Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
References: Joann Muller, “can The UAW Stay in the Game?” Business Week, June 10, 2002.
www.businessweek.com on June 3, 2002; Mark Gimein, “Sam Walton Made Us a Promise,” Fortune, March 18,
2002. www.fortune.com on June 3, 2002.
Case Questions
1. Compare and contrast hourly working conditions at General Motors and Wal-Mart.
2. Describe the most likely role that the hourly compensation at these two companies plays in motivating employees.
3. Discuss how goal setting might be used for each of the two jobs profiled in this case.
After years of difficulties and many attempts to change, a Myerstown, Pennsylvania, pharmaceutical plant, part
of the commission Care Division of German-owned Bayer Corporation, instituted a teams-based changed program.
The facility had been sold several times in recent years and had operated under various organizations. The fifty-
year-old factory was staffed at less than 50 percent when it was purchased by Bayer. There has been no plant
manager for almost a year, and morale was at an all-time low. Worse yet, the factory was losing money, and the
remaining employees feared a shutdown. The outlook was bleak, but in the absence of leadership from the top level,
the Human Resource Department, under the guidance of director John Danchisko, decided that the employees
themselves could turn the low-performing facility around.
First, ninety-three employees were selected at random to participate in seven focus groups. At the meetings,
workers brainstormed the answers to open-ended questions such as “Why do people work here?” and “Why do
people leave here?” Their answers were compiled and sent to every employee for comments and input. Employees
were impressed; they liked the new proactive and collaborative management style. Rick Higley, a pharmaceutical
operator, says, ‘ The thing I rally appreciated about the process was that the managers listened to what everyone had
to say , treated is as equals, and really valued our opinions.”
Next, an eighteen-member cross-functional team was formed to recommend and help implement improvements.
The team approach was clearly popular because fifty people volunteered for those eighteen slots. The team focused
on five key priorities:
1. Define site goals and strategy and communicate them interactive employee
conferences. Job security concerns and a need to see how shorter-term goals to fit
into the long-term strategy were important to employees.
2. Develop a site communication process. Employees felt that their best option for
information was no better than a “rumor mill” while supervisors often weren’t
given critical information. Having consistency of information from the top to the
bottom of the organization benefited everyone.
3. Develop hourly employee and supervisory role definitions and competency
profiles. Changing ownership had led to too many abandoned programs, and
training has been inconsistent. Decision-making authority, span of control, and
management roles were just a few of the areas of confusion.
References: “About the Awards,” Workforce web site. www.workforce.com, “2001 Bayer Annual Reprot,”
www.bayer.com, “Bayer’s Big Headache,” Business Week, May 6, 2002. www.businessweek.com,on May 21, 2002.
Case Questions
1. What type of group are the focus groups that were initially formed at Bayer’s Myerstown facility? What type is
the current eighteen-member, permanent group? What factors led you to make the choices you did?
2. Based on group performance factors, what do you predict will be the likely performance of the eighteen-
member cross-functional team?
3. Initially, workers at the Myerstown plant were skeptical about the use of teams and resisted the change. What
conflict resolution approach was used to address this problem? Is that the approach you would recommend for this
situation? Why or why not?
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Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion #3
Case Questions
1. Would you consider the patient-care groups at the Mayo Clinic to be teams? Explain your answer in terms
of job categories, authority, and reward system. (Hint: See Table 12.1 for guidance)
2. What team-related benefits can you find described in this case? What are the possible team-related costs?
3. What type of team are the patient-care teams? What factors led you to arrive at your answer?
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Organizational Behavior Case for Discussion #4
References: “About Sidley,” “Our Offices,” “Our Practices,” Sidley Austin Brown & Wood website.
www.sidley.com
Case Questions
1. Using the rational approach to decision making, describe the ways in which these crisis conditions affected each
step of the decision-making process.
2. Based on your answer to question 1, what are some potential problems that firm should be aware of when they
must make decisions during a crisis? What are some steps that firms can take to avoid those problems or to
minimize their negative impact?
3. Due to the extraordinary circumstances in New York City during and just after September 11, many individuals
and firms changed their behavior, acting more altruistically and ethically. In your opinion, why did this occur? Do
you think the change is likely to endure for a long time, or is it only temporary?