Consolidated Products Role Play: Observer General observations: Did the parties try to communicate in a positive...
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Consolidated Products Role Play: Observer General observations: Did the parties try to communicate in a positive manner? (give examples) What non-verbal communication did you observe in this round? Did they listen to each other? (give examples) Did they try to understand the other party's position? (give examples) Was there a spirit of compromise? (give examples) Gains and Losses What did Phil Jones gain/lose? What did the supervisors gain/lose? What did the machine operators gain/lose? ROUND 1 Consolidated Products Plant Supervisors You enjoyed working for Consolidated Products when Ben Samuels was the plant manager. He let you run your own departments as you saw fit. He did not micromanage you. Ben did not impose objectives and standards for the plant, but rather let you manage production outputs and oversee the quality of the products. You appreciated the fact that you were responsible to develop plans for improving productivity and product quality. It was easy to manage the employees, who reported to you, because they were happy working for Consolidated Products. The employees loved the fitness centre and the social activities sponsored by the plant such as picnics and holiday parties. As a result of these perks, the turnover rate was very low, which meant you didn't have to spend much time or budget on training. You are aware of the problems with productivity and product quality, but if Ben didn't seem worried why should you be? You don't like the new plant manager, Phil Jones, because you feel pressured by the high performance standards he set for your department. The computer monitoring system he put in place and laying off workers during slow periods are very unpopular with the employees who report to you, and you have to deal with a lot of grumbling. Reducing the frequency of equipment maintenance is a big mistake too. You don't think Phil's new two week timeframe for employees to "improve or be fired" is fair. And you really don't like it when Phil reprimands employees directly and does not allow you to manage your own team. As well, Phil demands that you check with him first before taking any action which means you no longer have autonomy over your own department. Concerning to you is the fact that the machine operators have been talking about bringing in a union, which something you don't want to happen. At this point, other supervisors have left and you decided to work on your own resume also. You've come to this meeting to try to convince Phil that his management style isn't working and the company is at risk of losing more good people if things don't get better. Consolidated Products Machine Operators Things sure are different at Consolidated Products since Ben Samuels left. Ben knew everyone's name and would find other things for you to do if you got injured rather than laying you off. The new plant manager has cancelled the fitness club and the social events which everyone really appreciated. You are especially concerned about the new policy whereby you could have two weeks to improve your performance or be fired. Two weeks is a pretty short period of time to make improvements! Also, there's a rumor being discussed that people are going to be laid off if there's a slow down, which never happened under Ben. Additionally, the new plant manager has reduced the frequency of equipment maintenance which is really short-sighted in your opinion. If the machines aren't maintained on a regular basis, they could shut down just when you need them most. You previously have a really good relationship with your supervisor; however, he is under so much pressure from the new plant manager that he is very short and direct in giving orders and seems unhappy all the time. Machine operators like you are in high demand. In fact, some operators have already left, and you are thinking of making a move yourself. One thing that could give the employees some power is bringing in a union. On behalf of some workers, you've had some discussions with your buddy at another company about their union. You've come to the meeting to try to convince the new plant manager that the changes he's made have backfired, and people don't like working at Consolidated Products anymore. Production might be up and costs down, but if all the good people leave, the company won't survive. Consolidated Products Machine Operators Things sure are different at Consolidated Products since Ben Samuels left. Ben knew everyone's name and would find other things for you to do if you got injured rather than laying you off. The new plant manager has cancelled the fitness club and the social events which everyone really appreciated. You are especially concerned about the new policy whereby you could have two weeks to improve your performance or be fired. Two weeks is a pretty short period of time to make improvements! Also, there's a rumor being discussed that people are going to be laid off if there's a slow down, which never happened under Ben. Additionally, the new plant manager has reduced the frequency of equipment maintenance which is really short-sighted in your opinion. If the machines aren't maintained on a regular basis, they could shut down just when you need them most. You previously