Case Analysis Report Case 5 Template- Total Points: 200

Your Name: Amelia Trembath

Title of Case: Fresh to Table
Executive Summary (please complete this section only after completing all seven sections)
(Summary of sections I, II, III (whether down or up), V, VI) (20 points)- Please note: -It is not a
summary of the case but a summary of your report
Dwayne Fisher wants to create a happy, healthy work environment. Therefore he must decide
whether or not to revamp FtT’s social media policies in response to Hilary Showalter’s company wide
tweet leading to her termination; along with the discovery of Hilary Showalter and three other employees’
email communications displaying counterproductive behavior. Hilary’s task performance and
commitment seemed to be decreasing before she was fired. The other 3 employees were observed to be
high performers, however, the emails suggested that their task performance appears to be decreasing in
addition to their commitment to the company. This counterproductive behavior is likely caused by
emotional dissonance among employees due to unachievable management expectations that do not align
with corporate values and employee frustration due to ineffective conflict handling techniques (along with
CPB), while handling Hilary’s termination- demonstrated by senior management (Anika and Erik). In
result to the way her termination was handled, Hilary is threatening to sue. Dwayne must make a decision
that diffuses the situation with Hilary, avoids a lawsuit, and doesn’t decrease employee morale.
Recommendations as to course of action include addressing the emotional dissonance among employees
at the company by reevaluating the “hospitality agent at all times” expectation, and offering them
workshops/training programs that aid in teaching them how to identify and manage their emotions in an
effective way that does not negatively affect their work life. Instead of using conflict handling techniques
that involve avoiding and forcing, a third party should be brought in to resolve/evaluate the situation in
order to avoid a lawsuit. Considering there are legal risks involved, Dwayne should take the formal
approach by bringing in an arbitrator, who should work with the company’s lawyer, Tram Nguyen. They
should listen to top managements’ concerns, Hilary/Slackers, and the rest of the employees at FtT to
ensure that their morale doesn’t decrease. This will allow FtT to reach a solution in a timely manner with
minimal legal/employee damage.
I. The Protagonist (10):
Dwayne Fisher (least emotional/impulsive).

II. Central problem and next step, the protagonist has to focus on (10):
Central Problem (5) (figure this part out after completing section IV):
The protagonist, Dwayne Fisher wants to create a happy, healthy workplace. He must decide
whether or not to revamp their social media policies while avoiding a potential lawsuit, in response to
Hilary/Slackers email communications displaying CPB, which is caused by emotional dissonance due to
unachievable management expectations that don’t align with corporate values and frustration due to
ineffective conflict handling techniques, specifically during Hilary’s termination process.

Next step Protagonist has to focus on (it is a question not an answer at this stage) (5):
-Work with Tram Nguyen to hire an arbitrator.

III. Current state of outcome variables in the case for the firm (20):
Job Performance and Organizational Commitment- (For Job Performance, answer the same four
questions below for each of the identified characters)
1. Level of Task Performance: (mention high, medium or low- and whether dropping or increasing)
2. Type of Task Performance the character is good at: (routine, creative, adaptive or a combination of any two or
all three, and whether it is high or low and what facts in the case show that)
3. Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) (whether high or low at the organizational or individual level and
type of OCB), Counterproductive behavior (whether engaging in bad behavior or not (specify with example-and
whether production, property, personal or political deviance)
4. Whether affective, continuance or normative commitment (explain why and if it is high or low or getting
lowered), if Star, citizen, lone wolf or apathetic (explain why and whether it is changing).

a. Eric Mossberger (Levels and Types of Performance and Commitment/type of employee):

Level/Type of Task Performance: High, decreasing routine task performance demonstrated by his
impulsive decision making. Low, increasing adaptive/creative task performance demonstrated by him
actively analyzing the current situation, which hasn’t been dealt with before. He is working with
Anika Jenson and Dwayne Fisher to find a solution that won’t destroy employee morale and provide
maximum benefit for the organization.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Displaying OCB on the interpersonal level in the form of
helping new employees to feel welcomed.
Counterproductive Behavior: Displaying CPB in the form of political deviance (incivility and
personal aggression) demonstrated by him posting the office manager position on craigslist before
Hilary was even notified of her termination.
Organizational Commitment: Affective commitment to organization because of the attachment he
feels to it. He started the company while working towards his MBA and was committed to making
FtT an engaged, stable workplace. He is a star employee due to his high task performance and high
level of commitment to the organization.

