Organizational Behavior Case: Too Nice to People
John has just graduated from the College of Business
Administration at State University and has joined his fam-
ily’s small business, which employs 25 semiskilled work-
ers. During the first week on the job, his grandfather called
him in and said: “John, I've had a chance to observe you
studies when | was in school and everybody at the univer-
sity seemed excited about them, but believe me, there is
more to managing people than just being nice to them.”
1. How would you react to your grandfather's com-
ments if you were John?
2. Do you think John’s grandfather understood and
interpreted the Hawthorne studies correctly?
3. What phases of management do you think John’s
grandfather has gone through in this family business?
working with our employees for the past two months and,
although I hate to, I feel I must say something. You are just
too nice to people. I know they taught you that human
behavior stuff at the university, but it just doesn’t work
here. I remember when we discussed the Hawthorne
Do you think he understands the significance of
recent trends in the environment and how the new
paradigm will affect his business?
4. How would you explain to your grandfather the new
perspective that is needed and how the study of an
evidence-based approach to organizational behav-
ior will help the business be successful in the new
paradigm?