have a really good relationship with your supervisor; however, he is under so much pressure from the new plant manager that he is very short and direct in giving orders and seems unhappy all the time. Machine operators like you are in high demand. In fact, some operators have already left, and you are thinking of making a move yourself. One thing that could give the employees some power is bringing in a union. On behalf of some workers, you've had some discussions with your buddy at another company about their union. You've come to the meeting to try to convince the new plant manager that the changes he's made have backfired, and people don't like working at Consolidated Products anymore. Production might be up and costs down, but if all the good people leave, the company won't survive. Consolidated Products Plant Supervisors You enjoyed working for Consolidated Products when Ben Samuels was the plant manager. He let you run your own departments as you saw fit. He did not micromanage you. Ben did not impose objectives and standards for the plant, but rather let you manage production outputs and oversee the quality of the products. You appreciated the fact that you were responsible to develop plans for improving productivity and product quality. It was easy to manage the employees, who reported to you, because they were happy working for Consolidated Products. The employees loved the fitness centre and the social activities sponsored by the plant such as picnics and holiday parties. As a result of these perks, the turnover rate was very low, which meant you didn't have to spend much time or budget on training. You are aware of the problems with productivity and product quality, but if Ben didn't seem worried why should you be? You don't like the new plant manager, Phil Jones, because you feel pressured by the high performance standards he set for your department. The computer monitoring system he put in place and laying off workers during slow periods are very unpopular with the employees who report to you, and you have to deal with a lot of grumbling. Reducing the frequency of equipment maintenance is a big mistake too. You don't think Phil's new two week timeframe for employees to "improve or be fired" is fair. And you really don't like it when Phil reprimands employees directly and does not allow you to manage your own team. As well, Phil demands that you check with him first before taking any action which means you no longer have autonomy over your own department. Concerning to you is the fact that the machine operators have been talking about bringing in a union, which something you don't want to happen. At this point, other supervisors have left and you decided to work on your own resume also. You've come to this meeting to try to convince Phil that his management style isn't working and the company is at risk of losing more good people if things don't get better. Consolidated Products Phil Jones, New Plant Manager You've been brought in by the new owners of Consolidated Products to turn things around, specifically the low production rates and the declining quality of the products. You believe there's been a "country club" culture in the company as a result of costly perks such as the fitness centre and the social events which you cancelled. You believe the supervisors have not been doing a good job managing the employees and have instituted a specific time period for people to improve or be fired. You've decided to model the behaviour you want from the supervisors by directly reprimanding employees. You have also decided to hold the supervisors to task by setting production and quality improvement targets which you expect them to report on at weekly meetings. Reducing the frequency of equipment maintenance and laying off employees during slow periods, are other changes you've implemented. As a result of these changes, a 20 percent reduction in production costs and the 10 percent increase in production output has achieved during your first year as plant manager. These improvements are something you are quite proud of. You are a bit concerned about the loss of some of the supervisors and machine operators, but believe they can be replaced. You've heard some employees are talking about unionization and that really concerns you, but you are not quite sure how to stop this movement. You've called this meeting to "share your thoughts" with the supervisors and the machine operators. You've been asked to turn the company around and they need to get on board or else. One thing you would like to head off is the union, so you hope you can convince the employees not to unionize, and you realize you may have to give them some perks, but want to keep that to a minimum. Consolidated Products Role Play: Observer General observations: Did the parties try to communicate in a positive manner? (give examples) What non-verbal communication did you observe in this round? Did they listen to each other? (give examples) Did they try to understand the other party's position? (give examples) Was there a spirit of compromise? (give examples) Gains and Losses What did Phil Jones gain/lose? What did the supervisors gain/lose? What did the machine operators gain/lose? ROUND 2 Consolidated Products Role Play: Observer General observations: Did the parties try to communicate in a positive manner? (give examples) What non-verbal