Case Study 1:
Rafael and Manal, who work together, have been disagreeing over when each of them can use the shared printer-copy machine. This is an older machine, one that can only accept one job at a time, rather than putting jobs in a queue like newer machines do. Rafael has his own printer copier in his office, and was only using the shared one while his was out of toner. He and Manal are in different departments and barely interact at work otherwise, but Manal is notorious for holding grudges.
Which conflict resolution approach would you recommend, and why?
Case Study 2:
Turnbuckle produces trendy purses and duffel bags out of recycled ships' sails. The company sells all of its products through its website. Online, customers can pick colors from a menu for most of their bags and specify several other build options, such as style of zipper and number of pockets. Turnbuckle assembles the bikes at a plant in Lower Sackville (just north of Halifax in Nova Scotia); customers typically receive their product seven to ten days after they order it. Last year the company shipped over 25,000 bags nationwide, meaning that the Lower Sackville facility assembled more than 100 semi-custom bags every working day.
The Lower Sackville facility is located in an old radiator factory. Assembly happens in one main work area. The assembly staff consists of five teams, or "cells," each with four or five people. Each cell works around a layout table, two sewing machines, and a packing bench. They fetch inventory, stitch bags, and box them for shipping. The company's managers, as well as its IT and ordering staff, work at desks on a mezzanine level that overlooks the assembly area.
An experienced cell of Turnbuckle sewers can assemble and box a bag from raw materials in just under 20 minutes. Staff is paid a living wage for the Halifax area, as well as a bonus for every bag above twenty that their cell assembles in a given eight-hour shift. This averages to about 20% more than a similarly-skilled sewer can earn in the area.
Dana Herreshoff, Turnbuckle's founder, recently took time off from managing the firm to earn an MBA. She has returned to the company intent on building a much stronger culture within Turnbuckle. Her concrete plans involve a series of annual retreats for the entire company staff, setting aside time during the work-week to reflect upon the company's mission and values, and a new, offsite, three-day "on boarding" program for new hires. Inspired by service companies like Southwest Airlines and DaVita, Herreshoff thinks that investing in a strong culture and set of values will greatly increase Turnbuckle's productivity and customer satisfaction.
Based on the information you have here, is Herreshoff's decision to invest in creating a strong organizational culture a good idea? Explain your reasoning. You need not assess whether her attempts will be successful.
Case Study 3:
Meta is the new name for Facebook Inc.
Facebook's name shift was announced by Zuckerberg during the company's Connect conference. The change reflects the company's hard pivot into what it calls the "next evolution of social technology," where mixed reality brings people together to play games, exercise, watch concerts together, work remotely, and communicate.
"Right now, our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can't possibly represent everything that we're doing today, let alone in the future," Zuckerberg said. "Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company, and I want to anchor our work and identity on what we're building toward."
The embattled Zuckerberg-whose company faces a torrent of lawsuits, investigations, and proposed legislation aimed at regulating its expansive platforms-said during an earnings call Monday that Facebook is shifting its focus to adults aged 18 - 29. "We are retooling our teams to make serving young adults our North Star," he said of the years-long effort.
"In the coming years, I expect people will transition from seeing us primarily as a social media company to seeing us as a metaverse company," he said on the call.
The social-networking company continues to be assailed for its treatment of content and data, and for ignoring clear signs internally that the digital platform is harmful, especially to children. Indeed, venture capitalist Roger McNamee said that "Facebook is trying to distract journalists and policymakers from the whistleblower's evidence of irresponsible management decisions and potentially criminal behavior....If they change the organizational structure, it will be to protect Mark Zuckerberg from accountability for the harms committed by his company under his leadership."
Now, aside from changing the hearts and minds of billions of stakeholders and users, Facebook is looking at a long road ahead to implement change inside the company. This change represents a new vision for the company, one that will focus more on a specific market segment (adults aged 18 - 29) and offer a broader range of services to users.
Based on the case, describe three potential causes of resistance to the change process inside Facebook.