CASE STUDY 10-1 Oak Brook Medical Systems, Inc. Jackie\'s Colleagues and Coworke
ID: 325485 • Letter: C
Question
CASE STUDY 10-1 Oak Brook Medical Systems, Inc. Jackie's Colleagues and Coworkers Others in the division see her as being defensive and, at Jacqueline Harris has been an employee of Oak Brook times, overwhelming. They say she overwhelms people Medical Systems for about 12 years. For the past 18 with data when presenting an idea or making a point. months, she has been director of strategic planning for Another person has been quoted as saying that "I feel the Hospital Supply Division, a segment of Oak Brook like I am being talked down to when I have Medical Systems, which has grown at the phenomenal conversation with her." As a result of these percept rate of nearly 35 percent per year over the past three some feel that she is unapproachable and tough to work with. In the last couple of years, her difficulty in ears. The division is relatively new, having been formed just seven years ago as a result of changes in the healthcare marketplace. The division's growth has been communicating with colleagues has been a greater concern during discussions of her future in the division To date, however, no one has brought this to her the direct result of good products, solid customer attention directly service, and the quality-focused people the company has managed to attract. The people working Hospital Supply Divis for the ion are, for the most part, self. ial, competitive types who are Jackie has experienced the difficulty of communicating with her colleagues, but she considers this simply to be a part of getting the job done. In fact, she thinks she is behaving in a manner compara dedicated and hardworking. The people in Jackie's division and the corporate leadership pride themselves on making things happen for their customers. the successful people who have preceded her. Jackie has grown increasingly frustrated, though, because o lack of attention from senior management Jackie is considered a very valuable asset to her Despite her highly successful performance with division and is widely credited with developing the the strategic plan, no one seems to be talking w strategy that resulted in a $40 million business for the company. oriented manager with a history of being able to get result of her manager (a division vice president) things done. Jackie is also known for her directness president of the division not wanting to p and, on several occasions, has had problems interacting because she is African American. She won with her colleagues. According to friends and coworkers, she is known to be curt with colleagues as of racism are holding her back. well as subordinates. ith about a promotion, and she cannot understan is being overlooked. Increasingly, she thinks she She is also considered a no-nonsense, results- it is a her romote aloud, but she is beginning to suspect tha t su tleExplanation / Answer
As the manager of Ms.Harris there are two problems which need to be addressed here:
1) Despite of Ms. Harris’s admirable performance in managing her division wonderfully her colleagues are of the view and assume that her style of communication is very rude and dominating. Due to this blunt communication style the colleagues are not even comfortable to work with her. This issue may really effect the future growth of the division since effective communication between the director and colleagues is very crucial for the competent performance of the division.
2) Since Ms. Harris feels that she is being discriminated due to her gender and color and considers this discrimination as the major obstacle in her promotion it becomes important for her manager to look at this issue seriously. She may be curt and arrogant to her colleagues due her frustration of not getting promoted despite being such a skilled and proficient director. Thus, she should be given the opportunity to prove herself even better and efficient by assigning a higher position. This will not only give a boost to her career but will also motivate her to manage and direct her colleagues in a more effective manner by improving her communication skills.
3) As discussed above there are two major obstacles which may hinder her career growth and development i.e. her abrupt communication style with the colleagues and the other would be racial and gender discrimination by the senior management of Hospital Supply Division.
Yes, it can be said that the unfavorable environment in the division has led to all the problems and hardships faced by Ms.Harris. Since colleagues are less interested in working with her due to her aggressive communication and dominating behavior on the other side the senior management overlooks her rewarding performance and are not willing to promote her to a higher position in the division due to racial and gender difference.
4) As her manager, it would be appropriate to firstly listen to her problems she is facing. She should be given adequate advice to resolve communication issues with her colleagues by changing her approach towards getting work done.
Assumptions regarding discrimination need to be changed and she should be promoted to a higher position by the manager. This will eliminate gender difference and more women will be motivated to accomplish best results for the division. Racial discrimination should also be addressed by offering equal growth opportunities for people of color. Discrimination of any type will have to be strictly prohibited.
As her manager, it would really be relevant to confront her assumptions and views about others in the division practically. Her problems and difficulties should be heard attentively by the manager. Subsequently, the manager should look for the proper approach to tackle those problems.
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