b. Hillary Showalter (Levels and Types of Performance and Commitment/type of employee):

Level/Type of Task Performance: Medium decreasing task performance- demonstrated by
inconsistency in her work.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Currently displaying no OCB.
Counterproductive Behavior: Displaying CPB in the form of production deviance and political
deviance- demonstrated by her company-wide tweet (“no new friends for me this year”) and her
emails observed on her slack account with the other three employees.
Organizational Commitment: Decreasing continuance commitment demonstrated by her declining
behavior. She was a citizen but now she can be considered an apathetic.

c. Anika Jenson (Levels and Types of Performance and Commitment/type of employee):

Level/Type of Task Performance: Showing high increasing task performance demonstrated by her
actively helping to try to find a solution.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior: No evidence of any OCB.
Counterproductive Behavior: Displaying CPB in the form of personal aggression and political
deviance demonstrated by her fabricating a coffee chat with Hilary and the way that she handled her
termination.
Organizational Commitment: No evidence supporting any other form of commitment other than
continuance. Suggestions that she is a star.

d. Dwayne Fisher (Levels and Types of Performance and Commitment/type of employee):

 Level/Type of Task Performance: Showing high increasing task performance demonstrated by her
actively helping to try to find a solution.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior: No evidence of any OCB. (seems to be neutral)
Counterproductive Behavior: Has not shown any CPB. (seems to be neutral)
Organizational Commitment: No evidence supporting any other form of commitment other than
continuance. He is a star employee because of his commitment to the situation and high high task
performance.

e. Tram Nguyen (Levels and Types of Performance and Commitment/type of employee):

Level/Type of Task Performance: High task performance demonstrated by advising top
management/working to diffuse the potential legal situation with Hilary. Also carefully reviewed
slack files.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior: No evidence of any OCB. (seems to be neutral)
Counterproductive Behavior: Has not shown any CPB. (seems to be neutral)
Organizational Commitment: Displaying continuance commitment because he is FtT’s hired
attorney. Possible lone wolf (little information) demonstrated by his continuance commitment and
high task performance.

f. Hillary’s co-workers who were also communicating on Slack (Levels and Types of
Performance and Commitment/type of employee):
Level/Type of Task Performance: High decreasing task performance, stated by managers that they
had high task performance and 2 recently were promoted.
Organizational Citizenship Behavior: No OCB.
Counterproductive Behavior: Displaying CPD in the form of political deviance in the form of
gossiping and incivility demonstrated by the discovered email content.
Organizational Commitment: Displaying continuance commitment due to the fact that they are all
looking for other jobs. They are lone wolves due to their high task performance and decreasing
commitment.

IV. Key independent variables impacting the outcome variables currently in the firm
(100):

1. Which of the five values according to the value-precept theory is/are leading to
dissatisfaction among the workers (including the CEO and top management) in this firm?
Hilary: Satisfaction with work itself, Supervisor Satisfaction
Erik: Coworker Satisfaction
Dwayne: Coworker Satisfaction
Anika: Coworker Satisfaction
Three Coworkers: Supervisor Satisfaction

2. What are the levels of knowledge and skills as well as the level of growth needs among the
employees?
If very interested in promotion, you wont make lapse of judgement again.
Erik- knowledge and skill level-Low; Growth needed is high.
Anika- knowledge and skill level- Medium; Growth needed is Medium
Dwayne- knowledge and skill level- Medium; Growth needed is Medium
Tram- knowledge and skill level- High; Growth needed is Low.
 Hilary- knowledge and skill level- Low; Growth needed is High.
Three co-workers- knowledge and kill level- Low; Growth needed is high.