communication did you observe in this round? Did they listen to each other? (give examples) Did they try to understand the other party's position? (give examples) Was there a spirit of compromise? (give examples) Gains and Losses What did Phil Jones gain/lose? What did the supervisors gain/lose? What did the machine operators gain/lose? ROUND 1 Consolidated Products Plant Supervisors You enjoyed working for Consolidated Products when Ben Samuels was the plant manager. He let you run your own departments as you saw fit. He did not micromanage you. Ben did not impose objectives and standards for the plant, but rather let you manage production outputs and oversee the quality of the products. You appreciated the fact that you were responsible to develop plans for improving productivity and product quality. It was easy to manage the employees, who reported to you, because they were happy working for Consolidated Products. The employees loved the fitness centre and the social activities sponsored by the plant such as picnics and holiday parties. As a result of these perks, the turnover rate was very low, which meant you didn't have to spend much time or budget on training. You are aware of the problems with productivity and product quality, but if Ben didn't seem worried why should you be? You don't like the new plant manager, Phil Jones, because you feel pressured by the high performance standards he set for your department. The computer monitoring system he put in place and laying off workers during slow periods are very unpopular with the employees who report to you, and you have to deal with a lot of grumbling. Reducing the frequency of equipment maintenance is a big mistake too. You don't think Phil's new two week timeframe for employees to "improve or be fired" is fair. And you really don't like it when Phil reprimands employees directly and does not allow you to manage your own team. As well, Phil demands that you check with him first before taking any action which means you no longer have autonomy over your own department. Concerning to you is the fact that the machine operators have been talking about bringing in a union, which something you don't want to happen. At this point, other supervisors have left and you decided to work on your own resume also. You've come to this meeting to try to convince Phil that his management style isn't working and the company is at risk of losing more good people if things don't get better. Consolidated Products Machine Operators Things sure are different at Consolidated Products since Ben Samuels left. Ben knew everyone's name and would find other things for you to do if you got injured rather than laying you off. The new plant manager has cancelled the fitness club and the social events which everyone really appreciated. You are especially concerned about the new policy whereby you could have two weeks to improve your performance or be fired. Two weeks is a pretty short period of time to make improvements! Also, there's a rumor being discussed that people are going to be laid off if there's a slow down, which never happened under Ben. Additionally, the new plant manager has reduced the frequency of equipment maintenance which is really short-sighted in your opinion. If the machines aren't maintained on a regular basis, they could shut down just when you need them most. You previously have a really good relationship with your supervisor; however, he is under so much pressure from the new plant manager that he is very short and direct in giving orders and seems unhappy all the time. Machine operators like you are in high demand. In fact, some operators have already left, and you are thinking of making a move yourself. One thing that could give the employees some power is bringing in a union. On behalf of some workers, you've had some discussions with your buddy at another company about their union. You've come to the meeting to try to convince the new plant manager that the changes he's made have backfired, and people don't like working at Consolidated Products anymore. Production might be up and costs down, but if all the good people leave, the company won't survive. Consolidated Products Machine Operators Things sure are different at Consolidated Products since Ben Samuels left. Ben knew everyone's name and would find other things for you to do if you got injured rather than laying you off. The new plant manager has cancelled the fitness club and the social events which everyone really appreciated. You are especially concerned about the new policy whereby you could have two weeks to improve your performance or be fired. Two weeks is a pretty short period of time to make improvements! Also, there's a rumor being discussed that people are going to be laid off if there's a slow down, which never happened under Ben. Additionally, the new plant manager has reduced the frequency of equipment maintenance which is really short-sighted in your opinion. If the machines aren't maintained on a regular basis, they could shut down just when you need them most. You previously have a really good relationship with your supervisor; however, he is under so much pressure from the new plant manager that he is very short and direct in giving orders and seems unhappy all the time. Machine operators like you are in high demand. In fact, some operators have already left, and you are thinking of making a