Deck 17: Managers As Leaders

Question 1

e-mail Adventure
The toy industry is highly competitive and can be as cutthroat as any pirate adventure. Yo-ho-ho! Snooping, corporate espionage, and efforts to keep emerging ideas under wraps are all part of life in the toy industry. A certain level of managerial paranoia is expected. But when the private e-mail of an industry CEO was discovered and began making the rounds, it unleashed a firestorm and brought disastrous results on company morale, unwanted media attention, and public embarrassment.
Howard Tannenbaum is the long-time CEO of a major toy company. Over the past few years, his company worked to develop a new product line, called Brainchild, that all concerned believed would be a blockbuster. The passion of Tannenbaum, the new line of toys was so top-secret that portions of the line were created and produced, piecemeal, among the various divisions. In the beginning, it was all very hush-hush. But as the line moved closer to completion and the expected Christmas season launch date more than a year away, press and industry rumors gained momentum.
At 8:00 a.m. on a June morning, Barry Paine, Tannenbaum's attorney and longtime friend and confidante, arrived at his office, opened his e-mail and saw a flagged message from Howard:
Barry:
We have a disaster in the making here. Looks like I'm going to have to come down hard on all of my managers. Somebody will go-perhaps several people before this situation is over. They're obviously getting EXTREMELY slack on design security. I won't say now how I discovered the breach or what was stolen with regard to the new product designs, but suffice it to say that at this point, EVERYONE is suspect. Needless to say, I am FURIOUS! When I find out who it is-and it could be anyone-believe me, heads will roll!!! I'll call you later this morning. WE NEED TO MEET. Thanks for letting me vent. Now, I can compose the REAL e-mail to managers.
Howard
Later that same morning, managers throughout the company received the following:
TO ALL MANAGERS:
We have a situation here in which product design information on the new line, information that should have been under the HIGHEST SECURITY, has been breached. Let me make it clear that each of you is responsible for investigating your division and finding the source of the leak. Please be thorough in your investigation and be TOTALLY HONEST with me in presenting your findings in this matter. Someone will pay for this. THIS IS TOP PRIORITY!
Howard Tannenbaum, CEO
Many recipients of the e-mail felt personally attacked and threatened. Before day's end, e-mail, phone calls, and rumors were flying. By the following day, Tannenbaum felt pressured into trying to defuse the anger by issuing a second, apologetic, e-mail. However, events were already spiraling out of hand, as somehow the contents of the original e-mail to Barry Paine began circulating throughout management and beyond-to employees and at least one member of the press, who dubbed the debacle Toy-Gate. The perception of a CEO and a company out of control increased and the stock price took a minor hit.
"The first e-mail left me stunned," one long-time manager said. "But when I saw the e-mail to Paine about how Howard really felt and the level of contempt he showed for all of us, making us all appear incompetent and dishonest-that, for me, is the last straw. Even if I stay, it has destroyed the relationship with Howard forever."
Now Tannenbaum sat, head in hands, in Paine's office.
"Barry, I was simply trying to find the truth."
Paine walked over to a bookshelf and pulled an old, well-used volume. "Do you remember your Sophocles from school, Howard In one Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King and his persistent search for truth in the murder of his predecessor, King Laius, followed a path that abandoned reason and led to his own undoing. My friend, in your case, it's not the search for truth, but it's the path you take-what you say, how you say it, and to whom you say it-that is important."
"OK-what do you think I should do next "
How do you think Tannenbaum should have communicated his concerns about the information link Why

Answer 1

The mail that H T sent could have followed four simple steps and would have been more effective without catching anyone's eye. These four steps can be seen as:
a. Staying calm - H T lost his cool at the very first moment the news came. He could have stayed calm, identified how and what to respond by discussing with his confidant and then taken an action. The whole exercise was action oriented.
b. Listening hard - Discussing and listening to his close people would have helped him in understanding what needs to be done next. For example, how to improvise on the leaked idea and still make it look better.
c. Communicating the hard truth - A discussion later with the managers to spell out the truth personally in a meeting would have worked better.
d. Communicating the Vision - The organization's vision and how the leadership is working to achieve it would have helped people understand the criticality of the situation. This would have solved the problem in an easier manner.