3. Is there meaningfulness for the work that the employees do in this firm? Which of the three
factors are missing? Cite examples from the case
CHAPTER 4
Most employees were happy at FtT- suggests majority of employees feel a sense of identity, variety,
and significance in their work. Hilary in particular seems to be lacking meaningfulness.
Hilary (Receptionist): Her work isn’t providing meaningfulness. Missing (Job Characteristics Theory):
Identity: Has no connection/identity to product. Her job description is different than that of the
rest of the FtT employees.
Variety: Her job does not require many different activities, skills, or talents. It seems Hilary is
yearning for variety, demonstrated by the fact that she neglects some of her job responsibilities,
however is quick to help other employees with ‘urgent projects’.
Significance: Some people are mean to receptionists, although they provide a useful job
internally, they are overlooked externally.

Boss can give fantastic incentives, but over look whether employees are satisfied.

4. Are moods and emotions playing a role in causing dissatisfaction among the workers?
Which moods and/or emotions are predominantly in play (Identify the top two)?
Hilary and the other three co workers demonstrate that they are hostile(mood) and angry(emotion).
(Important considering top management ‘requires’ enthusiasm/cheerfulness/happiness from
employees).

5. What aspects of the affective events theory are playing out in this case? And how?
The work environment and job demands are considered daily hassles to Hilary and some other
employees. Top management is unaware that they are creating an environment that requires
emotional dissonance from their employees because they have made them feel like they are not
allowed to express certain emotions, or their authentic personalities inside of the workplace. This is
demonstrated by them verbally expressing that they expect cheerfulness and enthusiasm at all
times, and by previously squashing conflicts instead of getting to the root of them. This has made
them feel dissatisfied with the work itself. In result Hilary and the other three employees’
commitment to the organization is decreasing. Many of these problems are being created because
the cultural values being demonstrated within the top management of FtT don’t adhere to their
corporate values. The corporate values claim that “Authenticity of the workplace and employees is
put over everything” , however they are communicating that they expect the same moods,
emotions, and personality from everyone, providing incentives so people comply. They value an
environment that has high uncertainty avoidance- they are threatened by uncertain/ambiguous
situations that are outside of the ‘norm’ and rely on formal rules to create stability.

6. List the types of stressors and types of strains that are seen in the case:
Psychological and behavioral strains being demonstrated.
Work-related hindrance stressors in the form of daily hassles being demonstrated.

7. Are the expectancy, instrumentality and valence/outcome aspects clear to the employees in
this case? If not, how is it demotivating the employees?
They are lacking in all three areas, therefore motivation is impossible under the current
circumstances.
Expectancy: being hindered by lack of emotional support from leadership, and negative emotional
cues.
Instrumentality: The majority of managements rewards/incentives are given out for reasons other
than performance.
Valence: Top management offers incentives in the form of benefits and perks- traditional benefits
such as 401K, health insurance, paid time off, and employee referral bonuses. They also offer
lifestyle benefits such as gym memberships, Lunch & Learns, education stipends, a fully stocked
kitchen, and regular company socials. Employees also receive gifts for life events. They have
promoted two of the three employees involved in the case. It appears that the incentives are
undesirable to Hilary and the other three employees, considering they were searching for other jobs.

There are no incentives that line up with expectations, therefore employees are feeling demotivated
& unsatisfied with the work itself.

8. Do any of the employees feel under-rewarded or over-rewarded in this case? If so, how
would you say equity theory is impacting the employees?
Certain employees are feeling under-rewarded. This is displayed in the emails that took place
between the “slackers” (comments such as, “I am sure the cleaning lady makes more than I do. How
in the heck do you think Coworker X got her raise? Does she have pix of someone on the exec
team”). There is evidence that there is a presence of equity distress caused by a perceived imbalance
in their outcome/input ratio versus other employees’ outcome/input ratio.

9. Are the goals clear in this organization? (Yes/No, why?)

Yes, the goals are clear and specific. He clearly tells employees what behavior he expects from them.

10. Which aspects of SMARTER Goals are missing (please provide examples)?
Erik expects all employees to act like “hospitality agents” at all times, while in the workplace. For
most employees its exciting but for some it’s stifling. It is not achievable (nor effective) for every
employee to exert intense positive moods, such as excitement and enthusiasm, throughout all
moments of their weeks. Because the task is unachievable, task performance will be negatively
affected because it is impossible for an individual to maintain intense and persistent effort- It will
become mentally exhausting, which is what we are observing with the slackers. This goal does not
provide excitement. Erik’s goal is causing Hilary and the other three employees to withhold
emotions, as a result creating a build up of tension- which can be a possible explanation for their
current behavior. This goal also lacks review- employees feel obligated to withhold certain feedback.
It can also be observed that erik anika and dwayne have not been providing an optimal amount of
feedback for negative or positive reasons. Employees only receive feedback, if any, when they have
done something wrong.

