Problem
Case Study:
Joe is Maintenance Coordinator for a public university. Joe is responsible for all the building maintenance and physical systems on campus. He has a number of departments to accomplish the assigned workload. He has an Electrical Department, a Plumbing Department, an HVAC Department, a Carpentry Department, and a Painting Department. Each of these departments has about 50 employees and are dependent on each other to accomplish the overall company objectives. Employee turnover has been high, so 70% of each department are employees who have been employed less than one year. The workload for his departments has increased in the last several years as the physical plant continues to age. Joe requested to hire additional workers, but the budget did not allow for it. It became apparent that Joe needed to find more creative ways to better utilize his current resources in order to get more accomplished.
Joe had observed that his departments were not working together well, or even at all, in some cases. There have been several role conflicts within the groups, status is important to a majority of the employees, and the teams are not cohesive or productive overall. It was common for one department to go into a building, "fix" a problem, and then leave a mess for the next department coming in behind them to do their part of the work. Workers seemed to think only about maximizing the output of their own department and finishing their own work quickly, with little regard for the impact on other departments and the long-term impact on the university.
• Using course concepts, explain the types of groups identified in the scenario, role conflicts, cohesiveness and the effects of group size and/or group dynamics that you have noted.
• Using course concepts and your personal experiences, provide Joe with a recommended plan for addressing the issues noted in the groups he is responsible for.
The response should include a reference list. Using double-space, Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.