-
QUESTION
Consolidated Products, Inc. & Superior Staffing
Consolidated Products (pp. 43-44)
Page 43
Consolidated Products Incorporated (Consolidated) is a medium-sized manufacturer of consumer products with non-unionized production workers. Ben Samuels was a plant manager for Consolidated Products for 10 years, and he was well liked by the employees. They were grateful for the fitness center he built for employees, and they enjoyed the social activities sponsored by the plant several times a year, including company picnics and holiday parties. He knew most of the workers by name, and he spent part of each day walking around the plant to visit with them and ask about their families or hobbies.
Page 44
Samuels believed that it was important to treat employees properly so they would have a sense of loyalty to the company. He tried to avoid any layoffs when production demand was slack, figuring that the company could not afford to lose skilled workers who are so difficult to replace. The workers knew that if they had a special problem, Samuels would try to help them. For example, when someone was injured but wanted to continue working, Samuels found another job in the plant that the person could do despite having a disability.
Samuels believed that if you treat people right, they will do a good job for you without close supervision or prodding. Samuels applied the same principle to his supervisors, and he mostly left them alone to run their departments as they saw fit. He did not set objectives and standards for the plant, and he never asked the supervisors to develop plans for improving productivity and product quality.
Under Samuels, the plant had the lowest turnover among the company’s five plants, but the second-worst record for costs and production levels. When the company was acquired by an-other firm, Samuels was asked to take early retirement, and Phil Jones was brought in to replace him.
Jones had a growing reputation as a manager who could get things done, and he quickly began making changes. Costs were cut by trimming a number of activities such as the fitness center at the plant, company picnics and parties, and the human relations training programs for supervisors. Jones believed that training supervisors to be supportive was a waste of time. His motto was: “If employees don’t want to do the work, get rid of them and find somebody else who does.”
Supervisors were instructed to establish high-performance standards for their departments and insist that people achieve them. A computer monitoring system was introduced so that the output of each worker could be checked closely against the standards. Jones told his supervisors to give any worker who had substandard performance one warning, and then if performance did not improve within two weeks, to fire the person. Jones believed that workers don’t respect a supervisor who is weak and passive. When Jones observed a worker wasting time or making a mistake, he would reprimand the person right on the spot to set an example. Jones also checked closely on the performance of his supervisors. Demanding objectives were set for each department, and weekly meetings were held with each supervisor to review department performance. Finally, Jones insisted that supervisors check with him first before taking any significant actions that deviated from established plans and policies.
As another cost-cutting move, Jones reduced the frequency of equipment maintenance, which required machines to be idled when they could be productive. Because the machines had a good record of reliable operation, Jones believed that the current maintenance schedule was excessive and was cutting into production. Finally, when business was slow for one of the product lines, Jones laid off workers rather than finding something else for them to do.
By the end of Jones’ first year as plant manager, production costs were reduced by 20 per-cent and production output was up by 10 percent. However, three of his seven supervisors left to take other jobs, and turnover was also high among the machine operators. Some of the turnover was due to workers who were fired, but competent machine operators were also quitting, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to find any replacements for them. Finally, talk of unionizing was increasing among the workers.
Questions
- Describe and compare the managerial behavior of Samuels and Jones. To what extent does each manager display specific relations behaviors (supporting, developing, recognizing) and specific task behaviors (clarifying, planning, monitoring)?
- Compare Samuels and Jones in terms of their influence on employee attitudes, short-term performance, and long-term plant performance, and explain the reasons for the differences.
- If you were selected to be the manager of this plant, what would you do to achieve both high employee satisfaction and performance?
Superior Staffing (p. 45)
Superior Staffing (Superior) is one of the top recruiting and staffing agencies in the country. The primary mission of the company is to hire the highly qualified regular and temporary employees for client companies. Superior provides these services for many different types of organizations. The primary responsibility of each regional manager is the development and supervision of several recruiters who identify prospective employees for the company’s clients located in their region.
Jackie Smith has been the manager for the company office in the Eastern territory, and she supervises the ten recruiters who work in her office. She is well liked by her employees and regularly socializes with them during happy hour at the bar down the street where she frequently picks up the tab. She also holds parties at her house for her employees and their families three or four times a year. She takes an interest in the personal lives of her recruiters and offers to help when some-one is upset and having a difficult problem. Smith’s sincere concern for her recruiters has led to a highly supportive work environment where everyone is always willing to lend a helping hand.
The recruiters that work for her appreciate the time that she takes to give individual coaching to anyone who needs it. Sometimes she observes a recruiter who is calling potential recruits or meeting with them at the office. Afterward, she praises effective performance and provides advice about how to be more effective. One of the most successful recruiters in her office was eventually promoted after several years to be the manager of another region, where he was also successful. He commented that her willingness to spend so much time coaching and mentoring him is a big reason why he continued working at the company for so many years.
Smith sets challenging monthly goals for each recruiter on the number of successful placements of recruits with clients. At the end of each month she holds individual progress re-view meetings with the recruiters to check on each person’s performance. If the placement goal is not achieved, she helps a recruiter develop improvement plans for the coming month. She also encourages them to tell her about any problems that they cannot resolve quickly, so they work together to find a solution in a timely manner. The success of her recruiters has generated some of the highest revenues in Superior’s commercial division.
Questions
- What specific task-oriented behaviors are used by Smith?
- What specific relations-oriented behaviors are used by Smith?
