Dixie Case Study: Questions
Based on the initial understanding of Dixie business needs (from the phone call discussion with Bill), what business related details you need to consider for data gathering?
The main problem at Dixie Weaving is the high rate of worker attrition. Some questions to answer include the following: What types of workers are most likely to leave (lower-level workers or management)? Is the attrition rate a long-standing problem or is it connected to a specific event? What are the goals of the intervention, in terms of worker improvement?
As you entered into the first information gathering meeting with the client, what is your strategy to guide the discussion?
During the initial interview, listening to what the customer has to say is the first priority. It is important to understand his or her perspectives of the situation, why the current situation is unacceptable, and his or her goals for the future, and his or her vision of what would be a 'successful' company, versus the current state of affairs. In the Dixie scenario, the interviewer took a very nonjudgmental perspective during the interview, to gain an accurate and candid assessment of the client.
Q3. In this early stage of discussion, how would you integrate different perspectives expressed by different employees?
Worker problems are clearly linked to the hostility of managers and some of the older employees on the unit.
Q4. With due consideration to Dixie situation and Southern Metropolitan University strategies, what you think Joe and Ian must be asking at this early stage of engagement with the client?
Joe and Ian likely want a 'quick fix' for what seems to be a deeper problem with how Dixie treats its workers. A plan will likely require financial expenditures and a complete retooling of how the company deals with employees. Or, they may want to be overly directive in terms of imposing what they think is the solution upon a complex problem.
Q5. As you discover more details on Dixie, what potential problems or challenges (required for the consultants and the client) to manage this engagement?
Dixie seems in clear violation of safety recommendations for workers as well as has trouble retaining employees. The training program is unclear and unsystematic in nature, which further compounds safety problems. Workers are not seen as valuable assets by managers in terms of the work…