11. Is psychological empowerment used by the employers in this case?

Yes upper management is attempting to provide psychological empowerment, but some employees
are utilizing it inappropriately.

12. What type of trust do the senior members in the organization have with the employees
and vice-versa?
Disposition-based trust for senior members and employees.

13. What type of justice was not being applied correctly in this company?
Specifically, interpersonal justice was not applied correctly by Erik and Anika in the termination
process of Hilary.
 14. What type of justice is Erik looking for?
Procedural justice.

15. Which characters in the case engage in the four-component model of ethical behavior
and which do not?
Erik: Lacking moral awareness and moral judgement.
Anika: Lacking moral judgement and moral intent.
Dwayne: No evidence supporting any unethical behavior.= Ethical behavior
Hilary: Lacking moral judgement and moral intent.
3 Slacker employees: Lacking moral awareness, moral judgement, and moral intent
Rest of employees: No evidence supporting any unethical behavior.= Ethical behavior

16. Is the protagonist using programmed or non-programmed decision-making techniques?

(briefly explain with facts from case in one sentence only)
Fisher, the protagonist, is using non programmed decision making supported by the beginning of the
case- the actions of these employees has caught them by surprise and they have no set procedures
the matter (confused on what to do).

17. Of the two types of attribution errors, what are the faulty attributions exhibited by the
protagonist, and the antagonist in this case? (list the names and just write which type against
the names)
Fisher: Fundamental attribution error
Hilary: Self-serving bias.

18. What are the faulty perceptions exhibited by the protagonist, and antagonist in this
case? (list the names and just write which type against the names)
Fisher: Confirmation, fundamental attribution error, escalation of commitment, possible anchoring.
Hilary: Framing, halo effect, possible social identity theory.

19. Is the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy playing a significant role in this case? If so,
state evidence from the case.
Yes, Erik was the one who wanted Hilary fired, however, Anika is the one that fired her.

20. Is the concept of escalation of commitment playing a significant role in this case? If so,
state evidence from the case.
Yes, top management is set on the idea (and puts pressure on employees) that everyone should be
enthusiastic, energetic, and cheerful at all times. They are not taking conflict into consideration.
Hilary is also stuck in a mindset demonstrated by her continuous disrespectful, hostile behavior.

21. Are any of the different personality traits predominantly impacting the outcomes in this
case (explore the Big Five, Holland’s Typology and MBTI. Please make sure you refer to all
the traits in all three models and note the most relevant and applicable ones.)
Hilary: Big five- Low conscientiousness, low agreeableness, and high neuroticism. MBTI- INFP.
Holland’s Typology- Social.
Erik: Big five- High conscientiousness, high neuroticism. MBTI-ESTJ. Holland’s Typology-
Enterprising.
Dwayne: Big five- Low agreeableness, Low extraversion, high conscientiousness. MBTI- ISTP.
Holland’s Typology- Conventional or realistic.
Anika: Big five- High agreeableness and high neuroticism. MBTI- ENFP. Holland’s Typology-
Social.
Slackers: Low agreeableness. High neuroticism. MBTI-ENFJ. Holland’s Typology- Investigative.

22. What sub-types of cognitive, physical (only where relevant) and emotional abilities are
exhibited by the protagonist, and antagonist in this case? (list the names and just write
which specific subtype under each against the names) and list if it is beneficial or
detrimental to the outcome of the case.
Dwayne Fisher: perceptual/verbal cognitive-ability low (detrimental). Emotional-ability high
(beneficial). Sensory Physical-ability high (beneficial).
Hilary Showalter: Reasoning/spatial cognitive ability- low (detrimental). All emotional ability low
(detrimental). Sensory physical ability (low).

23. What was the type of task interdependence used by the protagonist’s senior team?
Reciprocal task interdependence was used among Dwayne, Erik, and Anika.

