Case Study 1: Building a Team

Joe is Maintenance Coordinator for a public university. Joe is responsible for all the building
maintenance and physical systems on campus. He has a number of departments to accomplish
the assigned workload. He has an Electrical Department, a Plumbing Department, an HVAC
Department, a Carpentry Department, and a Painting Department. The workload for his
departments has increased in the last several years as the physical plant continues to age. Joe
requested to hire additional workers, but the budget did not allow for it. It became apparent that
Joe needed to find more creative ways to better utilize his current resources in order to get more
accomplished.
Joe had observed that his departments were not working together well, or even at all, in some
cases. It was common for one department to go into a building, fix a problem, and then leave a
mess for the next department coming in behind them to do their part of the work. Workers
seemed to think only about maximizing the output of their own department and finishing their
own work quickly, with little regard for the impact on other departments and the long-term
impact on the university.
What could Joe do to better coordinate the work of his departments and make better use of the
resources he has, so that more work can be accomplished with the limited budget?

Allow your groups to discuss this and come up with strategies. After discussion of the case, ask
the question: How could these same ideas be applied in our organization?

Possible answers (for the Trainer or Facilitator).

Joe could:
Have each department select a team leader to represent them
Call a meeting of all team leaders, share his budget numbers with them, and explain that they
will be expected to work together more closely
Have each team leader identify what he could do to help each of the other departments
Continue to hold weekly meetings with team leaders so they get to know each other better, to
share information, and to hear requests from each department for what they could use from
others
Begin cross-training people in more than one trade in order to promote sharing of available
workers between functions when the workload permits this

Case Study 2: Poor Interpersonal Skills

Jennifer is the Accounting Department manager for a regional chain of convenience stores.
Jennifer is an accounting superstar. She has a bachelors degree, recently passed her CPA
exam, and is really exceptional in her accounting knowledge.
She was so good, in fact, that she was promoted to department manager in her previous company
after only two years on the job. She has been at her current company for ten months. She has
implemented two accounting procedural changes that have streamlined the work and resulted in
cost savings for the company.
She reports to the CFO, and he is concerned about Jennifer, despite her obvious talents. There is
no denying that she has had a positive impact, but Jennifer is not fitting in so well. Jennifer is a
poor communicator and seems to have alienated quite a few of her peers and her employees.
She is often aloof and distant, and her usual way of motivating performance is to simply dictate
what will be done and expect compliance with her orders. She has good ideas but has little ability
to present them well or to work as part of a team.
You are Jennifers CFO, and you believe you can coach Jennifer. How would you approach her
and what would you say? What issues would you work with her on? How would you hold
Jennifer accountable for improvement on the issues you identified?

For the Trainer or Facilitator

The CFO could:
Make an appointment with Jennifer to talk privately
Offer specific and detailed feedback and observations about what he/she has seen that is of
concern. Be direct but kind;
Explain why her methods may be of concern and the impact they are having on others
Identify a maximum of three change goals to which Jennifer will agree
Set specific behavioral objectives and ask her to document what she does in regard to each goal
Agree to meet again (weekly?) to discuss progress
Consider assigning Jennifer an in-house mentor in another department if available or securing
the services of an outside coach to help train her in and encourage practice of human relations
skills
Let her know that her performance appraisals will reflect how she is performing in her
leadership role in addition to her accounting role
Be a good role model for building teamwork and collaboration

Your group may think of additional appropriate things that will help improve Jennifers
performance.
Case Study 3: Integrating Teams
after Downsizing

Because of downsizing and layoffs at his regional insurance office, Pascal got a new department
to manage. Previously he had managed the claims department for auto insurance but now he has
been assigned to manage the homeowners insurance claims department as well. Both
departments were hit by the recent layoff and are still reeling from those changes.
Now he has to merge both departments into one unit. He also had a lot to learn because it has
been many years since he worked in homeowners insurance claims.
You are Pascal, and you need to understand and unify two separate departments into one entity.
What would you do to help forge a strong and unified team in the claims area for your company
in the days and weeks to come?

For the Trainer or Facilitator

Pascal could:
Hold regular meetings with all employees (weekly or even twice-weekly to begin)
Meet with his new employees individually to get to know them better
Ask questions of people about what resources they need, whats holding them back, and listen
carefully to their ideas
Ask questions, observe, and learn new procedures from the homeowners claims area with
which he is less familiar
Network better with new employees, customers, and vendors
Ask each of his separate areas to present mini-training sessions to the other area to increase
the depth of general knowledge in both areas
Create cross-functional teams whenever possible to work on specific problems in order to
promote additional understanding and teamwork
Your group may think of additional appropriate things that will help unify these two functions.

Case Study 4: Supervising

Experienced Workers

Aden is considerably younger than most of the people he supervises. He has a degree, and is
mechanically inclined. Right out of college he went to work for a local manufacturer in an onthe-job training program with an eye toward becoming a team leader. Aden learned his trade well
and was promoted in just under a year to team leader. He is not only younger than anyone he
supervises; he is better educated, too.
How can Aden turn this situation into an advantage? How can he become a good supervisor of
his older and more experienced workers? How can he better assure that he does not alienate his
team members?

For the Trainer or Facilitator Aden could:

Observe carefully and show interest in the jobs of all operators whose work he does not know
how to do well
Get them to explain things to him
Ask simple questions so they can respond and train him
Spend time one-on-one with people
Ask each worker what he can do to support them
Advocate for his people with his own boss and upper management
Make good on promises or explain why he cannot do what was asked
Apply equitable performance standards and address any performance issues
Be friendly with his employees and keep his sense of humor
Your group may think of additional appropriate answers. If so, commend them.

