into tenderness, my family would gather together and eat delicious
pāua fritters. My mother would often joke and call me a pāua if I was being
clingy, in reference to the black muscular foot of the abalone that can cling
staunchly to rocks. When visiting marae, the communal meeting houses,
the pāua eyes in the carvings of the ancestors would glow in the evening
and I would feel deeply reassured and safe in their spiritual embrace.
As you study the pāua shell you will see that the thick inner layer is com-
posed of very strong, resilient, and opalescent nacre, or mother-of-pearl,
which changes when turned in the light. Each shell has its own unique inner
layers of brilliant greens, blues, mauves, and pinks. The black swirls that
help create beautiful patterns come from layers of protein that are laid down
between the layers of calcium that make up the shell. The outside of the shell
is rough and typically covered with coral-like seaweeds.

Reflection Points
For this exercise it is recommended that pāua shells, or shell chips, be handed
around and participants invited to reflect upon them (they can easily be
purchased online). Studying pāua can stimulate discussion about diversity
in the workplace and show how to harness the unique and varied contribu-
tions of each person so that an organization accomplishes more as a group.
Associated with valuing and encouraging diversity is the importance of cre-
ating a culture that seeks to truly understand what lies beneath employee
attitudes. Often the “exterior” of a person belies a rich and dazzling interior
life—just as the pāua has a hard coat on the outside and stunning layers of
color on the inside. The leader’s task is to release the potential in people by
helping individuals better understand their layers, including thought, feel-
ing, and behavior. Leaders are also encouraged to understand the layers of
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 107

culture, spirituality, beliefs, and values systems that contribute to the multi-
layered tapestry of each individual.
Studying the pāua can be used to emphasize the importance of person-
job fit so that employees’ personalities and talents are well-suited to the tasks
they are expected to perform, and thus help in supporting a high-perfor-
mance culture.
Another angle in this story is to highlight the importance of emotional
intelligence. The inner layers of the pāua can be used to encourage self-
awareness and self-management.
This story also emphasizes the importance of providing ongoing learning
and growing opportunities so that people in the workplace can keep adding
to their layers, and self-actualize.

Three Questions
1. What do you do in your organization to encourage and release the
opportunities in diversity?
2. How do you build emotional intelligence and resilience in your
organization?
3. How do you manage conflict and stress in your organization?

Note
1. Useful website links that contain information about the pāua: http://
collections.tepapa.govt.nz/theme.aspx?irn=988; http://www.paua.org.nz/;
and www.teara.govt.nz.

2.3 Rude Awakening:

A Story of Two Trees

Joan Marques

Keywords: relationships, ridiculing, respect

Courses this story could be used in: Workplace Diversity, Leadership,
Organizational Behavior, Principles of Management
108 JOAN MARQUES

Topics: flexibility, underestimation, strength and weakness, ego versus

humility

The Story
Kankantrie (a major cotton tree growing in the Amazon forest) stood proud
and mighty, as she had done for the longest time. She was well aware of
her reputation as “God of the forest,” and expected nothing but utmost
respect from all vegetation around. She had been praised in many songs, and
revered by the Maroon and indigenous tribes, who had built their villages
near the rivers in the South American interior. Kankantrie was literally the
highest tree in the forest. When Winti, the North East Passat, would blow,
her branches would wave with grace, and when the major rains would fall,
she would serve as a shelter to flying and walking animals alike.
Near Kankantrie stood Banabon, a feeble banana tree, which delivered the finest
yellow bananas in season. Banabon was not the youngest anymore, but still car-
ried her load diligently year after year. When the bananas were near-ripe, the tribal
people would come and cut them off to have them ripen in their huts.
The relationship between Kankantrie and Banabon was not so pleasant.
This was not Banabon’s fault. She had tried for many years to become friends
with the proud giant. But Kankantrie was jealous and couldn’t stand the fact
that Banabon would deliver food for the people, which made her important
as well, in spite of her frailty. Kankantrie couldn’t stand that, even though
she was the single source around which all tribal rituals were performed. It
was not enough for Kankantrie that the tribal medicine men would come
and sit at her feet when they were having their monthly holy prayer meet-
ings. It was not enough that all animals sought her for shelter. And it was
not enough that Banabon had the deepest respect for her. She would ridicule
the small Banabon at any chance she got. She would make fun of the large,
flappy leaves and frail trunk of the small banana tree. Sometimes, she would
laugh so hard at Banabon’s apparent weaknesses that the ground would shake
under the plants and trees, and all animals would hide. But Kankantrie was
important, and no one dared to tell her how misplaced and unnecessary her
meanness was. They didn’t even dare to console poor Banabon, because they
were afraid Kankantrie might hear and get upset with them.
Then, one day in April, the North East Passat decided to blow really hard.
It had been raining for two weeks, and the wind thought it was time for the
rainclouds to finally move on to other places. Winti blew and blew and blew.
Her breath would sing through the leaves of the trees, and the village people
knew better than to go anywhere that day. They sat in their huts, and sang
songs to calm the wind.
Suddenly, they heard a roaring sound, followed by a short but powerful
tremor of the ground under their feet. The little tribal children screamed
and buried their faces in their mothers’ laps. The older children jumped in
their hammocks, where they felt safe, and the medicine men of the various
villages jumped up in horror, thinking the end of the world had arrived.
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 109

But then, it was quiet. The wind died down, and the people listened. You
could hear a pin drop in the forest.
After a half-hour, a few of the bravest men decided to gather together to
see what had happened to the world outside. They soon found the reason
for the enormous roar and quake: Kankantrie had been uprooted by Winti!
Softened by the enduring rains of the past weeks, the earth had not been
able to hold on to Kankantrie’s deep roots. The once mighty tree was now
lying lifeless in the forest. On her way down, this grand sapling had smashed
some other smaller trees as well. Plants, animals, and humans gaped in dis-
belief at the sight. There lay a giant they had all considered invincible. But
even more amazing: still trembling, but unscathed, stood . . . Banabon.

Reflection Points
We often overvalue physical prominence or prestige, while we underestimate
the value of humility and flexibility.
It is a mistake to ridicule those who make a weak or frail impression.
Everyone and everything has areas of strengths and weaknesses, and should
be respected as such.
Endurance and success are not determined by stereotypical features.
Leadership and survival can come in many forms.

Three Questions
1. Why do you think Banabon was not uprooted?
2. How do you describe the link between this story and your course
topic?
3. What do you consider the moral of this story?

2.4 Eklavya: The Archer Par Excellence!

Edwina Pio

Keywords: diversity, ethnic minority, learning, mentor

Courses this story could be used in: Workplace Diversity, Entrepreneurship,
Leadership
110 EDWINA PIO

Topics: discrimination, perseverance, personal excellence, internal locus of

control

The Story
The Mahabharata is one of the ancient Indian epics composed sometime
between approximately the twelfth and second century BC. It is a collective
work having evolved over the centuries and put together sometime around
the second century AD. The Mahabharata consists of about 1.8 million
words and includes both verses and prose passages with stories within sto-
ries. The story of Eklavya is drawn from this epic narrative.
Eklavya is a young boy from a low-caste tribe, the son of a tribal chief. He
longed to learn archery. In those ancient times much learning took place in
the forest where the guru or teacher gathered around him a band of disciples.
The disciples lived with him in his ashram and looked after his daily needs,
while he shared his learning with them including the science of weaponry.
Drona was a famous teacher skilled in archery. Eklavya had heard about this
teacher’s excellence and aspired to learn this skillful art from him. Eklavya
had been warned in advance by his family that the teacher would not accept
him because of his low-caste status and that he should shed his dreams of
being an excellent archer. But Eklavya was determined and so approached
the guru. However, he was rejected by the teacher, who felt that he could not
or should not teach someone from such a low caste.
Eklavya was broken-hearted and felt his resolve wavering. But he was a
strong-minded lad. He decided to embark on a program of self-study. In
order to do this he created a clay image of the teacher Drona and started
practicing in front of this image. His hope was that the image would imbue
him with skill and knowledge and so he paid respect to the teacher and then
diligently practiced daily in a rigorous fashion. His practice and discipline
was rewarded and he became an archer with superior qualities, which he
attributed to his reverence for Drona.
One day while Eklavya was practicing he was disturbed by a barking dog.
In order to stop the noise, he shot an arrow and sealed the dog’s mouth,
not to injure it, but to temporarily silence it. Drona and his band of disciples
happened to see the dog and were amazed at such remarkable aim. Drona’s
best pupil in archery was a high-caste prince named Arjuna and he too was
astonished. The teacher and his disciples traced the source of the arrow to
Eklavya and were amazed to see this dark-hued youth and the clay image of
Drona.
The teacher understood the situation and realized that this was the same
boy he had refused to teach. But he asked Eklavya: “Who is your teacher?”
The low-caste youth answered: “You refused to teach me. But I have made
your image, which did not refuse to teach me, and so you are my revered
teacher.” Arjuna was furious and he said to his teacher Drona: “How can a
common low-caste boy who is a hunter be a better archer than me?” Then
the teacher said: “Will you give me my gift or Guru Dakshina for your
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 111

learning?” The youth was overwhelmed that he had been accepted as a dis-
ciple of this great teacher and replied: “Whatever you ask for as I am blessed
to have you as my teacher!” Then the teacher who was very fond of Arjuna
and wanted his prowess to be better than Eklavya, said: “Give me your right
thumb as my fees.”
The forest and the gods wept in silence at this request, as they realized
that Eklavya would never be able to shoot an arrow again. But Eklavya being
dutiful took his knife, cut off his right thumb and presented it to Drona.
Drona was impressed and said to Eklavya: “Even though you will never be
able to be an archer, you will forever be known as an archer par excellence!”

Reflection Points
The teacher Drona would not teach Eklavya as he came from a lower caste.
Do we sometimes have stereotypes about ethnic minorities that prevent us
from looking beyond the color of the skin?
Practice makes perfect and this involves a tremendous discipline. What are
some of the things that you need to learn for you to thrive in your organiza-
tion? Make a list of these items. How can you achieve one item from your
list?
Learning involves sharing. What are some of the things you can share
from your own bounty of learning? What are some of the things you need
others to share with you for your learning?
If you have to select a mentor from your organization, what are the char-
acteristics you would look for?

Three Questions
1. What are some of the issues ethnic minorities could face in furthering
their learning?
2. How can mentors challenge stereotypes of ethnic minorities?
3. What can organizations do to actively support ethnic minorities?
112 GARY STARK

2.5 I Just Want to Bang On the

Cans All Day

Gary Stark

Keywords: intrinsic motivation, reinforcement, rewards, money, habits,

dissatisfaction
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior,
Organizational Psychology, Leadership, Human Resources Management
Topics: motivation, intrinsic motivation, reinforcement theory, expectancy
theory

The Story
Long ago in New Orleans, there was an old gentleman named Raymond,
who would sit on his porch every day. Raymond enjoyed his time outdoors,
communing with nature and the neighbors and soaking up sunshine. One
August a new school year started and so began new groups of kids com-
ing to and fro down his street. Now every day at the same time a group of
kids would walk down the street on their way home from school. Raymond
enjoyed talking to the local kids and the local kids enjoyed talking to
Raymond. They kept an eye out for each other. However, this group of kids
had developed a bad habit. On their way down the street every day, they
would beat on the metal trash cans with sticks.
Raymond found this very annoying and tried to ask the kids to stop, but
they didn’t want to listen to the old man on the porch. Raymond decided to
put the concepts of intrinsic motivation and reinforcement theory to work.
The next time the kids came down the street he complimented them on the
sound they made and said he would pay them a dollar a day if they promise
to do it every day. The kids accepted and every day for the following week
the kids banged on cans and Raymond paid them a dollar.
The next week Raymond told the kids that he was short on money (even
though that wasn’t really true) and that he could only pay them fifty cents a day
for banging on cans. The kids were not happy about this new arrangement, but
agreed anyway and banged cans and each got their fifty cents each day.
The week after that Raymond told the kids that money was even tighter
(even though that wasn’t really true) and that he could only pay them
twenty-five cents per day. Again, the kids were not happy about this new
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 113

arrangement, but agreed anyway and banged cans and each got their twenty-
five cents each day.
Finally, after a week of paying the kids twenty-five cents a day, Raymond
approached the kids and told them he couldn’t pay them anymore but he
still wanted them to continue to bang cans. This time the kids did not
agree. They were angry about not getting paid and refused to bang on cans
anymore.
Raymond continues to sit on his porch every day, enjoying nature, his
neighbors, and soaking up the sun.

Reflection Points
Influencing others does not have to involve force. This story also reminds us
that money is not an inherent motivator and can be, in fact it must be, used
carefully so as not to reduce intrinsic motivation.

Three Questions
1. What form of shaping does this story represent (from the standpoint of
behaviorism or reinforcement theory)?
2. How and why does extrinsic reward sometimes reduce intrinsic moti-
vation to perform a task?
3. List the three main factors involved in Expectancy Theory. Indicate
which factor is affected here and how.

2.6 “F īfīIkaMaka”: Preparing and

Sharing the Gifts from the Ocean

Alisi Numia Katoanga and Maria Humphries

Keywords: values, love, distribution, responsibility, entitlements, education,

team work
Courses this story could be used in: OB Courses At All Levels, Diversity
Courses, Strategic Management Courses (for the moral reflection on the
potential colonizing impact of trade), Business Government and Society,
Human Resource Management
114 ALISI NUMIA KATOANGA AND MARIA HUMPHRIES

Topics: values, motivation, communication, diversity, ethics, team work,

stakeholder engagement, capacity building and assessment of skills and
competencies

The Story
Palu was excited! It was the day “Tā ’Atu” was to begin. There was great
anticipation in the village. The schooling fish were coming into the shores of
Ha’ano1 and he was ready to join the gatherers! Indeed, when he and Uncle
Finau arrived on the beach, many of the people of the four local villages were
ready to greet the fish. They would gather as many of them as possible not
only for the immediate feast ahead, but also for the careful preparation and
preservation of some of them for the joyful sharing among the people who
could not be at the “Tā ’Atu.”
But look! Here and there some big fish had leapt onto the sand. Palu
noticed no one touched them but that later some people gathered them up
into special baskets. “What will happen to these fish?” he asked. “Ah!” said
Uncle Finau. “These will be taken to the island of the Hon.Tu’iha’angana.
He will divide this special basket of fish among the king, the nobles and
their relatives, the government officials and the church leaders—just as
we will share our fish with the people on the other islands, the places
where the fish do not choose to come to shore as they do here.” Uncle
Finau explained to Palu that during a Tā ’Atu, it is absolutely forbidden
to strike the fish, to cause them to bleed, or to sell any part of the catch.
The sea provides for the people out of love. The fish are essential for the
health of the people and the people should treat them with ‘ofa (love) and
faka’apa’apa (respect). If the people do not obey the ritual and traditional
ways of Tā ’Atu, “ ‘atu will leave and will never come back.” This was a lot
for Palu to think about.
Not only was this a wonderful day. The days to follow would also be won-
derful! There would be much feasting on the fish. The delicious smell of the
fish being preserved for later would remind him not only of the great meals
yet to come—but also of the journey ahead to bring some “FīfīIkaMaka”2
to distant family and friends. This would be a happy time! He would see
cousins and elders. There would be stories.
What was even more exciting was to learn from Uncle Finau that in the
very near future, he, ten-year-old Palu, skilled fisherman, would be invited
to join his relations on the nearby island of Fotuha’a to join in with the fish-
ing. There the work of fishing is called “Hī ’Atu.” Here the fish do not come
to the shore to be gathered. The fishermen of Fotuha’a will go out in their
canoes for days. They know exactly where to go for Hī ’Atu. However, they
can only go when the weather is right for them. The decision to go (or not)
is a difficult one. Conditions can be quite treacherous. It is hard to know
when the next expedition would happen. Palu hoped his parents would not
think he had better stay home and go to school! There was much to learn
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 115

about fishing! There were few people with the know-how for “Hī ’Atu.” Palu
sensed the honor he was about to be included in this highly skilled group of
providers!
And indeed, the adventure came to pass. Palu sailed off with the men.
They were strong and brave. They caught many fish. They returned to
Fotuha’a with a proud catch! A tired but elated Palu staggered off the boat.
And just as had been the practice at Ha’ano, the villagers gathered to vahe-
vahe (to share) and to tufofufa (to distribute) their catch. He felt good! He
knew that the receivers of the fīfīikamaka would be appreciative because of
the thoughts and love represented by this mata’ofakainga’ (sharing and car-
ing for the relatives/extended family/friends). It is always a happy reunion
with fakamālō (thankfulness) and ’ofa (love) that strengthen their family ties
or relationship between friends. He looked forward to the next journey to
friends and family.

Reflection Points
Education in English-speaking jurisdictions is often tightly associated with
job opportunities. There are many ways to think about this. Education has
not always saved people from the harsh elements of the financial system—
particularly in times of recession. It might also be argued that the educa-
tion being imported into societies that have once had thriving cultures with
systems of lore and law to ensure social cohesion are being undermined by a
Western form of education.
What are the risks for these communities in the uncritical adoption of
Western educational and training programs?
What are the responsibilities of managers who lead “development” proj-
ects in societies that are very different from your own.
How universal is the call to organize humanity through the principle of
“love.” Where else might you see this expressed?

Three Questions
1. This story provides a description of a distribution system that differs
from that of a “market economy.” Can you describe the system of enti-
tlement and responsibility in this story? Can you describe the system
of entitlement and responsibility of your own culture?
2. Skills and competencies are an important part of education. What was
Palu learning through his participation in the work of fishing?
3. What are the dominant educational values that underpin your degree
courses? Are these diverse enough for the development of your aspira-
tions for yourself? Are these diverse and critical enough to guide you
in your understanding and interrelationships with people who are dif-
ferent from you?
116 JOAN MARQUES

Notes
1. http://www.everyculture.com/To-Z/Tonga.html.
2. “FīfīIkaMaka” is a Tongan proverb that refers to a careful way of preserving
and cooking rock fish in Tonga. It involves wrapping or weaving fīfī (the
rock fish) ikamaka (with leaves), usually coconut leaves, then baking this in
the umu (earth oven). In that way, ikamaka is kept moist and lasts for days.
The proverb then means to take good care of something that is valuable and
precious.

