Name Proshanjit Dey

Question 1

Lisa felt disappointed during her first few weeks at Houseworld. What, according to you,
caused friction between her and her team members: Linton and Scoville? Mention at
least 2 instances

Lisa felt disappointed during her first few weeks due to following reasons:

1st Instance: The first instance where the friction between Lisa and Linton was during her first
day in the office. Linton remarked that ‘she doesn’t like MBAs’. This remark along with the
cool and disinterested welcome she got from her boss was a primary friction point

2nd Instance: Richard Clark, the group product manager who had impressed her during the
recruitment process barely recognized her nor welcomed her into the organization. He had
given her a cold welcome

3rd Instance: Scoville’s condescending manner in which he spoke to Lisa and he was acting
like an overbearing big brother. He assigned her menial tasks like copying reports. This was
another friction point during the first few weeks

Question 2
Question 2A: Analyze Scoville’s personality using the OCEAN framework. What, according
to you, would he score in each of the OCEAN traits? Cite examples or instances to support
your answer. (5 marks)

Trait Level: High/Low Example supporting the answer

Openness to High He was competent and smarter than most

Experience people at Homecare. Also, Scoville moved from
the operations department to marketing which
demonstrates his creativity, preference for
variety and intellect

Conscientiousness Low He was not organized as he had a problem with

personal style and managing task as he gave
last minute task to Lisa (copying incident where
he changed last minute planning)

Extraversion Low He does not work well with people and

considers himself smarter than most people in
the company, he also mentions himself as no
nonsense guy, and he has no room for office
politics. This was evident when he doesn’t join
them for lunch. This point can further be
supported by the fact that a challenge is getting
things done from other departments

Agreeableness Low He is low on agreeableness as he doesn’t get

along with most of his colleagues. He has a
very critical approach which is further
 supported by the events of Lisa’s first day
interactions with him where he was extremely
critical of MBA graduates. He was also found
to be extremely irritable by other employees
who took Lisa’s side later on

Neuroticism High Scoville was nice to Lisa in the beginning by

answering her questions and doubts. But he
threw a temper tantrum during his
disagreement with Lisa on the assumptions on
Pure and Fresh’s pricing strategy. There was
another incident wherein he started shouting on
Lisa on a small copying incident thus insulting
and humiliating her in front of everyone.. Due
to this emotional instability his neuroticism
score is high

Question 2B: Using the results of the OCEAN framework analysis, suggest two ways in
which Lisa can improve her relationship with Scoville. (2 marks)

On the OCEAN analysis Lisa can improve her relationship with Scoville by;

1. As both Lisa and Scoville are both high on openness, they both are creative in their
own ways and both are ambitious, they can work together on a single project and take
different responsibilities in the project, which would help them complement each other
2. As both are opposite on extraversion, Lisa can handle the parts which involves
teamwork and people while Scoville can handle the internal parts of the projects such
as analysis. Thus, they can complement each other without competing

Question 3
 Question 3A: Which area of the Johari window does this situation represent? (1 mark)

The area of Johari window is the hidden area/ façade.

Question 3B: What can Lisa do to reduce this area and improve her relationship with
Linton? Give at least two relevant examples. (4 marks)

Lisa can reduce the hidden the area by;

1. Trying and developing a strong relationship with Linton using her conversational skills
around areas which are of mutual interest. Both are ambitious women and Lisa should
try and find projects which would interest Linton
2. Lisa also should try and make herself more visible by getting into interesting projects
that increase her visibility to Scoville and Linton. This would make other colleagues
talk good about her which in turn can help Lisa expand her network influence
3. Lisa should also try and stop acting like a learner in the future and be very assertive
with her recommendations and pitch relevant ideas during staff meetings

Question 4

Question 4 (4 marks)

In Lisa's performance review, Linton described Lisa as "unassertive" and "lacking in

initiative and confidence". What could Linton have done differently while giving the
feedback? Suggest two improvements.

