Please read the case Did Major League Baseball Value Money over Bob Bowmans Behavior and answer the following questions.

1/ What is the underlying problem in this case from Commissioner Rob Manfreds perspective?

2/ Why do you think Bowmans behavior was ignored for over 10 years?

3/ What would you have done if you were Commissioner Manfred?

4/ Which of the seven challenges to being an exceptional manager did Commissioner Manfred face in dealing with Bowman? How did he handle them?

Mintzberg concluded that managers play three broad roles: (1) interpersonal-figurehead, leader, and liaison; (2) informational monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson; and (3) decisional-entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, and negotiator 1.6 Seven Challenges to Being an Exceptional Manager Managing for competitive advantage, which means an organization must stay ahead in four areas, being responsive to customers, innovating new products or services offering better quality, being more efficient. Managing for diversity among different genders, ages, races, and ethnicities. Managing for globalization, the expanding universe. Managing for computers and telecommunications, information technology, Managing for right and wrong, or ethical standards. Managing for sustainability. Managing for your own happiness and meaningful life goals. 1.7 Building Your Career Readiness Career readiness reflects the extent to which you possess the knowledge, skills, attitudes and other characteristics (KSAOS) desired by employers. Research uncovered 27 KSAOs preferred by employers (see Table 1.2). Six actions develop career readiness: Build self- awareness, learn from educational activities, model others possessing the targeted competencies, learn from on-the-job activities, seek experience from student groups and organizations, and experiment. 1.8 Career Corner: Managing Your Career Readiness A four-step process is recommended for managing your career readiness: Identify the KSAOs you want to develop, determine which concepts are relevant for developing your targeted KSAOs, experiment with implementing a few small steps aimed at developing your KSAOs, and evaluate the results of your experimental small steps. It takes willingness on your part to manage career readiness. Understanding the Chapter: What Do I Know? 1. What is the difference between being efficient and being effective? 2. What is the formal , three-part definition of management? 3. How would I define the four functions of management? 4. What are the differences among the four levels of managers in the organizational pyramid? 5. Mintzberg's study in the 1960s came up with three important findings about a manager's routine. What are they, and are they probably still the same today? 6. Mintzberg also found that managers play three important roles. What are they, and what examples can I think of? 7. What are the three skills that exceptional managers need to cultivate, and which one do I probably have to work on most? 8. What are the seven challenges of being a manager, and which one is the one I will probably most have to worry about during my lifetime? 9. What does it mean to be career ready, and what are the attributes that define it? 10. How can I build my level of career readiness? Management in Action Did Major League Baseball Value Money Over Bob Bowman's Behavior? Major League Baseball (MLB) is the oldest major pro- fessional sports league in the United States. It is com- posed of 30 teams in two leagues, the National League and the American League, each containing 15 teams. The two leagues merged into a single organization in 2000 and are led by the Commissioner of Baseball.133 The Commissioner oversees the hiring and manage- ment of umpiring crews and negotiates all contracts controlling marketing, labor, and television rights. MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) is the multimedia arm of MLB. It was formed in 2000 by then Commis- sioner Bud Selig: Selig was Commissioner from 1998 to 2015. MLBAM "operates the official website for the league and the 30 Major League Baseball club websites The Exceptional Manager CHAPTER 1 39 via MLB.com, which draws four million hits per day. The site offers news, standings, statistics, and sched- ules, and subscribers have access to live audio and video broadcasts of most games. The company also em- ploys reporters, with one assigned to each team for the season and others serving more general beats. MLB Advanced Media also owns and operates Baseball- Channel.tv and MLB Radio."134 BOWMAN AND HIS SUCCESS AT MLBAM Bob Bowman was hired to run MLBAM in 2000. Prior to that he worked as treasurer of the state of Michigan from 1983 to 1990 and then for ITT Corp. He ultimately became ITT's president and chief oper- ating officer 135 Bowman was given great latitude and autonomy by Commissioner Selig. He thus decided to locate MLBAM's headquarters two miles away from the league office on Park Avenue and ran his operation like a fiefdom, according to The Wall Street Journal. A reporter from the New York Times concluded that the physical distance between the two corporate offices and Bowman's ability to deliver enormous profits for the league and its team owners, apparently enabled Bowman to operate with little scrutiny from league officials." 136 MLBAM prospered under Bowman. The New York Times reported that MLBAM "became the crown jewel of Major League Baseball, the envy of every sports league and one of the most important companies as the broadcast world transitioned to digital streaming. It generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue annually, and 75 percent of a spinoff company, Bam- Tech, has been sold for $2.58 billion. "137 Current MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said "Bob's vision made our game even more accessible and enjoyable to millions of fans." 138 Bowman's success led one reporter to conclude that he "was once considered one of the two or three most powerful figures in all of professional sports."139 It was even suggested that Bowman should have been selected over Rob Manfred as Commissioner, and as a possible successor to replace Bob Iger as CEO of The Walt Disney Company. 140 ALLEGATIONS PERSIST ABOUT BOWMAN'S BEHAVIOR Reporters from The Wall Street Journal concluded that Bowman was forced to resign "after years of troubling workplace behavior that former baseball executives were said to be made aware of at least a decade ago." The reporters noted evidence suggesting that Bowman "engaged in a pattern of behavior that included propo- sitioning female colleagues, allegedly having consen- sual relationships with subordinate co-workers and cultivating a culture of partying and heavy drinking with employees outside the office." These concerns were raised at least 10 years ago with Bob DuPuy, MLB's president and chief operating officer, who in turn informed Commissioner Selig.141 Bowman was considered brilliant yet hard on others. The Wall Street Journal reported that he "would just talk down to people," often yelling. "Just disrespectful."142 More recently, Bowman was accused of "pushing an executive for the Fenway Sports Management, the Red Sox parent company, and verbally abusing an em- ployee in October" [2017]. It also was alleged that Bowman hired women to entertain people at the 2016 All-Star Game. These women were believed to be escorts and some of them were heard encouraging attendees to leave to have sex quickly so that they could return to solicit another attendee," according to The Wall Street Journal 143 A former high-ranking baseball official told Wall Street Journal reporters that what Bowman "gave in heartburn was always overshadowed by what he gave in money." This individual also stated that Bud Selig "had no interest in dealing with it."144 NOW WHAT? Current MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he was unaware of Bowman's historically bad behavior. He did, however, believe that the latest incidents necessi- tated a conversation with Bowman. This conversation resulted in a joint decision that it was time for Bowman to leave. 145 Bowman provided a statement to The Wall Street Journal. He acknowledged that MLBAM's culture was hardworking and driven, and that his behavior was in- appropriate. He took full responsibility for his actions. He also apologized to those he offended or hurt Following Bowman's departure, Commissioner Manfred made it mandatory for all full and part-time staff to participate in a 45-minute online training course that focused on discrimination and harassment. Manfred wants employees to have practical tools they can use in combatting disruptive employee behavior, according to The Wall Street Journal 146 Manfred also is addressing the culture gap between MLB and MLBAM. His solution is to combine the two offices in one location in the summer of 2019. FOR DISCUSSION Problem Solving Perspective 1. What is the underlying problem in this case from Commissioner Rob Manfred's perspective? 2. Why do you think Bowman's behavior was ignored for over 10 years? 3. What would you have done if you were Commissioner Manfred? 40 PART 1 Introduction