2.7 Okoné and the Hunt

Joan Marques

Keywords: hunt, tribe, village, ritual, respect, prey, team

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Organi-
zational Psychology, Diversity, Leadership
Topics: teams, leadership, organization, communication, collaboration

The Story
Okoné stretched himself to get rid of the remainders of sleep he still felt. It
was barely 4.30 in the morning. The kaka (rooster) had only crowed once.
He looked at his hammock, still swinging lightly and felt tempted to just
lie back down and forget all about the hunt. But he couldn’t do that. As a
young man, now sixteen years old, Okoné had his responsibilities, and one of
them was to ensure food on the table. He still lived with his parents and two
younger siblings, but his own hut was ready, and soon he would get married
to the beautiful Maiwie from a neighboring village, only a half-hour away by
canoe. Both from the old Carib tribes, one of the few surviving tribes in the
Amazon forest of South America, Okoné and Maiwie were eager to start a life
together, even though they had only seen each other twice. Maiwie was fif-
teen years old, and considered a woman according to the customs of her tribe.
Both youngsters had already gone through the adult-inauguration rituals.
Okoné checked his bow and his arrows, and soon heard the dimmed
voices of his hunting partners. He quickly stepped outside the hut and the
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 117

team of six headed for the kankantries1 to ask the spirits for a blessed hunt.
They had known each other all their lives: young men from the same vil-
lage, familiar with each other’s families and aware of each others’ quali-
ties and faults. Penero, for instance, was a really nice guy, and Okoné’s best
friend. But he was also a heavy drinker. When they had their village festivi-
ties, Penero’s wife and children always stayed far away from him, because he
became abusive once the cassiri2 had done its work.
After the kankantrie ritual was over, the men headed deeper into the forest
and started their hunt. They knew exactly what to look for, and soon discov-
ered the fresh trail of a dia.3 The men looked at Okoné, who had gained the
reputation of a first-class hunter in the village since he was fourteen. He pointed
into various directions where each member of the team had to spread out in
order to approach the prey from the safe distance and have it surrounded. Each
hunter carefully made his way through the trees, paying attention to every move
and every sound, and regularly keeping track of his direction. Soon everybody
was positioned in a wide circle around a small lake where the dia was drinking.
Ingrained with a deep respect for Mother Nature, and maintaining profound
gratitude for all She offers, Okoné and his friends never hunted just for pleasure.
And when a hunt was set out, it always happened in a group consisting of the
younger men, preceded by a group prayer for a good hunt, and aimed at sharing
the quarry among all villagers.
Once the dia was killed—it was a big one!—the hunters made their way
back. It had been a quick hunt, as they reached the village before dark.
There had been times when they had to stay out for days and build banabs
(temporary huts) to sleep through the nights, before running into any prey.
But the season was good, and they knew their chances were bright around
this time of the year. There was food again for all the villagers, so that at
night a major feast was organized, where the meat was shared, and placed
on a barbacot4 to be smoked. Around the fire, the hunters praised Okoné
for his smart organization, and the village girls offered him their special
conquest-dance. Penero was, once again, drinking too much, but Okoné
decided that he was not going to worry about it tonight. Only a week to
go before he would marry Maiwie, and she would move into the village
and into the new hut and his single life would be over. He would miss liv-
ing with his parents, even though he would see them daily. He was excited
about the impending change in his life, but well aware of the new responsi-
bilities this would bring.

Reflection Points
This story serves as a demonstration that organizational behavior exists every-
where, and that it is unjust to consider tribal people savages or uncivilized.
They tailor their activities to their circumstances and have their own modes
of teamwork, communication, leadership, ethics, and work-life balance.
118 EDWINA PIO

Three Questions
1. In your opinion, what is the dominant organizational behavior aspect
in this story?
2. Where in the story are the ethical considerations described?
3. What is your most important takeaway from this story?

Notes
1. Kankantrie is derived from cotton tree—a large tree believed to harbor spirits.
2. Cassiri is a drink that is made from bitter cassava, on which the tribal women
chew, after which they spit the drab in a large bowl. After a few days the fer-
mented mixture is scooped in a tube, and squeezed out. The liquid has become
the alcoholic cassiri, and the pulp is used to prepare porridge or cassava bread.
3. Dia is a deer.
4. A smoking device to preserve meat for a long time.

2.8 The Power of “Hissssss”

Edwina Pio

Keywords: Buddha, bodhisattva, Jataka, snake

Courses this story could be used in: Training and Development,
Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Development, Human Resource
Management, Career Theory and Practice
Topics: communication, interpersonal relations, multiple understanding,
stereotypes

The Story
The Jatakas are birth stories of the former lives of the Buddha. They introduce the
concept of the bodhisatta or bodhisattva, the being who is born numerous times
while he practices different virtues such as generosity, wisdom, truth, kindness,
and equanimity on the path to enlightenment. Thus for the making of a Buddha,
a series of deeds may have to be performed in order to reach enlightenment.
In this Jataka story a snake is the focus of our attention. The snake had
taken a vow not to harm any creatures and he had made his home in a mound
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 119

of mud on the outskirts of the village. The village children saw the snake and
were scared, but noticed that the snake was very quiet. One day when the
children were playing after having spent their day with their guru or teacher
in the forest ashram, they decided to throw some stones near the snake in
order to see what would happen. They found that the snake did not respond.
So being curious they picked up courage and threw some more stones so that
the stones hit the snake. They were surprised that the snake did not hiss or
seek to come after them. This made them even bolder and thereafter their
ritual on the way home from their ashram was to tease the snake. “What a
strange snake this is” thought the children and they discussed this unusual
behavior among themselves. “Snakes usually bite and can kill with their poi-
son, but this one is so placid.”
The unfortunate snake was thus bruised and hurt and did not know what
to do as he had taken a vow not to hurt anyone. Finally he could bear this
misery no longer and remembered that there was a wise monk who passed
through this village once a month in order to collect alms. So the snake
waited for his opportunity and when it saw the saffron robes of the monk,
slithered toward the monk and told him his dilemma. The monk patiently
heard the snake’s story and then said to the snake, “You are right in non-
harming and keeping your vow, but you have been given a voice, next time
the children tease you, remember to hisssss.”
So the next day when the children passed the snake and threw stones at
it, the snake gave a loud “hissssss” and the children ran away. When this
hiss happened on subsequent days, the children were afraid and decided to
put their energies in other playful pursuits. The snake was thus relieved and
continued his days in peace and quiet, remembering that the voice that he
was given could be used without injury.

Reflection Points
The snake finally decided to use his voice which was a hissss. Every mem-
ber of the organization has a voice. How is this voice used and for what
purpose?
The snake did not use his voice initially and this resulted in behavior that
harmed him. Perceptions of what one is often create expectations in others
and when these are not fulfilled, as in the case of the snake not harming the
children when they threw stones at him, then the snake was bruised. Thus
not fulfilling the stereotypes of people or creating fissures in stereotypes can
often lead to bruising of the individual who seeks to dismantle stereotypes
and create multiple understandings of identities.

Three Questions
1. How is voice used in the organization?
2. In your organization, how can voice be used differently for enhancing
organizational well-being?
120 CHELLIE SPILLER

3. When you feel bruised in organizations, who are some of the individu-
als you can approach for help?

References
http://www.buddhanet.net/bt_intro.htm
Fausboll, V., and T. W. Rhys-Davids (1880). Buddhist Birth Stories. Ludgate Hill,
London: Trubner and Company.

2.9 Powers of Perception

Chellie Spiller

Keywords: adaptive culture, decision–making, innovation, leadership, learn-

ing organization, perception, planning, problem solving, situation analysis,
strategy, systems thinking
Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management, Leadership,
Organizational Behavior, Workplace Diversity, Change Management,
Management Communication
Keywords: organizational change, group dynamics, group-based problem-
solving organizational decision-making, the learning organization and the
perceptual organization, systems thinking

The Story
The story of the ancient Polynesian navigators provides insights for modern
organizations who wish to navigate their journey toward wisdom. Studies of
Polynesian maritime skills reveal a stunning array of techniques that enabled
voyaging across extensive distances to make a landfall. Star compasses that
divided the horizon into thirty-two sectors were aligned with markers to
determine the star path, and the Southern Cross could be used for long peri-
ods as it changed its attitude in the night sky. The ocean swell guided canoes
by day and steering was as much a matter of feel as it was of sight. The flight
path of migratory birds and seabirds that returned to land at night provided
important information. Cloud formations over high islands and the influence
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 121

of land on ocean swells helped the navigators identify land from as far as fifty–
ninety kilometers away. Coral atolls produced unique cloud formations that
provided important information for seasoned navigators. For example, islands
with heavy vegetation gave darker tinge, while those with white sand gave
bright sheen. Also integral to a navigator’s repertoire in reading the signposts
of nature was the importance of understanding the trade winds (G. Irwin in
Howe, 2006: 80; D. Lewis in Walker, 1990/2004: 26–27).
The traditional navigators employed a system of mental mapping whereby
they could estimate latitude to within half a degree of error from the angle
of stars in the sky. Additionally, by maintaining a running estimation of posi-
tion through dead reckoning, using calculations based on course (compen-
sated for current), elapsed time, and estimated speed, they could work out
the position of new islands (G. Irwin in Howe, 2006: 80).
Three elements of traditional navigation, steering a course at sea, main-
taining a running fix of position, and making an island landfall, have been
tested by modern GPSs as reliable methods and they reveal mistakes typically
occurring randomly and over the course of a voyage cancel one another out
(ibid.). Today, traditional Melanesian sailors can be taken blindfolded to any
point of the ocean and they will be able to recognize the spot by the feel of
the currents on their bodies (Csikzentmihaly, 1990: 33).
Reading the signposts of nature and drawing on sensory knowledge in
order to better understand a situation can be comprehended through Te
Kete Aronui, one of the three baskets of knowledge retrieved by Tāwhaki
from the abode of Io—the creator of the cosmos (see story “The Wisdom of
Knowledge” by C. Spiller in this book). Te Kete Aronui calls for engaging
the five senses in how humans experience “that before us”: the natural world
as apprehended by the senses (Marsden, 2003: 61; Shirres, 1997: 17–18).
Through cultivating deep awareness of natural phenomena, it is possible to
develop “extra-sensory faculties and techniques” that were traditionally used
to “test” the environment and “new phenomena” (Marsden, 2003: 61). Te
Kete Aronui can act as a sensory portal through which people can gain a
deeper understanding of the world, and it connects to Te Kete Tuauri and Te
Kete Tuatea, psychic and spiritual knowledge. Te Kete Aronui can lead people
to a deeper experience of the “senses behind the senses” (Shirres, 1997: 17).

Reflection Points
This story highlights the importance of developing perception skills to better
see what is really going on. It offers organizational leaders an opportunity to
encourage their staff to be open to, and aware of, a variety of the stimuli that
determine the different ways people look at a similar situation—rather than
operating out of habit, which can keep them locked in “psychic prisons.” An
important reflection this story touches upon is the need for organizations
to develop high levels of responsiveness among all its members in order that
the organization as a whole can better navigate the seas of uncertainty and
change.
122 JOAN MARQUES

Three Questions
1. How do you “read the signposts” and course correct? How much is
your organization missing out on because everyone is too focused on
the final destination, that is, the next quarter’s bottom line, the fulfill-
ment of the business plan, the communications plan, the marketing
plan, or the KPI?
2. What systems do you have in place for people to achieve perceptual
ability?
3. How many kinds of intelligences do you foster in the workplace? Is
every member of the organization really able see what is going on?

References
Bolman, L. G., and T. E. Deal (2003). Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice,
and Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Csikzentmihaly, M. (2003). Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of
Meaning. New York: Viking.
Howe, K. R., and Auckland War Memorial Museum. (2006). Vaka moana: Voyages
of the Ancestors: The Discovery and Settlement of the Pacific. Auckland, NZ: David
Bateman.
Marsden, M. (2003). The Woven Universe: Selected Writings of Rev. Māori Marsden.
Otaki, NZ: Estate of Rev. Māori Marsden.
Samson, D., and R. L. Daft (2009). Management (3rd Pacific Rim ed.). South
Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia.
Shirres, M. P. (1997). Te tangata: The Human Person. Auckland, NZ: Accent
Publications.
Stacey, R. D. (1992). Managing the Unknowable: Strategic Boundaries between
Order and Chaos in Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Walker, R. (1990/2004). Ka whawhai tonu mātou: Struggle without End (Rev. ed.).
Auckland, NZ: Penguin.

2.10 The Anti-Hurry-Scurry-Worry Pill

Joan Marques

Keywords: power, influence, fear, motivation, empathy, humor,

entrepreneurship
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 123

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior,

Organizational Change, Entrepreneurship, Principles of Management
Topics: communication, empathy, leadership, culture

The Story
Ronaldo was rather depressed today. He was sent home early from work,
because his manager told him he needed some rest. He looked pale and
seemed to be infected by the bug that had been troubling the city of Belem
for some time now, said the manager. Ronaldo had heard about the epidemic
that had been threatening the city for a few months now. And now it seems
that he was one of the 2 million Brazilians battling a disease for which there
had not been a cure found yet. Day after day his old mama, Maria Isabel, had
been sitting in front of the television, hoping that those smart Americans,
or perhaps the practical Europeans, or maybe the sharp Cubans, would have
discovered a cure for this strange disease. She did so because his father, old
Eduardo, and his older brother Romario were also diagnosed as having been
infected. They called it the Hurry-Worry-Scurry bug, and it seemed that it
had infected half of the world population by now! It caused the victims to
rush through life from early morning till late night, hardly ever allowing
themselves the opportunity to take a break. They started early, and kept busy
till very late: rushing to work, worrying about things to be done, scurrying
from one errand to another, trying to fulfill obligations for professional,
social, and private causes.
When she saw her youngest son coming home early from work, Maria
Isabel knew she had to do something. She threw a wrap around her shoul-
ders, slipped into her sandals, and walked three miles to the edge of town,
then a half-mile into a narrow, unpaved side road, where a small wooden
house was kept out of sight by trees and bushes. She knocked at the door,
and waited to hear if there was any movement. The door squeaked as it was
opened by an old woman. “Ah, Adelita!” said Maria Isabel, “I need your
help! May I come in?” Adelita looked at her younger sister, saw the concern
in her eyes, and stepped aside. “Okay, what is it?” “It’s about that bug that is
spreading everywhere. Julio and Romario contracted it last week, but today
Ronaldo was also sent home. I came to see if you have anything to cure
them?”
Adelita lived as a recluse, away from the busy town, and with no other liv-
ing creature around than her cat. She was revered by many and despised by
a similar number. But there was one thing everyone knew about her: she was
a medicine woman that had no match. Her potions were known far beyond
the borders of her own country, but she did not care for any fame, money,
or acclaim. There were very few people who approached this strange woman,
and Maria Isabel was one of them.
Adelita walked to her kitchen, opened a large bottle, and grabbed
a handful of pills, which she placed in a small bag. She said, “These are
124 JOAN MARQUES

anti-hurry-worry-scurry pills,” and explained to her younger sister what the

ingredients were:
* One grain of mindfulness, which will help the recipient realize that
life is short; that he only has one life to live, and that he is not irreplaceable.
This realization is necessary to relieve some of the stress that the urge to get
everything done one day in advance brings along: a type of stress that many
efficiency fanatics are troubled with. This realization is also necessary for
reducing the arrogance of thinking that the company, the family, or the club
one is part of cannot continue to perform without him or her.
* A few drops of priority-focus, in order to make sure that important mat-
ters are distinguished from unimportant ones, and that important matters
get arranged in order of necessity. Important issues come first and are not
postponed until they become urgent, because that is the greatest threat to
relapsing into the Hurry-Worry-Scurry mode.
* A sprinkle of distinction, which will help the user to keep her own focus
in mind and prevent others from dictating his or her life. Everybody tries to
get his or her needs prioritized, and the victims of the hurry-worry-scurry
bug are people-pleasers, to the extent that they make their own li miserable.
*A whiff of passion, which restores the user’s willpower to find out what
he really likes to do; whether he has the job he likes; and whether or not his
relationships are rewarding.
* A dust of inner-child, because that has been suffocated for far too long.
It is this child in anyone that rejuvenates dreams, and awakens courage to
chase them in spite of what others say or what the circumstances seem to
indicate. “Give them the pill three times a day for the first week, and then
once a day” And now that you know the recipe, you can prepare it yourself,
and leave me be!” said Adelita with a half-smile.
Maria Isabel hugged her sister, planted a kiss on both cheeks, and hur-
ried back home. Within a week, her husband and sons were back at work,
and Maria Isabel shared the contents of the anti-hurry-worry-scurry pill to
all who wanted to hear it. She became famous and they lived happily ever
after.

Reflection Points
Busy-ness creeps up on us. We often don’t even realize that it happens,
because we gradually get more requirements placed on our plate. But sud-
denly, we see the wry picture of a life that is lived by everyone else but us.
This fictitious pill, the anti-hurry-worry-scurry pill, is meant to get us think-
ing about our work life and our purpose.

Three Questions
1. Do you feel that your work or education also places major pressure on
you? If so, try to explain how it got to this point. If not, please explain
how you have been keeping yourself clean from becoming infected.
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 125

2. Can you think of some additional ingredients for the anti-hurry-wor-

ry-scurry pill? Please sum up at least three more.
3. What are your personal takeaways from this story?

2.11 Kiwi Kiwi

Edwina Pio

Keywords: decision-making, learning, problem solving, sustainability,

values
Courses this story could be used in: Training and Development,
Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Development, Human Resource
Management, Career Theory and Practice, Sustainability
Topics: courage, leadership, collaboration, teams

The Story
The indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Māori, are known as
the tangatawhenua or the people of the land. In their repertoire of myths,
legends, and folklore are numerous stories about nature and the need to
protect and nourish our planet as the various ecosystems are interrelated and
interdependent. This story is drawn from Māori knowledge.
TaneMahuta or the lord of the forest was looking at his children the
trees as they sent their branches and leaves toward the sky and noticed to
his dismay that they were not doing well as insects were eating them. So
TaneMahuta contacted his brother TaneHokahoka who was lord of the birds
and sought his help. TaneHokahoka called all the birds and then his brother
TaneMahuta spoke to the gathering requesting their help so that the trees
would get well. He specifically wanted one of the birds to volunteer to live
on the forest floor so that they could eat the insects and thus save the trees.
Upon this, the lord of the birds asked various birds if they would volun-
teer. The tui bird with its beautiful call, the pukeko bird with its red beak
and bright blue plumage, the pipiwharauroa bird or the shining cuckoo,
which is the messenger of spring, and the other birds were all silent as they
feared the darkness of the forest floor. Then the kiwi bird looked at the
beautiful bright blue sky and the iridescent light, but knew in its heart that
126 EDWINA PIO

this is what it must do and so the kiwi volunteered to stay on the forest floor.
The little bird gave the gathering hope and the two brothers TaneMahuta
and TaneHokahoka felt the need to clearly mention to the little bird that
had so courageously volunteered that staying on the forest floor would mean
that the bird would lose its wings and beautiful feathers and never be able to
fly to the tree tops. The brave little bird bid a silent farewell to the sky and
its feathers and then once more reaffirmed that it would live on the forest
floor.
Then TaneHokahoka turned to the other birds and said: “This little bird,
because of its courage and will to save the forest will become the most well
known and loved of all the birds.” And such is the fame of the kiwi that the
peoples of New Zealand are often referred to as Kiwis, and the New Zealand
dollar is sometimes called the kiwi as is the oval-shaped fruit the kiwi.

Reflection Points
The little kiwi bird was brave and responded to the call for saving the forest
trees. What gives us the courage to volunteer for difficult tasks? How do we
assess the cost-benefit of volunteer work?
None of the birds in the forest were prepared to lose their joy of flying
toward the sky and enjoying the light, except the kiwi. Yet if the forest was
depleted, the birds would lose their food source as well as their home. What
are the values that need to be implemented in order to create a sustainable
mindset in organizations?
The kiwi bird was rewarded and the peoples of New Zealand are often
known as Kiwis and thus the bird has been immortalized. How do organiza-
tions reward people who volunteer for difficult tasks?