Question 2

Describe the elements of the communication model in Exhibit 17.2. Give an example of each part of the model as it exists in the classroom during communication between teacher and students.
Exhibit 17.2:

Answer 2

The elements of communication model discuss the verbal and nonverbal communication that goes along with the messages and how messages are sent and received through various communication channels. Though the model looks simple but it is complicated. This is due to the losses that may happen while the messages being communicated as it may lead to the receiver interpreting the message differently from what it was ment.
Elements of communication model
A verbal or a nonverbal message is sent to the receiver. We can take an example of how the Top management would communicate issues to its employees. There can be various channels of communication known as either Direct or Indirect channels.
The message to be communicated can be as simple as " There is an economic slowdown and the organizations with high productivity will ensure there are no job cuts. " If the same message is sent through indirect communication channels the meaning of the whole message may change. This happens when the message is not understood completely by various receivers and senders in the chain. This causes a completely wrong message being sent across to the ground force.
Assume, if there were four managers through whom this message would have gone and they wouldn't have understood the gist of the message the final messages that could reach to them might become:
"Economy is slow, company may cut jobs"
"Economy and productivity is low, jobs will be lost"
"Jobs are being cut"
"You are fired"
The whole message is hypothetical but poor communication can surely lead to such situations. Thus care needs to be taken.
If communicated directly in an Annual General Meeting to the employees, it can be explained directly to the employees that they need to maintain high productivity levels to ensure no job cuts are being done.
The Verbal and non-verbal cues are all important. The sender needs to ensure that the receiver understands his message correctly and the intent is not lost in the long chain of events. Thus, messages should be:
1. Short and concise
2. Should clear the goals
3. Will be more effective if a feedback mechanism is employed.

Question 3

e-mail Adventure
The toy industry is highly competitive and can be as cutthroat as any pirate adventure. Yo-ho-ho! Snooping, corporate espionage, and efforts to keep emerging ideas under wraps are all part of life in the toy industry. A certain level of managerial paranoia is expected. But when the private e-mail of an industry CEO was discovered and began making the rounds, it unleashed a firestorm and brought disastrous results on company morale, unwanted media attention, and public embarrassment.
Howard Tannenbaum is the long-time CEO of a major toy company. Over the past few years, his company worked to develop a new product line, called Brainchild, that all concerned believed would be a blockbuster. The passion of Tannenbaum, the new line of toys was so top-secret that portions of the line were created and produced, piecemeal, among the various divisions. In the beginning, it was all very hush-hush. But as the line moved closer to completion and the expected Christmas season launch date more than a year away, press and industry rumors gained momentum.
At 8:00 a.m. on a June morning, Barry Paine, Tannenbaum's attorney and longtime friend and confidante, arrived at his office, opened his e-mail and saw a flagged message from Howard:
Barry:
We have a disaster in the making here. Looks like I'm going to have to come down hard on all of my managers. Somebody will go-perhaps several people before this situation is over. They're obviously getting EXTREMELY slack on design security. I won't say now how I discovered the breach or what was stolen with regard to the new product designs, but suffice it to say that at this point, EVERYONE is suspect. Needless to say, I am FURIOUS! When I find out who it is-and it could be anyone-believe me, heads will roll!!! I'll call you later this morning. WE NEED TO MEET. Thanks for letting me vent. Now, I can compose the REAL e-mail to managers.
Howard
Later that same morning, managers throughout the company received the following:
TO ALL MANAGERS:
We have a situation here in which product design information on the new line, information that should have been under the HIGHEST SECURITY, has been breached. Let me make it clear that each of you is responsible for investigating your division and finding the source of the leak. Please be thorough in your investigation and be TOTALLY HONEST with me in presenting your findings in this matter. Someone will pay for this. THIS IS TOP PRIORITY!
Howard Tannenbaum, CEO
Many recipients of the e-mail felt personally attacked and threatened. Before day's end, e-mail, phone calls, and rumors were flying. By the following day, Tannenbaum felt pressured into trying to defuse the anger by issuing a second, apologetic, e-mail. However, events were already spiraling out of hand, as somehow the contents of the original e-mail to Barry Paine began circulating throughout management and beyond-to employees and at least one member of the press, who dubbed the debacle Toy-Gate. The perception of a CEO and a company out of control increased and the stock price took a minor hit.
"The first e-mail left me stunned," one long-time manager said. "But when I saw the e-mail to Paine about how Howard really felt and the level of contempt he showed for all of us, making us all appear incompetent and dishonest-that, for me, is the last straw. Even if I stay, it has destroyed the relationship with Howard forever."
Now Tannenbaum sat, head in hands, in Paine's office.
"Barry, I was simply trying to find the truth."
Paine walked over to a bookshelf and pulled an old, well-used volume. "Do you remember your Sophocles from school, Howard In one Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King and his persistent search for truth in the murder of his predecessor, King Laius, followed a path that abandoned reason and led to his own undoing. My friend, in your case, it's not the search for truth, but it's the path you take-what you say, how you say it, and to whom you say it-that is important."
"OK-what do you think I should do next "
What should Tannenbaum do now to try to recover from the negative impact of his e-mails Suggest specific steps.

