3240, Spring 2012, Case Study Viju Raghupathi

¶ … 3240, Spring 2012, Case Study Viju Raghupathi

BUSN 3240, GROUP CASE STUDY QUESTIONS

Group Report Due: 3/21/12 in class

Case: A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products

Alex is female. Alex's rather pushy, aggressive, and go-getter style is likely designed to compensate for her frustrations of working in a male-dominated industry. She tends to like to micro-manage others in an aggressive fashion, to ensure that what she feels needs to get done, gets done. Males, even very aggressive 'Type A' males, tend to be more willing to delegate, since they feel more comfortable giving orders and do not feel a need to prove that they can 'do it all themselves.'

Alex can be very emotional in an aggressive manner, suggesting she is trying not to seem 'soft.' She uses displays of anger to motivate others. This seems to work in the short run. She feels justified in doing so because she was hired to 'shake things up' by her supervisor. She uses a 'stick' rather than a 'carrot' approach. Alex feels confident that she will be promoted and reviewed well because of her 100% commitment. Alex tries to set an example by finishing everything early, and tries as hard as possible to 'be the best.' Alex believes that her demonstrated merit will prove her worth to her colleagues, rather than honing her interpersonal skills.

Q3. Alex behaves insensitively even when dealing with senior colleagues who have proven their loyalty to the company through their service in the past. Alex immediately tries to take control of the project very noisily and show that she is the boss. She takes over assignments rather than rephrases her instructions, if she feels that things have been done incorrectly. She continually bombards her staff with emails and phone calls, some of which are sent as early as 3am in the morning, which shows that she has been thinking about the project all night. She also clearly has her eye upon her own advancement, rather than the company's interests alone, as she constantly talks about her future plans.

Q4. Alex's willingness to work hard and to 'pull her own weight' (and then some) is admirable. She sets a new 'bar' for dedication to the company. She does not ask people to do what she is unwilling to do herself. Bosses that press subordinates to do more than the employees think themselves capable of are necessary. Alex is committed to keeping the project on its timeline, which is critical in project management. Delays are often the source of the project going over-budget, as well as over-time.

However, Alex's abrasive style is alienating and not genuinely motivating for the people whom she is overseeing. They are working hard out of fear, rather than out of genuine commitment to the project. Rather than cultivating relationships with other workers at the company, she bullies them, and if they do not immediately perform to specifications, she takes over their work. Ultimately, this unwillingness to delegate makes her look weak rather than strong, just like her continual 'busyness' and attitude of being rushed all of the time.