Three Questions
1. How does the organization seek to resolve difficult issues?
2. Who is rewarded in the organization and do these rewards match
actual performance?
3. What are some of the sustainability issues the organization faces? How
can these be addressed?

References
http://history-nz.org/index.html.
http://www.kiwinewz.com/html/losewing.htm.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/maori/nga_pakiwaitara .
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 127

2.12 Tāne’s Journey to Retrieve

Knowledge

Chellie Spiller

Keywords: knowledge, learning, spirituality, courage, authenticity

Courses this story could be used in: Workplace Diversity, Leadership,
Organizational Communication, Organizational Behavior
Topics: learning organizations, overcoming obstacles, symbolics

The Story
This story draws upon the wisdom tradition of the indigenous Māori peoples
of Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Tāne’s journey to bring all knowledge to the newly formed world of light is a
journey that calls for people to take the wisdom journey toward wise acquisition
and use of knowledge. Tāne,1 one of the children of the first parents, Ranginui,
the Sky Father, and Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother, is asked by Io, the Supreme
Being, to journey through the twelve heavens to retrieve the knowledge that
will guide human existence on earth. The knowledge he received came in the
form of three kete mātauranga, baskets of knowledge, along with two stones
for assimilation of knowledge to ensure that what is selected from the baskets is
used wisely and not simply for personal gain, but for all.
The Supreme Being, Io, sends messengers to discover which god will
ascend to his home in the twelfth sky to collect the three baskets of knowl-
edge and the two stones. The gods vie to be selected. Whiro is adamant
that he ought to be the chosen one. However it is Tāne who the messengers
decree has the capacity for the journey. When summer arrives Tāne under-
takes a purification ritual, the pure. The purpose of the pure is to loosen
from the person all gods considered dangerous and to bind to the person all
those gods considered beneficial and who will provide strength and protec-
tion. With the pure rite Tāne is now a sacred being, separate from all others.
He has crossed from the world of the ordinary into the world of the sacred.
Tāne ascended on the swaying ropes that were the rising whirlwinds of
Tāwhirimatea, Whiro meanwhile, disregarding the legitimacy of Tāne’s
journey at the behest of Io, took a more circuitous route along the fringes.
128 CHELLIE SPILLER

Learning that Tāne was ahead of him Whiro, angry and resentful, sends
swarms of insect and bird demons in pursuit of Tāne. With assistance from
Tāwhirimatea these demons are blown away and Tāne is spiraled upward
through the heavens.
In the eleventh sky, Tawhirirangi, Tāne undergoes ritual ceremonies to
prepare him for receiving the knowledge upon entering Matangi-reia the
original house of learning, whare wānanga. Tāne now stands in the presence
of Io.2 As Tāne stands in the presence of Io he is at the source of all mauri
ora, spiritual energy that is at the source of life. This is not a transcendent
divinity, but a state of authentic existence.
Tāne receives the three Baskets of Knowledge, namely, Kete Tuaatea,
which contains the knowledge of spiritual realities, the world we experience
in ritual, our oneness with each other and the past; Kete Tuauri, which holds
the understanding of what lies behind our sense experience, the knowledge
that understands, “stands under,” our sense experience; and Kete Aronui,
which contains the experience of our senses, how we experience the natural
world as apprehended by the senses.3 Across these three orders of reality
the baskets equip humans with the necessary skills and behaviors for living.
Importantly, the knowledge in the baskets is of a collective nature and is not
solely for individual consumption but for the greater benefit of society.
In another house in the summit of the skies, Rangiātea, Tāne receives
the two sacred stones, one white and one red. The white stone was named
Hukatai (Seafoam) and the red stone was called Rehutai (Seaspray).4 These
stones ensure that what is selected from the baskets are helpful and used
wisely; they encourage conscious assimilation of knowledge, so that the user
of knowledge can achieve authentic wisdom.
Tāne successfully returns to the ordinary world and places the baskets and
stones in the earthly whare wananga, the traditional schools of higher learn-
ing. The baskets are placed above the taumata, the seat of authority, where the
sages and seers sit, and the two stones are placed either side of the great ridge-
pole at the rear. Students graduating from the school of higher learning would
take from the rear ridgepole the white stone Hukatai (Seafoam) in their mouth
and symbolically swallow it. Though this act the student was acknowledging
he or she was entering a search for knowledge (mātauranga). The seafoam,
the white stone Hukatai, is the wake generated by the canoe in motion and
symbolizes the pursuit of knowledge as an accumulation of facts picked up
along the way. The lesson is that “information without learnedness is useless
information, just an accumulation of facts and figures” (Marsden, 2003).
This was a reminder that all knowledge was sacred and therefore to be
nurtured and treasured. Only then could the student be fed with the sacred
food from the three baskets of knowledge. On graduation the student
returned to the rear ridgepole and took the red stone Rehutai (seaspray) and
symbolically swallow it.5 Through “meditation in the heart illumination can
come and unorganized sets of ideas can gel to form an integrated whole”
(Marsden, 2003).
 MULTICULTURAL STORIES 129

The lesson is that “all things no matter how specialized must be con-
nected to a center, where lies our most basic convictions, ideas that transcend
the world of facts” and it is at this center where humans “must create an
orderly system of ideas about themselves and the world in order to regulate
the direction of their life. If a person has faced up to the ultimate questions
posed by life, then their own center no longer remains in a vacuum which
continues to ingest any new idea that seeps into it” (ibid.). The swallowing of
Rehutai symbolizes the importance of humans to act consciously and assume
self-responsibility for knowledge, for the greater benefit of all. The process
used in the whare wananga, the higher house of learning, demonstrates the
search and transformation to authentic knowledge, wisdom.

Reflection Points

• Tāne exemplifies courage in stepping up to what was an arduous under-

taking. He exercised discernment in numerous ways (including who he
partnered with, assuming self-responsibility for knowledge acquisition,
and understanding the importance of timing) and he exhibited the
capacity of self-reference to listen to what his own sensibilities told him.
Reflect on how you cultivate the capacities for discernment and self-
reference to help you make wise decisions. Make a list of the capacities
that guide you and identify two specific steps you can take to develop
greater capacity.
• Tāne experiences an expansion of consciousness as he separates from
the familiar earthly world, and in doing so gains self-actualizing per-
spective. How important is being “authentic” and self-actualized to you
in your personal and professional life? If it is important, why? If it is not
important, why not? Identify the ways in which you create space for self-
reflection to gain perspective about your personal and professional life.
• In withstanding the several onslaughts of Whiro’s dark forces Tāne
demonstrates a willingness to partner and collaborate with others,
which earns him phenomenal support. Defeated, Whiro is banished to
the nether world where sickness and toxic thoughts are among his gifts
to humans. In what ways might an organization be like Tāne and it
what ways might an organization be like Whiro in allowing toxic ele-
ments to thrive?

Three Questions
1. How can an organization be a better learning organization, able to
distinguish from useless facts and information and real knowledge?
2. How can organizations better support their people toward being
“authentic” and self-actualized at work?
130 CHELLIE SPILLER

3. What can organizations do to overcome their Whiro attributes and

address toxic elements and obstacles?

Notes
1. There are various versions of this myth. Some tribes, e.g., Ngāti Kahungunu,
have Tāwhaki ascend the skies. The sources for Tāne’s journey are predomi-
nantly taken from Marsden (2003), Orbell (1995), Reed (1972), Shirres
(1997), Smith (1998), and Walker (1990). As such it is composite.
2. Some accounts say it was Rehua, the goddess of kindness, who gave Tāne the
baskets.
3. Marsden cited in Shirres, 1997: 16–17.
4. Marsden, 2003.
5. Ibid., 59.

References
Marsden, M. (2003). The Woven Universe: Selected Writings of Rev. Māori Marsden.
Otaki, NZ: Estate of Rev. Māori Marsden.
Orbell, M. R. (1995). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Maori Myth and Legend.
Christchurch, NZ: Canterbury University Press.
Reed, A. W. (1972/2007). Maori Myth and Legend. Auckland: Reed Publishing
(NZ) Ltd.
Shirres, M. P. (1997). Te tangata: The Human Person. Auckland, NZ: Accent
Publications.
Smith, L. T. (1998). Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples.
New York; Dunedin: Zed Books; University of Otago Press.
Walker, R. (1990/2004). Ka whawhai tonu mātou: Struggle without End (Rev. ed.).
Auckland, NZ: Penguin.
 PA R T I I I

Fairy Tale-Based Creative Stories

 3.1 The Misunderstood Genius

Joan Marques

Keywords: outsourcing, insecurity, change, entrepreneurship, responsi-

bility, creativity
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Leadership,
Organizational Change
Topics: paradigm shifts, self-reinvention, adapting to changing, learning

The Story
A misunderstood genius was walking on a plain not far from a great metro-
politan city, at 3 P.M. while the sun was high in the sky, and the earth was
splitting from drought. He was there because he needed some time to con-
template in a quiet environment. Unfortunately, his troubled state of mind
was not cooperating too well with his desire to generate some fruitful ideas.
He kicked a single cactus that just seemed a little too bouncy and bubbly
for his antagonistic mood. “The nerve of this plant to stand there so viva-
cious in such sizzling sun. It should be against the law!” he grumbled. But
the cactus stung him right through his canvas shoe, and the misunderstood
genius groaned.
While rubbing the sore toes of his right foot, the misunderstood genius
saw a middle-aged woman in light khaki observing him with an expression
that held the middle between amusement and mild aggravation.
“Silly man,” the woman said. “You should have known how the cactus
would respond to your foolish deed.”
“Cactuses can’t talk, woman, and I just didn’t kick it hard enough, I
guess.”
“Oh you kicked hard alright,” replied the woman. “But the cactus was not
going to let you get away with your unfounded aggression. Everything has
a message for you, don’t you know? The cactus just told you that you should
never hurt or insult others without expecting the same in return. So, in fact
the cactus just maintained the golden rule: Don’t do unto others what you
134 JOAN MARQUES

don’t want to be done unto yourself. But tell me, why are you actually so
upset today?”
“Well, not that it’s any of your business, but my life has not been running
very smoothly lately,” answered the misunderstood genius. “I just got laid
off from my job as a promising engineer because some character at the other
end of the world offered my company similar service for a fraction of my
hourly rate. And that happened just now that I’m developing a new device
at home: a device that will cut the production costs for my company in half,
while shortening the delivery time with 35 percent. But I guess it just took a
little too long, and the extent of my luck was just a little too short to achieve
my goal before they let me go.”
“So, what does it take for you to finish the development of this new de-
vice on your own and sell it to either the company you recently worked for,
or another?”
“Hmmm . . . I hadn’t thought about that. Actually, it wouldn’t take too
much additional effort, since the blueprint is almost ready.” The misun-
derstood genius was actually starting to smile again. His energy noticeably
increased, while a gleam replaced the dimness that had been in his eyes
just a moment ago. “In fact, I am pretty sure that I will get an opportu-
nity to present my plan if it is well constructed and comprehensive enough.
They never ignore proposals that can possibly result in revenue generation
and efficiency increase. And I believe that the very fact that I am providing
the company that recently let me go with this primer instead of vindictively
offering it to their main competitor, may create a different dimension in our
relationship.”
“Wise thinking!” replied the woman. “You are not repaying evil with evil.
Your genius is on the rise!”
Just as sudden as the woman had appeared, she was gone again. But the
misunderstood genius felt reenergized, hurried home, finished the blueprint,
settled his copyright issues, and made an appointment with the top manage-
ment of the company he had been working for during the preceding four
years. Within three weeks he gave a spectacular presentation, and became a
very prestigious consultant for the company, making ten times more money
than he used to as an employee.
But the financial prosperity was not the most important improvement
in the life of the genius. Even more essential to him was the dignity that
he regained by learning to perceive himself as an equal partner with the
company he was once just working for. This newly gained dignity spawned
tremendous inspiration within the genius, and device after sophisticated de-
vice he developed, not only for the company he was now advising, but also
for others in and outside the industry where he used to work.
His quest to develop elicited a new curiosity within him, and he started
approaching organizations far outside the borders of his country as well.
One day, while he was daydreaming in his small, but state-of-the-art
workplace that he had built an annex to his house, the middle-aged woman
in khaki reappeared. “Congratulations, my friend, you did it!” she said
 FAIRY TALE-BASED CREATIVE STORIES 135

smilingly. “Now let’s see, what have you gained in the past few months? You
became your own boss, and you feel good about this responsibility. In fact,
you feel so good about it that your creativity has shifted in high gear: you
have established connections with companies in countries located in at least
three continents of the world. You are about to do some nice traveling in the
near future, and will make yourself familiar with the world ‘out there.’ Your
professional contacts have surged with 576 new names! You became multi-
faceted. You see yourself as an organization nowadays, and not as the victim-
ized worker you used to be. Heck, you have even been contemplating writing
a technical guide for your line of expertise! You simply took the challenge
that was placed on your path by that ‘overseas character’ that ‘stole’ your
job, and transformed it into an opportunity for yourself. I bet you would
like to hug this person today, because you were forced to learn from his
example, and really got yourself going! And throughout this entire mental
crash course you took, you also learned about self-respect, respect for others,
the essence of familiarity with various cultures, and the overall importance
of being proactive. But do you know the main message that life conferred to
you in the past months?”
The genius didn’t even have to think about that one: “I have learned
that there is a misunderstood genius in all of us, and that we have a
choice: We can either dwell on the aggravation of being neglected or mis-
understood, and make the world an increasingly worse place for ourselves
and all others around us, or we can change our attitude and find other
ways to earn recognition for our genius. The secret lies in searching, per-
severing, and daring.”
The woman in khaki winked and disappeared . . . and the genius woke up
from his refreshing afternoon nap.

Reflection Points
It is easy to get defensive when things around us have to change, and we al-
ways have a choice to either reject it or embrace it. When the genius in the story
rejected his fate, life seemed grim. When he embraced the change, his energy
revived, and he expanded his horizons beyond what he considered possible.

Three Questions
1. Look at the keywords listed under the title: how are these words dis-
played in the text? Please explain.
2. What do you consider the most important lesson to be learned from
this story?
3. Reflect on the statement, “There is a misunderstood genius in all of
us.” In what area do you consider yourself a misunderstood genius?
Why?
136 THOMAS A. CONKLIN

3.2 Sixteen Bean Diversity

Thomas A. Conklin

Keywords: brainstorming, cultural norms, creativity, habitual thinking

Courses this story could be used in: Workplace Diversity, Leadership,
Organizational Behavior
Topics: diversity, race, color, size, quality, individuality

The Story
Let me tell you a story about a teacher named Tom who found himself teach-
ing diversity one cold and blustery winter afternoon at a university near Lake
Erie. He described the power and potential of diverse groups of people and
their propensity to create better decisions in complex and nonroutine situa-
tions. He told of the higher quality decisions that these groups make espe-
cially when the issue is important but not urgent. As he extolled the virtues
of diverse groups, he suddenly struck upon a metaphor that fit the current
weather conditions. You see, he was a fan of homemade soup and had a
constant crock pot of something going on in the kitchen at home. At the
moment, he had a batch of sixteen bean soup in the pot, one of his favorites
for the rich flavors and textures the broad mix provided, especially when
they were enriched with an array of spices that accentuated the individual fla-
vors of each of the various legumes. In the pot resided pinto beans, small red
beans, pink beans, red kidney beans, great northern beans, baby lima beans,
large lima beans, black-eyed peas, small white beans, black beans, whole
green peas, yellow split peas, green split peas, lentils, chick peas, and pearl
barley. Sixteen different races of bean, sixteen ways of being bean, sixteen
different colors and sizes, sixteen different success stories of what it means to
be a bean, sixteen different ways of making sense of the bean world.
If beans could talk, it would be interesting to hear what each might say
about the others. Take the large lima bean, for instance. It is big, brutish,
not altogether sensitive, and may in fact be disparaged by the other delicate,
more subtle beans. What could this large member of the bean family have
to offer the group in its quest to meld together into a flavorful whole? The
large lima bean is not a favorite among those who eat beans; never has a
child called out in desire for a bowl of lima beans, and yet, this bean persists.
It continues to emerge in various places and dishes. What are the traits and
 FAIRY TALE-BASED CREATIVE STORIES 137

qualities of this bean that enable it to continue its success despite its some-
what unpopular reputation? For starters they are low in cholesterol, are a
great source of fiber, very low in fat, and are particularly beneficial for dia-
betics. Their flavor has been described as “buttery” and “delicate” according
the World’s Healthiest Food website: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.
php?tname=foodspice&dbid=59 (retrieved August 5, 2010).
Through many hours in the crock pot the lima bean and all of its cousins
add qualities beyond their own identity as the soup begins to blend and become
thick and cohesive. Like all good groups, time combined with the richness of
flavors and aromas yields a synergistic result as each contributes to the greatness
of the others. It is more than the sum of the individual beans and it becomes
impossible to determine what leads to what in the resulting palate. The beans
become something entirely different from the collection of sixteen simple and
individual beans. The alchemy of the whole becomes a different culinary experi-
ence. In sum, it provides a warm, flavorful experience that is just what is needed
through the long winters on the shores of Lake Erie.
In like manner the varied ideas, thoughts, experiences, backgrounds,
educations, and interpretations of the members of a diverse group gel into
something that transcends the individual or the homogenous. Through their
time together and the unity of their disparate characteristics something alto-
gether unexpected may emerge. Patience, tolerance, and invitation all serve
diverse groups in their “herky-jerky” pursuit of a response beyond the linear
approach that the more analytical and typical problem-solving approach has
failed to deliver.

Reflection Points
It is sometimes difficult for students to understand the value of diversity
when it often appears to just take more time and prolong the implementation
of any plans that are devised. This story helps to illustrate the value of taking
the time and valuing what may appear as superfluous while the true richness
of different others comes to the surface. Beans are harmless and are not the
repository of feelings, experiences, or prejudices for students. This makes
them a perfect outlet for discussing what may otherwise be dangerous ter-
ritory for some students. This is compounded by the fact that this topic has
often been addressed early in the term when teachers may not yet know their
students well and be unsure of some of the biases present in the group.

Three Questions
1. Tell of a time when you found unexpected richness or success in a
group or team process that only came after time together.
2. Can you identify examples on campus, in your home town, or in the
larger national press where diverse groups’ unexpected success has
been celebrated?
138 JOAN MARQUES

3. Teachers may want to create diverse groups based on observable differ-

ences and task students with solving problems or challenges that might
typically be used in an outdoor team-building experience. The fol-
lowing website has many suggestions: http://wilderdom.com/games/
(retrieved August 17, 2010).

