Insubordination or Unclear Loyalties

Submitted by:
Belen M. Casas
Edgar Ceballos
Antonio Malaborbor
Din Pascu
FroilanRoque





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I. Synthesis
This case study is based on the Omega House, a hospice for terminally ill patients which
was closed for several years due to financial distress. Until recently, it was able to reopen
under the wings of the Social Action Consortium (SAC), an umbrella organization consisting of
17 service agencies located in the Midwest.
1. Ellen, who began working at the hospice as a full time registered nurse in patient
care five years ago, was appointed as the temporary program director of Omega
House and assumed its managerial responsibilities in addition to clinical oversight of
patient care. At the time of being given this position, she had no previous
managerial experience and the promised managerial training unfortunately
remained a dream for 2 years already. She always felt discomfort when it came to
her working relationship with SAC. Added to this was the problem she encountered
with George display of insubordination and unclear loyalties.

2. George, the new Omega Houses development officer hired by SACs executive
director immediately before she left to take another job, was the only one with a
professional fundraising experience and many within SAC considered him as an
expert. But, George was seemed to spend most of his time with the other
development people at SAC, working on the cross-program task force on fund
raising. Having assigned at Omega House and hired with the money charged to a
grant to Omega Houses budget, Ellen thought that George would focus most of his
attention in helping the hospice for its fund raising activity. Recent happenings
showed that George seemed not to work well with fundraisers at the Omega House.
His communicative approach was disconcerting and he seemed irresponsible. He
was seemed confused on who to report since he was reporting both to Ellen and the
SAC development office chief.
II. Point of View
The group will take the point of view of Ellen, the hospice program director.
III. Statement of the problem
What can Ellen do, as the program director of Omega House, to address the issues
surrounding the hospices fundraising arm so that the development requirements of both
Omega House and overall SAC are satisfied?

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IV. Objective
This case study supports the following objectives:
To be able to meet the desired objective of raising funds for Omega.
To correct George uncommunicative and irresponsible behaviour to enable him to focus
on Omegas fund raising activities
To be able to let George achieve the functions she was hired for and commit his effort
in achieving the fund raising for Omega house.
V. Areas of consideration
In order to address the issues surrounding the hospices fundraising arm so that the
development requirements of both Omega House and overall SAC are satisfied, our group gives
serious attention to the following areas of consideration:
o Circumstances:
Organizational Culture
Company culture is relevant in this case since there is conflicting culture
in SAC administration and at Omega House. It is to be noted that SAC is
the umbrella organization for a variety of service agencies in which SAC
had assumed the responsibility of Omega House. Organizational culture is
the general pattern of behaviour, shared beliefs and values that
organization members have in common
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(Koontz). Its system of shared
meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other
organization. This system of shared meaning is a set of key characteristics
that the organization values.
People orientation and team orientation
A team is a group of people with a full set of complete a task, job, or project.
complementary skills required to complete a task, job, or project.
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Omegas culture throughout its staff was represented by friendliness
approachable, playful and comfortable. This was manifested by how
Dan was talking casually to Ellen and some friendly physical greeting from
Ellen. The acceptance of George in the committee where members
include Omegas staff and volunteers (some of whom were donors) who
have been together for years was not that easy since the ties and culture
was already there. Their attitude could affect the communication since
George is new the group. On the positive side, they could take George
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entry to group as enhancing ideas since George is describedas an expert
in fund raising. Any ideas could be affected with innovative
implementation.
SAC on the other hand, operates in an atmosphere of autocracy in which
SAC previous director manages various programs. Examples of thiswas
SACs previous director capriciously and arbitrarily fired program
directors. Also she was insensitivein allowing unannounced visits. The
kind of leadership in SAC will affect Ellens leadership since she belongs
to a more democratic way of managing.
Communication
Communication is the transference and the understanding of
meaning. An idea, no matter how great, is useless until it is transmitted and
understood by others. The most basic functions of communication in an
organization are to inform, persuade, and motivate.
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Downward-moving communication
Communication that flows from one level of a group of organization
to a lower level is a downward communication. Its used by group of
leaders and managers to assign goals, provide job instructions, inform
employees of policies and procedures and point out problems that need
attention.
This is applicable to Omega House where Ellen communicates to
George on what needs to be done for Omega House. George was
also reporting to SAC and also has instructions from the
development officer. There is no problem with the downward
communication. The problem is present because George receives
instructions from two bosses one from SAC and one from Ellen for
Omega House. The problem is which one is to be prioritized .
Since Georges salary was under the budget of Omega,
accordingly Ellen expects his priority should be that of Omegas.
Also being a member of team under SAC fund raising and the fact
that the SACs development chief was the one who lobbied for
hiring George, might have had an effect on Georges preference
to focus on SAC rather on Omegas fund raising. George is faced
withan unclear reporting structure and what is to be prioritized.
With lack of a clear structure, an employees behaviour couldnt
be clearly guided. It would really be hard on the part of the
employee how to act. This is the reason by which George acted as
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he sees fit. Georges his interview was lobbied by the chief of
SAC, the possible reason that he gave preference to doing the
fund raising more for SAC than Omega House in which the budget
for his salary comes from.
Horizontal-moving communication
Communication among members of fund raising committee is
necessary within the team. Team communication is present
among Omegas volunteers, volunteer donors and employees.
This is a form communication that revolves inside the team. Flow
of communication will depend on the culture inside the team.
Inside the team of Omega volunteers there appears to be a
reluctance for George, a newcomer in their team.
Upward moving communication
This communication is from a subordinate to a boss. George was
uncommunicative towards Ellen. He was very reluctant and
uncooperative so that they could not clear up the conflict
between them. He was no open so that Ellen has to resort to
using his authority to make him follow.

