ch3: Apply Your Skills: Case for Critical Analysis Not Measuring Up

“I must admit, I’m completely baffled by these scoring results for Cam Leslie,” Carole Wheeling said as she and company CEO Ronald Zeitland scrolled through the latest employee surveys for middle management. For the second year, RTZ Corporation used Wheeling’s consulting firm to survey and score managers. An increasingly younger workforce, changing consumer tastes, and technology changes in the industry had caused Zeitland to look more closely at culture and employee satisfaction. The goal of this process was to provide feedback in order to assure continuous improvement across a variety of criteria. The surveys could be used to highlight areas for improvement by showing manager and company strengths and weaknesses, anticipating potential problem areas, providing a barometer for individual job performance, and as a road map for transforming the culture as the company expanded. From the outset, Zeitland insisted on employee honesty in scoring managers and providing additional comments for the surveys. “We can’t change what we don’t know,” Zeitland instructed employees in meetings two years ago. “This is your opportunity to speak up,” Zeitland had told them. “We’re not looking for gripe sessions. We’re looking for constructive analysis and grading for what we do and how we do it. This method assures that everyone is heard. Every survey carries equal weight. Changes are coming to this organization. We want to make those changes as easy and equally beneficial as possible for everyone.” Now, two years into the process, the culture was showing signs of changing and improving. “The results from last year to this year show overall improvement,” Wheeling said. “But for the second year, Cam’s survey results are disappointing. In fact, there appears to be a little slippage in some areas.” Zeitland leaned back in his chair, paused, and looked at the survey results on the screen. “I don’t really understand it,” Wheeling remarked. “I’ve talked to Cam. He seems like a nice guy—a hard worker, intelligent, dedicated. He pushed his crew, but he’s not a control freak.” “He actually implemented several of the suggestions from last year’s survey,” Zeitland said. “From all reports and my own observations, Cam has more presence in the department and has increased the number of meetings. He appears to have at least attempted to open up communications. I’m sure he will be as baffled as we are by these new results because he has put forth effort.” “Employees mentioned some of these improvements, but it’s not altering the scores. Could it merely be a reflection of his personality?” Wheeling asked. “Well, we have all kinds of personalities throughout management. He’s very knowledgeable and very task-oriented. I admit he has a way of relating to people that can be a little standoffish, but I don’t think it’s always necessary to be slapping everyone on the back and buying them beers at the local pub in order to be liked and respected and. . .” “. . . in order to get high scores?” Wheeling finished his sentence. “Still, the low percentage of ‘favorable’ scores in relation to ‘unfavorable’ and even ‘neutral’. . .” her voice trailed off momentarily. “That’s the one that gets me. There are so many ‘neutral’ scores. That’s really strange. Don’t they have an opinion? I’d love to flesh that one out more. It seems that in a sea of vivid colors, he’s beige.” “It’s like he’s not there,” Zeitland said. “The response doesn’t tell me that they dislike Cam; they just don’t see him as their manager.” Wheeling laughed. “Maybe we can wrap him in gauze like the ‘Invisible Man,’” she joked. The joke appeared lost on Zeitland. “That invisibility leaves him disengaged. Look at the comments.” He scrolled down. “Here’s a follow-up comment: Employee Engagement: Are you kidding? And here’s another: Advocacy: I don’t think and I don’t believe anyone here thinks he would go to bat for us.” “I know,” Wheeling said. “On the other hand, many of their remarks indicate they consider him fair in areas like distribution of workload, and they score him decently in the area of follow-through in achieving company goals. But overall satisfaction and morale levels are low.” “That’s what I don’t understand,” Zeitland commented. “Morale and productivity are normally so strongly linked. Morale in this case is blah, blah, blah, and yet these guys manage to perform right up there with every other division in the company. So they’re doing it. They just don’t like it or find any sense of fulfillment.” “Does Cam?” “Interesting question,” Zeitland agreed. “So, how do we help Cam improve these scores in the coming year?” Wheeling asked. “What positive steps can he take? I’d at least like to see an up-or-down vote—not all of this neutrality—on his management skills and job performance.”

Questions

1. Do you think Zeitland’s desire for changes in culture are related to changes in the external environment? Explain.

2. What additional investigation might Wheeling and Zeitland undertake before settling on a plan of action?

3. In which quadrant of Exhibit 3-8 would you place Cam? What are some steps you would recommend that Cam consider to better connect with the employees who report to him?