3.3 Sam and His Neighbors

Joan Marques

Keywords: intelligence, reputation, selfishness, reflection, awareness

Courses this story could be used in: Leadership, Social and Political
Environment of Business
Topics: leadership, communication

The Story
Sam had built himself a reputation of dignity and reliability: every time
something was needed in the neighborhood, he lent a helping hand. His
wisdom, intelligence, insights, and not in the least his financial abilities
made him a neighbor everyone respected and wanted to stay friends with.
Although Sam usually enjoyed his privileges and good reputation, he also
had his down-days and mood swings when he was questioning the motives
of his so-called friends for their loyalty toward him, and their willingness to
accept his advises. He could not help but wonder if they would still look up
to him if he became poor, ill, or insane.
Those were the days when Sam also realized that there is another side
to every coin, even to the one called “good reputation.” In those moments
he could see crystal clear that some of his neighbors did not really like him.
They barely endured his presence because he was such a generally recognized
figure in the vicinity. But they were not all that positive about Sam’s reasons
for being the person he was. He had heard through the grapevine that those
neighbors were accusing him of selfishness, of being a control-freak, and a
ruthless oppressor of weaker members in the surrounding area.
On days when these realizations presented themselves, Sam wondered
whether it was at all possible to just pack his bags and disappear, or to just
 FAIRY TALE-BASED CREATIVE STORIES 139

close his doors and windows and cut off all contact with the environs. After
all, his estate was large enough, and Sam basically had everything in-house
to survive: a small vegetable garden, a private well with pure water, and even
his own generator if the electricity in the area was discontinued.
Sam felt that he did not really need the neighborhood for other than
humane reasons: he just wanted to communicate and have friends. And he
wanted to help where he could, whether some were questioning his motives
or not.
However, the attitudes of the negative-minded ones in the surroundings
had not missed their effect: they had caused Sam to turn inward and ques-
tion his own motives. Sam was beginning to wonder if he really was the
genuinely nice guy he made himself and his neighbors believe he was, or if it
was—in sum—really all about selfishness. Was he being nice because his ego
needed to be admired? Was he helping out because it established or increased
his influence in the area? Was he keeping himself involved in the neighbor-
hood because he wanted to save his resources at home while using up the
general ones from the vicinity?
Sam scratched his head and sighed. Life was so complicated if you looked
at it from close quarters. It only started looking simpler if you took a few
steps back and perceived it from a holistic point of view. After meticulous
contemplation, Sam finally concluded that he would just continue to be who
he was, facing his inner-battles and dealing as best as he could with the emo-
tionally laden atmosphere that sometimes existed between him and some of
his neighbors. He would yet continue to do what he thought was best, like a
good old uncle, even if others did not always agree. You only have one per-
ception after all: your own.

Reflection points
This story can be considered at the individual level or in a broader per-
spective. You can substitute organizations, cities, countries, or continents in
place of Sam. Try to do it for your workplace, school, city, or country, and
see if it holds true.

Three Questions
1. When substituting an organization that you are involved with (maybe
your school or workplace) in Sam’s place, what do you find? Please
share.
2. Do you know anyone, maybe yourself, who has experienced something
similar to Sam’s experience? What happened?
3. What are your takeaways from this story?
140 JOAN MARQUES

3.4 The Simple Soul and the Executive

Joan Marques

Keywords: choices, freedom, captivity, courage, passion

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Workplace
Spirituality, Organizational Psychology
Topics: motivation, vision, change, direction, passion, communication

The Story
A simple soul was sitting on a bench near a riverbank, enjoying the scenery
while savoring the fresh air that was carried by a nice, cool afternoon breeze.
He was wearing plain clothes and sandals that had clearly seen better days.
Beside him lay a ragged bag in which all his material riches were stored. And
yet, he was visibly content while he pulled a small package out of his bag and
unwrapped it: it was a sandwich. Just as the simple soul was about to take his
first bite, he became aware of a quiet figure sitting at the other end of the
bench. He saw what society considered a business executive or “a person of
good standing,” dressed in gray business attire, black leather shoes, and with
an expensive-looking leather suitcase that was nonchalantly placed within
arm reach.
And yet, there was something tragic about this executive, as she was star-
ing at one point in the distance without really seeing anything. There was
an expression of confusion on her face and it seemed as if she was not even
aware of her location.
The simple soul knew the signs, but his life experience withheld him from
making a remark. Just when he focused his attention back to his sandwich,
the executive turned to him and started to speak:

What is it that you see? Why do you come here and what is your secret? I have
been observing you during the past months from my office on the tenth floor
of the building across the street, and while I was busy arranging business
transactions, I could see you sitting here every afternoon; eating whatever the
day brought you, and enjoying the view. Your simplicity got me thinking, and
ultimately drove me to take a closer look at my circumstances. It made me
realize that the pressure of my job was not what I wanted to deal with for the
rest of my life. So I gave my notice, and everybody was astounded. But now
that it’s all over, I’m not so sure about my next step. Today was officially my
 FAIRY TALE-BASED CREATIVE STORIES 141

last day, and although they told me that I can still change my mind, I know
that is not what I want. Yet, I don’t know what else to do either. I am at a loss.
So again, tell me: what is it that attracts you to this place everyday? What do
you see, and what is your secret?

The simple soul had been listening with a smile and something else in his
expression that the executive could not quite place yet. Then he spoke:

I come here because this place reminds me of freedom, but also of captivity.
Behind me is the captivity that I was once part of, and in which I stayed far
too long. I was afraid to step out of it until I lost all energy to pursue my pas-
sion. Before me is freedom. I see the waves, the birds, the clouds. I enjoy the
fresh air, and the weather of the day. I realize how blessed my eyes are to see
this. How blessed my mind is to enjoy this. How blessed my nose is to smell
this. How blessed all my other senses are to experience this in their own way.
I relish the view and what it means to me: being. And being, to me, only
makes sense if it means: being content. I don’t need much. I get something
to eat everyday from the people in this neighborhood that know me: janitors,
CEOs, line-managers, bus drivers, students, vendors, and senior citizens, to
name a few. These people often talk to me. They ask me questions about life,
and they seem to value my answers. I have no secret other than living in the
here and now, and allowing all my senses to appreciate that here and now as
well as they can.

The executive then asked: “Now that I told you where I am at; what can
you tell ME?”
The simple soul thought for a brief moment, then replied,

Only this: be quiet. Be calm. Listen to your senses. Give yourself some time,
and you will find your area of contentment. Your previous occupation was
obviously not bringing you the happiness and fulfillment you wanted, and
fortunately—unlike many others—you recognized that and dared to make
a move. Don’t panic now. Times will not always seem bright. Your goal may
take longer to surface than you anticipate. But if you listen to yourself, you will
know in due time.

The simple soul kept quiet, and suddenly, without further asking, the ex-
ecutive knew that the expression she had earlier seen on the face of the simple
soul had been one of recognition. He must have been there and done that.
The executive now also realized that the uncomplicated lifestyle of enjoy-
ing the simple things and not chasing the complex ones was the absolute
freedom a person could attain.
The executive was not sure whether she would ever be able to live as care-
free and uncomplicated a life as he was living, but she knew that this brief
encounter with the simple soul would help her focus and find her direction.
She thanked the simple soul, got up, and left. The simple soul uttered a
quiet sigh, finally took the first bite of his sandwich, and continued enjoying
the view.
142 JOAN MARQUES

Reflection Points
This story is about making choices and focusing on a direction that is aligned
to your passion. Yet, the story also seems to warn against waiting too long
before making a change. The interpretation about the simple soul can be
multifaceted: he seems to enjoy his freedom, but he also stated that he waited
far too long. There can be an interesting message to be extracted from that.

Three Questions
1. What do you think about the simple soul? If you would have to com-
plete the story by explaining his history, what would you say?
2. What do you think the executive learned from this encounter?
3. What do you take away from this story?
 PA R T I V

Short Metaphor Stories

 4.1 A Modern Tale Regarding
Alcohol and Worms

Satinder Dhiman

Keywords: organizational communication, barriers to communication, per-

ception and reality
Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management,
Organizational Behavior, Leadership Theory and Practice, Change
Management
Topics: managerial communication, change management

The Story
A speaker stood before a group of alcoholics determined to demonstrate to
them, once and for all, that alcohol was an evil beyond compare. On the
platform he had what appeared to be two identical containers of clear fluid.
He announced that one contained pure water and the other undiluted alco-
hol. He placed a small worm in the container with water; while everyone
watched, it swam around and headed for the side of the glass, whereupon
it simply crawled to the top of the glass. He then took the same worm and
placed it in the container with alcohol. The worm disintegrated right before
their eyes.

“There,” said the speaker. “What’s the moral of the story?”

A voice from the rear of the room said quite clearly, “I see that if you drink
alcohol, you’ll never have worms.”

Reflection Points
We do not see the world the way it is; rather, we see it as we are.
In communicating with others, we should not assume anything.
Even the clearest message can be misinterpreted. Leaders beware!
146 JERRY BIBERMAN

Three Questions
1. If you were part of the audience, how would you have responded to the
presenter’s question?
2. If you were the presenter, how could you have avoided the ambiguity
in the question?
3. What is your most significant takeaway from the story?

4.2 Avoiding Falling into a Hole

Jerry Biberman

Keywords: behavior change, teacher

Courses this story could be used in: Leadership, Principles of
Management
Topics: self-awareness, self-improvement

The Story
A person traveled to see a great teacher. The traveler explained to the teacher
that despite her best efforts, she kept making the same mistakes and doing
the same things—even after trying many times to not do so. In an attempt
to help the traveler, the teacher told her the following story:
A person was walking along a road when he fell into a hole without seeing
it first. He resolved to not do so again. The next few times he walked down
the road he saw the hole, but fell into it anyway. Eventually, after several
attempts, he saw the hole and walked around it.
The teacher asked the student to comment on the story. The student said
that the person, by walking around the hole, had mastered the situation.
The teacher said that the person had not yet mastered the situation. The true
master of the situation would have chosen to take a different road.

Reflection Points
The moral of the story is that behavioral change is difficult, and it often takes
several attempts before being successful. In some cases it may be necessary
 SHORT METAPHOR STORIES 147

to change the situation or the conditions that led up to the behavioral prob-
lem—by, for example, changing the environment or the persons with whom
one associates—hence, choosing a different road.

Three Questions
1. Describe a characteristic or behavior you have that you would like to
change or avoid.
2. Describe a characteristic or behavior that you have successfully changed
or avoided. What did you do to change or avoid the characteristic or
behavior?
3. Describe a situation where you were given useful advice. Who gave it
to you, and what was the advice?

4.3 A Story about a Sufi and Moths

Varinder Kumar

Keywords: distractions at workplace, managing people creatively

Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Leadership,
Management
Topics: distractions at workplace

The Story
A Sufi once established himself at crossroads. At night he set up a very bright
lamp. Not far away he lit a candle. Then, he sat beside the candle and read
his books.
“There must be some secret wisdom in this,” the people of a nearby town
said to one another. But they could neither fathom the language of the dem-
onstration, if such it was, nor penetrate the mystery of the teaching that was
being offered them.
At last a group of curious citizens, unable to restrain themselves any lon-
ger, sent a deputation to ask why the Sufi had two forms of illumination, and
why he had placed them in such a manner.
148 SATINDER DHIMAN

“Look at the lamp,” he said. “It is surrounded, every night, by thousands

of moths. By providing that light for moths I am left in peace by them, to
read by my candle. I please the moths and keep them away from me.”

Reflection Point
People are easily guided by outward attractions and appearances.
Consequently, they tend to distract those that are absorbed in their work by
demanding greater attention. Sometimes the best way to deal with distract-
ers is to distract them.

Three Questions
1. Do you think that distraction is a problem at the workplace?
2. Do you think that people are usually moved by outward appearances?
3. How do we manage distractions in a creative manner?

4.4 Chinese and Greek Artists and the

Restoration of an Old Palace

Satinder Dhiman

Keywords: organizational effectiveness versus efficiency, management ver-

sus leadership
Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management,
Organizational Behavior, Leadership Theory and Practice
Topics: managerial effectiveness, leadership

The Story
A group of Chinese artists claimed that they were the best painters. However,
a group of Greek artists insisted that they were better. These two groups
argued with each other for some time. At last the Chinese artists said to the
king, “Give us a room and we will prove to you our ability.” So the king gave
the Chinese and the Greeks each a room that opened one to the other.
 SHORT METAPHOR STORIES 149

The Chinese started to paint the wall with beautiful pictures and requested
hundreds of paint pigments from the king’s treasury. The Greeks said, “We
do not need any pigments,” and they started to polish the wall of the room.
They spent all of their time polishing the wall until no rust was left. Finally
the wall shone like a mirror. When the Chinese finished painting their wall,
they were jubilant and beat upon drums in joy.
At last, the king came and marveled at the beauty of the Chinese paint-
ings on the wall. Then he came to the Greeks’ side of the room. The Greeks
removed the veil. The reflection of the paintings from across the room on
the mirror-like wall was, without a doubt, more beautiful.

Reflection Points
Efficient people do things right (like Chinese artists in the story); effective
people do right things (like Greek artists in the story).
Managers are generally more concerned about efficiency—doing things;
leaders are more focused on effectiveness—doing right things.
As Edward Deming said, everyone doing their best is not enough. People
must first know what is best and then do it.

Three Questions
1. What is more important in managing organizations effectively: man-
agement or leadership?
2. The story makes it seem like leaders are more important than manag-
ers? Do you agree? Why or why not?
3. What is your most significant takeaway from the story?

4.5 Treasure under One’s Own House

Jerry Biberman

Keywords: self-reflection, self-awareness

Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management,
Organizational Behaviors, Leadership
Topics: self-awareness
150 SATINDER DHIMAN

The Story
There are many variations of this story about a person who goes on a long
journey in search of a treasure that turns out to be located in the basement
of his own house. One version of the story goes as follows:
There was a man who had heard stories about a great treasure that could
be discovered. The man really wanted to find the treasure, so he set off on
a journey to try and find it. In his search for the treasure, he traveled to the
town of a great mystic. He asked the mystic how to find the treasure. The
mystic told the man that he would need to travel to several places and to
complete a series of tasks at each place to get clues as to where to next travel.
After several years and many adventures, the clues brought the traveler back
to the mystic, who told him that the treasure had from the beginning been
hidden in the basement of the traveler’s own home.

Reflection Points
This moral of this story is that true wisdom lies within a person, and that
a person needs to go inward (by using either self-reflection or some type of
meditation) to access it.

Three Questions
1. What is it about you that you would most like to learn about or
improve on?
2. What are the ways you use to learn more about yourself?
3. How could knowledge about yourself be useful in your future work in
an organization?

4.6 Walking the Talk: A Story about

Mahatma Gandhi

Satinder Dhiman

Keywords: motivation, mentoring, role modeling, authentic leadership

Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management, Organizational
Behavior, Leadership Theory and Practice, Change Management
 SHORT METAPHOR STORIES 151

Topics: leading with example, change management, leadership

The Story
A mother once brought her son to Mahatma Gandhi and said, “Sir, please
tell my son to stop eating sugar.” Gandhi looked at the boy for a long time
and then, turning toward the mother, said, “Bring your son back to me in
two weeks.”
The mother did not understand the rationale of the delay in instruction,
but she did as she was asked. Two weeks later she and her son returned.
Gandhi looked deeply into boy’s eyes and said, “Stop eating sugar.” The
mother was grateful, but puzzled. She asked, “Why didn’t you tell my son to
stop eating sugar two weeks ago when we were here?” And Gandhi replied,
“Two weeks ago, I was eating sugar myself!”

Reflection Points
Authenticity in leadership lies in the unity and purity of our thought, speech,
and action.
“Role-modeling” is the only time-tested way to lastingly change human
behavior. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “What you do speaks so loudly
that I cannot hear what you say.”
The audio of our speech and the video of our actions must be in harmony
with each other.

Three Questions
1. Why was it so important for Gandhi to first practice a discipline within
himself before preaching it to others?
2. Why is authenticity so critical in leading others?
3. What is your most significant takeaway from the story?
152 VARINDER KUMAR

4.7 Concentration Camp and

Commander’s Humanity

Varinder Kumar

Key words: organizational behavior

Courses this story could be used in: Management, Leadership,
Organizational Behavior
Topics: organizational behavior

The Story
Victor Frankl narrates the brutal cruelties of the Nazi torturers and extermi-
nators, and one’s attitude toward those sufferings in his book Man’s Search
for Meaning.1 Among the guards of the concentration camp, there were some
sadists who used to take pleasure in others’ sufferings. But there were some
others who took pity on them. Among those persons was the commander of
the camp from which Victor Frankl was liberated. This commander used to
purchase medicines for his prisoners from his personal expenses.
At the end of the war when the American troops liberated the prisoners
from the camp, three young Hungarian Jews who were prisoners before war
hid this commander in the Bavarian woods. Then they went to American
forces who were eager to capture this commander and told that they would
tell where he was only on promise that absolutely no harm would come to
him. The American officers promised these young Jews that this commander
would be kept safe from harm. Not only did the American officers keep their
promise but the former commander of the concentration camp was restored
to his command for supervising the welfare works.

Reflection Points
Human kindness exists beyond man-made demarcation of races, hierarchies,
friends, or foes. There are decent and indecent men in every group and no
group consists entirely of only decent or indecent people. Therefore, one
should not label or stereotype human behavior.
 SHORT METAPHOR STORIES 153

Three Questions
1. Why do some people choose to behave differently in extreme situ-
ations even when most others tend to lose their human dignity? Is
it purely a matter of attitude or do some inherent differences exist
between people?
2. Do think that it is unwise to carry prejudices and preconceptions
regarding different persons?
3. Do you think that human nature has both possibilities: divine as well
as demonic?

Note
1. V. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning—An Introduction to Logotherapy (Boston,
MA: Beacon Press, 1962).

4.8 Be the Change You Want to See

in the World: The Leadership Art of
Mahatma Gandhi

Satinder Dhiman

Keywords: role modeling, authentic leadership, change management

Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management,
Organizational Development, Organizational Behavior, Leadership Theory
and Practice, Change Management
Topics: leading with example, change management, leadership

The Story
There is a story about Mahatma Gandhi in which, as he was boarding a train,
one of his sandals slipped from his foot and landed near the track. Suddenly
the train began pulling away leaving him no time to retrieve it.
Immediately, Gandhi removed the other sandal and tossed it back to lie
with the first one along the track. When his astonished fellow passenger
154 SATINDER DHIMAN

asked why he did this, Gandhi replied, “Now the poor man who finds it will
have a pair he can use.”

Reflection Points
Be the change that you would like to bring about in the world.
—Gandhi

When asked about his life’s message, Gandhi is reported to have replied,
simply, “My life is my message!”
Our own transformation is the greatest gift we can offer to the universe. J.
Krishnamurti, an Indian philosopher, once said, “The way you park your car
may have something to do with the third world war.” Since we are insepara-
bly, synchronistically, one with the rest of existence, the only way to rewrite
our collective narrative is to be the change we want to see in the world.
In our effort to bring about wholesome change in the world, we have to
be more kinder and compassionate than necessary. Gandhi once said, “If you
live with the policy of ‘tooth for a tooth’ and ‘eye for an eye,’ soon, you will
be living in a blind and toothless society!”

Three Questions
1. What quality do you most admire in your favorite leaders and why?
2. Do you think that the journey to great leadership starts with being a
good human being first?
3. What is your most significant takeaway from the story?

