Company X Rampage

Mason Cole, Viktor Castro, and Tae Shon McDaniels

Background and Dilemma

John, a lower-level employee, and his scheduling manager Mark are continually having disputes. John feels like Mark is not listening to John’s concerns, and scheduling him on days and holidays he is specifically requesting off. John has been bottling up these tense emotions and went to talk to Mark about the situation. John tries to get Mark’s attention but Mark is ignoring John, fueling his anger. John goes to tap on Mark’s shoulder to get his attention, but Mark takes it the wrong way and gets up and yells at John. It looks like Mark is about to shove John but other employees intervene.

The Process and Decision

A mid-level manager will have to use human skills to sit down with John and Mark separately to hear both sides of the story. The manager should also make Mark take a class to build his human skills for consistently ignoring the needs and motivations of his employees.

Outcomes

Because of these actions, John’s productivity improved significantly, since he had more motivation and felt more appreciated. Mark developed an understanding of the importance of trust and finding a middle ground with workers to reach a common goal.

Discussion Questions

What human skills should Mark focus on developing in his training course?

How could understanding how people communicate allow for upper management to avoid conflict?

License

This case study is licensed CC BY 4.0.