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Ethical storm or model workplace

Introduction
This case is about a class action sexual discrimination lawsuit that female employees filed
against Mitsubishi. It explores how Mitsubishi and the workers union responded to their claims.
It also considers how a company that believes in virtues such as fairness, respect, and honesty
fails to live by these standards by denying their employees an opportunity to be heard.
Furthermore, it looks at the extent to which the company meets their ethical duty of
implementing policies that ensure employees are not sexually harassed and develop a
framework for submitting complaints. The essay will analyze this case from a classical
perspective of management.
Background of the case
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sought compensation on behalf of former
female employees Mitsubishi America for the violation of the civil rights acts of 1964 by
engaging in enabling abetting sexual harassment and constructive discharge against female
employees. In the suit, it was alleged that 300 women who worked at the company's plant in
Normal, Illinois, had been subjected to sexual harassment. Since 1990 Mitsubishi has engaged
in the following discriminatory conduct against its female employees: Women were denied
employment benefits if they did not give in to the sexual demand of their male bosses, women
were constantly sexually harassed by their male colleagues by way of verbal insults that
involved derogatory comments, placing of sexual graffiti on the wall and unwanted touching
and groping, failure of the management to take appropriate action against the perpetrators of
sexual harassment, victimization of female employees who are opposed to the sexual
harassment and firing of female employees who raise complaints about harassing. Women gave
varying testimonies of how sexual harassment took place at the plant. One woman stated,
“Women at all levels are harassed. Its not just down on the plant floor”(May 2013)
Mitsubishi’s response to the allegations
The immediate response after the allegation was raised was complete denial. Mitsubishi staged
a campaign to discredit its accusers, arguing that they were out to slander its brand. They went
to the extent of hiring buses to ferry their workers to the EOCC regional headquarters to
protest against the sexual harassment suit filed against the company. The employees who were
forced to remain at the company's plant were required to attend sexual harassment training.
Following these protests, the EOCC submitted a formal memorandum that explained how
female employees were sexually harassed. The memorandum had the following details:
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Women were often portrayed as inferior during orientation and men were often awarded trips
to sex bars, women were often told that they were not welcome at the plant and they were
mistreated, there were overt displays of sexual graffiti and male employees exposed
themselves to their female colleagues, there was a display of pornography which involves
employees and management members, women were constantly assaulted physically and
verbally(May 2013).
To remedy the situation, the Mitsubishi company hires Lynn Martin, former US secretary of
labor, to analyze the policies and procedures and give recommendations for improvement.
After a nine-month investigation, a report was released that addressed different issues
including “management incentives, salary structures,promotion opportunities for women and
minorites,quality of life issues and streamlining of rules and procedures and sexual harassment
prevention and policy enforcement-including zero task force and mandatory sexual harassment
training for all Mitsubishi employees.”
The union response
The local union did not attempt to protect the female employees after making complaints at
the workplace. The Union leadership made little effort to investigate or intervene after 20
women filed complaints. Even after a female worker complained of disgusting behavior by a
male employee, who was later fired by Mitsubishi, the union filed a grievance to reinstate him.
The settlement
A $9.5 million settlement was reached, with 27 out of the 29 women who had filed the private
lawsuit. The attorney representing Mitsubishi argued that by agreeing to settle, the company
was not admitting guilt; rather, it was doing it as an obligation when dealing with women.
However, the attorney for the EOCC stated that "The agreement represented an assumption of
responsibility by the company for many of the employee practices."One year later, Mitsubishi
agreed to pay $34 million as a settlement fund so that future claimants that are eligible can also
benefit. The company also agreed to revise its policies concerning sexual harassment and filing
of complaints.
Classical organization communication perspective
The classical perspective has its roots from the Industrial Revolution. The primary focus was on
improving efficiency, employee output, and productivity. There was little consideration for the
satisfaction of the employees impacted their efficiency.
The first classical perspective was presented by Frederick Winslow Taylor that analyses the
workflows to improve efficiency main the productivity of workers. The vital components of this
perspective were "analysis,rationality,empiricism,work ethic,efficiency,elimination of waste and
standardized best practices"(Hans,2005). The primary goal is to make the worker more
productive with little consideration for their wellbeing.
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Frank and Lilian Gilbreth were also proponents of the classical perspective, similar to Taylor,
with a slight variation. The Gilbreth's focused more on the overall process by reduction of the
motion. They had more concern about the welfare of the employees.
