David Shorter and Bob Chen

Background

David Shorter:
• Practice Director of the New Enterprise Group and James-Williams
• First meeting with Bob Chen just to review Bob annual performance.
• Second one on one meeting with Bob Chen in January wanted Bob to work building a
practice to attract entrepreneurial Hong-Kong based companies, in order to do so Bob
would have to build his auditing skills for another year. Bob ask for an assignment in
Tax.
• Has 2 goals for suggesting auditing to Bob: The company has a shortage of senior
auditors and now he believes Bob is a “keeper” and because of his previous
experiences David know that in order to become a good manager and partner in the
company the staff needed to have good auditing experience, because without it they
could not understand the practical nature of most business problems.
• Second meeting with Bob in June, and again Bob ask for an assignment in tax, David
gives him the same arguments as the first meeting and believes that Bob agrees with
him.
• In July Bob ask for an interview with him and ask for a tax assignment again, David
compromise that if Bob would continue as and auditor for a year, then David would
send Bob on a comprehensive three year tax training program that was seen as a great
opportunity for tax consultants.
• Also in July Bob request a second meeting and ask again for a tax assignment, this time
David agree to assign him to a tax partner, Joe Silverman, to work in tax starting in
September.

Bob Chen:
• Born in Hong-Kong, move to Toronto since high school.
• Join the James-Williams company after colleague, feels loyal to the company because
their offer make possible for him to stay in Canada.
• Started as a junior staff accountant, in the following fall he was promoted to
intermediate staff accountant.
• He passes his CA exam.
• Keeps asking David for and assignment in tax, agree to a three year audit program but
his friends in tax told him would not teach him tax, that he better get the real experience.
• Ask again for a tax assignment and this time David agree with the condition that Bob
has to do another major audit assignment in January and February. He is transfer to Joe
Silverman’s tax group.
• Mike McLeod has a shortage of senior auditors for the Softdisk audit and wants Bob to
do this audit.
• Bob agrees to go to the physical inventory because no one else was available to do so.
• Bob tells Mike McLeod that he is not doing the Softdisk audit.
Analysis

The situation in this case is mainly about 2 sides of the same history, how David Shorter and
Bob Chen see the same situations different and how different assumptions they made for every
meeting, how the perceptions vary from person to person and how the different cultural
background can affect this perceptions and assumptions.

Analyzing this case to me it is mainly about motivation, cross-cultural (mis)communication and

conflict management. In one side is David Shorter, Practice Director that believes that he is
doing the best for Bob Chen but mostly doing what is the best for the company. He hasn’t been
working with Bob Chen so all his perceptions of him are just assumptions of someone else
judgment of him, maybe if he took the time to get to know more Bob and not rely only in
rumors or other people opinions he could get a better sense of who Bob is. Also, I see that Bob
is soft spoken and sometimes than can be mistaken for laid back, or someone without clear
objectives, more a follower that a leader.

Another part of the issue that surface is the lack of motivation that Bob Chen has, I think that
he is not satisfied at work, not only he does not have the Motivators (Herzberg’s Theory) he
has been working in areas he is not interested in and that don’t represent a challenge, he is seen
as a hard working bee that just do what he is told and a little extra, but he is not having the
praise and recognition for his work, even David Shorter thought he wasn’t going to pass the
charter accounting exam, he only have a sense of responsibility mainly because he feels
grateful to the company that allows him to stay in Canada. Furthermore the hygiene factors are
missing, he might have a good salary, but he does not feel secure in the job anymore, and lately
he feels bullied by Mike McLeod making the working environment difficult to handle.

To me the most important issue is how all parties involved in the situation do not communicate
with each other clearly, there is a lot of “gossip” and no one ask directly the main points, they
just go around and because everyone has different opinions and judgments about the situation
the information gets twisted.

The factors impacting communication are:

• Individual and inter-cultural: Both David Shorter and Bob Chen have different
communications stiles, mainly because of the different cultural backgrounds; David is a
Canadian with a high individualism and low long-term orientation, and Bob Chen was
born in Hong Kong, and even though he is seen as a western in the company he still
have a lot of traces from the Hong Kong culture, low individualism and high long-term
orientation, this creates a gap in the way they communicate with each other, the message
do not get across clearly, there are so many judgments and I believe that both of them
have barriers that prevent them to really listen to what the other person is talking, and
that creates a lot of misunderstanding.

