Upheaval In An Organization

Upheaval in an Organization: A Case of Organizational Mismanagement?

Introduction. This story was informative on Sharon's point of view but lacks information on Sam's and Donna's point of view. That information could have been very helpful in determining exactly how this really happened. The actual discrimination case is vague and I don't feel there is enough information given that could have been helpful in analyzing this case. The following analysis is what I have come up with given the information that I had to work with.

Now that the department is without a manager, without leadership, what action should Lewis and Donna take? Lewis and Donna need to discuss their options for filling the position. There are seven other subordinates in this group. Lewis and Donna should look at the other seven subordinates' strengths and weaknesses to determine if one of them could fit into the acting manager position until they could find a permanent solution. If none of the subordinates are fit for the responsibility, then Lewis or Donna might have to take on the responsibility of the department. After that, they could look through the rest of the organization to see if any other employee has experience in this field that might be good for the position. If they are not successful in finding anyone at this point, then they would need to look outside the organization for filling the position.

Comment on Norma's refusal to accept the acting manager assignment. Should she be punished for insubordination? What does her action indicate about her moral philosophy? Norma was taken back by the whole idea of a friend, Sharon, getting a new job that wasn't a promotion. Norma was also working on a huge project that was part of the biggest customer event of the year that was in three weeks. Norma was busy with all of her work and did not want the responsibility of acting as the department manager.

I think Norma was upset that her friend, Sharon, was not getting a promotion. Norma also seemed a little less enthusiastic when she was told to be the acting manager. I think Norma got upset because of the way things were happening. Norma wasn't asked to be the acting manager. She wasn't even approached properly with the situation. I can see why Norma responded the way she did. I think Norma was also disappointed with only being offered to fill the manager position temporarily and not permanently.

I am not sure if what Norma said would be qualified as insubordinate. However, I do think she should be told to try to keep her personal feelings aside when handling business affairs. Norma would probably have been less angry at the situation if she would have acted in a professional manner to begin with. Sharon was not only her manager but also a friend. In a situation where your manager is also a friend, it is hard to separate what is appropriate and what is not. Business should be kept from personal; however, some things that are business related can affect you personally. Norma was surprised by the situation and caught off guard. I think Norma was just trying to vent to a friend; I don't think she was being insubordinate.

Norma's moral philosophy was egotistical. She was only thinking what would be best for her and not for her department or anyone else. Norma was staying focused on the needs of her current position and not looking at the picture as a whole.

Which leadership behavior or style do you think was being demonstrated by Sam in his relationship with Sharon? Cite evidence to support your answer. After looking over the definitions of the different leadership behaviors, I would say that Sam fits in the task performance category. Sam was tough on Sharon. Task performance leaders tend to be stricter in wanting things to get done in a timely manner. Sharon did everything that was asked of her in this situation. She called all the subordinates and questioned them just as Sam had requested. Sam was trying to demonstrate a democratic style when he wanted to hear everyone's opinion towards Sharon. However, I don't feel he evaluated the situation as far as he could have, and he didn't take Sharon's questions or comments into consideration when determining his action.

I also feel that Sam doesn't fit the leadership type. Leaders will give it their all when focusing on such a problem as this. Sam demonstrates more of a manager type in this situation. He wants a solution soon so he can move on to the next problem. According to Abraham Zaleznik (2004), "Managers embrace process, seek stability and control, and instinctively try to resolve problems quickly - sometimes before they fully understand a problem's significance. Leaders, in contrast, tolerate chaos and lack of structure and are willing to delay closure in order to understand the issues more fully (Managers)."

Would you classify Sam's behavior toward Sharon as unethical? Why or why not? What bearing, if any, do you think Sharon's race of gender had on Sam's behavior? Explain your answer. I would classify Sam's behavior as being unethical. There doesn't seem to be enough evidence to support discrimination in this case. While Sam and Sharon were going over her performance review, Sam was not considering Sharon's concerns to the situation and did not feel it necessary to add Sharon's comments to the review. Sam's actions in this process would be considered unethical.

The one subordinate who complained to Sam, Marge, was one of the individuals that Sharon was looking to promote. The one other complaint that had anything to do with discrimination was actually a complaint of reverse discrimination on the subordinate's level. The remaining six subordinates did not have anything to say regarding any discrimination. There was also a reference from one of the subordinates that Sharon interviewed that had said that Sam was also contacting the subordinates to see what they thought of Sharon. However, the case does not give us the feedback from what Sam found out in his interviews with the subordinates.

Sam was moving to a different location and it looks as if his job was opening up. The open position would need to be filled. Was there is a possibility that Sharon could have been in line for Sam's position? Since the organization had very little cultured-minority people in any position higher than Sharon's position was possibly unnerving to Sam, and he felt the need to do something to make sure that Sharon could not be promoted any higher than the position she was in.

To make sure that it didn't look like Sam and possibly Donna were discriminating against Sharon, they wanted another African-American female, Norma, to be the acting manager until they could find someone