Read “Case Study 7.1: Going Digital” on p. 385 in Ch. 7 of Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow.
• Determine what initial steps Alicia Pia should take when arriving at South Town.
• Explain how Alicia Pia should frame the change to employees at South Town Press (e.g., What ethical messages should she communicate? What alternative frames might be offered by workers and subscribers?).
• Explain the advantages Alicia Pia has, as well as obstacles Pia faces, in communicating high expectations to the entire staff.
• Explain how Alicia Pia can foster self-efficacy in her entire staff.
• Explain how Alicia Pia can use indirect channels to communicate high expectations to each individual member of her leadership team.
CASE STUDY 7.1GOING DIGITALAfter 125 years, the South Town Press is going digital. A large Connecticut-based newspaper chain recently purchased South Town, which is the only paper in a medium-size Alabama city. Soon South Town will be converting from traditional daily paper delivery to an online format. Executives at headquarters decided to make this change at all of the chain’s papers in response to shifting reading habits. The subscriber base for traditional newspapers is shrinking as more people access their news through phones, tablets, and computers. The chain’s owners believe that going to a digital format will ensure that its publications survive.Converting to a digital format is a major challenge, particularly for a newspaper with a long history like South Town. Every aspect of the operation will be impacted, including the news department, advertising, and circulation. The electronic version of the paper will be much shorter, requiring layoffs in the newsroom. At the same time, new technical support staff will be hired.Alicia Pia has been assigned as the new publisher at South Town Press to oversee the transition. Pia has a long history in the newspaper business. She believes that journalism is more important than ever given recent attacks on the media. Alicia recently led the move to digital publishing at another of the company’s papers in the Midwest. That transition succeeded but at a high cost. Employees didn’t think they could make the change, which slowed the process, and some quit. Salespeople struggled to sell digital ads and the number of online subscriptions was low at first, though circulation eventually rebounded. Some of the initial digital editions of the paper crashed due to technical problems.Alicia wants to learn from her prior experience to ensure a smoother switch over at South Town Press. She believes that South Town employees have the ability to make the change but, like the staff at her last post, lack confidence in their ability to do so. She also knows that layoffs will initially lower employee morale.Pia takes a couple of days before arriving at South Town to develop a strategy for the transition. In addition to all the technical details, she gives careful thought to whom she needs to influence and what she wants to communicate to each group and individual. She knows she wants to boost the confidence of both the entire staff of 40 while setting a high standard for her leadership team made up of the news editor, information systems manager, circulation manager, and advertising manager. She wants all employees to know that they are doing important work that supports a greater cause—a free press. However, she is not sure how he should go about conveying these messages to her staff and team.
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