4.9 The Difference between the Window

Glass and the Mirror Glass

Satinder Dhiman

Keywords: humility, arrogance, crucibles

Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management,
Organizational Development, Organizational Behavior, Leadership Theory
and Practice, Change Management
 SHORT METAPHOR STORIES 155

Topics: leadership derailment, dark side of leadership

The Story
Once a rich and very stingy man came to his rabbi to ask for a special bless-
ing. The rabbi sat and talked with him for a while and then, all of a sudden,
took the man’s hand and brought him to the window.

“Tell me what do you see?” asked the rabbi. The man answered, “I see people
out on the street.” The rabbi brought him a mirror. “Now what do you see?”
he asked. “Now I see myself,” the man replied. The rabbi said, “Now let me
explain the meaning of my actions. Both the window and the mirror are made
of glass. The window is a clear glass but the mirror has a layer of silver on it.
When you look through clear glass you can see people, but when you cover it
with silver, you no longer see other people but only see yourself.”

Reflection Points
A wise person well-versed in the ways of the life and leadership once told this
author: “When you are going up—in an organizational hierarchy—be nice
to people around you. You will surely meet them when you will be coming
down.
Probably modesty is the most important leadership quality that is hon-
ored more in breach than in observance in modern leaders. Jim Collins, a
famous management author, calls it “compelling modesty” and identifies it
as one of the two most important qualities portrayed by level five leaders, the
other being fierce professional will.
Organizational arrogance is the most fatal flaw that soon leads to clueless-
ness and brings fall. One should always be on one’s guard about it. It is very
easy to feel insulated and indulge in ego trips.

Three Questions
1. Why is it that the people who are among the most cordial to work with
tend to become haughty once promoted? Does it have to do with suc-
cess or with lack of self-knowledge?
2. Do you think that modesty as a leadership quality is fast becoming rare
in modern organizations?
3. What is your most significant takeaway from the story?
156 VARINDER KUMAR

4.10 Real Obstacles are Inside Us!

Varinder Kumar

Keywords: change management, self-discipline and personal mastery

Courses this story could be used in: Management, Leadership,
Organizational Behavior
Topics: change management, self-leadership

The Story
A man asked the abbot of a monastery outside a city whether he could come
each weekend to meditate there, as at home in the city there were constant
hindrances and the noise from the street interrupted his meditation. “You
may come,” said the abbot, “but there will still be interruptions.” The man
came the next weekend, and in the afternoon entered the great meditation
hall, all alone. The place was absolutely silent, and quite bare except for a
small image of the Bodhisattva of Wisdom at one end, with a single stick of
incense burning in front of it. In the dim peace he felt his nerves relax and sat
down to try to enter his meditation. After a little while the place felt almost
too silent; he thought he heard a tiny sound and opened his eyes a little. He
noticed the stick of incense, and began to wonder why the smoke always rises.
Then he noticed the perfume of the incense, far superior to the incense in the
temple near his home. He speculated how much it might cost, and thought:

If it is not too expensive (and probably they get quite a reduction for buying
in quantity) perhaps I could buy some from them here at cost price—they are
after all spiritual men and not interested in profit—and then sell it to the priest
at our temple and make a little for myself.

The bell sounded, and he realized that his meditation hour was finished. He
went straight to the abbot, prostrated himself, and said: “I understand. The
interruptions are from within. From now on I shall practice meditation in my
home. Please give me your blessing.” The abbot blessed him, and he returned.

Reflection Points
Mind alone is the source of bondage as well as freedom. The same mind that
is source of bondage can become source of liberation if we try to understand
 SHORT METAPHOR STORIES 157

it. In the change programs, people resist change and blame it on technology
or techniques. But in fact they resist change because they are not willing to
change themselves. If their attitude is transformed to imbibe change in a
positive and proactive way, they are likely to change in better and effective
ways. Thus the main hindrance to change is more from conditioned mind
than from external things.

Three Questions
1. What factors contribute to the mind’s resistance to change?
2. What is the best way to overcome the mind’s resistance to change?
3. Do you think that with transformation of the mind, the process of
change is facilitated?

4.11 Celebrate Your Diversity:

Joys of Noncomparison and the
Virtue of Patience

Satinder Dhiman

Keywords: self-esteem, self-actualization, patience, motivation, diversity

Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management,
Organizational Development, Organizational Behavior, Self-Leadership,
Diversity Management
Topics: diversity, motivation, leadership, personal mastery

The Story
Bamboo Tree
One day I decided to quit . . . I quit my job, my relationship, my spiritual-
ity . . . I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with
GOD. “GOD,” I said,
“Can you give me one good reason not to quit?” His answer surprised
me . . .
158 SATINDER DHIMAN

“Look around,” GOD said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care
of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from
the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the
bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the fern
grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo
seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.” GOD said.
“In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would
not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I
would not quit.” GOD said.
“Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared
to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant . . . But just 6 months later
the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing
roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I
would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.” GOD
said to me.
“Did you know, that all this time you have been struggling, you have
actually been growing roots?”
“I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you.”
“Don’t compare yourself to others.” GOD said. “The bamboo had a dif-
ferent purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.”
“Your time will come,” GOD said to me. “You will rise high.”
“How high should I rise?” I asked.
“How high will the bamboo rise?” GOD asked in return.
“As high as it can?” I questioned
“Yes.” GOD said, “Give me glory by rising as high as you can.”

Reflection Points
We all have diverse gifts. Sometimes, we become impatient with the blos-
soming of our gifts. The key lies in not comparing ourselves with others.
And too often, we misinterpret delay as denial. All good things take time.
If nature wants pumpkin tree, it takes only a few months; if it wants an oak
tree, it takes hundreds of years! The acorn needs to be patient; otherwise, it
will never grow into a mighty oak tree.
J. Krishnamurti, an Indian philosopher, once surprised his audiences by
saying, “Do you want to know my secret: I do not compare and I do not
mind what happens.” Acceptance and not comparing are two enduring hab-
its of highly fulfilled leaders.
Nature loves originals and detests copies. Self-actualization lies in staying
truly on our own course and not worrying too much about whether we fit in
or not and how we stack up against others.
Gandhi once said that speed is useless if we are going in the wrong
direction.
 SHORT METAPHOR STORIES 159

Three Questions
1. What makes for lasting self-actualization: measuring up to others or
realizing our potential?
2. Why is patience so hard to cultivate especially when the going gets
tough? How is being patient helpful in leading organizations?
3. What is your most significant takeaway from the story?

4.12 The Joy of Giving Joy to Others:

Cultivating Abundance Mentality

Satinder Dhiman

Keywords: human flourishing, subjective well-being, self-fulfillment

Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management,
Organizational Development, Organizational Behavior, Self-Leadership
Topics: motivation, personal mastery, self-leadership

The Story
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was
allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid
from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man
had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involve-
ment in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he
would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could
see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where
his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of
the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played
on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked
160 SATINDER DHIMAN

arm in arm amid flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline
could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man
on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the pictur-
esque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn’t hear the band, he could see it—in his
mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive
words.
Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only
to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully
in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the
body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be
moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and
after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first
look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled
his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside
this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Reflection Points
Once a young man approached a Zen master with this question: “I feel very
discouraged. What should I do?” The Zen master replied, “Encourage oth-
ers who are discouraged.”
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own
situations. Research in the new field of positive psychology reveals that last-
ing happiness comes from making others happy. A life devoted to making
only one’s own wishes come true makes a very insignificant package.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared is redoubled.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Happiness is a perfume you cannot
pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.”
Jack Welsh, the celebrated leader of GE, is reported to have said: “Before
you become a leader, the emphasis should on developing yourself; after you
become a leader, the focus should be developing others.” Developing and
inspiring others lies at the heart of what is called servant leadership.
 SHORT METAPHOR STORIES 161

Three Questions
1. As a leader, what do you think makes for deep gratification: achieving
your own goals or helping others to reach their goals?
2. Can you think of a situation or an event in which your main focus was
to help others, without expecting anything in return? How did you
feel having gone through it? Then, recall a situation where you were
solely motivated by your own gratification? How long did the euphoria
of self-satisfaction last? (Hint: You may discover that the joy of helping
others lasts much longer than self-indulgence.)
3. What is your most significant takeaway from the story?

4.13 Let Your Life Speak:

“YOU” May be the Only Scripture
Some People Will Ever Read!

Satinder Dhiman

Keywords: role modeling, authentic leadership, change management

Courses this story could be used in: Principles of Management,
Organizational Development, Organizational Behavior, Leadership Theory
and Practice, Change Management
Topics: leading with example, change management, leadership

The Story
His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans,
and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of col-
lege. He is brilliant. Kind of profound and very, very bright. He became a
Christian while attending college.
Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative
church. They want to develop a ministry to the students but are not sure how
to go about it. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes,
162 SATINDER DHIMAN

jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and so Bill
starts down the aisle looking for a seat.
The church is completely packed and he can’t find a seat. By now, people
are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets
closer and closer and closer to the pulpit, and when he realizes there are no
seats, he just squats down right on the carpet.
By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.
About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church,
a deacon is slowly making his way toward Bill.
Now, the deacon is in his eighties, has silver-gray hair, and wears a three-
piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks
with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to
themselves that you can’t blame him for what he’s going to do.
How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to under-
stand some college kid on the floor? It takes a long time for the man to reach
the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man’s cane.
All eyes are focused on him. You can’t even hear anyone breathing. The min-
ister can’t even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to do.
And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great
difficulty, he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with
him so he won’t be alone.
Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he
says, “What I’m about to preach, you will never remember. What you have
just seen, you will never forget.”
Be careful how you live. “YOU” may be the only Scripture some people
will ever read!

Reflection Points
People learn more from watching a leader’s behavior than from his/her
preaching. Our actions speak louder than our words.
When asked about his life’s message, Gandhi is reported to have replied,
simply, “My life is my message!”
In our dealings with others, we need to be more kind and compassionate
than necessary. A sign outside a meditation hall: “Be more kind to each other
than necessary. Everyone is fighting some battle.”
As Gandhi said, we need to be the change that we would like to bring
about in the world.
At the end of his well-lived life, Aldous Huxley, the preeminent English
writer, has only this to say: “Be a little more kinder to each other.”

Three Questions
1. Why is kindness so important in our personal and professional lives?
2. What do you think is more fulfilling: giving or receiving kindness?
3. What is your most significant takeaway from the story?
 PA R T V

Two Cases

The stories in this section are much longer than those in previous parts of the
book, and are written in entirely different styles. However, when used as case
studies these stories may be appropriate for instructors and coaches who seek
a larger, more complex scenario in their courses or seminars. Such scenarios
could be used for group discussion, or for assessment measuring purposes, in
which students’ levels of comprehension are measured and compared.
 5.1 Samaritan House

George G. Klemic

Keywords: social capital, motivation, organizational culture, organizational

learning, leadership, superleadership
Courses this story could be used in: Organizational Behavior, Management
Principles, possibly an introductory course on American Business, possibly
in a course on Values/Ethics, possibly in a Service Learning Course, Human
Resources Management
Key OB Topics: social capital, motivation (Maslow, Herzberg, Alderfer), orga-
nizational culture (I use Schein’s Model—Artifacts, Values, Assumptions),
organizational learning, leadership, situational leadership, superleadership
(Manz & Sims)

The Story
Kitty Lopez sat in her small office musing over her achievements during her
tenure as executive director for the Samaritan House (Sam). The organiza-
tion was basically financially sound, although operating with a 12 percent
decrease in donations and a 50 percent increase in client count since 9/11.
Clients were well served, although it was always a struggle to maintain vol-
unteer numbers during the summer. Employees were essentially satisfied;
the community seemed to be pleased with Sam’s performance. In the five
months since March 2002, when she took on this new role in the organi-
zation, she had to face the dismal financial climate of the opening of the
twenty-first century but still keep the flame of hope alive for both clients and
employees. Kitty pondered how she could use the organization’s best assets
to overcome barriers and continue successful service to the needy.

Samaritan House Mission Statement

Samaritan House promotes self-sufficiency and preserves dignity and worth
of all—whether of food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, or work—as
166 GEORGE G. KLEMIC

a haven of heart and hope where people able to share their means, their
energy, their care to those who are in need.1

Background
The Samaritan House (Sam) was founded in 1974. The organization is
located in the city of San Mateo, in San Mateo County, California. Sam is a
501(c) 3 organization meant to provide many types of services to the needy
of Central San Mateo County. These services include the most basic: food,
clothing, shelter, health care, plus education, counseling, and referral ser-
vices. All services are provided free of charge to about twelve thousand bene-
ficiaries each year. Sam makes a point of endeavoring to maintain the dignity
of each client served and to help clients outgrow dependence on Sam.
San Mateo County is densely populated and well to do. The county’s
populace enables Sam’s services by providing 70–80 percent of the $3 mil-
lion budget from private sources. The populace goes far beyond monetary
donations, with thirty-five hundred or more volunteers coming forward for
hands-on activities each year. Sam’s website describes these volunteers as
“heroes.” While Sam respondents indicate that it can always use a few more
volunteers, during major holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, the
number of volunteers available often exceeds Sam’s ability to use them effec-
tively and efficiently.
Sam practices its magic in several locations in the city of San Mateo and
in Redwood City. These locations include: an office providing community
workers for screening and processing clients; a “clothes closet,” a store pro-
viding a variety of goods that can be acquired by way of a voucher system;
two free clinics, one in the city of San Mateo and one in the county seat,
Redwood City; a dining room; a boxed food distribution center; and Safe
Harbor Shelter. Largely volunteers staff these sites, with about forty–fifty
paid part- and full-time employees.
Sam’s employees tend to be well educated, and many have a college edu-
cation. As a shallow-pocketed nonprofit, Sam isn’t able to match the Silicon
Valley’s usually high wage scales. Interestingly, employee turnover is low,
employee problems are rare, dedication is high, and the prevailing office
weather could be metaphorically represented by the sunny smiles of the
employees and volunteers.

Sam’s Key Assets

Kitty is blessed with superb human resources.

Past Executive Director

John Kelly came to Sam about ten years into its existence. Until then, Sam
had been just a small information and referral service. His involvement
began with the development of a dining program to serve the hungry of the
 TWO CASES 167

community. John, a former Catholic priest, had contacts in the community

and is an experienced promoter of causes. As an example, he has seized every
speaking opportunity available and has developed promotional literature
about Sam.
In 1985 John began consulting for the county to develop services for the
needy in the central part of the county. That area was not serviced by the
agencies meant to provide for the needy. As was the situation with the dining
services, provision of other services often started on a part-time or intermit-
tent basis before growing into full-time endeavors. John built the programs
to be conducive to volunteerism and recruited committed volunteers. He
essentially sought out and recruited capable and trustworthy volunteers,
those who would run the systems and processes of the organization, leaving
him free to do what he did best—promote.
When recounting the activities of some of the key volunteers, John usu-
ally discusses Lucille, one of the volunteers who worked full-time running
all of their sites at one time and many for over fifteen years, until she retired
at age ninety-two. John cleverly recruited well-connected volunteers, who, in
turn, recruited volunteers.
Doctors concerned with the lack of health care for undocumented people
began meeting in the late 1980s. Their meetings developed into an alliance
with the Mills Peninsula Hospital; the alliance evolved into a clinic. The
clinic offered retired and other physicians the opportunity to practice with
little paperwork, as there was no billing to be done. In 2001, a similar clinic
was spun-off of a new alliance with Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City.
John promotes his volunteers as strongly as he promotes Sam.
The hyper-gregarious John admits that when representing Sam, he would
talk to anyone, anytime about Sam’s activities and needs. His fundraising
and volunteer targets spanned the range from a golf tournament and dinner-
dance set to school children who might run canned goods and toy drives.
John identifies volunteer coordinator Pam Frisella as one of the key play-
ers on Sam’s payroll.

Volunteer Coordinator
Pam Frisella began fundraising for Sam about ten years ago. Previous to
this employment she had spent several years on Sam’s board. She was first
employed by Sam as an employee in the area of community outreach and
volunteer coordination. Given what John believes to be the key driver of suc-
cess for Sam, Pam is certainly a linchpin for the organization.
Pam speaks about her job, about Sam, and Sam’s volunteers with both
passion and conviction. Pam states: “[when I look at a volunteer] I ask
myself, and them, why they are doing it . . . I want to see if there is commit-
ment . . . the opportunity for a long-term commitment . . . ” Pam takes great
pains to recruit and orient the serious volunteer, while not neglecting to
help the “occasional” or one-time volunteer’s needs. She tries to make good
matches of volunteers to work activities because: “it has to be fun or they
168 GEORGE G. KLEMIC

won’t come back.” Pam is so attentive to the job assignment because most
of the paid staff began as volunteers. Each volunteer must be looked on as a
potential future employee.
Pam shares her passion about Sam and its mission at every Rotary Club
meeting, Chamber meeting, and mixer that she can attend. She considers
keeping Sam visible in the business and social community a critical compo-
nent of her job. She indicates that she inherited this approach from John,
who “did everything himself until about three years ago . . . ”
Pam believes that the “special feeling” one gets from working as a vol-
unteer or employee at Sam grew out of the contagious sense of graciousness
present in John’s leadership style. One such employee, nee volunteer, Louisa
is a part-time staff member, who works at the Clothes Closet.

Part-Time Staff Member

Louisa Rodgers, a retiree, has been with Sam for over ten years. She came
first as a volunteer, bringing both a lifetime’s business experience and a poly-
glot’s linguistic ability. She works at the store, the Clothes Closet, full-time,
one day a week for pay, and four days a week as a volunteer.
Louisa is a strong believer in the power of motivation and training to
help a person overcome adverse circumstances. Although Sam will provide
shopping vouchers to all the needy, Louisa has her own special way of mov-
ing needy clients into the ranks of the employed. She does this by training
clients as volunteers. Louisa recruits clients who are motivated to work but
lacking in experience. She utilizes these volunteers with all the trappings of
employment, regular hours, time sheets, goals and objectives, training, and
evaluation, raises and promotions. The only thing missing is the paycheck.
Here she substitutes a scrip called “Sammy Dollars” that roughly equate to
the in-store purchasing power of the work done. Using these devices she
can prepare a client for both a meaningful job as well as for the need to live
within a budget. Louisa indicates that about 90 percent of the clients she
takes on as volunteers eventually cease to be clients.
Louisa is able to accomplish these small metamorphoses while maintain-
ing a boutique-like store for the clients. She indicates that her volunteer
trainees “know who is in charge . . . but I don’t go around with a whip . . . ”
She also has two regular employees, but, as she says, “I am not really the boss
of those guys, I help them . . . ”

Director of Operations
Denis Lewis, too, is a volunteer-turned-employee. Tired of the rat race as a
construction manager, Denis began volunteering and then took a short-term
position that he has now held for over seven years. As director of operations,
he is responsible for many activities at Sam’s, but he spends most of his time
working with volunteers. He is pleased that Sam has many different pro-
grams and can usually match a program to a volunteer’s desires.
 TWO CASES 169

Denis has a unique method for delegating responsibility. Sam has a large
number of continuing volunteers and also gets large groups for one-day vol-
unteer events. When initially meeting with the large groups, the first volun-
teer to make eye contact with Denis is appointed leader for the event. Denis
assigns the day’s goal(s) and fifty or so volunteers to the leader and then
moves on to the next group. Denis indicates that most of these leaders had
never been asked to play such a role. However, all of the leaders so chosen
have risen to the occasion and succeeded in accomplishing their goals. Denis
indicates: “It’s not necessarily the CEO who comes here to volunteer. They
aren’t necessarily the best ad hoc manager. The people who actually do the
work often are better at organizing the work and getting the relatively simple
tasks done and getting people to come together . . . ” Because of the variety
of programs at Sam’s and the extensive amount of work that is done ad hoc
by volunteers, Denis has learned to live without perfection and to design
systems and processes that are both flexible and robust.