1. Linton could have mention how Lisa could be an asset to the company if she focused on
a few improvement areas, this would have ensured that Lisa did not feel discouraged
when Linton pointed out the improvements
 2. Linton should listen to Lisa’s point of view and give her an opportunity to express and
explain herself. Rather than telling the problem, Linton should advise her how she can
work on her shortcomings
3. When Linton heard about how unruly Scoville’s management style was, she could have
given Lisa her word that she would counsel him to alter his behavior

Question 5

Question 5 (6 marks)

Suggest three engagement tactics that could have helped Lisa in feeling more motivated to
work in Houseworld.

Lisa could have felt motivated to work at Houseworld by following engagements:

1. Linton should appreciate Lisa on small victories thus motivating her to work harder,
like Vernon appreciated her work, but she never got any applause from Linton. (Work
Appreciation)
2. Lisa should have been in a role which complimented her skills and strengths in the
organization. (Job Role)
3. Linton should have encouraged Lisa to speak her mind without any fear of criticism or
judgment. Example Linton should have encouraged Lisa to speak while she was giving
her performance review. (Training and Coaching)
4. Linton should have provided a road map or her objectives to Lisa, while motivating
her that she is an integral part of the organization in the first week (Objective setting
and clarity)

Question 6
 6A. Question 6A: Mention 2 soft tactics that Lisa can use. Suggest relevant ways in which
these can be implemented. (2 marks)

The soft tactics that can show personal power are :

1. Lisa can use soft skills such as persuasion that is emotionally opening up to discuss
serious matters.
2. Lisa can use impression management technique with Linton, as Linton believes that
Lisa does not take any initiative and she is not assertive, Lisa can appear likeable and
trustworthy by taking responsibility by taking initiative in project and speaking up in
meeting giving her point of view.
3. Lisa can also exchange favors with Scoville. By helping him with tasks she can
influence him to accept her points of view

Question 6B: Mention 2 hard tactics that Lisa can use. Suggest relevant ways in which
these can be implemented. (2 marks)

1. Assertiveness: Lisa can be more assertive in her conversations with Scoville and
Linton. The conversation with Lisa when she said she doesn’t like MBA’s and she
could have given assertive feedback to Scoville about his style of management. This
could have minimized her negative experiences.
2. As Linton’s boss Vernon adores Lisa and he is also an MBA from Harvard, Lisa can
use hard tactic of Coalition formation to get more responsibility on the project and
from there she can show her talents to Linton.

Question 7
 Question 7 (4 marks)

Do you think there has been a breach of ethics by Lisa's coworkers? Justify your answer by
giving reasons and mentioning instances from the case study.

Yes, there has been a breach of ethics from Lisa’s coworkers.

1. Scoville was forcing Lisa to do his copying work. Lisa was busy on her task and she
denied. Then she got furious stating ‘Oh, I see, you’re too good at copying” Scoville
immediately complained to Linton stating the exact same words. This happened behind
her back and is a clear breach of trust.
2. Linton was responsible for the growth of her subordinates, but she was always
preoccupied with herself thus neglecting her team members as it is seen in how Linton
was supposed to take Lisa for lunch on the first day and she took her to lunch after
three months while doing her first performance evaluation. There were no interim
check ins or discussion earlier which clearly is a breach of ethics and creates distrust

Question 8

Question 8 (6 marks)

Should Lisa quit her job at Houseworld? Support your answer with at least 3 relevant
arguments.

According to my opinion Lisa should not leave her job at Houseworld because:

Firstly since Lisa wanted to join House world which she believed would help her receive
classical marketing training in a structured environment from an industry leader. This is one
strong reason why Lisa should stick and work through the differences although it may seem
unsurmountable, and this can be achieved by focusing on work rather than people and
challenges.

Secondly, rather than running from problems she should think of conflict resolution methods
as this would help her grow for bigger challenges. She can take help of Linton’s boss Vernon
and also learn from Scoville on better ways of working with teams.

Last but not the least, Lisa gets along very well with her peers and the management, also there
is an increase in the number of hires from Harvard and Management recruits she has a better
opportunity to advance in her career at Houseworld. She should open up her network, engage
with other important people within the system which in turn would have allowed her an
opportunity to demonstrate her abilities and skills. This can help neutralize the threats.