Path Goal Role Play Instruction

This simulation involves one supervisor and three subordinates. Each team will have 6 students where 3 will be Pat the supervisor roles, and 3 are different subordinates (Chris, Jan, Fran). Pat will meet with Chris, Jan, and Fran in sequence.

Round 1

For the first round if you are the supervisor you will have to answer the questions listed below. However, if you are subordinate just read the case study carefully before class. Note that if you have the role of the supervisor for the first round this means for the subsequent round you will take in one of the subordinate role. Please follow the instructions for your roles.

Round 2

Now the roles will be switched and new information will be given. Students who previously had the role of the supervisor will take on one of the three subordinate roles. And the students with subordinate roles in Round 1 will take on the role of the supervisor. Please follow the instructions for your role

Supervisor

1. Read your role carefully

2. Please answer the questions provided before the next class

Subordinate

1. Read your role carefully

2. Think of important points to discuss during the simulation

Path-goal Leadership: the Pat Howard Role Play-Role Description for Pat Howard, Manager, Round 1

It is Monday morning and your first day on the job. You were delegated to take a lateral transfer in your company because it meant that you and your family could return to Philadelphia and be closer to elderly parents. You are the sales manage of a specialized system development group for a large, diversified multinational corporation. The representatives in your group do sales, interact with the engineering and design group, and do some customer support for number of customer-designated control systems. An individual sale is usually in the $20,000 to $60,000 range. Previously you held a similar position in the Orlando branch of the company. Leslie Little, the previous sale manager, took early retirement. You have heard through the grapevine that Leslie wasnt meeting the sales projections, especially for the new HX11 control system. The HX11 was the brainchild of the division V.P. in Orlando, you hadnt gotten much pressure to push the HX11 because few of the industries where it would be used were in your region. You are familiar with the product because one of your salespeople had been able to make two sales. It is an ingenious device that uses a radically different approach. You think the VP might be right in thinking the HX11 is the future of the division.

Last week you had the change to have dinner with Leslie Little, who explained that there had been a lot of turnover in the department recently, but didnt seems to know the reason. As a result, only three of the five positions were currently filled. Leslie gave you a perspective on each individual. Jan Perez has been the top (i.e. the most productive) sales person in the group for the past two years. Leslie said that Jan is confident about his/her abilities, and is the kind of person who believes that he/she can achieve difficult goals (and the reward that comes with them) by working hard. Fran Fulton has been in the group for a couple of years and has been an average performer. Fran seems uncomfortable with the inevitable conflicts that sometimes arise in a sales organization. Chris McBride, a new hire, is bright and personable, but this is Chriss first direct sales position.

You know that all the people in your group will be in the office this morning for the district sales meeting you had a change to meet and speak informally (i.e., socially) with each of the sales representatives last evening at a company social event. At that time you told them you would be in the office early this morning and would like to speak with each sales representative individually for fiveminutes before the district sales meeting to begin to talk about work issues and concerns. You will have time to meet individually with your three sales reps before the meeting. You want to motivate them toward better performance and, if necessary, influence them to push sales of HX11. You have a few minutes to plan how you will interact with each other.

Supervisors Pre-Meeting Planning Sheet

Before you begin your meetings, answer the following questions for each of the three subordinates with whom you will meet.

What do you plan to do when you meet Jan Perez?

What do you plan to do when you meet with Fran Fulton?

What do you plan to do when you meet Chris McBride?