Please read the Micro Electronics case.Please answer each of the five (5) questions fully, providing both breadth and depth.

All of the questions are MULT-PART questions.PLEASE number (1), (2), (3), etc., answers.

Please demonstrate all that you know on these topics.

Clearly identify the theories and/or models that relate to the question and answer; describe the aspects/steps/forces of the theories/models you cite (e.g., motivational theories, sources of communications barriers).

MICRO ELECTRONICS CASE

Frank Simpson, president and controlling stockholder of the Micro Electronics Company, now in its tenth year, is faced with the problem of gearing his plant to meet both increased production demands brought on by the expanding electronics industry and also increased competition from other producers of his line of products. The plant doubled its employees during the past year, but production per worker decreased nearly 20 percent and costs rose to nearly the break-even point.

The company employed mostly unskilled labor who were trained by the company.All employees were on day work rather than incentive work and they were not represented by a union. The company was founded by Frank Simpson and a few investor friends for the production of a narrow line of electronic parts that were sold to other manufacturers.The company grew slowly and had a workforce of only 105 workers at the beginning of last year.Its reputation for quality was excellent; this reputation was the primary reason for a flood of orders from new clients in the spring of last year, requiring the firm to double its labor force.Simpson remarked, "If you want to stay in business, you can't tell your customers you are too busy to sell them anything."

The Micro Electronics Company was located in a manufacturing town of 15,000 persons in rural New York, about 60 miles from any large town.Enough untrained persons were available locally for hiring for the expansion.Management forecasts indicated that the expansion would be permanent.

Simpson, in consultation with his board of directors concluded that he needed to establish a new position of general manager of the plant so that he (Frank Simpson) could spend more time on strategy and less time ironing out production problems.He also concluded that he needed to build an industrial engineering staff that could give his company the developmental work that was needed to stay ahead of his competitors.

Almost all of his present supervisory personnel had been with the company since it was founded.They were all skilled people, but Simpson felt that none of them had the overall training or insight into the company problems to take charge asgeneral manager.After much thought, Simpson decided to hire from outside the company. This person would report to Simpson and would have full responsibility for production, as well as development of a top-notch engineering department.

Simpson called a meeting of all his supervisory personnel and explained his decision in detail.He stressed the necessity for cooperation.The older supervisors did not seem to be pleased, but promised that they would cooperate fully with the new manager.

About four months after his meeting with his supervisors, Simpson found a suitable general manager, Damien Rider.Rider, aged thirty-six, was a progressive mechanical engineer who had been a general supervisor in a large Philadelphia electronics plant.One of his first jobs as general manager was to find a qualified person to develop the industrial engineering function.Errol Green, an industrial engineer twenty -six years old, was hired from the industrial engineering department of a large equipment company in Seattle, WA. Errol Green had an MS/MBA degree from St. John's University, a very good academic record, and two years' experience with an engineering firm based in Boston.

Errol Green and Damien Rider both felt that the company was in bad condition in relation to machine utilization and employee utilization.On the basis of their first impressions of the production facilities they estimated that production management and industrial engineering changes ought to be able to increase productivity at least 25 percent.

Green wanted time to get acquainted with the processes and the supervisory personnel before recommending major improvements.Rider granted this wish, so Green spent two months getting acquainted with the supervisors.However, after this period Frank Simpson, Damien Rider, and Errol Green felt that major steps had to be taken to improve both production and quality.They decided that the first project should be a study of the production processes,departmentbydepartment.All processes were to be documented, since many of the processes had been developed without any procedures manuals.Several of the supervisors were theonlyoneswho understood how certain operations were performed!

At the next supervisory meeting (of all management personnel), Frank Simpson announced the plan for the production study. No comments were made by the production supervisors, but it was plain to Rider and Green that several of the older supervisors were not happy about the idea.Simpson stressed that full cooperation was required to compete in the changing marketplace.

Green started the survey the following week.There was outward rebellion in some cases, but he smoothed these over.Greenthoughthe was convincing the people who objected, so he proceeded with the study without comment to either Damien Rider or Frank Simpson about the resistance.

About five weeks after Errol Green started the study, he and Damien Rider left town on a business trip for two days.On the night of the second day, one of the shift supervisors telephoned Frank Simpson, who happened to be working late at the office.The supervisor said that a group of them would like to talk to Simpson.Since many of these supervisors had known Simpson for a long time so he did not object and told them to "come on up."

The group that arrived consisted of all the supervisors with more than one year's company seniority. As soon as the group arrived it was apparent to Simpson that they were troubled and that this wasnosocial call.All of the supervisors entered his office, and one older man who had been a supervisor for nine years, acted as speaker for the group. "Frank", he said, "All of us here have been in this game for a good many years.We know more about this business than anyone else around here, and we don't like people standing around in our departments watching what we are doing.We also don't like the idea of some young guy telling us how to improve our production and quality.This industry is different and those new ideas about industrial engineering just won't work for us. We want you to tell that guy, Green that his ideas won't work for a company like this."Warren then paused to give Simpson a chance to answer[i].

Questions:

1.Taking insights from all of the theories of motivation, (1) outline the motivational problems in the current situation, and (2) outline in detail a possible solution for each of the identified motivational problems. Describe in detail the motivational theories that are at the foundatin of your solution.(Please NUMBER your answers (1) and (2) in the text box below.Please demonstrate your knowledge of both contentandprocess theories).

2.Describe in detail (1) how could Frank Simpson have used team building and leadership to avoid this problem? (2) Outline in detail the desired necessary steps (include characteristics of effective team building and the group development process). (3) Describe the leadership behaviors at the various stages of the group development process.

3.Identify and describe in detail the (1) communication issues and barriers presented in the case. Suppose Frank had been trained in effective communication; (2) how would he have continued the conversation with Warren and the men in his office to overcome communication problems and engage in active listening? (provide detail dialogue that demonstrates your advanced understanding of communications).

4.Taking insights from the various theories of leadership, outline and describe in detail, what styles of leadership would be most appropriate for different types of followers and decision-making situations outlined in the case (include emerging leadership concepts). BE VERY SPECIFIC.

5. Identify (1) the forces for changeand(2) forces for status quo (resisting forces) in the current situation. Taking insights from the change management model (e.g. Lewin's three step model), outline (3) how the condition at The Micro Electronics Company could be improved.