- What are some other specific task and relations behaviors that were not described in the case but may also be relevant for Smith to use?
| Subject | Business | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
|---|
Answer
Consolidated Products, Inc. & Superior Staffing
#1: Managerial Behavior of Samuels and Jones
Ben Samuels is a relations-oriented leader while Phil Jones is a task-oriented leader. Ben Samuels is a relations oriented leader who according to Mikkelson, York and Arritola (2015) is quite supportive and concerned with the feelings and needs of his followers and subordinates. Samuels has strived to develop the skills of his subordinates by organizing training programs that were later abandoned by his immediate replacement; Phil Jones. Samuels has also recognized his subordinates by recalling their names and frequently communicating or chatting with them. As a fact, he treats everyone equally without any discrimination or prejudice.
On the contrary, Phil Jones is task oriented leader. As such, he is not supportive and hardly considers the feelings and needs of his subordinates. From the case provided, it can be deduced that he is slightly harsh towards his followers or juniors. For instance, he confronted them instantly in case they made mistakes. Moreover, he threatens underperforming employees. In particular, he informs them that in case they do not show any improvement, they will be fired immediately.
Regarding specific task behavior (clarifying, planning, and monitoring), Samuels is not a task oriented leader. He hardly monitors the working progress of his subordinates. He did not conduct planning and delegates decision making to his employees because he believed that his employees can be trusted and capable of doing it. On the other hand, Phil Jones is a task oriented leader. Therefore, his followers or juniors must consult him before making any decision. Similarly, he usually carries out planning and closely monitors the performance of his subordinates.
#2: Jones and Samuels’ Influence on Workers Attitudes, Short and Term Plant Performance
Jones and Samuels had a different influence on the performance and attitude of employees, as well as, short term and long term plant performance. Principally, Samuels had a good relationship with the workers and this instilled a sense of confidence in workers while engaging with the manager. Nonetheless, long term and short term plant performance was negative since Samuels did not have set standards and objectives. This implies that the influence of the firm’s plant performance was extremely poor. On the contrary, Jones’ take over never impressed the workers because these workers enjoyed the perfect environment and conditions witnessed under the leadership of Samuels. As a fact, the workers were demotivated to perform their duties and this situation forced some workers to leave their jobs. Nonetheless, Jones has a perfect influence on the long term and short term plant performance. Formulating and implementing plans with set objectives and standards for improving production and quality products was indeed a boost. This made the organization to have a well formulated objectives and standards sustaining productions over some years.
3#: Achieving High Employee Satisfaction and Performance
In case am hired as a manager, I would first develop the form of relationship that Samuels had with his subordinates; being open and often foster open and honest discussion with workers to attain effective communication. Regarding plant production, I will collaborate with the supervisors to formulate standards and objectives for enhancing plant operations, production improvement, as well as, quality product achievement. Similarly, I will hold frequent meetings with my supervisors to deliberate on the necessary improvements required for the plant to reduce expenses and increase turnover for the plant and ensuring that all the workers of the plant are satisfied with their roles or responsibilities.
Case Study 2:
Smith is considered a task oriented individual. Some of the task oriented behaviors have made her to succeed thereby generating the highest revenues. Some of the specific task oriented behaviors that she has encompass coordinating, planning and scheduling activities or work to have the job performed at the Superior Staffing. Using task oriented leadership as argued by Rüzgar (2018) Smith sets stimulating monthly goals for recruiters based on the number of successful recruits’ placement with customers. Similarly, she has a better plan for organizing a monthly meeting to deliberate on individual progress in a bid to check the performance of each individual. When the goal of the placement is not realized, Smith assists recruiters to formulate improvement plans for the approaching month and assists them address any challenge they may be experiencing so that they can collaborate in attaining a solution swiftly. Moreover, Smith manages all the recruiters by meeting with them to determine their work performance and progress. It is because of these reasons that Smith is darling of many workers. She assists workers work around the set schedule every month.
Specific Relations Oriented Behaviors That Smith Used
Smith is concerned with forming a good rapport with the recruiters who are working under her. She is more concerned with their personal lives and she is always ready to assist them fulfil their needs. Smith is sincere and really concerned about her recruiters, a situation that made him create a supportive work environment.
Some other specific tasks and relations behaviors not described in this case encompass being participative. Sahertian and Soetjipto (2011) suggested that leaders who want to improve the performance of their organizations must motivate workers by including them in decision makings. In light of that, Smith offers participative relations to her workers. She coaches individuals who needs such services. After keenly observing a recruiter organizing a meeting in the offices, he applauds them for their performance and proceeds to advise them on how to become more effective. More importantly, she brings recruiters on board in planning in order to assist them establish an effective recruiting team (Yukl, Mahsud, Prussia, & Hassan, 2019).).
.
References
Mikkelson, A. C., York, J. A., & Arritola, J. (2015). Communication competence, leadership behaviors, and employee outcomes in supervisor-employee relationships. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 78(3), 336-354.
Rüzgar, N. (2018). The Effect of Leaders’ Adoption of Task-Oriented or Relationship-Oriented Leadership Style on Leader-Member Exchange (LMX), In the Organizations That Are Active In Service Sector: A Research on Tourism Agencies. Journal of Business Administration Research, 7(1), 50-60.
Sahertian, P., & Soetjipto, B. E. (2011). Improving Employee‟ s Organizational Commitment, Self-Efficacy, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior Through the Implementation of Task-Oriented and Relationship-Oriented Leadership Behavior. The Business Review, Cambridge, 17(2), 48-60.
Yukl, G., Mahsud, R., Prussia, G., & Hassan, S. (2019). Effectiveness of broad and specific leadership behaviors. Personnel Review