Perception
Individuals behave in given manner based not on the way their
external environment actually is but, rather, on what they see or
believe it to be. It is the employees perception of a situation that
becomes the basis for his or her behaviour.
The behaviour of George towards Omega especially
towards membership in committee where he was being assigned
to was that of indifference. The reason behind this was the
culture of the group. Culture is the shared set of beliefs, values
and patterns of behaviour common to a group of people. Culture
shock is the confusion and discomfort a person experiences when
in an unfamiliar culture
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The group of volunteers and staff was
unified and interconnected. Any entry of a new comer could
break the cohesiveness. George could show how he can help the
group using his expertise to concretise the ideas of the group.
Also, George perceives that he is primarily tasked with SAC
activities rather than Omega. The question is, is this the correct
perception? The same is applicable to Ellen: she perceives that
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George should deliver more work to Omega because his salary is
funded by the hospice. Again the question is: is this the right
perception given the SAC organization.


Root /Cause Analysis

Higher Level effect




Direct Effects



Problem



Direct Causes


Root causes


What can Ellen do, as the program director of Omega House, to address the issues surrounding
the hospices fundraising arm so that the development requirements of both Omega House and
overall SAC are satisfied?


Ellens expectation of George
helping OMega in Fundraising was
not met

Fund raising at Omega no
significant change
Omega house culture of
friendliness
Ellen lack of
managerial
experience and
training
George
involvement in
other programs
George
irresponsible and
uncommunicative
behaviour
Ties with
employees
George
reluctance to
participate in
fundraising

Fund raising target for Omega not
maximized that can cause closure
of Omega
No basis for the correct
organization behaviour

No organizational
structure in place

George confusion
on who to report
to
Remodeling of facility and
upgrading of equipment might
no be realized
Confusion and unclear
loyalties in levels of
organization
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VI. Alternative Courses of Action
1. Ellento use her authority make George follow her instruction of giving more of his
efforts in the fundraising of Omega.
Ellen as the program director of Omega House could insist on George to follow his
directions since his salary is from a grant given to Omega House. George being the
subordinate of Ellen, could either follow or not. There are effects of this alternative
It spossible that George will not comply totally since he has also other jobs given
to him by the development officer of SAC. The purpose of maximizing his help will
not be viable.
George might comply but since he was just following orders there will be
resistance from him. To add to this the culture inside Omega might greatly affect
how he would do his job.
Following without using the heart will not optimize the needed results of the fund
raising
George might report to the development officer on the decision of Ellen and this
might have negative feedback from SAC development officer in which Omega
belongs
Ellen, being a fairly new manager, might not deliver this message clearly to
George. With previous confrontations with George, she has tried her best to be
authoritative, but it seems like being an administrator is not natural to her, as she
second guesses herself. This, combined with her lack of managerial training, might
not deliver the right message and its impact to George.