Answer 3

The mistakes that H T made while writing those mails and the message that was sent across were very harsh. The recovery of the same and the problem at hand with the lost links need to be taken care of effectively.
This would happen in a step by step process and would include a wait for the feedback. The following points must be taken care of in such situations:
1. Policy Deployment. A policy to handle confidential information needs to be brought in place to ensure nothing of such kind happens again.
2. Effective Training programs. Training the employees on such critical issues is important to ensure such problems are not repeated.
3. Communication Policy. A policy should be brought in place to discuss all the repercussions before mails are sent out to a specific team.
4. External Communication. Any external communication needs to be reviewed by the communication team.
5. Copyrights and Petitions. Copyrighting and petitioning will help solve any future problem related to leaked product information. Organization should focus on that as well.

Question 4

Lana Lowery, a regional manager for a 100-person inside sales staff, notices that the team's best performer is struggling. Her sales are down 20 percent from a year ago, and she frequently arrives late for work, looking upset. Lowery needs to find out why her performance is suffering. What advice would you give Lowery for communicating with this employee Which communication channel should she use What would be the relative importance of candor, listening, and asking questions Explain.

Question 5

What are the characteristics of an effective listener How would you rate yourself on those characteristics

Question 6

Some senior managers believe they should rely on written information and computer reports because these yield more accurate data than do face-to-face communications. Do you agree Why or why not

Question 7

During times of significant organizational change, such as downsizing and layoffs, the grapevine becomes more active as anxious employees share organizational news and rumors. As a manager, what communication strategies would you employ during a time of uncertainty in the workplace What are the advantages and disadvantages of gossip during a time of uncertainty

Question 8

Assume that you manage a small online business that sells herbal supplements. Without your knowledge, a disgruntled employee has posted damaging information about your company in the company's blog, including false information about dangerous ingredients in your best-selling supplement. What specific steps would you take to minimize the impact of this crisis

Question 9

If you were asked to design a training program to help managers become better communicators, what would you include in the program

Question 10

Suppose that you manage an employee who is spending too much time using social media at work. The result is that he has missed three important deadlines in one week. You are planning a face-to-face conversation to address this performance problem and your goal is to communicate with candor. Using "I statements" as described in this chapter, how would you begin this conversation

