Name: Luningning M. Donato Subject: Admin Process & Org.

Behavior

Date Submission: December 9, 2011 Professor: Bambi Cabrera

Case 1: Ben Reed

I.

Background Ben Reed at 27 years old who was a graduate of BA degree in Psychology joined Acme Medical Association with the position assistant office manager. He was working with 40 female office employees and the office manager Charles Grayson who has been with Acme for 20 years already. Ben was not challenged by his routine job at Acme so he suggested to Grayson some activities that he can do like instructing the girls fundamentals in physiology in his unproductive time but the office manager did not approve of it. Ben and Grayson continued to have some more differences like the issue of Ben deciding on his own to let Doris Martin go home because she was sick and Ben submitting ideas to Colvin, the controller for the new electronic data processing installation. After a huge argument, on December 13, Ben Reed filed his resignation from the company and finally left the company on December 24, 1960.

II.

Statement of the Problem In Acme, the conflict stems from the disagreements that Grayson and Ben Reed had. Although Ben Reed tried to suggest a couple of ideas Grayson was not agreeable to them. And Ben Reed who was very enthusiastic in his job felt that he needed to decide on important things when the manager was not around. He also was very eager to share his ideas to Colvins project that he forgot to inform and include in the loop his manager. This in turn upset Grayson causing his outburst to Reed. In the end Ben Reed decided to resign from Acme. In view of the whole situation the issue which had a major impact on the outcome was: The differences in Grayson and Ben Reeds individual nature and perception prompting their choice of individual behavior in the organization and towards each other

III.

Areas of Consideration 1) Individual Personalities and Nature There is a need to conduct background and character analysis and psychological profiling of managers and employees to have a better grasp of the individual strengths and weaknesses to gain understanding on their actual behavior and embark on trying to address weakness. 2) Communication Barriers There is a need to recognize the different barriers that can affect effective communication. In this case, there is a need to focus on interpersonal and attitudinal barriers. 3) Organizational Structure There is a need to check the appropriateness of the organizational structure and evaluate if it is understood by managers and subordinates alike the way the management wants it to be perceived. 4) Training and Development of Managers and Employees There is also a need to check if enough and appropriate training are provided for managers and employees to develop not only skills but character and behavior in the organization as well

IV.

Alternatives Having been able to identify the problems and issues in the case of Ben Reed, the following suggestions and alternatives may be used to put things back in order: 1) Grayson to convince Ben Reed to cancel his resignation by offering to conduct dialogue and formal goal setting with him to fix issues Pros a. Ben Reed will be provided formal venue to raise his concerns and ideas about his welfare in the company and even his issues with Grayson b. Goal Setting will formalize the distinction of Ben Reeds responsibilities and authorities from that of Graysons and will provide better understanding of the boundaries c. Grayson will be able to hear feedback from Ben and vice-versa

Cons a. After the dialogue, Ben might still not be convinced to stay with the company b. Heated argument and confrontation can still occur if either of the two will not be able to control his behavior c. There is no guarantee that Ben Reed will feel more appreciated and Grayson more respected after the dialogue 2) Allow Ben Reed to resign but have Graysons performance as a manager reviewed and recommend necessary training and development programs. Pros a. Grayson will feel appreciated and important b. Grayson will be able to have access to materials that will help him improve his behavior and his management skills Cons a. Grayson might think of this move the wrong way and may feel de-motivated b. Even if trainings are provided there is no guarantee that Grayson will be able to apply his learning in the actual setting c. This requires the company to incur cost and invest time spent in training other than actual work

3) Request HR or an independent body to facilitate dialogue between Grayson and

Ben Reed, identify the issues and come up with specific action plans to address the problems Pros a. The presence of the third party evens out the field and would prevent perceived communication barriers; in this case both Grayson and Ben Reed will be able to tell of their concerns without reservations b. Ben Reed will feel more comfortable and more assured that he is treated equally c. Individual biases will be regulated, the discussion will become as objective as possible d. Both Ben Reed and Grayson can receive feedback at the same time by an external person who is not attached to their issues

e. Heated arguments and confrontations are less likely to occur if a mediator is present f. Ensures that an external person is present to witness the agreed actions and resolutions g. Allows for more effective monitoring of the action plans Cons a. Grayson might feel quite low since it can turn out that he is not able to handle a situation that he is suppose to handle b. After the dialogue, the group might still decide to let Ben Reed resign c. This will require time and effort of HR or an external body V. Recommendation I therefore recommend, Alternative 3: Request HR or an independent body to facilitate dialogue between Grayson and Ben Reed, identify the issues and come up with specific action plans to address the problems. Given the individual differences in personalities, perceptions and nature it is very difficult to resolve any problems caused by behavior in the organization. All the more it is more difficult to resolve conflicts between 2 people of 2 different personalities and background. This is true in all cases of conflicts including those of Managers to subordinates. The protocol is for managers to deal with the conflicts they have with their subordinates. But I believe in most cases it is just hard for the manager to do this especially because he already has his biases. They can be managers but they still have basic human instincts and nature that can interfere with their objectivity and purpose. And so to prevent these kinds of situations it is better to have a 3rd party facilitate resolution of these kinds of conflicts between managers and subordinates. This allows for 1) check and balance 2) orderly and more organized discussions 3) regulated and controlled communication barriers 4) more effective giving and receiving of feedback 5) more effective creation of action plans to address issues and conflicts 6) allows for more effective monitoring of the agreed action plans.

In the case of Ben Reed, Grayson can request and HR personnel or another manager who is not attached to their issues to facilitate resolution of conflict. Grayson must recognize that for a favorable result to come out he must inhibit from handling his own conflicts to ensure impartiality in coming up with decisions. I believe that as a manager, he must also have the humility to recognize situations like these and how he should handle them. As the manager and senior to Ben he needs to initiate actions to resolve the conflict. During the discussion, they can come up with action plans to resolve their differences such as; 1) Decide on whether to give up or try to work-out the differences 2) Agree to open-up to more effective communication by receiving and giving feedback more constructively 3) Undergo Goal setting to determine definite responsibilities and boundaries of both Grayson and Ben Reed 4) Identify specific training needed to address weaknesses and challenges in behavior and in dealing with each other, both manager and subordinate 5) Agree to constantly follow-up in the status and the development of each and everyones behavior. The above mentioned are just some of the actions that may be considered by Ben Reed and Grayson. But I believe the facilitated dialogue between Ben and Grayson will effectively resolve the problem brought about by The differences in Grayson and Ben Reeds individual nature and perception prompting their choice of individual behavior in the organization and towards each other.