SUBMISSION : JULY 7 , 2021

Case Problem

MR. PADUA
For six years, Mr. Padua, had been the Management Services Director of the Fruit
Puree Division of his corporation. With professional experience gained from various industries,
his technical expertise was undoubtedly quite valuable to the corporation. He, however, had
personal attitudes which created a wall of hostility between him and his staff and the rest of the
senior managers of his division.

For one thing, Mr. Padua did not see any point in laughing at a joke which he did not
consider funny. Unfortunately, his standard to “ funny” was in the line of erudite humor, which
even the other Directors found too deep for reflection. Neither did he believe in attempting to gain
the drift of others if only to gain rapport with them. He insisted in being his own person regardless
of what others believe.

It was, also rare for him to concede to anything, This attitude was compounded by
his difficulty in expressing his thoughts especially when it came to justifying himself. This caused
misunderstandings between hum and others which further aggravated his own negative perception
of him. He could not give allowances for differences in his attitude with those of others. And those
who differed from him, in one, sense, were treated with a degree of coldness.

He was aware of his social deficiencies, but, according to him, he simply could not be
what he was not, He often mentioned that it was already very hard for him to change his ways.

Outside the work place, though, Mr. Padua tried hard to be friendly with his staff, and
while he showed concern for their professional training, he himself could not seem to be at ease in
relating to them in the workplace. It was as if he was afraid that friendship would curtail his
authority.

At this time, a new problem solving system was being inculcated throughout the
corporation. To show his concern for his staff, he made them the first trainees on the system .

The system was designed to enable a group to identify a problem and recommend a
solution throughout the various stages of the system. The group was placed under the guidance of
Training Assistants from the Personnel Directorate ensuring the objectivity of results. The exercise
with his staff identified three difficulties in their workplace, one of which concerned Mr. Padua.
The recommended solution was to replace him.

Needless to say, this put top management in a dilemma. Mr. Padua was an officer of
the company, and to continue to attract talent to officership, his tenure had to be protected.
Besides, the problem focused on Mr. Padua’s personality. How exactly does one correct that? He
had already attended Dale Camegie’s course. On the other hand, faith in the system they were
endorsing was being put to the test. If they could not support its results now, how could they
expect anyone to believe it s merits?