2. Ellen will talk to the SAC development officer to clarify what it is that he wants George
to do and the reason for it.
Ellen is not sure of what the SAC development officer in mind. It is possible that she
can talk to the development officer about the job and the need for George to give
his efforts in Omega. Since there is no organization structure that gives descriptions
on responsibilities of the people working in the SAC and its organizations, he can
also tell Ellen that George also has responsibilities under him.
From the case facts, it seems that EIlen just assumes that George will work for her
because his salary comes from Omega funds. This is not clear to Ellen. Should the
funds being generated by Omega be shared across all organizations under SAC? If
there are no guidelines pertaining to this, then they must be drawn by the officiating
SAC committee, so Georges and Ellens expectations will be clear.

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3. Ellen should talk to the SAC development officer to clarify George job responsibility and
recommend a structure that would identify the responsibility of each group under
itsumbrella. She will also recommend other innovations that would be good for the
company.
Ellens approach would be to have an audience with the development officer and
tell him what is happening in Omega House specifically how George is handling
his job. It is also imperative that Ellen should tell the development officer that she
knows that George is also part of the fund raising of SAC. She should explain to
him the conflict that is arising and recommend a solution to cover the conflict.
She could recommend a structure fitted to SAC an umbrella organization to be
able to identify responsibilities to include the reporting chain. This way George
could be compelled to also put his efforts in Omega Fund raising.

4. Ellen to ask to be reassigned
Ellen is most comfortable being a head nurse. Even if she is comfortable with the
culture at Omega House, it doesnt make her a good hospice administrator. Her
lack of training and experience may be the causes of her current problems. It
may be better if she sticks to being a nurse, and not managing the whole
hospice. This is a win/lose situation where Ellen would quit his job of becoming a
program director. Ellen is the losing end, since her new job will develop her to
be a more enterprising person. Ellen could have attained a higher satisfaction
with the new job. On the other side, George will be happy since what he
believes hes doing is right, though it is only partly right. Hes partially right since
there no clearcut line on his reporting chain. Hes also wrong since he should
have cooperated with Ellen since his salary was under the budget of Omega.

5. Ellen to ask the development officer for a replacement for George after explaining the
circumstances of the conflict.
It would be a win/win situation with Ellen having a new fund raising personnel
to do the job of George. Ellen will have a fulltime personnel to do the fund
raising job for Omega. George on the other hand could focus his efforts on SAC
and eliminate the conflict between him and Ellen. Both will achieve their goals.

Criteria for evaluating the alternative courses of action
A.Musts
o Decision and action are imperative - Since a conflict was already in place in which
Ellen was directly commanding George to follow her directive and George on the
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other hand was not following because of his job commitment to SAC development
officer, Ellen has to make a move to resolve the conflict if George will keep on
giving his priority to SACs fund raising activity.
o Feedback timely from the development officer is timely The decision of Ellen to
talk to the development officer is essential since George asked her to speak with
him so that we can all understand our jobs better
B. Wants
o Presence of organization structure - Since there is a confusion on the part of
George of who to follow, it is best that Ellen and the SAC development officer could
talk and the suggestion of Ellen to have a more defined organization structure will
identify job responsibilities and the reporting channel. This way George wouldnt be
confused on who to follow or who to report to.
o Pressure on Ellen and George reduced - Well identified job structure and job
responsibilities will initiate compliance easily and confusion eliminated. On the part
of Ellen, she will have more confidence of assuming her managerial responsibilities
because of a clear cut reason for doing so. The management principle of authority
says With authority comes responsibility.
o George support solicited It is really essential that George will give his efforts to
Omegas fund raising since Omega needs the funds for its operations.






Musts
Criteria Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Option 5
Decision and action is imperative to be
able to raise goals for the hospice and
SAC
X x

X

Feedback timely from the development
officer is timely
x

X



Wants
Presence of organization structure
X X

X X
Pressure on Ellen and George reduced
X X

X

George support solicited
X

X




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VII. Recommendation
1. We choose Option 3
Ellen should talk to the SAC development officer to clarify George job
responsibility and recommend a structure that would identify the responsibility of each
group under its umbrella.