Free Clinic Founder

Bill Schwartz is a doctor who was concerned with the lack of health care
for undocumented people. His discussions and alliance building resulted
in the opening of the free clinic. He spent thirty dollars of “venture capi-
tal” to purchase the license. Bill used a low-key approach to recruitment.
He would just plant the seed of an idea with a colleague by way of a tour
of the clinic or a request for help on a single night. The clinic offered
retired and other physicians the opportunity to practice with little paper-
work. Without the burden of billing to be done, physicians could practice
medicine rather than bureaucracy. Recruiting was so successful that they
were able to overstaff the clinic so that physicians could spend as much
time with patients as they wanted. The motivation of the volunteers for
the clinic was critical. Bill points out:

People in the clinic are motivated by a number of things. People here are of
certain personality types. There may even be genetic aspects to this. They are
people who enjoy the camaraderie of others working as they are. Everybody
knows the motivation of the other person and they know it isn’t money. They
know they are there for other purposes and that’s very pleasing. Their relation-
ships are important. And of course there is the relationship with the patient.
Maybe this ties in with family—they may be people who seek out family rela-
tionships. They get to know the patients very well and there is this kind of
blending effect. There is this egalitarian spirit there—we don’t have a pecking
order. We don’t have a room for the doctors—we have a room where every-
body goes to eat the cookies or drink the coffee. Whatever’s there is free game.
The medical student or the doctor or whoever is in there—everybody’s equal.
We don’t pull rank; we just have work to do. We often cross over in terms of
the work we do. I’m actually retired now, but when I was there I would often
do the cleanup work, put things away, or mark things. So people do other
people’s jobs and help out.
170 GEORGE G. KLEMIC

Bill notices a kind of reverence and respect for dignity that is present at the
clinic and at Sam’s in general. Especially evident is the avoidance of bureau-
cracy. According to him, bureaucracy tends to stifle people and become the
death knell to volunteerism.

Assistant to the Executive Director

Sheila Sandow joined Sam from the world of public relations. She applied
for the position of assistant to the executive director, but because of the cir-
cumstances at the time of her hire, she started as a part-time temp. Quickly,
though, the position wended into a full-time, permanent one. It took her
some time to get used to a workplace like Sam, one where the greatest num-
ber of people are volunteers. Sheila indicated that the purity of motivation
of effort in a nonprofit is unlike what you find in any other setting. At Sam
it was and is easy to find meaning in all of the aspects of work. That ever-
present meaningfulness of the work allowed for a wide variety of ways to
get satisfaction from work. With a high likelihood of high job satisfaction,
people are attracted to Sam en masse.
Sheila, the high-powered, self-starter from the extroverted world of public
relations, made the adjustment to the world of the nonprofit. In addition to
drawing on her past experience, she developed new skills, playing the low-
keyed role of an introvert in management of volunteers. She had not had a
lot of experience in managing the day-to-day work of others but learned to
delegate. As the quintessential hands-on manager, Sheila liked to do every-
thing herself, but she learned to rely on the volunteers because there is just
too much work for the paid staff. She remains involved by being very atten-
tive to detail and by focusing on carefully matching volunteer abilities and
interests to available work, then evaluating frequently.

Executive Director
As the most potent of Sam’s assets are people, Kitty Lopez needed to con-
sider her own talents and experience as a part of the mix. Kitty had spent her
prior life in education and in working for nonprofits. She had come to Sam
two years ago as director of client services. Five months ago, she became
executive director. Sam had had a reputation for creating a community of
volunteers, and Kitty found that very attractive. She was readily able to buy
into the idea of creating communities to help others.
A community comes into existence based on relationships and can only
be maintained by the nurturing of relationships. Kitty spends most of her
time accomplishing this task. Her usual method involves talking to people
and focusing on a client’s story. This allows her to ensure that the potential
volunteer, sponsor, or employee realize the direct and positive impact that
their participation will have on the life of a needy person. She feels that
the “personal touch” is what builds commitment. More often, however,
 TWO CASES 171

Kitty just gets out to listen to people, volunteers, clients, sponsors, and
employees.
Kitty attends many community-based organizations’ meetings, such as
Rotary or the Chamber of Commerce, but she also is attentive to her own
organization’s insiders. Decisions are made based on consensus. This means
that internal meetings are both common and frequent.
In addition to communications and boundary spanning, Kitty has overall
responsibility for the organization. She is very serious about the responsibil-
ity but believes that she must achieve success through others. As a manager,
she tries to accept volunteers and employees as they are and tries to move
them along to change, just as she would with a client.
Kitty is attentive to the kind of symbiosis that has evolved around Sam;
both the needy and the volunteers have their needs satisfied by working with
one another. Clients may not have lucrative jobs, but finding ways to help
themselves and their families is emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually
satisfying. The volunteers, on the other hand, often have well-paying jobs
that are emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually valueless. Sam is the
meeting place and balancing point for these two situations.
She is also attentive to the long run needs of the organization, working
on the development of the next generation of volunteers. This is being done
by sponsorship of programs that involve students in Sam’s work. “You build
community by teaching children that there are people who don’t have what
they have . . . ”

Dilemma
Though proud and satisfied with Sam, its volunteers, and employees, Kitty
is still anxious. What else did she and Sam need to do? What have they over-
looked? What was missing from the portfolio of client services? What kind
of talent was missing from the portfolio of volunteers or was there and was
not being fully utilized? Kitty’s pencil was poised to jot her ideas down when
the phone rang, again.

Reflection Points
How do people in need help me?
One usually majors in business with the intent of becoming a competent
business person. As I learn to be a competent business person, how can I
help others?
There is a discernable symbiosis between the needy and those who pro-
vide for them.
Is it right to just provide for those in need by giving, or should one try to
alleviate need by an educational process?
Who is a leader? Who can be a leader? What does it take to be a leader?
Can “nontraditional” leaders be effective?
172 MARTHA M. MATTARE

Three Questions
1. Social capital is a concept considered increasingly more important. Iden-
tify and discuss elements of social capital that are evident in the case.
2. Use one of the prominent motivation models (Maslow, Herzberg,
Alderfer, etc.) to describe the potential linkage between Sam’s prac-
tices and issues of employee satisfaction and retention.
3. What artifacts of Sam’s culture are most visible in the case?

Notes
With gratitude to Samaritan House, its executive director, volunteers, and employees
for allowing me to interview them. Special thanks go to Kitty Lopez, John Kelly,
Pam Frisella, Louisa Rodgers, Dr. Bill Schwartz, Denis Lewis, and Sheila Sandow.
Gratitude also to Paul Anderson for his assistance in undertaking this case study and
for his work in the interview process. Thanks further to Drs Roger Goodson and
Rod Heisterberg for their thoughtful comments on the drafts of this case study and
instructor’s guide and Ms. Sherri Roberts for her editorial comments.
1. Source: www.samaritanhouse.com (July 23, 2003).

5.2 Managing Change: A Public

Library Moves to New Space
and Everything Goes Haywire

Martha M. Mattare

The Story
The organizational culture prior to the library’s move to a new building was
warm, family-like, open, and high-performing. The move had great impact
on the organization’s culture and led to significant breakdown of communi-
cation. A change management model and process was developed to facilitate
successful change in the organization. The change management tool used
to execute the change model was Appreciative Inquiry (AI), developed by
David Cooperrider and Diana Whitney (1999). This tool has been used in
 TWO CASES 173

significant ways and is rapidly becoming the change management tool of

“record” in a number of different situations.
Keywords: organization change, organization communication, organiza-
tional space
Courses this story could be used in: organizational behavior, organiza-
tional development, change management
Topics: change management, effect of physical space on organizational
behavior, organizational communication

The Story
The main branch of a public library system had experienced a major meltdown
of organizational communications after moving the operations into a dramati-
cally different workspace located in a new building. The organizational culture
prior to the library’s move was warm, family-like, open, and high performing.
Work spaces were open, and the only walls were those that separated the public
library space from staff space. A central kitchen that everyone had to frequently
pass through provided a place for sharing and collaborating. Everyone knew
everything because it all happened in the kitchen: meetings, celebrations,
problem-solving, and the sharing of cakes, cookies, pies, just-picked fresh veg-
etables, casseroles, and fun. It took years for this nurturing culture to build.
The shock of losing the physical space that enabled this warm and nurturing
culture thrust the organization into a state of high anxiety, causing crippling
communication snafus and poor performance. Ordinarily, the nature of the
library system was to maintain homeostasis1: to manage change very slowly
and carefully and to foster slow, deliberative adaptive policies.
Shortly after the move, the library management and staff began to recog-
nize that something had radically changed and “things no longer worked”
smoothly.2 The transparent and seamless communication process of absorb-
ing valuable information from others in the former central kitchen was gone,
with nothing to replace it. As a result, meetings were missed, important
information that needed to be shared with library patrons was not dissemi-
nated, and the staff felt left out, uninformed, and wanting in ways they could
articulate and ways they could not.3
In many cases, a “quick-fix” approach is used to address organizational
crises and, thus, in this case, in an effort to find a solution, the management
decided to develop and implement an intranet as a solution to the com-
munication crisis. This quick fix approach tends to focus on the symptoms
of a problem.4. These symptoms are usually discrete and situated in one or
several areas of the organization, as was the case in the library. As discussed
by McKay and Lashutka5 looking at a situation in a linear way instead of
through the framework of ST often produces a superficial diagnosis that
results in an action plan that does not resolve the issues.
After extensive informal and focus group discussions with members of
management and staff, it was apparent that a more holistic or organismic
174 MARTHA M. MATTARE

approach was called for.6. Systems thinking, or looking at the whole rather
than the parts7 was necessary to arrive at an understanding about what was
happening in the library system. In this case, there were many intersecting
parts of which only some showed visible signs of malfunction.
Systems thinking is a useful framework to understand organizations,
which according to Josefowitz,8 has three main components: a purpose,
a structure, and a process. Systems thinking deals with the organization
within the context of its environment as well as the units and subunits within
it. “Failures in organization improvements often stem from an insufficient
understanding of the many causes of a current situation. Looking at a sit-
uation in terms of linear causality instead of ST can lead to a superficial
diagnosis that results in an incomplete action plan.” 9 Systems thinking is a
particularly useful way of thinking about human communications in that it
allows recognition of the multiunit complexity of the organization and the
multilateral causality among the parts of the organizational system.10 The
intranet was not sufficient to address the complexity of the situation. In
addition, there was already a great amount of resistance to and disagreement
about the proposed intranet, which, in itself, further demonstrated the com-
munication malfunction within the organization.
Most organizations do not take into account how their physical space
impacts the performance of the organization.11 Workplace design not only
affects efficiencies but also culture. The open and flexible space occupied by
the library staff for some years allowed for extraordinary interaction. Open,
flexible work spaces can contribute to greater efficiencies, more employee
satisfaction, and positive organizational self-images.12 And the structural
configuration of walls, corridors, and other physical attributes of space can
affect the social interaction and influence relationships.13
The library’s move back to the newly renovated headquarters came as
a huge shock to the organizational system. The cramped but cozy “con-
tainer” that formed the physical environment that supported “family” was
gone, replaced by a huge, two-story, echoing, vaulted-ceiling building that
provided a great deal of space for library materials, but that also separated
departments and workgroups from one another. The culture, which was
characterized by the comforting cake and pie, small-talk, and frequent fam-
ily-like gatherings, was significantly affected. Staff had to walk long corri-
dors, up and down staircases, and through several doors and departments to
reach the new kitchen, which was no longer a central meeting place and, in
fact, now was not used much at all. Thus, interaction of the staff was abruptly
and greatly reduced as a result of the move.
The organization had entered into a dramatic state of flux and transfor-
mation forced by the physical move and the sudden and profound change
in the physical container or boundary of the organization. The patterns
that worked in the old quarters no longer worked in the new one. The rela-
tionships among staff changed purely by virtue of the challenging physical
distances between departments and people. The seemingly effortless style
of knowledge-sharing, friendliness, and feeling of family comfort was now
substantially more difficult, or even impossible, to maintain. Unfortunately,
 TWO CASES 175

the organization had not anticipated the impact of the physical space on the
organizational culture. Once the move was complete the struggle to effec-
tively share important and timely information among the staff began.

Change Action Plan

Kurt Lewin’s theory of change proposes that an organization (or individual
or community) must progress through the stages of change he described as
“Freeze, Unfreeze, and Refreeze,” and that driving forces must overcome
powerful restraining forces in the system in order for the change to occur.14
Individual resistance can form the most powerful restraining force of all,
and in order to alleviate resistance, I developed a collaborative, participatory
process15 that involved all members of the library system. Allen et al.16 found
in their qualitative study on uncertainty during organizational change that
employees who perceived they were the recipients of high-quality change
communication were more open to the resulting changes.
To accomplish collaboration, people were brought in from each depart-
ment and from all levels to work together in an initial, transition group to
first articulate the current state of the organization, then address the issues,
and finally formulate long-term solutions that would allow adaptation to the
new space and the rebirth of a highly successful culture.
This initial group, or Transition Team, served as the champions of change
and were the employees who would advocate and spread the change mes-
sage to the whole library organization.17 They were tasked with taking the
first steps to identify the critical issues that, when addressed, would have
the greatest positive impact on the organization. These strategies or “paths
of change”18 would then form the basis of the direction taken by the whole
organization. This approach is reflected in the Change Management Process
Model shown in figure 1 where the transition team looks back to recapture
the old library culture, which is in homeostasis, articulate it, then move for-
ward to recreate it in the new library space.

Transition
Team New
Old
Champions Library System
Library System
of Change

Figure 1 A change management process model in the temporary space in the new
building.19
176 MARTHA M. MATTARE

An appropriate change management tool with which to frame this process

would be one that approached the library system as an opportunity rather
than a problem. A new vision and social reality needed to be created that
would take it forward rather than focus backward on the past.20 The change
management tool, appreciative inquiry (AI), has been used with great suc-
cess.21 Appreciative inquiry would provide the positive, affirmative approach
to recreation of the library culture.

The Change Management Process

The steps in the change process consisted of a series of interviews, focus
groups, and workshops, all progressing from one to the other and all using
AI. In the first interview step, which was an initial discussion with manage-
ment, I opened the subject of looking at addressing communication issues
in a broader way. As an example, I began this process of discovery by asking:
“Describe the perfect day for yourself for giving and receiving the information
you need to successfully work with the public and with other departments in
the library.” This discussion provided the framework for a subsequent focus
group that was expanded to include more staff at subordinate levels. The 4-D
discovery and dream steps illuminated how much the focus group participants
missed the frequent opportunities to see each other face-to-face that were
available in the temporary library facility. They clearly wanted that feeling
of community and dialogue back again, plus they wanted the information
they needed delivered quickly, easily, and efficiently. They wanted the delivery
mechanisms to be varied, ranging from the intranet, to frequent meetings,
written memoranda, and social occasions. The consensus was that a complete,
well-planned system of communication was needed, one that was collabora-
tively designed by its users, and included an intranet as one part of many
other methodologies that would form the whole communication system. At
this point, a very major leap had taken place that moved people from single-
issue, problem-solving thinking to thinking about systemic issues framed by
organizational culture. I believe that this leap was accomplished because of
the collaborative nature of the search for information, that is, the manage-
ment and staff discussions that had occurred. The process thus far had taken
what is called a “new direction beginning,” where the statements made and
question posed were framed in terms of the opportunities presented by the
move.22 Then, a transition team workshop was conducted.
The transition team built on the prior discussions, defined the critical devel-
opment issues that needed to be resolved, and became the change champions
for a subsequent series of staff workshops. The establishment of the transi-
tional team served as the first step in the library’s transitioning to a revitalized
culture with an efficient communication system. The staff workshops, rolled
out from the transition team workshop, involved all staff members who were
primary patron contacts and those who directly supported them. The work-
shop agenda is outlined in table 1. The orientation of the workshop, which
was evaluative, follows the format detailed by Owen 23 and is “interactive”
 TWO CASES 177

evaluation. Owen characterizes the approach or use of interactive evaluation

as: responsive, or focused on the illumination of the delivery of a program (in
this case the delivery of communication as a tool); action research (which in
this case is the essential nature of a brainstorming workshop); quality review
(or institutional self-study; developmental evaluation (continuous improve-
ment of a key library process); and empowerment evaluation (encouraging the
users of the communication system to develop it themselves).
Some of the questions asked of participants and discussed in breakout groups
were:

1. Looking back over your experiences at the library, think of a time when
you felt that communication among your colleagues and coworkers
was at its best. What was going on? What made it successful? Who was
involved? What was it about you that made it successful?
2. What do you value most about working at the library?
3. If you could change, develop, and transform communication at the
library now in any way you wished, what three things would you
do to?

Table 1 Champions of change transition team workshop outline

Activity Format Desired outcomes

Icebreaker: Think- outside-
the-box exercise
Overview
Discussion of next activities
Using Appreciative Inquiry-
framed questions, share
and discuss high points
Brainstorm a “perfect”
communication system
Small groups present ideas
Discussion
Outline of next steps
Ideas for staff workshops
Tentative schedule
Enjoy a bowl of fresh-baked
cookies. Mary shares the
recipe!
Whole group exercise Lay groundwork and goals for
Lecture workshop
Group discussion Demonstrate communication
experientially
Communication methods
Break into small groups; Build teamwork across
put ideas on flipchart to departments
share with the group Build collaboration
Arrive at group consensus
Develop new ideas and ways of
thinking
Whole group Thinking “outside the box”
Collaboration
Consensus
Focus on positive
Whole group General agreement
Outline for staff workshops
Participation
Team building
Excitement
Buy-in to the process
Acceptance of formal style of
communication
Commitment to recapture
family-like culture
178 MARTHA M. MATTARE

Conclusion
The use of systems thinking was instrumental in order to understand how
the change of physical space so profoundly impacted organizational perfor-
mance. Organizational cultural artifacts go beyond the usual stories, cel-
ebrations, artistic symbols, and other manifestations of culture.24 Culture
also includes the artifact of the physical layout or bounded space within
which the organization operates.25 A look at the whole system allowed a
fuller understanding of the issues faced by the library management and staff.
The transitional team was able to look back at the former space and culture,
articulate what was lost, and then envision what would be going forward.
This team would champion the change that was necessary to recapture the
warm and family-like culture of the old library building space.
The use of AI in this change management project allowed an organiza-
tion in crisis to discover its core values, dream of a better communication
process, design a new vision, and rearticulate its destiny. Appreciative inquiry
as a change management tool used a specific model of change that created a
transition team, champions of change, which was the impetus for the newly
defined organization dreams, vision, and values.
This process was unusually successful, in that profound, fundamental
change was achieved by engaging participants in a joyful and positive expe-
rience. All of this was accomplished with the recognition that change in
this case occurred all during the process of “building the bridge while they
walked on it.”26
The initial steps of transforming the thinking of management from a
problem-centered orientation led to a discovery process and the foundation
for ongoing positive change and high performance.27 Collaboration became
an institutionalized organizational process, replacing the usual bureaucratic
approach in which management pushes decisions down the hierarchy of staff
lines. Decisions in the future will be made by the consensus of the staff and
accepted by management.
Now, the organization is engaged in active and enthusiastic activity to
accomplish many objectives. There is a new, shared sense of what has been
missing and what needs to be done to address the loss of closeness in the
library culture. The excitement and consensus generated in the discussions
and workshops have resulted in a commitment to working together to recap-
ture the sense of family in the system. The staff, supported by their man-
agement, is now in charge of recreating this sense. In the library system, a
living, breathing, vital culture will continue to grow and develop with a new,
cocreated and shared vision.