24. Did protagonist observe any of the following among the employees in the firm: process
loss, process gain, motivation loss, coordination loss, social loafing or production blocking?
Explain briefly with examples from the case depending on which ones they were
experiencing.
Process gain: As dwayne was reading the emails that exposed how these employees were feeling, he
states that he was surprised because they were good performers.

25. Are there taskwork issues in this case?

Yes. All 3 types of taskwork processes, in some form, are an issue in this case.
Decision making (Decision infirmity, Staff validity, & Hierarchical sensitivity), Creative behaviors,
and Boundary Spanning (ambassador activities).

26. Were there team communication issues in this case? Explain if they were communicator
issues, information richness issues or network issues with examples from the case
Team communication is a significant issue in this case. Electronic mail was used between Hilary
and the other three employees in this case- due to the fact that they were feeling angry, they said
some horrible things about their coworkers. The problem with this form of communication is that
top management could only gather a little bit of information due to the fact that this communication
channel is low on information richness- they only saw CPB, they could not get to the root of the
problem. Lack of face-to-face communication was an issue as well on the part of Erik and Anika-
they did not talk to Hilary about the major issue they just took impulsive action in terminating her.
Employees also failed to use face-to-face communication when they clearly had an issue with upper
management.

27. What was the source of power for the protagonist and the antagonist?
Dwayne Fisher: Legitimate power (COO). Reward Power
Hilary Showalter: Reward power (controls company supplies).

28. Were any contingencies blocking the full utilization of the protagonist’s power? What
were those contingencies?
Substitutability and discretion.

29. What style of leadership did the protagonist exhibit? Was it working? If not, why?
Dwayne Fisher exhibited laissez Faire, delegative leadership- employees are highly
capable/committed and given autonomy, however, he noticed that something was off with the
 ‘slackers’ but took no course of action. Did not prove effective because their tension grew
stronger and the issue got worse.

30. What factors in the time sensitive model were playing a role in this case?
High teamwork skills, high importance of commitment, low likelihood for commitment.

31. Were organizational politics playing a role in this case? What were the causes?
Intergroup-relationship conflict(between some employees and upper management) due to
interdependence and communication problems.
Anika used a competing (forcing) technique.
Dwayne used an avoiding technique.
Erik used an avoiding technique.
Hillary/3 employees also used an avoiding technique.

It is a lose/lose for both parties involved- nothing gets solved.

32. Were employees resisting, complying or committing to the firm’s vision?

Most were complying or committing, a few were resisting.

33. Are the senior executives and the employees in this case, well developed, with expertise
to handle the work and are they motivated to do so? Cite examples of whether lacking or
having the skills.
No they are not well developed with expertise. They should use collaborating conflict handling.
However, Erik and Dwayne, and the 3 slacker employees are avoiding which is a lose-lose for
themselves and the employees (due to lack of action) Erik does not say anything to Hilary
regarding her termination or e-mail, and Dwayne noticed there was an issue with the slackers but
didn’t take any action. This is resulting in negative outcomes (frustration) Anika confronts Hilary-
Uses competing conflict handling- the first time she confronts Hilary about her ‘occasional lapses’,
she doesn’t ask what’s causing the issue, she just gives demands to Hilary (which she knows will be
adhered to because she’s in a position of power.) This strains relationships. In this case all parties
would benefit from arbitration.

34. What is the nature of each of the five components of organizational structure in this
case?
Work specialization: Tasks are divided into teams- teams are trusted form on their own without
managerial oversight.
Chain of Command: Management gives a lot of autonomy to employees- they oversee but employees
aren’t necessarily reporting regularly to authoritative figures.
Span of Control: 3 top managers known of. Around 120 employees.
Formalization: There aren’t many rules- but a required behavioral standard(not a good environment
to obtain the desired behavior).
Centralization: Top management makes formal decisions.

35. Does the firm have a mechanistic or organic structure? Is it working for them?
They have an organic structure. It is not working for them because top management's expectations
line up more with a mechanistic structure- but they have created the opposite.