Ellens approach would be to have an audience with the development officer
and tell him what is happening in Omega House specifically how George is
handling his job. It is also imperative that Ellen should tell the development
officer that she knows that George is also part of the fund raising of SAC. She
should explain to him the conflict that is arising and recommend a solution to
cover the conflict. She could recommend a structure fitted to SAC an umbrella
organization to be able to identify responsibilities to include the reporting chain.
Once the reporting chain for George has been clarified and documented, Ellen
and George should set targets for Omega fundraising that George should
ultimately be responsible for. This should be revisited regularly and should be
the basis of Georges salary increases and bonuses. This will enable the
organization to attach the prime responsibility and fundraising results to George.
In addition, George, as an individual, will be encouraged to work harder on
Omega fundraising.

Ellen should also ask for managerial training that she was requesting for the past
few years. This will better equip her for the job. The fundamentals and concepts
of being a good manager can be learned in the classroom. Also, once she is in
these sessions, she gets to meet and network with other managers and they can
share common experiences, issues, and solutions. Again, it will be a great
learning experience for Ellen that she can directly apply to her current work.

If George is indeed a part of the Omega team, it is also recommended that a
team building activity be conducted. This will enable the team to get to know
George in a non-office setting. Getting to know a person outside work will
highlight his more human aspects, including his friendliness and kindness. This
will help the team approach George easily and get to know him better. This will
also change Georges perception of the Omega team and make him a part of the
group.

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VIII. Implementation:
Ellen should schedule an immediate meeting with the SAC fund raising director.
Ellen approach would be to have an audience with the
development officer and tell him what is happening in Omega
House specifically how George is handling his job. It is also
imperative that Ellen should tell the development officer that she
knows that George is also part of the fund raising of SAC. She
should explain to him the conflict that is arising.
She will then recommend a solution to cover the conflict. She could
recommend a structure fitted to SAC an umbrella organization to be able to
identify responsibilities to include the reporting chain.
She will present the following Organizational Structure to aid SAC on the flow of
authority, responsibility and communication.

She will also include in her request the measurement of performance of
employees hired by SAC and its arm. This will enable personnel to work for the
organizations goal. People are motivated when they are recognized for their
contribution. High performance rating could give a sense of achievement for
personnel involved.
SAC Executive
Director
Omega House
Program Director
Fuo raising
Finance and
Administration
Program Director
2
Fund raising
Finance and
Administration
Program Director
4
Fund raising
Finance and
Administration
Program Director
5
Fund raising
Finance and
Administration
Program Director
6
Fund raising
Finance and
Administration
Program Director
6
Fund raising
Finance and
Administration
SAC Fundraising
Program
overseer
Finance and
Adminsitration
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Schedule for teambuilding is essential. Teambuilding could members sense of
belonging since they are to realize that they are working to reach a common
goal. Its also a way of
Schedule for her management training should also be pursued.
These were all done with the consultation from Ellens friend, a management
expert since we know that Ellen is still a newbie in the business of managing.

If the development plan wont agree on her proposition, Option 5 will be
implemented.She will ask for support for the Fund Raising maybe by giving him another
fundraiser to help her program since Omega is giving a salary allotted to George. She
will identify that she will need this to remodel the facility and upgradeof Omegas
equipment.

IX. Learning:
o Organizational changes are not easy in a company with a long established culture but it
should not be an excuse for managers not to propose progressive programs to improve
the current situation. Changes are made acceptable with a program that would
introduce change in manner that it would be understood by those affected.

o We must understand each individuals behaviour in the organization. Understanding
the behaviour of individuals between peers and also on different levels in the
organization is significant since any misbehaviour could have ripple effect that could
cause conflict and eventually have negative effect on oness goal.

o Organizational structure could identify job descriptions and responsibilities of each
individual so there will be no confusions on what one is expected to do.

o Organization structure will clear up confusions on who to report to. It will likewise
direct personnel on the common goal and identify actions of individuals towards it.

o Everyone in a team has his own idea. Two heads really are better than one.
Brainstorming is a part of teams effort to have the best decision on a problem at hand.

o Team work is a process where analysis can be understood in different perspective.
Choosing the best option after each individuals perception is presented is the challenge
among the members of the team. After this, a teams decision emanated from among
the choice.



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1
Koontz, Chapter10 Effective Organizing and Culture,
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http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/team.html

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4
Schermerhorn, John R. , Jr. Introduction to Management, 11
th
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Learning from the lectures of Dr.Que, Dr.Cempron, Dr.Teehankee,
Dr.Nisperos,Dr.Hudhsotan.Dr.Quera