“What i Like to Hear” Tracy rushed past executive assistant Sharon Craig on his
ID: 398463 • Letter: #
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“What i Like to Hear” Tracy rushed past executive assistant Sharon Craig on his way into the boardroom. “Is the boss here, yet?” he asked. “No. He tweeted to say he’s stuck in traffic and will be a few minutes late,” Sharon replied. “Whew!” Tracy entered the room and saw Myers, James, and Deon gather around the coffee and donuts. “Morning, guys. Sharon said the boss is running late.” “Yeah,” James answered. “We got the tweet, didn’t you?” “Oops! I had the phone turned off while I met with Katie’s day-care director,” Tracy answered, switching on the device. “He’ll come bounding in here all fired up for this switch,” Deon said. “But I still have serious reservations about this deal . . . ” “The idea of switching suppliers for some key components is a bit unsettling,” Myers cut in. “Especially when the new supplier is further away,” Deon continued. “I can’t figure out why he wants to do this. I hate messing with the logistics of on-time delivery on im- portant parts. And our guys are being asked to make a number of adjustments in order to get this to work. I just don’t get it . . . . “Ah, maybe it’ll work out,” Tracy said. “But I don’t see a good reason to make the change either.” “It’s our heads, if it gets screwed up,” Deon moaned. “Top management has looked at it and they seem satisfied, but they don’t have to meet the specs every day,” James said. “Oh. I hear him coming.” The group took their seats as David Parker noisily entered the room, removed his jacket, and sat at the head of the conference table. “Good morning, gentlemen. Traf- fic was hell—a big wreck on the south loop.” He clapped his huge hands together and rubbed them enthusiastically. “Now, let’s get down to business. As you know, we’ve gone to considerable effort to make some major logistical changes for delivery of key components—adjustments that, I believe, will greatly improve the manufacturing pro- cess. And now, I want your feedback. What do you think? Be honest, now. Tracy?” “Well, I know you’ve all worked hard . . . ” “Sure have!” David said enthusiastically. “ . . . and I don’t see any glaring problems. I’m sure there will be a few kinks to work out initially,” continued Tracy. “Of course! Of course! That’s true of anything that’s new,” replied David. “Hell, Moses busted up the Ten Commandments and had to go back up the mountain and get them again!” It was the boss’s favorite saying regarding change and they had all heard it a thousand times before, but they laughed, again. “Myers, what do you think? I’ve always said that you have a good head on your shoulders. Do you see a major prob- lem here? Some reason we should just not do this?”
“Thanks, David. I’m like Tracy. I say, let’s give it a try,” conceded Myers. “Our new partners have a great company, great reputation. Although we didn’t have any problems with the previous company—they were dependable and on time and offered good qual- ity parts, this may be a major improvement.”
David was pleased. “That’s what I like to hear. I like to think of us as a company that sees possibilities and is willing to move ahead—glass half full and all of that. James?”
James hesitated, and then responded, “As you say—glass half full. There may be some problems, but . . . ”
“But, I know you men and I know your teams. You’ll have everything up and run- ning smoothly in no time. Deon, you’re my realist. What do you say?” David asked.
Deon responded, “Realistically?”
Everyone laughed nervously and Deon continued. “Well, I have a few concern about the increased distance between our production plant and the delivery timing given the worsening traffic, but . . . ” “But you think your team can make it work,” David continued. “Well, yeah, of course. Our employees are the best anywhere. We can make this work,” agreed Deon. “Great!” David shouted, enthusiastically rapping his knuckles on the table. Deon interrupted, “I am concerned that their components will require some ma- chine adjustments on our end. I mean, have we tried this yet with our machines?” “Oh, we’ve looked into it and have been assured that these are minor tweaks,” David said. “You can read it all right there in the report. We feel that our teams can handle this until we install the upgraded machinery over the next year to eighteen months. I think to calm whatever worries you have, this issue has been explored and addressed adequately. Your teams can handle all of this during the transition, don’t you think?” “Oh, sure . . . ” “Well, then, any questions?” David asked, briefly. “Gentlemen, I’ve looked forward to your feedback and I look forward to seeing improved company performance and product quality as we put the new suppliers in place. You all impress me with the way you’ve embraced this change. Thank you.”
Discussion Questions 1. Was this conversation effective? Why? What do you think is happening?
2. Who would you say is more responsible for the communication failure among the participants? Why?
3. What communication process would you recommend to get more of the infor- mation and true opinions of the participants out in the open? How would you guide that process?
Explanation / Answer
1. The conversation was not effective as the team members present in the meeting were not able to share their actual ideas and feedback. The major problem in the scenario was that David Parker, boss of the company was not listening to the actual problems and concerns of the employees. He was not paying any attention to their concerns regarding the supplier switch and only trying to encourage them to go ahead with the change. In an effective conversation, the parties involved in it carefully listens to other opinions and responds accordingly rather than imposing their own thoughts over everyone.
2. In my opinion David Parker being the head of the company was responsible for the communication failure among the participants as he was not ready to listen to the problems and concerns of his team members. Despite of understanding the actual problems that might arise due to the switching of the suppliers, he was only pushing others to work hard and get over those challenges.
3. As per my opinion, in order to get detailed and true opinions of the participants, written communication process should be used. All the participants should be required to provide their feedbacks, concerns, and ideas for improvement to David with actual facts and figures. In this way, they could have shared their opinions more honestly. Otherwise, a project manager should be appointed to handle the transition process. The project manager should be held responsible for determining the feasibility of the project along with the possible problems and concerns. In this way, the process could be made more effective and efficient.
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