Question 11

Describe specific ways that an organization might use social media to communicate with customers. How about with employees

Question 12

e-mail Adventure
The toy industry is highly competitive and can be as cutthroat as any pirate adventure. Yo-ho-ho! Snooping, corporate espionage, and efforts to keep emerging ideas under wraps are all part of life in the toy industry. A certain level of managerial paranoia is expected. But when the private e-mail of an industry CEO was discovered and began making the rounds, it unleashed a firestorm and brought disastrous results on company morale, unwanted media attention, and public embarrassment.
Howard Tannenbaum is the long-time CEO of a major toy company. Over the past few years, his company worked to develop a new product line, called Brainchild, that all concerned believed would be a blockbuster. The passion of Tannenbaum, the new line of toys was so top-secret that portions of the line were created and produced, piecemeal, among the various divisions. In the beginning, it was all very hush-hush. But as the line moved closer to completion and the expected Christmas season launch date more than a year away, press and industry rumors gained momentum.
At 8:00 a.m. on a June morning, Barry Paine, Tannenbaum's attorney and longtime friend and confidante, arrived at his office, opened his e-mail and saw a flagged message from Howard:
Barry:
We have a disaster in the making here. Looks like I'm going to have to come down hard on all of my managers. Somebody will go-perhaps several people before this situation is over. They're obviously getting EXTREMELY slack on design security. I won't say now how I discovered the breach or what was stolen with regard to the new product designs, but suffice it to say that at this point, EVERYONE is suspect. Needless to say, I am FURIOUS! When I find out who it is-and it could be anyone-believe me, heads will roll!!! I'll call you later this morning. WE NEED TO MEET. Thanks for letting me vent. Now, I can compose the REAL e-mail to managers.
Howard
Later that same morning, managers throughout the company received the following:
TO ALL MANAGERS:
We have a situation here in which product design information on the new line, information that should have been under the HIGHEST SECURITY, has been breached. Let me make it clear that each of you is responsible for investigating your division and finding the source of the leak. Please be thorough in your investigation and be TOTALLY HONEST with me in presenting your findings in this matter. Someone will pay for this. THIS IS TOP PRIORITY!
Howard Tannenbaum, CEO
Many recipients of the e-mail felt personally attacked and threatened. Before day's end, e-mail, phone calls, and rumors were flying. By the following day, Tannenbaum felt pressured into trying to defuse the anger by issuing a second, apologetic, e-mail. However, events were already spiraling out of hand, as somehow the contents of the original e-mail to Barry Paine began circulating throughout management and beyond-to employees and at least one member of the press, who dubbed the debacle Toy-Gate. The perception of a CEO and a company out of control increased and the stock price took a minor hit.
"The first e-mail left me stunned," one long-time manager said. "But when I saw the e-mail to Paine about how Howard really felt and the level of contempt he showed for all of us, making us all appear incompetent and dishonest-that, for me, is the last straw. Even if I stay, it has destroyed the relationship with Howard forever."
Now Tannenbaum sat, head in hands, in Paine's office.
"Barry, I was simply trying to find the truth."
Paine walked over to a bookshelf and pulled an old, well-used volume. "Do you remember your Sophocles from school, Howard In one Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King and his persistent search for truth in the murder of his predecessor, King Laius, followed a path that abandoned reason and led to his own undoing. My friend, in your case, it's not the search for truth, but it's the path you take-what you say, how you say it, and to whom you say it-that is important."
"OK-what do you think I should do next "
What is the underlying communication mistake in this case Why do you think Howard Tannenbaum sent those e-mails

Question 13

What are the characteristics of an open communication climate Describe the organizational benefits of managers cultivating an open communication climate.