36. How are the four factors of organizational design playing a role in this case?
Business environment: employees are granted autonomy to deal with their clients.
Company Strategy: To act as hospitality agents all of the time- makes money however causing
internal conflict.
 Technology: Employees are expected to do their jobs without monitoring. They use Slack to monitor
employees, however it seems it has not been made clear to employees (stated that they are
monitored in handbook, but no reference to Slack)
Company size: 3 in top management, 1 lawyer, 120 employees.

37. What is the current organizational form of this company? Was it working?
Current organizational form appears to be multidivisional or client based. It was working for a while,
however issues and tensions seem to be growing, in conclusion, it is not working anymore.

38. How will you classify the current general and specific cultures of the firm? Is it failing
or meeting the needs of the firm? What is causing it to fail?
Management expects a communal culture focused on customer service.
It is failing to meet the needs of the firm. Management is minimally involved, therefore they don’t
see issues that are arising among employees.

39. Was the culture in this firm strong or weak? Was it causing a problem?
Culture in this firm is very weak because managers have established expectations that do not align
with the company’s corporate value.

Overall- summarize your findings and explain which are the most significant variables that are
causing a problem in this case. Please explain in terms of correlational relationships:
Management is not providing relative incentives. Because of their hands off management style, they have
goals and structure that make it difficult to adhere to their corporate policies. They should consider a
comprehensive interdependence approach instead of the reciprocal approach to team interdependence.
They also have created an environment that has become a work related hindrance stressor in the form of
daily hassles- it is impossible for employees to act enthusiastic all the time. Some of them are likely
feeling emotionally exhausted and experiencing emotional dissonance. Internal tension is building up and
and the other 3 employees seem to be becoming frustrated/annoyed with coworkers. Not only is there a
lack of moral awareness, judgement, and intent among senior managers- management has also used
questionable conflict handling skills and displayed CPB regarding the way in which they handled Hilary’s
termination and now she is threatening to sue. They should consider hiring a third party in order to
mediate the situation in a timely manner so that employees aren’t upset.
V. Based on your analysis in section IV, which two variables seem to be having the most
significant impact on lowering performance and commitment in this organization which
need to be addressed immediately by the protagonist: (10):

Variable 1: Management is unaware that their current expectations/ goals are unachievable
and do not align with cultural values which is creating emotional dissonance among
employees, resulting in an environment where employees cannot truly be authentic, they are
emotionally exhausted and job satisfaction is decreasing.

Variable 2: Conflict handling techniques of upper management makes it hard to identify the
way employees are feeling and is creating frustration/negatively impacting long term-
interpersonal relationships.

VI. Given the above two selected variables, if you were the protagonist, how will you
address the two identified variables to ensure the right decision is made for the company.
(Please make sure you use the two variables and then from the chapter notes- identify the
applications to use to rectify the problems and then link it back to the characters and the
case). (20):
In order to address the emotional dissonance among employees at the company, Dwayne must
reevaluate the “hospitality agent at all times” expectations, he should also offer them workshops
and training programs that aid in teaching them how to identify and manage their emotions in an
effective way that does not negatively affect their work life.

Instead of using conflict handling techniques that involve avoiding and forcing, management
should consider that a third party be brought in to resolve the situation and avoid any potential
lawsuits. Considering there are legal risks involved, Dwayne should take the formal approach by
bringing in an arbitrator, who should work with the company’s lawyer, Tram Nguyen in to listen
to top managements’ concerns, Hilary/Slackers, and the rest of the employees to ensure that their
morale doesn’t decrease. This will allow FtT to reach a solution in a timely manner with minimal
legal/employee damage.

VII. Based on the recommendation-What are the first three main steps you will
recommend that the protagonist take, to implement the recommendations you made in
section VI. (minimum 3 steps): (10):
1. Hire an arbitrator.
2. Arbitrator should communicate with Hilary, 3 employees, Management, and all other
employees separately.
3. Then meet with them and communicate with them together.
4. Provide Hilary with the severance package that she requested. (will diffuse the situation
with her and make up for the way management treated the situation.)
5. Reevaluate the ‘hospitality agent at all times’ expectation.
6. Speak to the 3 employees about what is making them unhappy at the workplace- act
accordingly.
7. Organize workshop and training programs to address emotional dissonance.
8. Adopt a hands on management style so that more structure is built within the company.
9. Meet with every employee so they can provide feedback.