Reflection Points
Look at the whole system.
Find the point at which you can produce the greatest effect for the least
intervention.
 TWO CASES 179

What seems “wrong” is often not what is really wrong.

Positive affirmation is a powerful tool in organizational change and
development.

Three Questions
1. Mary’s Cookies were a significant symbol in the story of the organiza-
tion’s behavior in the old library space. What were some other cultural
symbols that were important? What are important cultural symbols in
your organization?
2. Design a series of three–five questions that you would ask your orga-
nizational work group (or class members) that would elicit the steps of
discover, dream, design, and destiny—the AI 4 Ds.
3. Give an example of the effect of the physical space on the behavior of
an organization (or class or workgroup).

Notes
1. J. O’Connor and I. McDermott, The Art of Systems Thinking (Hammersmith,
London, United Kingdom: Thorsons, 1997.
2. M. Mattare, Interviews and focus group discussions. In C. P. Library (Ed.)
(pp. 1–25) (Maryland: Unpublished, 2004).
3. Ibid.
4. E. E. Olson and G. H. Eoyang, Facilitating Organization Change: Lessons
from Complexity (Science: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2001).
5. N. McKay and S. Lashutka, “The basics of organization change: an eclectic
model.” Training & Development Journal, 37.4 (1983): 6.
6. J. E. Miller, “Systems theory and quantum learning: A new hope for organi-
zations of the future.” Futurics, 29.1/2 (2005): 4.
7. P. Senge, The Fifth Discipline (New York, NY: Doubleday Currency, 1990).
8. N. Josefowitz, “An overview of systems and OD—for managers who need to
know.” Business Horizons, 23.6 (1980).
9. N. McKay and S. Lashutka, The basics of organization change: an eclectic
model.” Training & Development Journal, 37.4 (1983): 6.
10. B. D. Ruben and J. Y. Kim (eds.), General Systems Theory and Human
Communication (Rochelle Park, NJ: Hayden Book Company, Inc., 1975).
11. K. M. Gibler, R. T. Black, and K. P. Moon, “Time, place, space, technology
and corporate real estate strategy.” The Journal of Real Estate Research, 24.3
(2002): 235.
12. T. J. M. van der Voordt, “Productivity and employee satisfaction in flexible
workspaces.” Journal of Corporate Real Estate, 6.2 (2004): 133–148.
13. T. R. V. Davis, “The influence of the physical environment in offices.” The
Academy of Management Review, 9.2 (1984): 271–283.
14. E. Schein, “Kurt Lewin’s change theory in the field and in the classroom:
notes toward a model of managed learning.” Systems Practice, March
1995.
15. M. Q. Patton, Utilization-Focused Evaluation (3rd ed.) (Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage, 1997).
180 MARTHA M. MATTARE

16. J. Allen, N. L. Jimmieson, P. Bordia, and B. E. Irmer, “Uncertainty dur-

ing organizational change: managing perceptions through communication.”
Journal of Change Management, 7.2 (2007).
17. J. S. Black and H. B. Gregersen, Leading Strategic Change: Breaking through
the Brain Barrier (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2003).
18. W. McWhinney, Paths of Change: Strategic Choices for Organizations and
Society (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1997) p. 120.
19. M. Mattare, Change management process model. In Change Management
Process Model.doc (Ed.), MS Word. Frederick, MD, 2004.
20. G. R. Bushe, “Advances in appreciative inquiry as an organization develop-
ment intervention.” Organization Development Journal, 17.2 (1999).
21. B. L. Bechtold, A change to make the future: how intact work teams con-
struct their resolution of organizational crises. Unpublished dissertation,
Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA, 2002; G. R. Bushe, Five
theories of change embedded in appreciative inquiry. Paper presented at the
18th Annual World Congress of Organization Development, 1998; and
“Advances in appreciative inquiry as an organization development interven-
tion.” Organization Development Journal, 17.2 (1999); G. R. Bushe and A.
F. Kassam, “When is appreciative inquiry tranformational?” The Journal of
Applied Behavioral Science, 41.2 (2005); D. L. Cooperrider and D. Whitney,
Appreciative Inquiry (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Communications,
1999); M. Faure, “Problem solving was never this easy: Tranformational
change through appreciative inquiry.” Performance Improvement, 45.9
(2006): 11; Mattare, Interviews and focus group discussions; H. E. Peelle
III, “Appreciative inquiry and creative problem solving in cross-functional
teams.” The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 42.4 (2006), 21; J. M.
Watkins and D. L. Cooperrider, “Appreciative inquiry: A transformative
paradigm.” OD Practitioner, 32.1 (2000).
22. H. S. Preskill and R. T. Torres, Evaluative Inquiry for Learning in
Organizations. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1999).
23. J. Owen, Program Evaluation: Forms and Approaches (Thousand Oaks: Sage,
1999).
24. E. Schein, “Defining organizational culture.” In J. Shafritz and J. Ott (eds.),
Classics of Organizational Theory (5th ed.) (Chicago, IL: Dorsey Press,
2001), pp. 381–395.
25. Davis, “The influence of the physical environment in offices,” 271–283.
26. R. E. Quinn, Building the Bridge As You Walk On It: A Guide for Leading
Change (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2004).
27. P. Holman, T. Devane, and S. Cady (eds.), The Change Handbook: The
Definitive Resource on Today’s Best Methods for Engaging Whole Systems (2nd
ed.) (San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2007).
 PA R T V I

Creating and Telling Your Own Story

 6.1 Notes on Storytelling for
Leaders and Managers

Donald W. McCormick

Here are some of the storytelling tips that I’ve collected over the years. I
begin with a few points about finding and shaping stories, and then describe
various ways to tell the story.

Finding and Shaping a Story

To shape and tell a story, you must first find a story. Keep your antennae out
for good stories at all times. Good stories are incredibly valuable.
If you use stories from your own experience, don’t be afraid if you are
portrayed in a less-than-flattering light if the story is an effective teaching
story, just as long as the story doesn’t end with a bad impression. As McKee1
points out, often the most dramatic stories start by describing a life out of
balance—one with real troubles—and conclude with a description of how
these obstacles are overcome.
When storytelling is in the service of leadership, honesty is paramount.
Most of the literature on storytelling methods emphasizes fictional sto-
ries. Fictional stories, however, differ fundamentally from the stories you
will use as a leader or a manager. When you are a leader and you tell stories,
honesty is of the utmost importance. Dishonesty not only destroys the effec-
tiveness of stories you tell in the service of leadership, it damage your effec-
tiveness as a leader. Most often, it destroys the effectiveness immediately,
because a dishonest story lacks the ring of truth a good story needs to work.
But if it doesn’t destroy it immediately, it is very likely to destroy it later—
when the truth comes out. According to Kouzes and Posner2 credibility is
the core quality of a good leader. So, it is important that the stories you use
build your credibility; damage to credibility is sometimes irreparable. And
when it can be repaired, it takes a long time and a lot of effort.
The cautionary tale of Anita Roddick and The Body Shop shows how tell-
ing stories that wind up being of dubious credibility can backfire. In 1976
184 DONALD W. MCCORMICK

she opened a store that sold natural cosmetics—The Body Shop. The Body
Shop grew at a rapid pace, becoming one of the largest cosmetics franchises.
Potential customers found out about The Body Shop from word of mouth
and stories in the media. Roddick was so good at gathering media attention
that The Body Shop for the most part didn’t engage in advertising. One of
the ways she did this was by telling engaging and inspiring stories, often
about her travels to exotic lands. A recurring theme in these stories involved
her interactions with native peoples, how these led to her discovery of nat-
ural beauty treatments, and how these in turn led to fair and honest business
agreements with the native peoples that both benefitted them and allowed
her to bring these beauty products to customers at The Body Shop. The
Body Shop became famous as a model ethical corporation—committed to
social and environmentally responsibility. Then, in 1994, the investigative
journalist Jon Entine published an article about The Body Shop; in it he
claimed that Roddick had made up many of these endearing stories. This
deeply tarnished the reputation of Roddick and The Body Shop as ethical
exemplars and obscuring their many other genuinely socially and environ-
mentally responsible actions and policies.
“Confronting the brutal facts” helps establish credibility
It is not enough that a story be honest. If it is honest, but it still reads like
a story from a Dick and Jane reader, where none of the characters is so good
that they never engage in any misbehavior worse than accidentally break-
ing mommy’s favorite lamp, your story will be limp. In a Harvard Business
Review interview, Robert McKee, author of Story 3 and coach of many of
the most important screenwriters and studio executives in the United States
today, argues that honesty about faults and conflicts are what drives a good
narrative. He ends his description of the process of developing a moving
story by saying, “Finally, the storyteller leans back from the design of events
he or she has created and asks, ‘Do I believe this? Is it neither an exagger-
ation nor a soft-soaping of the struggle? Is this an honest telling, though
heaven may fall?’ ”4
McKee’s advice fits nicely with that of Jim Collins,5 who argues that it es-
sential for a company that aspires to greatness to “confront the brutal facts”
that it currently faces. And it should do this before it develops any kind of
corporate strategy. The admonition to “confront the brutal facts” applies
not just to crafting strategy, but also to crafting an effective narrative. In
the context of story crafting, this point is supported by Robert Cialdini,6 a
widely cited researcher in the area of interpersonal influence. His research
shows that if you are trying to make the case for something and there is
a problem or drawback to your position, it is important to mention this
problem (and mention it early on); this helps establish your credibility as an
honest portrayer of the facts. His research shows that this approach is more
persuasive.
Don’t have so many characters that the audience can’t keep track of them
One of the most useful books on storytelling is Lipman’s Improving Your
Storytelling.7 He suggests that you make sure that your story doesn’t have so
 CREATING AND TELLING YOUR OWN STORY 185

many characters that your audience loses track of some of them. It is impor-
tant to realize that your audience has cognitive limits. As such, your stories
should resemble Aesop’s fables more than War and Peace.

Telling the Story

So far, tips about developing effective stories have been presented. What fol-
lows are tips about delivering the story to an audience.

Focus on Mental Pictures, Not Words

When you are telling a story and you want to get your listeners wrapped up in it,
you are essentially hoping that your words, gestures, body language, and voice
tone create a movie inside your listeners’ heads. To do this, don’t focus your
attention so much on the words you are saying; instead focus your attention
on the visual, auditory, emotional, and kinesthetic images in your head, and
translate them into words as you tell the story. This gives you words, gestures,
and facial expressions that make it easy for listeners to recreate what you are
experiencing in their own heads. Also, it helps you to memorize the story; re-
membering visual imagery is much easier than remembering words.
Imagine the story at least once with much more sensory detail than you ever
intend to say
This advice also comes from Lipman’s (1999) book. He suggests that
you run through the story at least once with much more sensory detail than
you ever intend to include when you actually tell the story. This helps you
to make sure that you have enough material to use, and it also helps you to
memorize the story.
Record and listen to your own voice
If you want to improve your storytelling, this may be the single most im-
portant thing to do. It is also one of the things you are most likely to skip.
For this reason, when I ask my students to prepare a story to tell in class (or
to make any kind of presentation), one of the assignments’ requirements is
that they to bring an audio or video recording of at least two rehearsals of
their story.
Remind yourself that you’re good at this
Jay O’Callahan is a well-known and highly respected storyteller. A confi-
dence-building technique he suggests is that when you are just about to tell
a story, you mentally say to yourself, “You’re good at this,” and if there are
any free moments before starting or shortly after starting, you mentally say,
“Welcome, welcome to all you people who are listening.” This helps because
the audience needs to sense both that you really want to be there, and that
you’re glad that they came.
Make eye contact with a few people who are enjoying your story
O’Callahan also suggests that if you see a bored or crabby person in your
audience, you don’t let them get you down. This can be fatal for the energy
you need to tell a story well. If you notice a poor response in one or more
186 DONALD W. MCCORMICK

members of your audience, change your focus; find two or three people in
the audience who are enjoying your story and make eye contact with them.
This will prevent the unhappy person from disrupting your performance,
and your increased confidence will improve your performance.

Imagine That You are There

Imagine that you are in the story you are telling. Then, from that point of
view, paint word pictures of what you imagine. Describe the sights, thoughts,
feelings, emotions, and sounds that would be experienced by the characters
in your story. You will be more likely to create an engaging story if you dwell
on concrete details than if you relay abstractions. This development of detail
is technically called vividness,8 and it makes a story much more emotionally
engaging. It is the reason that many charities, when appealing to you for
donations, present a vivid, detailed description of one suffering individual.
This has proven to be much more effective than presenting statistics about
how widespread the problem is. This tip could be in the story-creating sec-
tion as easily as it could be in this section.
Act as if you are each character you describe
Imagine that you are each person in the story, and if you get a chance act
out a character in a story, do it. As much as possible, try to recreate the fa-
cial expressions, movement, gestures, or actions of the characters. If there is
any dialogue, speak it as if you were the person in the story. For example, if
you were explaining the end of Gone With the Wind to a class, you could say,
“Mr. Butler explained that he was unconcerned about Scarlett O’Hara’s fu-
ture plans.” But it would be so much more dramatic, and engaging if instead
you said, “He turned to her and said . . . ” At this point turn your head to face
the audience and pause for a tiny bit. Then, with great derision in your voice,
you say, “ ‘Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.’ ”
Recreate sounds if possible
You can sometimes go even farther—by recreating sounds in a story.
Instead of saying, “Steve knocked on the door,” you can just say “knock-
knock” and gesture as if you were knocking on the door. You create more
immediacy by turning the story into a tiny play.
Slow down
Often when storytellers get in front of an audience, they become anxious
and just try to get out their words as quickly as possible. Pay attention to how
rapidly you speak, and if you start to get ahead of yourself, or even if you just
start talking so fast that you have a hard time inserting expression into your
words, then slow down. If you have this problem, it most likely will become
clear to you when you listen or watch recordings of your storytelling.
Use . . . pauses
Try to include at least one pause each story. It naturally slows down your
story and, when used correctly, can add dramatic tension. The pause need
not be long; often a half-second will do.
 CREATING AND TELLING YOUR OWN STORY 187

Finally, focus on enjoying what you are doing

Focus on enjoying what you are doing. Let your audience know that you
like being in front of them and telling stories. If you do this, your audience
will enjoy it too. Your emotions are contagious. Good role models for this
are Leonard Bernstein in his Young People’s Concert series; Russell Brand
doing standup comedy (see especially YouTube videos of Russell Brand’s
Ponderland); Richard Bandler leading workshops; and Shinzen Young giv-
ing a talk. When you see any of these people in these settings, it is so clear
that they really love what they are doing.
Why Bother With Stories
Remember, stories are powerful tools for leaders because they are memo-
rable—much more memorable than statistics, PowerPoint presentations, and
the usual ways we try to influence or teach others.9 There is something about
the human brain that is wired to remember stories. Every time I teach a
course, I know that the things that students are most likely to remember are
the stories. Because of this, I collect stories, I carefully craft them, and I tell
them with gestures and animation. In short, I put a lot of effort into them
because they important.
And so should you.

Notes
1. R. McKee, “Storytelling that moves people.” Harvard Business Review, 81
(2003): 51–55.
2. J. M. Kouzes and B. Z. Posner, Credibility: How Leaders Gain It and Lose It,
Why People Demand It (1st ed.) (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2003).
3. R. McKee, Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting
(New York: ReganBooks, 1997).
4. McKee, “Storytelling that moves people.”
5. J. Collins, From Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and
Others Don’t (New York: HarperBusiness, 2002).
6. R. B. Cialdini, “Harnessing the science of persuasion.” Harvard Business
Review, 79.9 (2001): 72–79.
7. D. Lipman, Improving Your Storytelling: Beyond the Basics for All Who Tell
Stories in Work or Play (Little Rock: August House, 1999).
8. D. Ariely, The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic
At Work and At Home (New York: Harper, 2010).
9. S. Denning, “Telling tales.” Harvard Business Review, 82.5 (2004):
122–129.
 Inde x

