I. Introduction
Many organizations recognize the need for work-life balance. This scenario explores this very issue, as well as prompts discussion about corporate culture. In addition, the case shows one approach for delivering negative news to disgruntled employees.
II. Scenario Description
Overview: Samantha Peters, Technical Director at Quantum Gaming, a video-game company, is conducting a scheduling meeting where she must ask employees to put in a serious amount of extra hours to meet a valued customer's request.
In addition to various challenges of her leadership, a discussion of the Quantum Gaming's overall responsibilities to its workers, corporate culture, and work-life balance issues sidetrack the meeting. The employees pressure Samantha to make a decision right then and there; however, she cannot confirm their requests before talking to upper management.
Profile:
• Samantha Peters-Technical Director, Quantum Gaming-has been a Technical Director at Quantum Gaming for 12 years, managing a creative force of 40 people.
• Graham Hulbert-Programmer, Quantum Gaming-has been in the company's design department for 21 years and is a little resentful of Peters for holding the position of Technical Director, although he hasn't shown any ambition for the position himself.
• Miranda Cortez-Animator, Quantum Gaming-started working in the team two years ago after returning from unpaid maternity leave. Before that she had been working for the marketing department's design team, but found her position too stressful and creatively limited.
• Tom Anderson-Modeler/Designer, Quantum Gaming-has been at the company since he graduated from university last fall. He's still a little shell-shocked about being in the working world.
Back History: Company culture at Quantum Gaming is falling apart. The employees feel overextended on a regular basis. In the past seven months, there have been no fewer than three projects which have pushed the team beyond capacity:
The Back-to-School educational-games project ran over schedule due to "miscommunication" with the client; Quantum Gaming had failed to meet spec requirements. The fall-out from this situation included pushed back deadlines; consequentially, employees lost four full weekends to play catch-up.
One of Arcadian's (Quantum Gaming's biggest clients) projects expanded in scope and three team members, Linda Kramer, Joe Berry, and Doug Courtier, ended up working two weeks of overtime-late nights and weekends-against a backdrop of inadequate recognition for their efforts.
In an attempt to build more business, the Quantum Gaming took on a multi-player online games project, even though their skills in this field were limited. One member of the team, Mat Parsons, was burdened with the entire responsibility of producing a workable product. In the end, the project was abandoned and the client compensated by 150% of money paid.
Recently, four employees have quit. Among them, Linda Kramer and Doug Courtier cited stress, exhaustion, and "pathetic recompense" as the key reasons. Mat Parsons checked into rehab for a substance abuse problem after breaking down at the end of the multi-player online games project. Chronic insomnia and a state of hypertension had forced him over the edge.
Scene Set-up:
Peters arranges a 10am meeting with one of her teams to discuss working extra hours for two weeks to meet the valued client's request.
The client, Arcadian, has put in a last-minute request to make changes to its new game's central character before the release date next month. The changes include an overhaul of the design look and a reworking of the character's special features.
In the meeting, the talking points will be:
• The number of extra hours needed to meet the team's deadline two weeks from now-Peters will request they work evenings/early mornings and over the weekend.
• The inflexibility of the deadline. This client is extremely important as their business last year represented more than half of Quantum Gaming's gross income. They call the shots.
• The need for each team member to contribute, as significant aspects of program and design will be affected.
• How the team will be compensated for taking on the extra workload-days in lieu, paid holiday, etc.
• Rescheduling of other projects to fit around the new deadline.
Peters has a tendency to postpone decisions, so the team presses for an immediate response; Peters is also under enormous pressure from the client and upper management.
Scene Location: Conference room at Quantum Gaming.
The Meeting-Summary:
Samantha begins the meeting by telling her team that they are going to have work extra hard the next two weeks to finish some last minute changes that Arcadian is demanding. The team is immediately outraged and tells her there isn't enough time. She informs them that they can put other projects on hold to finish this one project. Each of the team members confesses their grievances with Samantha's management style.
In particular, Tom mentions some of the recent injustices that have occurred, which forced two other employees to leave and one to have a breakdown from being overworked. Tom wants to be paid double overtime over the next two weeks; Miranda wants flexible Fridays, and Graham wants a paid vacation and for Quantum Gaming to stop taking on new projects until old ones are finished.
All of the employees want Samantha to agree to their requests in the meeting; however, she cannot do so until she talks to her boss, Phil. She informs them that she will try her hardest to get their requests approved and will notify them as soon as possible if they are.
Afterthoughts-Summary:
Samantha recognizes that she has a disgruntled staff and that they have just cause for their concerns. She believes the meeting was somewhat of a success given the circumstances. She recognizes that she should have eased the team into the upcoming project rather than dumping it on them.
In other words, she should have consulted with them about the possibility rather than demanding the needed overtime. Samantha found it difficult to promise the staff certain things without knowing if management above her will approve them. She does not want to bear more negative news if the requests are denied.
III. Discussion Questions
Leaning Objective #1: To recognize the need and importance for workers to balance work and family/life.
Why is it important for Quantum Gaming workers to ask for a balance between work demands and their life? Why is it a smart move on the part of Quantum Gaming to help workers strike this balance?
Leaning Objective #2: To analyze the influences of corporate culture.
What is the corporate culture of Quantum Gaming based on the meeting? Is this a place where you would like to work? Why or why not?
Leaning Objective #3: To identify effective approaches for delivering negative news?
How effective was Samantha's approach in delivering the negative news?