• Organizational: I think that the company needs to have a better communication

channels, there is not a formal way to interact, there is no policy of open doors, so there
is not a clear way to know who to contact first, and that creates a lot of confusion and
also gossip. Also, the company culture is not well established, for some people they use
some standards and for others they change them, for some the main focus is the
costumer, but not for all, and I think that if the company culture was well established all
 the personnel would know this value.

Looking at the Hofstede's Dimensions we can have a better understanding of the behaviors of
both David Shorter and Bob Chen, they come from very different cultures, David Shorter is
highly individualist and Bob Chen more group oriented, also the long term orientation has the
greatest contrast between them, David Short is short-term oriented, and Bob Chen is long-term
oriented, this might explain the different approach they both have to this problem, also, I
believe that western cultures are more direct and eastern cultures try to avoid conflict and do not
like to create it, that’s why Bob Chen is always saying yes to everyone and cannot say no from
the beginning. Hofstede's Dimensions provide an overall framework but it is important to
remember not to generalize, even in the same country people have different backgrounds and
sometimes they even overcome the popular culture of the country, so it is always good to
remember that individuals have different personalities and that not all the traces established in
Hofstede's Dimensions are applicable to all.

Plan of action

The first thing David Short should do is get his mind clear, not having any preconception
before the meeting with Bob Chen and just ask him what’s going on?, try listen to everything
Bob has to say without interrupting, using the constructive engagement process, surface the
issue first, ask him what he thinks about the situation, and being open to the answers he gives,
get all the facts and try to understand Bob’s point of view, try be empathic to Bob, and not
going back to the same arguments, this way Bob will feel that he is finally being listened and
the conversation could be transparent, David should be completely honest with him.

David also has to get the input of other Partners and make sure to involve everyone, ask them
what’s going on to them and open a clear and honest channel of communication with all of
them.

As a good leader he must recognize that he needs to use the affiliative style of leadership, he
needs to change the climate in the organization, make all the members of his team communicate
better, and motivate them to speak their minds, he has to show them to be emphatic with the
situation and forget all previous conceptions, opinions and judgments, if he can do this he can
start building a better communication channels between all members of his team and change the
dynamics of the group.

Solution

Using the CODE/EARS Process, and after having talked with everyone involved and have and
open channel of communication David Shorter can:
 Clarify Options Decisions Evaluate
• Get the main
• S u mmar ize
problems of
• A s k the main
everyone
everyone to points, decide
involved
give him a the best Ask all the parties
• A s k
list of cours e of involved what they
ques tions
s olutions ; action think about his
until he feels
what is • Communicate solution, make sure
he completely
everyone his decision to make them feel
u n d er s tan d
w illing to to everyone heard and
everyone.
compromise involve, ask understand.
• Ask for facts
and what is f o r
and data
o u t o f th e cooperation
available, rely
question. a n d
on facts not
compromise.
opinions.

As he gets everyone involved he will need to change the policies of the company, I think that
the promotion policy is unclear, is not the same for everyone and this can create more conflicts
in the future because people expected to be treated the same way and when you start making
exceptions and not asking everyone the same standards as the policy indicates people tend to
believe that it is a favor and that even if they work hard it won’t matter because the company
does not follow their policies, it is only about who you know and not the quality of your work
what would make you have promotions.

He has to have a meeting with Joe Silverman, Jane Klinck and Mike McLeod, as a good leader
he needs to rely in his team and involve them in this solving conflict process, having their input
is a must, but also he needs to change the way the team operates, there is a lack of honest
communication and in order to avoid problems in the future they need to establish a new policy
for communication in the company. He also needs to show them the other side of the coin, and
try by showing all the facts to forget all the misconceptions they have and judgments regarding
Bob Chen.

When they see the situation trough Bob’s eyes they might change their minds, show them that
in order to have highly motivated staff the company need to have motivators and the lack of
them is hurting everyone, I think this will change the approach they have to the situation and
they will be more willing to compromise.

David also has to have a long conversation with Bob Chen, explain to him his side and the
other members involve side, his conclusions and ask him if he is willing to compromise, he
also need to point out that Bob is a valuable assets to the company and explain to him that the
company wants him to stay, making him feel appreciated but also be firm to get a real answer
from him.

Bob Chen has to compromise and finally agree on something, he has to learn to clearly speak
his mind, and in this new environment he will feel more welcome to do so.

In case all of this fails, I think he can transfer Bob Chen to “The Tower”, because Bob Chen is
a valuable employee he can be useful in other parts of the company, but he needs to know how
to communicate clearly what he wants.