active listening, 28–29, 44–46 Brand, Russell, 187

adaptive culture, 120–22
advancement, 17–19
Aesop’s fables, xi, 185
Alderfer, Clayton, 165, 172
Alice, 32–34
Andersen, Hans Christian, xi
Anti-Hurry-Scurry-Worry Pill, 122–25
appreciation, 65–66
Appreciative Inquiry (AI), 172, 176–79
arrogance, 154–55
assertiveness, 95–96
assessment of skills and competencies,
113–15
An Assignment Doomed to Fail, 91–93
assumptions, 85–86
attitude, 89–91, 105–107
authenticity, 126–30
authority, 7–9
Avoid Falling in a Hole, 146–47
avoiding, 95–96
awareness, 138–39. See also
self-awareness
Bandler, Richard, 187
bank life, 67–68
Baumann, Elizabeth, 9–11
Be the Change You Want to See in
the World: The Leadership Art of
Mahatma Gandhi, 153–54
behavior, 89–91, 93–94, 105–107,
146–47
Being the Boss Isn’t Easy, 11–13
belief system, 103–105
Bernstein, Leonard, 187
Biblical parables, xviii
bodhisattva, 118–20, 156
Body Shop, The, 183–84
boomerang effect, 78–80
brainstorming, 136–38
Buddha, 118–20
Bully in the Workplace, 60–62
bullying, 60–62
capacity building, 113–15
captivity, 140–42
causation, 19–21
Celebrate Your Diversity: Joys of
Noncomparison and the Virtue of
Patience, 157–59
change, 11–13, 30–31, 133–35,
140–42
change agent, 30–31, 62–64
change management, 28–29, 145–46,
150–51, 153–54, 156–57, 161–62
charisma, 57–58
Charismatic Leader, 57–58
Chinese and Greek Artists and the
Restoration of an Old Palace,
148–49
choices, 140–42
coaching, 17–19
Coaching a Newly Promoted Manager,
17–19
collaboration, 95–96, 116–18, 125–26
collective versus individual
responsibility, 70–72
Collins, Jim, 184–85
commitment, 21–23
communication, 3–5, 11–13, 42–44,
70–72, 83–85, 97–99, 118–20,
138–39
barriers to, 145–46
listening and, 44–46
managerial, 28–31, 44–46, 48–52,
76–77, 145–46
nonverbal, 38–39
organizational, 67–68, 145–46,
172–79
190 INDEX
compassion, 32–34
compensation, 46–48
Compensation Complaints, 46–48
competition versus collaboration,
70–72
compliance, 87–89
compromising, 95–96
Concentration Camp and Commander’s
Humanity, 152–53
conflict, 76–77, 83–85, 95–96
conflict management, 28–31, 40–42,
44–46, 55–56, 67–68, 105–107
conflict of interest, 5–6
connectedness, 32–34
connection, 65–66
continuous process improvement,
83–85
control, 60–62
cooperativeness, 95–96
Cooperrider, David, 172
core values, 60–62
corporate pollution, 70–72
Corporate Social and Environmental
Responsibilities: Real or on
Display?, 87–89
correlation, 19–21
courage, 125–26, 126–30, 140–42
Covey, Patrick, 26–27
coworkers, 17–19
Cox, Harvey, xvii–xviii
creativity, 133–38
crucibles, 154–55
cultural norms, 38–39, 93–94, 136–38
culture, 3–5, 36–37, 58–59, 65–66,
122–25
customer responsiveness, 30–31, 83–85
customer service relations (CSR), 87–89
data analysis, 19–21
deadlines, 15–17
decision-making, 13–15, 19–21,
42–44, 51–52, 78–80, 120–22,
125–26
delegation, 30–31, 73–75, 91–93
development, 70–72
Difference between the Window Glass
and the Mirror Glass, 154–55
dimensions of stories, xvii–xviii
direction, 140–42
discrimination, 109–11
dissonance, 9–11
distractions, 147–48
distribution, 113–15
diversity, 38–39, 60–62, 70–72,
87–89, 105–107, 109–11,
113–15, 136–38, 157–59
Does Eating Ice Cream Really Cause
Boating Accidents?, 19–21
Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broken!, 7–9
Drucker, Peter F., xviii
Dual Career Ladder, 28–29
education, 70–72, 113–15
effectiveness, 17–19
ego versus humility, 107–109
Eklavya: The Archer Par Excellence!,
109–11
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 160
emotional intelligence, 32–34, 40–42,
44–46, 55–56, 105–107
emotions, 9–11, 40–42
empathy, 3–5, 122–25
employee development, 76–77
employee involvement, 30–31, 76–77,
83–85, 97–99
employee morale, 13–15, 34–36
employee orientation, 48–50
employee-employer relationships, 67–68
empowerment, 11–13, 83–85, 91–93,
97–99
entitlements, 113–15
entrepreneurship, 3–5, 122–25, 133–35
equity theory, 28–29
ethics, 13–15, 24–26, 60–62, 70–72,
87–89, 113–15
ethnic minority, 109–11
evaluation, 19–21
expectancy theory of motivation,
46–48, 112–13
exploitation, 60–62
extractive industries, 87–89
4-D cycle, 176–78
fables, xi, 185
Failure to Involve Staff, 83–85
fear, 3–5, 55–56, 122–25
feedback, 28–29, 44–46, 103–105
Feedback versus Criticism, 44–46

feelings. See emotions
“Fīf īIkaMaka”: Preparing and Sharing
the Gifts from the Ocean, 113–15
Finished Before Ever Beginning, 24–26
flexibility, 107–109
forcing, 95–96
Frankl, Victor, 152–53
Fredrick Taylor and Scientific
Management: Alive and Well at
James & Smith, 34–36
freedom, 140–42
Frisella, Pam, 167–68
Gaining Greater Cultural Awareness,
38–39
Gandhi, Mahatma, 150–51, 153–54,
158, 162
gender, 69–70
generosity, 32–34
gifts, 65–66
goal setting, 42–44
goals, 26–27
Gone with the Wind, 186
groups, 26–27, 120–22. See also teams
habitual thinking, 136–38
Hackman and Oldham, 7–9
Hamper, Ben, 81
Handing Over Responsibility, 73–75
Hanuman: Unleashing Hidden
Potential, 103–105
Herzberg, Frederick, 172
Housewives and Students, 85–86
human flourishing, 159–61
human fulfillment at work, 34–36
human resource management (HRM),
24–26, 48–50, 73–75, 97–99
human resources (HR), 11–13, 17–19,
24–26, 28–29, 55–56
Humane Society, 9–11
humility, 32–34, 154–55
humor, xvii, 57–58, 122–25
hunt, 116–18
Huxley, Aldous, 162
I Bet You Never Had a Cat Thrown at
You in Your Job, 9–11
I Just Want to Bang On the Cans All
Day, 112–13
INDEX 191
If You Build It, You’ll Have To
Negotiate, 95–96
ignorance, 89–91
Impact of a Small Gesture, 65–66
impression management, 15–17
Improving Your Storytelling (Lipman),
184–85
incentives, 42–44
individuality, 136–38
influence, 3–6, 24–26, 122–25
information sharing, 91–93
innovation, 120–22
insecurity, 133–35
Inside and Outside Roles, 62–64
intelligence, 80–82, 138–39
internal locus of control, 105–107, 109–11
interpersonal relations, 17–19,
103–105, 118–20
intrinsic motivation, 58–59, 112–13
Is It Ok to Say “That’s Not My Job”?,
69–70
James & Smith, 34–36
Jataka, 118–20
job analysis, 69–70
Job Characteristics Model, 8
job design, 48–50, 62–64, 69–70,
73–75, 80–82, 91–93
job enrichment, 7–9
job insecurity, 60–62
job motivation, 21–23
job performance, 48–50, 62–64,
73–75, 91–93, 97–99
job satisfaction, 48–50, 73–77, 91–93,
97–99
job simplification, 80–82
job transition, 11–13
Johari Window, 103–105
Josefowitz, N., 174
Joy of Giving Joy to Others: Cultivating
Abundance Mentality, 159–61
justice, 46–48
Kelly, John, 166–68
Kiwi Kiwi, 125–26
knowledge, 126–30
Kosel, David, 24–26
Kouzes, J. M., 183
Krishnamurti, J., 158
192 INDEX
Lashutka, S., 173
Last-Minute Performance Evaluation,
97–99
leadership, 3–6, 13–15, 28–29,
32–36, 51–52, 57–58, 60–62,
67–68, 70–72, 83–89, 116–18,
120–26
authentic, 150–51, 153–54,
161–62
credibility and, 183–84
dark side of, 154–55
derailment of, 154–55
by example, 150–51, 153–54,
161–62
motivation and, 21–26
of self, 156–57
situational, 165–72
super, 165–72
leadership style, 30–31, 42–44, 73–77,
97–99, 138–39, 148–49
learning, 32–34, 109–11, 125–30,
133–35
Learning from Nature, 105–107
learning organizations, 120–22,
126–30
Let Your Life Speak: “YOU: May be
the Only Scripture Some People
Will Ever Read!, 161–62
Lewin, Kurt, 175
Lewis, Denis, 168–69
Lipman, D., 184–85
listening, 28–29, 44–46
loading, 80–82
Lopez, Kitty, 165–66, 170–71
Losing Now Could Lead to Winning in
the Future, 51–52
love, 113–15
loyalty, 21–23, 60–62
Mahabharata, 109–11
Making the Right Impression, but
Padding the Estimates, 15–17
management, 11–13, 19–23, 42–44,
83–85, 91–93, 97–99
art of, 46–48
communication and, 28–31, 44–46,
48–52, 76–77, 145–46
creative, 147–48
history of, 80–82
leadership versus, 148–49
retail, 13–15
management darlings, 13–15
managerial roles, 62–64, 73–75
managerial skills, 73–75
Managing Change: A Public Library
Moves to New Space and
Everything Goes Haywire, 172–79
Man’s Search for Meaning (Frankl),
152–53
Māori of New Zealand, 105–107,
125–30
Maslow, Abraham, 165, 172
MBA Leadership Rotational Program,
24–26
MBTI, 44–46
McGregor’s theory X and Y, 58–59
McKay, N., 173
McKee, Robert, 183–84
“Me” Place, 5–6
mediators, 87–89
mentors and mentoring, 17–19, 60–62,
103–105, 109–11, 150–51
mining accidents, 88–89
Misunderstood Genius, 133–35
Mixed Management Messages, 67–68
mixed messages, 67–68
Modern Tale Regarding Alcohol and
Worms, 145–46
money, 21–23, 112–13
motivation, 3–5, 11–13, 21–26, 28–36,
48–54, 67–68, 73–77, 83–85,
91–93, 97–99, 150–51
expectancy theory of, 46–48, 112–13
intrinsic, 7–9, 42–44, 58–59, 112–13
theories of, 46–48, 58–59, 112–13,
165–72
Motivation in the Workplace: Knowing
Your People, 21–23
multiple bottom line, 53–54
multiple understanding, 118–20
need for affiliation, 21–23
negotiation, 95–96
nepotism, 5–6
nonverbal communication, 38–39
norms, 58–59, 93–94
Notes on Storytelling for Leaders and
Managers, 183–87

O’Callahan, Jay, 185–86
office life, 34–36
office relationships, 55–56
oil spills, 88–89
Okone and the Hunt, 116–18
organizational behavior, 152–53,
172–79
organizational change, 42–44, 62–64,
83–85, 120–22, 172–79
organizational citizenship behaviors
(OCBs), 69–70
organizational commitment, 62–64,
69–70, 105–107
organizational communication, 67–68,
145–46, 172–79
organizational culture, 36–37, 62–66,
76–80, 93–94, 105–107, 165–72
organizational effectiveness, 148–49
organizational fit, 51–52
organizational goals, 42–44
organizational learning, 165–72
organizational politics, 78–80
organizational space, 172–79
organizational support, 91–93
outsourcing, 133–35
overachieving, 51–52
Owen, J., 176–77
parables, xviii
paradigm shifts, 133–35
participation, 83–85
Partnering for Change, 70–72
partnerships for change, 70–72
passion, 17–19, 51–52, 140–42
patience, 157–59
pāua shells, 105–107
peer pressure, 53–54
people and characters in the stories:
Adelita (Brazilian healer), 122–25
Alexander (James & Smith CEO),
34–36
Alice (former housekeeper), 32–34
Alison (James & Smith salesperson),
34–36
Andrew (independent contractor),
21–23
artists (Chinese and Greek), 148–49
Audrey (padding estimates, project
manager), 15–17
INDEX 193
Beatrice (young African girl), 70–72
Bill (Christian college student),
161–62
Bill Schwartz (founder of free clinic
at Samaritan House), 169–70
Bob (fire chief), 62–64
Brian and Steven (brothers), 46–48
Carla (managing editor candidate),
28–29
Chris (mining manager), 87–89
Dave (oil company territory
manager), 42–44
David Kosel (executive VP), 24–26
Dawson, Mr. (QRS), 3–5
Debbie (social service organization
employee), 30–31
Denis Lewis (director of operations
for Samaritan House), 168–69
Don (pharmacy store manager),
13–15
Ed (bank manager), 60–62
Elaine (Humane Society worker),
9–11
Francine (human resources worker),
51–52
Gwen (corporate office manager),
97–99
Hank (boomerang effect), 78–80
Harvey (independent contractor),
21–23
Heidi (university advising
coordinator), 83–85
Janine (respect for fruit seller),
32–34
Jeff (fraternity house manager),
26–27
Jeff (safety officer), 91–93
Jennifer (padding estimate,
employee), 15–17
Jill (head bank teller), 67–68
Jim and Linda (married couple and
influence), 5–6
John (fire captain), 73–75
John Kelly (past executive director of
Samaritan House), 166–68
Jon (managing editor), 28–29,
55–56
Kankantrie and Banabon (cotton and
banana trees), 107–109
194 INDEX
people and characters in the stories:—
Continued
Kitty Lopez (executive director
of Samaritan House), 165–66,
170–71
Laura (gift of rose to a colleague),
65–67
Linda (bank branch manager),
67–68
Linda (central office “Drill Station”
employee), 65–66
Liz (bank contract employee), 60–62
Louisa Rodgers (Samaritan House
staff member), 168
Louise (widow, bank employee),
60–62
Mahatma Gandhi, 150–51, 153–54
Margaret (visiting professor), 87–89
Maria Isabel (Brazilian mother),
122–25
Melissa (uncomplaining employee),
69–70
men in hospital, 159–61
misunderstood genius, 133–35
monastery abbot, 156–57
Nigel (visiting professor), 87–89
Nora (pharmacy sale associate),
13–15
Okoné (archer), 116–18
Palu (young Tongan fisherman),
113–15
Pam Frisella (volunteer coordinator at
Samaritan House), 167–68
Peter (managing editor), 44–46
Philip (MBA student), 24–26
rabbi, 154–55
Raymond (New Orleans gentleman),
112–13
Rob (state parks worker), 19–21
Ronaldo (ill with Hurry-Worry-
Scurry bug), 122–25
Ryan (editorial assistant), 55–56
Sallie (coached for direct speech),
17–19
Sally (medical practice office
support), 11–13
Sam (man with a good reputation),
138–39
Samantha (boomerang effect), 78–80
Samuel (QRS), 3–5
Sarah (pharmacy sales associate),
13–15
Sheila Sandow (assistant to the
executive director of Samaritan
House), 170
simple soul, 140–42
speaker to alcoholics meeting,
145–46
Steve (firefighter), 48–50
stingy, rich man, 154–55
Sufi, 147–48
Susan (low self-awareness), 40–42
Susan (private company general
counsel), 53–54
Susan (professional development),
76–77
Tāne (from Māori folklore), 126–30
TaneMahuta (from Māori folklore),
125–26
teacher and student, 146–47
Tom (diversity teacher), 38–39,
136–38
Tom (Wisconsin consultant), 7–9
Victor Frankl, 152–53
perception, 15–17, 89–91, 120–22,
145–46
performance, 15–17, 97–99, 105–107
perseverance, 109–11
personal excellence, 109–11
personal mastery, 156–61
personality, 105–107
personality assessments, 22–23
person-job fit, 105–107
personnel retention, 73–75, 97–99
planning, 15–17, 42–44, 120–22
Polynesian navigators, 120–22
Posner, B. Z., 183
potential, 103–105
power, 3–6, 24–26, 60–62, 73–77,
83–85, 87–89, 122–25
Power of “Hissssss,” 118–20
Powers of Perception, 120–22
Practicality of Scientific Management,
80–82
prey, 116–18
Price, Danielle, 89–91
“Problem of the Kindly Old King,”
xii–xiv
problem-solving, 120–22, 125–26
productivity, 76–77

Professional Dissatisfaction and the
Power of a New Idea, 53–54
promotion, 11–13, 17–19
psychological contract, 24–26
public relations, 87–89
punctuated equilibrium model, 15–17
Put Me in Coach, I’m Ready to Pay,
89–91
QRS, 3–4
quality of work life, 76–77, 97–99
Ramayana, 103–105
Real Obstacles are Inside Us!, 156–57
realistic job preview, 48–50, 73–75
recruitment, 24–26
Reducing Social Loafing, 26–27
reflection, 32–34, 138–39
reinforcement, 112–13
relationships, 46–48, 69–70, 107–109
reputation, 138–39
research methods, 19–21
resilience, 105–107
resistance to change, 30–31, 62–64,
83–85
respect, 32–34, 107–109, 116–18
responsibility, 7–9, 113–15, 133–35
retail management, 13–15
rewards, 42–44, 97–99, 112–13
ridiculing, 107–109
ritual, 116–18
Rivet Head (Hamper), 81
Roddick, Anita, 183–84
Rodgers, Louisa, 168
role ambiguity, 48–50, 62–64, 73–75
role conflict, 48–50, 62–64, 73–75
role models and role modeling, 150–51,
153–54, 161–62
Ruckeyser, Muriel, xix
Rude Awakening: A Story of Two Trees,
107–109
sales, 89–91
Sam and His Neighbors, 138–39
Samaritan House, 165–72
Sandow, Sheila, 170–71
schedules, 26–27
Schein, E., 165
schemas, 38–39
Schwartz, Bill, 169–70
INDEX 195
scientific management, 34, 80–82
scripts, 38–39
selection, 48–50
self-actualization, 157–59
self-awareness, 17–19, 146–47, 149–50
self-discipline, 156–57
self-disclosure, 28–29
self-fulfilling prophecy, 89–91
self-fulfillment, 159–61
self-improvement, 146–47
selfishness, 138–39
self-leadership, 156–57, 159–61
self-mastery, 157–59
self-reflection, 149–50
self-reinvention, 133–35
Setting Realistic Goals, 42–44
Shah, Idries, xix
Simple Soul and the Executive, 140–42
simplification, 80–82
situation analysis, 120–22
Sixteen Bean Diversity, 136–38
snake, 118–20
social capital, 105–107, 165–72
social entrepreneur, 53–54
social justice, 53–54
social loafing, 26–27
spirituality, 126–30
stakeholder engagement, 70–72, 87–89,
113–15
statistics, 19–21
stereotypes and stereotyping, 38–39,
85–86, 118–20
stories, xvii–xix. See also individual story
titles; people and characters in the
stories
Story (McKee), 184
Story about a Sufi and Moths, 147–48
storytelling tips, xvii–xix, 183–87
strategic planning, 42–44
strategy, 24–26, 120–22
strength and weakness, 107–109
stress, 9–13, 40–44, 76–77, 91–93,
105–107
Study Director and His Wife, 93–94
subjective well-being, 159–61
success, 53–54
succession planning, 24–26, 60–62
superleadership, 165–72
supervision, 11–13, 48–50, 73–75
supervisor support, 9–11
196 INDEX
supervisor-subordinate relations, 11–13,
73–75, 97–99
sustainability, 125–26
symbolics, 126–30
systems thinking, 120–22, 172–79
Tāne’s Journey to Retrieve Knowledge,
126–30
Taylor, Frederick, 34, 80–82
teacher, 146–47
team work, 60–62, 70–75, 113–15
teams, 15–17, 26–27, 46–48, 116–18,
120–22, 125–26, 136–39
territoriality, 65–66
That’s Not My Job!, 48–50
Theories of Motivation, 58–59
Theory Y and X, 85–86
time estimation, 15–17
time management, 15–17, 34–36,
62–64, 76–77, 97–99
Tortoise and the Hare, The, xi
training, 48–50, 76–77
Training Session Time Management,
76–77
Treasure under One’s Own House,
149–50
tribe, 116–18
trust, 28–29, 44–46, 51–52, 65–66,
103–105
underestimation, 107–109
Uniform Delivery, 36–37
UPS, 80
values, 53–54, 87–89, 113–15,
125–26
village, 116–18
Violence in the Workplace, 55–56
vision, 51–52, 140–42
Walking the Talk: A Story about
Mahatma Gandhi, 150–51
Welsh, Jack, 160
What Goes Around Comes Around,
78–80
Whitney, Diana, 172
Why Can’t He See?, 13–15
Why Didn’t This Program Work?,
30–31
Wilson, Robert Anton, xvii
work environment, 46–48
work priorities, 62–64, 76–77
work structure, 34–36
worker sabotage, 36–37
workplace behavior, 11–13, 30–31,
48–50
workplace bullying, 60–62
workplace distractions, 147–48
workplace ethics, 13–15
workplace politics, 78–80
workplace violence, 55–56
yielding, 95–96
Young, Shinzen, 187