The New Plant Manager 1

Running Head: THE NEW PLANT MANAGER

Case Analysis- The New Plant Manager

MGMT 315: Managing Diversity in the Workplace

Omega College

Desiree Smith

30th September, 2020

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Introduction

This case analysis analyzes the productivity and growth of Montclair Company as Tom

Butterfield got promoted to Plant Manager. It also demonstrates his approach towards the

workers and the results thereof.

Purpose

The main purpose is to show how Tom’s method led to positive efficiency and how it affected

the company.

Objective

The purposes of this analysis are to:

 Demonstrate the approach and management style Tom Butterfield took with his workers.

 Acknowledge the level of increase in productivity.

 Demonstrate the outcome from his approach.

Summary of the Facts

 The Houston plant was having difficulty meeting its budget and production quotas, so he

was promoted to plant manager and transferred to the Houston plant with instructions to

“straighten it out”. (Pg.48, Para.1, Line 3-5)

 Butterfield was ambitious and somewhat power-oriented. He believed that the best way

to solve problems was to take control, make decisions and use his authority to carry out

dis decisions. (Pg.48, Para.2, Line 6-8)

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 He issued orders for each department to cut its budget percent and he required several

new reports and kept close watch on operations. (Pg.48, Para. Line 8-10)

 He dismissed three supervisors who failed to meet production quotas and five others

resigned. (Pg.48, Para. Line11 &12)

 Productivity quickly exceeded standard 7 percent and within 5 months the plant was in

budget. (Pg.48, Para. Line 14 &15)

 After he left, productivity collapsed 15% below standard. (Pg.48, Para. Line 17)

Statement of the Problem(s)

The company was having difficulties meeting budget and quotas and needed it to be handled.

Tom Butterfield became the New Plant Manager and he solved the problem/issue as he saw fit

which had both positive and negative effect.

Cause of the Problem(s)

 His approach was too aggressive so it pushed a few away.

 His decision making process seem to be concise and he didn’t encourage any employee

involvement or work in teams.

Possible Solutions

 Management should allow employees to be involved in some of decision making for the

company.

Pro- the employees would become more comfortable and be able to express their

opinions freely. This way more solutions to problems would be in the open.
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Con- The decision making process would take much longer and the possibility of

conflicts can arise.

 Management should allow department heads to distribute and asses their tasks amongst

the workers in the department and only bring to management attention if a situation

cannot be controlled.

Pro- this allows workers to understand the chain of command and liaise with directly with

their head. If they come across any problems and need assistance, their head would be

more accessible than management.

Con- workers would not be exposed to skills from management if they don’t get the

chance to work under them. Also, they may shy away from going to them if they come

across difficulty with tasks.

Recommend Solution/Implementation

Even though productivity increased, I recommend management allow employees to take

involvement in the company. Whether it be asking for feedback and suggestions on areas that

need to be improve. This leads to a more open culture and allow persons to be expressed. When

employees are comfortable and feel that they matter, productivity will increase either way along

with the morale of the company. Also, management needs to have assertive approaches towards

their employees and allow room for errors as well as growth. We all are human and can improve

daily once guided correctly.

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Questions

1. Discuss the model of organizational behavior Butterfield used and the kind of

organizational climate he created.

I think his organizational behavior is more directed to having power and authority. His

leadership skills won’t be effective because he lacks interpersonal skills. He has created a

culture where it’s all work and no play. The employees would come to work and get

work done and go home. There wouldn’t be no initiative to go over and beyond in this

workplace. Furthermore, he doesn’t come off as approachable or have an open door

policy so if there were difficulties they wouldn’t have gone to him for assistance.

2. Discuss why productivity dropped when Butterfield left the Houston plant.

Productivity decrease because he didn’t involve the workers. He did everything on his

own. He didn’t create a learning environment and allowed team work. He had all the

power and he used it. When he left, persons probably decided to slack off and do little to

no work. Others went back to how it was before he was promoted. He didn’t create an

environment where employees are willing to work but they did so to make ends meet.

Conclusion

To conclude, creating a positive workspace and increasing productivity should be a company’s

goal. When appointing management, ensure that they have both managing and interpersonal

skills. Management should know how to work with others and lead effectively.
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Reference

Newstrom, J. W. (2015). Organizational Behavior: Human Behavior at Work (14th ed.). New

York, NY: McGraw-Hill.