Question 14

On trial 92
When Werner and Thompson, a Los Angeles business and financial management firm, offered Iranian-born Firoz Bahmania a position as an accountant assistant one spring day in 2007, Bahmani felt a sense of genuine relief, but his relief was short-lived.
With his degree in accounting from a top-notch American university, he knew he was more than a little overqualified for the job. But time after time, he'd been rejected for suitable positions. His language difficulties were the reason most often given for his unsuccessful candidacy. Although the young man had grown up speaking both Farsi and French in his native land, he'd begun to pick up English only shortly before his arrival in the United States a few years ago. Impressed by his educational credentials and his quiet, courtly manner, managing partner Beatrice Werner overlooked his heavy accent and actively recruited him for the position, the only one available at the time. During his interview, she assured him that he would advance in time.
It was clear to Beatrice that Firoz was committed to succeeding at all costs. But it soon also became apparent that Firoz and his immediate supervisor, Cathy Putnam, were at odds. Cathy was a seasoned account manager who had just transferred to Los Angeles from the New York office. Saddled with an enormous workload, she let Firoz know right from the start, speaking in her rapid-fire Brooklyn accent, that he'd need to get up to speed as quickly as possible.
Shortly before Cathy was to give Firoz his three-month probationary review, she came to Beatrice, expressed her frustration with Firoz's performance, and suggested that he be let go. "His bank reconciliations and financial report preparations are first-rate," Cathy admitted, "but his communication skills leave a lot to be desired. In the first place, I simply don't have the time to keep repeating the same directions over and over again when I'm trying to teach him his responsibilities. Then there's the fact that public contact is part of his written job description. Typically, he puts off making phone calls to dispute credit card charges or ask a client's staff for the information he needs. When he does finally pick up the phone... well, let's just say I've had more than one client mention how hard it is to understand what he's trying to say. Some of them are getting pretty exasperated."
"You know, some firms feel it's their corporate responsibility to help foreign-born employees learn English," Beatrice began. "Maybe we should help him find an English-as-a-second-language course and pay for it."
"With all due respect, I don't think that's our job," Cathy replied, with barely concealed irritation. "If you come to the United States, you should learn our language. That's what my mom's parents did when they came over from Italy. They certainly didn't expect anyone to hold their hands. Besides," she added, almost inaudibly, "Firoz's lucky we let him into this country."
Beatrice had mixed feelings. On one hand, she recognized that Werner and Thompson had every right to expect someone in Firoz's position to be capable of carrying out his public contact duties. Perhaps she had made a mistake in hiring him. But as the daughter of German immigrants herself, she knew firsthand both how daunting language and cultural barriers could be and that they could be overcome in time. Perhaps in part because of her family background, she had a passionate commitment to the firm's stated goals of creating a diverse workforce and a caring, supportive culture. Besides, she felt a personal sense of obligation to help a hard-working, promising employee realize his potential. What will she advise Cathy to do now that Firoz's probationary period is drawing to a close
What Would You Do
1. Agree with Cathy Putnam. Despite your personal feelings, accept that Firoz Bahmani is not capable of carrying out the accountant assistant's responsibilities. Make the break now, and give him his notice on the grounds that he cannot carry out one of the key stated job requirements. Advise him that a position that primarily involves paperwork would be a better fit for him.
2. Place Firoz with a more sympathetic account manager who is open to finding ways to help him improve his English and has the time to help him develop his assertiveness and telephone skills. Send Cathy Putnam to diversity awareness training.
3. Create a new position at the firm that will allow Firoz to do the reports and reconciliations for several account managers, freeing the account assistants to concentrate on public contact work. Make it clear that he will have little chance of future promotion unless his English improves markedly.

Question 15

On the Job: Plant Fantasies:
Managing Communication
Questions
1. Using the concept of channel richness, explain why leaders at Plant Fantasies place a high value on face-to-face communication.
2. What influence might gender have on the communication styles of Teresa Carleo and Steve Martucci Give examples.
3. Which of the three types of formal organizational communication would you expect to originate from Teresa Carleo and Steve Martucci, and why