Another classical perspective was bureaucracy, first developed by Max Weber. Bureaucracy is a
complex form of management that involves developing rules and procedures that are supposed
to simplify how organizations function. Bureaucracy involves job specialization, development of
a merit system, standardized principles, structures, and hierarchies. In this form of bureaucracy,
every activity has a clearly defined line of authority. The action is taken based on the rules set,
and there is a need for expert training in various aspects of the company. Promotion to a higher
level is based on technical qualifications, as determined by its policies and procedures. Weber
argues that to have an effective workplace; there is a need for a clear set of guidelines and
authority. In Weber's perspective, this would lead to very unhappy workers because they will
be forced to work in an environment where the rules are rigid with no possibility of change.
Henri Fayol's classical perspective focused on the behavioral and human factors in
management. He emphasized on the need to educate the management on the improvement of
processes and shifting to the workers. Improvement of management practices results in the
minimization of conflict and an increase in inefficiency. The principles of management include:
"division of labor, delegating of authority, discipline, chain of commands, congenial workplace,
interrelation between individual interests and common organization goals, compensation
package, centralization, scalar chains, order, equity, job guarantee, initiatives, team
spirit”(Uzuegbu,2015). The main elements of this perspective include:
Planning. The manager develops a strategy and framework for the implementation of the
strategy.
Organizing. The manager must provide the required resources for implementing the plan,
including human resources, tools, and capital.
Command. The manager must have an intimate understanding of the company goals so that
they can make better decisions for the improvement of the organization.
Coordination. The activities of the organization have to be integrated to ensure the success of
the organization. To ensure success, communication is at the cornerstone.
Monitoring. Evaluation of all activities is key in ensuring that the employees are implementing
the laid down strategies of the company.
Application to the case study
The Mitsubishi normal plant employs different aspects of the classical perspective in dealing
with sexual harassment claims. The workflow processes operate like a machine with more value
given to male employees because it is perceived that they are more efficient than their female
counterparts(Keyton et al.,2013). The women are openly discriminated against during
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orientation, being told that they are not needed at the plant. The company has a bureaucratic
system of communication where every section of the plant has a head responsible for a
particular activity. However, this bureaucratic has proved detrimental to the addressing of
sexual harassment claims raised by female employees. The female employees are victimized in
the way of their benefits being withheld because they have refused to give in to the sexual
demands of their bosses(Fastcompany,2014). Moreover, others are wrongfully dismissed for
not raising complaints. The company is insensitive to the plight of its female workers by sending
some of its workers to stage protests against the EEOC for filing a class-action suit.
The company can be commended for later taking a humanitarian approach to the crisis. They
hired the former secretary of labor to investigate the sexual harassment claims, who later
released a reporting recommending how the company should handle sexual harassment claims
raised by the female employees(Hans,2005). Also, they agreed to a $34 million settlement for
claimants of sexual harassment. Mitsubishi committed to ensuring that all the employees would
undergo training concerning sexual harassment, and all these policies would be implemented
within 45 days.
In conclusion, the company has a moral obligation to ensure that its employees are treated
fairly and with respect. In Mitsubishi's case, the company failed to leave to these standards by
allowing the sexual of its female employees to go on unchecked. Even after a class-action suit
has been filed against the company, it still refused to take responsibility for the errors of its
management. However, they later settled with the victims and committed itself to establish the
necessary reforms to ensure that sexual harassment does not recur in the future. The company
used different aspects of the classical communication perspective to address the issues. It took
responsibility for its actions and used a humanitarian approach to resolve the accusations
leveled against the company.
References
Mary S. (2013). Case studies in organizational communication: Ethical perspectives and
practices. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications.
Keyton, Joann & Cano, P. & Clounch, Teresa & Fischer, C.E. & Howard, C. & Topp, S.S.. (2013).
Ethical storm or model workplace?. 10.4135/9781452240572.n12.
Klijn, Erik Hans. (, 2005). Designing and managing networks: Possibilities and limitations for
network management. European Political Science - EUR POLIT SCI. 4. 328-339.
10.1057/palgrave.eps.2210035.
Fastcompany.com (25 June 2014). Why Sexual Harassment Is Still An Issue And Why So Many Get Away
With It. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/3032291/strong-female-lead/why-
sexual-harassment-is-still-an-issue-and-why-so-many-get-away-with-it
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Uzuegbu, Chimezie & Nnadozie, C.. (2015). Henry Fayol’s 14 Principles of Management:
Implications for Libraries and Information Centres. Journal of Information Science
Theory and Practice. 3. 58-72. 10.1633/JISTaP.2015.3.2.5.