move yourself. One thing that could give the employees some power is bringing in a union. On behalf of some workers, you've had some discussions with your buddy at another company about their union. You've come to the meeting to try to convince the new plant manager that the changes he's made have backfired, and people don't like working at Consolidated Products anymore. Production might be up and costs down, but if all the good people leave, the company won't survive. Consolidated Products Plant Supervisors You enjoyed working for Consolidated Products when Ben Samuels was the plant manager. He let you run your own departments as you saw fit. He did not micromanage you. Ben did not impose objectives and standards for the plant, but rather let you manage production outputs and oversee the quality of the products. You appreciated the fact that you were responsible to develop plans for improving productivity and product quality. It was easy to manage the employees, who reported to you, because they were happy working for Consolidated Products. The employees loved the fitness centre and the social activities sponsored by the plant such as picnics and holiday parties. As a result of these perks, the turnover rate was very low, which meant you didn't have to spend much time or budget on training. You are aware of the problems with productivity and product quality, but if Ben didn't seem worried why should you be? You don't like the new plant manager, Phil Jones, because you feel pressured by the high performance standards he set for your department. The computer monitoring system he put in place and laying off workers during slow periods are very unpopular with the employees who report to you, and you have to deal with a lot of grumbling. Reducing the frequency of equipment maintenance is a big mistake too. You don't think Phil's new two week timeframe for employees to "improve or be fired" is fair. And you really don't like it when Phil reprimands employees directly and does not allow you to manage your own team. As well, Phil demands that you check with him first before taking any action which means you no longer have autonomy over your own department. Concerning to you is the fact that the machine operators have been talking about bringing in a union, which something you don't want to happen. At this point, other supervisors have left and you decided to work on your own resume also. You've come to this meeting to try to convince Phil that his management style isn't working and the company is at risk of losing more good people if things don't get better. Consolidated Products Phil Jones, New Plant Manager You've been brought in by the new owners of Consolidated Products to turn things around, specifically the low production rates and the declining quality of the products. You believe there's been a "country club" culture in the company as a result of costly perks such as the fitness centre and the social events which you cancelled. You believe the supervisors have not been doing a good job managing the employees and have instituted a specific time period for people to improve or be fired. You've decided to model the behaviour you want from the supervisors by directly reprimanding employees. You have also decided to hold the supervisors to task by setting production and quality improvement targets which you expect them to report on at weekly meetings. Reducing the frequency of equipment maintenance and laying off employees during slow periods, are other changes you've implemented. As a result of these changes, a 20 percent reduction in production costs and the 10 percent increase in production output has achieved during your first year as plant manager. These improvements are something you are quite proud of. You are a bit concerned about the loss of some of the supervisors and machine operators, but believe they can be replaced. You've heard some employees are talking about unionization and that really concerns you, but you are not quite sure how to stop this movement. You've called this meeting to "share your thoughts" with the supervisors and the machine operators. You've been asked to turn the company around and they need to get on board or else. One thing you would like to head off is the union, so you hope you can convince the employees not to unionize, and you realize you may have to give them some perks, but want to keep that to a minimum. Consolidated Products Role Play: Observer General observations: Did the parties try to communicate in a positive manner? (give examples) What non-verbal communication did you observe in this round? Did they listen to each other? (give examples) Did they try to understand the other party's position? (give examples) Was there a spirit of compromise? (give examples) Gains and Losses What did Phil Jones gain/lose? What did the supervisors gain/lose? What did the machine operators gain/lose? ROUND 2
Expert Answer:
Answer rating: 100% (QA)
Overall Recommendations for Resolving the Situation at Consolidated Products 1 Open Dialogue Initiate a transparent and open dialogue between Phil Jones the new plant manager and both the supervisors ... View the full answer
Related Book For
Business Communication
ISBN: 978-1439080153
8th edition
Authors: Buddy Krizan, Patricia Merrier, Joyce P. Logan, Karen Schneiter Williams
Posted Date:
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