Alex was sent to Beijing to help local managers solve the problem of growing worker dissatisfaction at their manufacturing facility located in the city. As part of his visit, he decided to have a town hall meeting with the workers to understand the problems that they were facing and the reasons for their discontent. The turnout at the meeting was substantial; however, when asked for their opinions and suggestions, the crowd fell silent. As a result, Alex was unable to determine the reason for employee dissatisfaction. Which of the following, if true, best explains this situation?
A) A small portion of the workers at the facility belong to the baby boomers generation.
B) There is an unequal distribution of power in the company.
C) The employees are genuinely concerned about improving their lot.
D) Alex was sent to Beijing as he was one of the few employees who were conversant in the local language.
E) On previous occasions, the company has yielded to employee demands.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If there is an unequal distribution of power within a company, then employees would be reluctant to do anything that would be considered an act of insubordination, such as voicing their opinions. Hence, this would explain the employees' silence. If the employees were genuinely concerned about improving their lot, and the company had yielded to employee demands in the past, then the workers would have voiced their opinions. Additionally, if Alex were conversant in the local language, then this would imply that there were no language barriers between him and the workers and that they could understand him, yet they chose not to respond. It is irrelevant that a small portion of the workers at the facility were baby boomers.

Alex Was Sent to Beijing to Help Local Managers Solve