Case Study 5:
Downsizing...or Not?

The organization is a family-owned computer business that has been in operation for 20 years.
Since 1994, they grew steadily in their region in sales of computer hardware, custom software
development, and in the provision of computer repair services because of their superb customer
service and products. The family was well-known and respected in the community.
In recent months the business has experienced stronger competition resulting in a reduction in
sales and a reduction in revenue. The need to reduce costs has led the owner to take the
unfortunate step of laying off one employee. Five candidates have been selected as possible
targets. Each possibility is profiled below. In no instance are any of these candidates the only
employee in their department.
Research and Development Department a computer engineer with a 4-year degree and 1.5
years of service. Performance appraisals = average to above average; has no completed projects
yet but is making good progress on several; well-liked by coworkers; average technical abilities;
moderate leadership potential.
Sales a sales representative with an MBA and 2 years of service. Has high technical abilities
and moderate leadership potential. Has high performance reviews, meets and exceeds sales
goals. Is disorganized and often late for work. Spends time weekly playing golf with clients.
When in the office, tends to socialize a little too much.
Service assistant service manager, a high school graduate, and very good performer with 7
years seniority. Low leadership potential, steady and dependable worker, serves on company
committees like customer appreciation committee and employee event committee. Keeps his
service area neat and organized, is very customer-oriented, and rarely encounters something he
cannot diagnose and fix.
Human Resources HR assistant with 2-year degree and 4 years with company. Average to
above average performer, leadership potential, easy-going and well-respected. Low in technical
abilities. Works long hours. Has played important role in redesign of performance appraisal
system.
Accounting Accounting Manager with 4-year degree and 3.5 years of service. Has average
appraisals, average technical ability and average leadership potential. Works long hours,
frequently checks the work of others. Often has disagreements with others.
Rank-order your preferences for who should be laid off from most-expendable to least. You may
wish to rate each candidate on education, seniority, performance, leadership potential, and other
items of significance you may have noticed in the profiles.

Suggestions for use: have learners answer the case study individually. Then break them into
small groups to discuss and come to some consensus. There is no definite right or wrong
answer in this case study, as is true of many leadership decisions.
In this case, you may want to have your groups consider whether there is another way to cut
costs instead of downsizing. Organizations that lay people off as their main strategy for
controlling costs often find that trust is eroded.
If downsizing is considered a reasonable solution, the best a leader can do is to align with
organizational priorities, develop reasonable arguments in regard to each candidate, discuss the
possible solutions with others, and move ahead with a thoughtful decision (based on consensus
when possible).

Case Study 6: Improving Productivity

Coastal Bank is a large bank in a southeastern city. As a part of a comprehensive internal
management study, Harris Meade, the data processing vice president, examined the turnover,
absenteeism, and productivity figures of all work groups in the organization. The results Meade
obtained contained no real surprises except in the case of the check-sorting and data-processing
departments.
The Research
The inquiry revealed that in general the departments displaying high turnover and absenteeism
rates had low production figures, and those with low turnover and absenteeism were highly
productive. No surprise there.
When analysis began on the check-sorting and data-processing figures, however, Meade
discovered that both departments were tied for the lead for the lowest turnover and absenteeism
figures. What was surprising was that the check-sorting department ranked first as the most
productive unit, whereas the electronic data-processing department ranked last.
That inconsistency was further complicated by the fact that the working conditions for checksorting employees are extremely undesirable. They work in a large open room that is hot in the
summer and cold in the winter. They work alone and operate high-speed check-sorting machines
requiring a high degree of accuracy and concentration. There is little chance for interaction
because they all take rotating coffee breaks.
The computer room is air-conditioned, with a stable temperature year round; it has perfect
lighting and is extremely quiet and comfortable. It was known that both groups are highly
cohesive and that the workers generally function well with others in their department. This
observation was reinforced by the studys finding of the low levels of turnover and absenteeism
in both departments.
The Interview Data
In an effort to understand this phenomenon (similar productivity despite vastly different
conditions), Meade decided to interview the members of both departments. Meade hoped to gain
some insight into the dynamics of each groups behavior. It was discovered that the check-sorting
department displayed a great deal of loyalty to the company. Most of the group was unskilled or
semiskilled workers; although they have no organized union, each person felt that the company
had made special efforts to keep their wages and benefits in line with unionized operations. They
knew that their work required team effort and were committed to high performance.
A quite different situation existed in the data-processing department. Although the workers liked
their fellow employees, there was a uniform feeling among this highly skilled group that
management placed more emphasis on production than on staff units. It was their contention that
pay increases had been better for operating departments and that the gap between the wage

earners and salaried employees did not reflect the skill differences. Because of that, a large
percentage of the group displayed little loyalty toward the company, even though they were very
close among themselves.
The Challenge
There is some degree of urgency to improve productivity in this situation. A major competitor in
the region is increasing its market share, while Coastal Banks market share is trending
downward in the last two quarters. One challenge the bank faces is how to make the dataprocessing unit more productive. Other low-performing departments may need focus as well,
particularly in the areas of absenteeism and turnover. It is possible that system-wide change may
be needed.
You are Harris Meade and you are tasked with improving productivity throughout the bank:
HOW do you decide on the best course of action? What is the best method to make the decision?
HOW do you implement any change that may be needed?
Suggestion for use: have learners answer the case study individually. Then break them into
small groups to discuss and come to some consensus. There is no right or wrong answer in
this case study, as is true of many leadership decisions. The best a leader can do is to align with
organizational priorities, seek the input of others, develop reasonable plans, and try to make a
thoughtful decision.
It is probably a good idea, in this case, to appoint a cross-functional team composed of workers
from each department and other bank departments, too, to make recommendations to
management.