Johnson Motor Corporation operates several proving grounds worldwide, for development and validation testing of new vehicles. The company has a long history in the automotive industry and has a strong reputation for quality and service. Dan Smith oversees several of these sites.
In one particular site in Michigan, Smith has a garage that consists of 140 full time mechanics, most of which are men. The Director, Dan Smith has been with the company most of his career. His reputation is one that demands quality. He likes to keep things looking clean and orderly. This is hard to do in a garage. He once told them "we are one of the largest automotive companies in the world and our garage should look first class."
In one particular instance he asked that the mechanics move their carts against the wall so that people coming into the garage do not see the dirty rags on the carts. Once they were moved, the mechanics dropped the rags on the floor because they had no where to lay them. Smith got mad that the garage looked messy and forgot that he was the one who asked that the carts be moved back to the original stations. Overall, Smith is proud of his department.
Most of the previous managers had taken the company's buyout offer, leaving the management level smaller and more agile than the previous years. Despite the concerns from the company's recent buyout offers, he believed his group had adapted well. Smith liked to think they are on top of all communication issues than in previous years. In fact, Smith would spend a week at a time at the various sites to show his appreciation.
Contrary to what some of the managers felt about the loss of personnel initially, Smith's presences usually made the managers feel important, showing that they were on a first name basis with the director. In Michigan, recent reduction in workforce has reduced the number of mangers from what were seven people down to just two. These two managers, Ed Tyler and Joe Forest, report directly to him and there are several leaders that report to those two managers.
Smith puts in long hours at work, but lately he has been leaving more of the responsibility to his two managers to run the shop and various large scale projects. He is granting them more decision-making and problem-solving authority as they mature. He says, "I am watching you both and how you handle the job. I want to see how you perform." One manager, Ed Tyler was promoted from within the garage and the other, Joe Forest transferred from the budget department, but both have been with the company most of their careers. Ed Tyler has years of experience with the company and the technical know-how from being a mechanic once himself. He has passed the mechanic exams that the mechanics are required to take, but lacks the interpersonal skills which often lead to conflict and performance roadblocks.
Although a hard worker, his personality clashes with the employees that report to him and other leaders. He talks to his employees in a demeaning manor and comes across as though he does not care about them. For example, Smith asked Tyler and Forest to hold a meeting informing the employees that there will be layoffs in the coming months. Smith said that he could come to the meeting if either manager did not feel comfortable with the task. One of the deciding factors for who will be let go will be their education level.
Forest and Tyler said they could handle the meeting. Employees that did not further their education over the years were disappointed. Tyler's response was "oh well" and walked away. This was another example of Tyler's poor communication skills. Soon after the meeting someone placed a picture of a donkey with Tyler's face on it in the bathrooms.
Every day for a week the picture would resurface again. Customers coming into the garage would ask what the picture was about. It was embarrassing for Smith who wanted to maintain a high standard of excellence in the company and industry. Smith has been thinking about transferring Ed to another facility within the company. Forest has a master's degree and has had a lot of shop experience from another department prior to taking this position.
Smith however, wants Forest to pass the mechanics exams so that he can say he has the same training as the mechanics that report to him. Forest disagrees because he has a master's degree already, but has taken the exam two times and unfortunately has not passed. He finds himself too busy to study. Despite that, Forest is a dedicated and hard worker and has no problem taking on new challenges. Smith has praised him for his style in handling his employees and helping him on specific projects.
For example, Forest was given the direction to resurface the garage floor. He did this over the holiday break when fewer employees would be there ensuring less disruption to the department. Forest worked 30 days straight including the holiday break to ensure it was done right and to Smith's expectations. Forest is also very patient and one of his strong skills is listening and explaining things well.
This has come in handy to Smith who from time to time needed computer help. On one occasion, Malick had not used his printer in his office because it was not working. His administrator called Forest to see if he could ask the IT Department to help him. Forest checked it out himself and found that the printer was not plugged into the computer! Smith asked Forest "You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" Smith is constantly concerned about his image.
In keeping up with high quality standards, Lynn Reed was hired by Dan Smith to audit the files and make sure there are no duplicate files and that the department meets the requirements. Her education level is an associate degree from a small college. Her assignment is to make sure all the files are in order for inspection by the auditors in a few months and that there are no duplicates. Johnson MC 2 Lynn's style is very upfront and direct. However, it is her directness that is conflicting with the department because she is a finger pointer.
If something is out of place, she finds out whose fault it was and sends an email to Smith, blaming that particular person thereby, causing commotion within the department. She has been known to "throw people under the bus" and give them no chance to explain.
For example, Forest deleted old files thinking the department did not need them anymore. When he realized what he had done he called the IT Department and had the files restored. When Lynn found out she emailed Smith and said that Forest has duplicate files and the auditors will not like the duplicate files. By going above Forest instead of telling him, it caused concern for Forest. Forest tried to explain to Lynn why there are duplicate files, but she will not listen to him. She has done this with Tyler and other employees as well.
Smith is concerned with resolving common problems that can negatively affect team productivity. At a meeting with Joe, Dan talked about whom Lynn should report to and what he expects from her. He says that she is very knowledgeable in the auditing processes. Forest tried to explain that she comes across as wanting to "throw people under the bus" and that she should not work in their department. Smith agreed that she can be difficult, but said he wanted Lynn to report to Forest.
He said originally that he was going to have Lynn report to Ed, but that he felt it might lead to more commotion within the garage. On top of that, Ed does not want to work with her either. Assignment Now that you have read the above case study, imagine that you have been hired by Johnson Motor Corporation as part of a consulting group to identify communication issues and make suggestions on ways the company can continue to move forward. Address your response to the David Lean the CEO of the Corporation.
They asked that you report on the culture and climate of various departments. You have been assigned to report on this department and define any communication issues that they may have that keeps them from moving forward. What are the issues? What solutions and recommendations do you have? When writing the memo you should provide a brief description of the problem(s).
Identify the facts and discuss the key problems. Make recommendations evaluating the following: ? How should Joe handle Lynn? Why? What about his supervisor, Dan? ?
Is Smith putting too much pressure on Forest to perform? ? How do the cultural values at Johnson Motor Company relate to communication, information flow and openness? ? What should Smith do with Ed Tyler? Should he be transferred? Johnson MC 3 ?
Is Smith addressing the communication issues in the department or avoiding them all together for Forest and Tyler to deal with. Is this fair? Are they ready/experienced for that? As a consultant, you need to be honest but tactful in your recommendations.
1. Identify the most important facts surrounding the case.
2. Identify the key issue or issues.
3. Specify alternative courses of action.
4. Evaluate each course of action.
5. Recommend the best course of action.