Read the case below , "Heading Off a Permanent Misunderstanding," and analyze the case using the communication process:

Heading Off a Permanent Misunderstanding

Mindy Martin was no longer speaking to Al Sharp. She had been wary of him since her first day

at Alton Products; he had always seemed distant and aloof. She thought at first that he resented

her MBA degree, her fast rise in the company, or her sense of purpose and ambition. But she was

determined to get along with everyone in the office, so she had taken him out to lunch, praised

his work whenever she could, and even kept track of his sons Little League feats.

But all that ended with the appointment of the new Midwest marketing director. Martin had had

her sights on the job and thought her chances were good. She was competing with three other

managers on her level. Sharp was not in the running because he did not have a graduate degree,

but his voice was thought to carry a lot of weight with the top brass. Martin had less seniority

than any of her competitors, but her division had become the leader in the company, and upper

management had praised her lavishly. She believed that with a good recommendation from

Sharp, she would get the job.

But Walt Murdoch received the promotion and moved to Topeka. Martin was devastated. It was

bad enough that she did not get the promotion, but she could not stand the fact that Murdoch had

been chosen. She and Al Sharp had taken to calling Murdoch "Mr. Intolerable" because neither

of them could stand his pompous arrogance. She felt that his being chosen was an insult to her; it

made her rethink her entire career. When the grapevine confirmed her suspicion that Al Sharp

had strongly influenced the decision, she determined to reduce her interaction with Sharp to a

bare minimum.

Relations in the office were very chilly for almost a month. Sharp soon gave up trying to get

back in Martins favor, and they began communicating only in short, unsigned memos. Finally,

William Attridge, their immediate boss, could tolerate the hostility no longer and called the two

in for a meeting. "Were going to sit here until you two become friends again," he said, "or at

least until I find out whats bugging you."

Martin resisted for a few minutes, denying that anything had changed in their relationship, but

when she saw that Attridge was serious, she finally said, "Al seems more interested in dealing

with Walter Murdoch." Sharps jaw dropped; he sputtered but could not say anything. Attridge

came to the rescue.

"Walters been safely kicked upstairs, thanks in part to Al, and neither of you will have to deal

with him in the future. But if youre upset about that promotion, you should know that Al had

nothing but praise for you and kept pointing out how this division would suffer if we buried you

in Topeka. With your bonuses, youre still making as much as Murdoch. If your work here

continues to be outstanding, youll be headed for a much better place than Topeka."

Embarrassed, Martin looked at Sharp, who shrugged and said, "You want to go get some

coffee?"

Over coffee, Martin told Sharp what she had been thinking for the past month and apologized for treating him unfairly. Sharp explained that what she saw as aloofness was actually respect and

something akin to fear: He viewed her as brilliant and efficient. Consequently, he was very

cautious, trying not to offend her.

The next day, the office was almost back to normal. But a new ritual had been established:

Martin and Sharp took a coffee break together every day at ten. Soon their teasing and friendly competition loosened up everyone they worked with.

Moorhead and Griffin

QUESTION:

Where in the communication process did the misunderstanding occur? What caused the problem?

What communication pattern, if any, is displayed in the case?

What might have happened if the manager had not intervened?

Heading of a permanent Misunderstunding Mindy Martin was no longer speaking to Al Sharp. She had been wary of him since her first day at Alton Products, he had always seemed distant and aloof. She thought at first that he resented her MBA degree, her fast rise in the company, or her sense of purpose and ambition. But she was determined to get along with everyone in the office. so she had taken him out to lunch, praised This work whenever she could, and even kept track of his son's Little League feats. But all that ended with the appointment of the new Midwest marketing director Martin had had her sights on the job and thought her chances were good. She was competing with three other managers on her level. Sharp was not in the running because he did not have a graduate degree, but his voice was thought to carry a lot of weight with the top brass. Martin had less seniority than any of her competitors, but her division had become the leader in the company, and upper management had praised her lavishly. She believed that with a good recommendation from Sharp, she would get the job. But Walt Murdoch received the promotion and moved to Topeka. Martin was devastated. It was bad enough that she did not get the promotion, but she could not stand the fact that Murdoch had been chosen. She and Al Sharp had taken to calling Murdoch "Mr. Intolerable" because neither of them could stand his pompous arrogance. She felt that his being chosen was an insult to her, it made her rethink her entire career. When the grapevine confirmed her suspicion that Al Sharp had strongly influenced the decision, she determined to reduce her interaction with Sharp to a bare minimum Relations in the office were very chilly for almost a month. Sharp soon gave up trying to get back in Martin's favor, and they began communicating only in short, unsigned memos. Finally, William Attridge, their immediate boss, could tolerate the hostility no longer and called the two in for a meeting. "We're going to sit here until you two become friends again," he said. Tor at least until I find out what's bugging you." Martin resisted for a few minutes, denying that anything had changed in their relationship, but When she saw that Altridge was serious, she finally said. Al seems more interested in dealing with Walter Murdoch." Sharp's jaw dropped: he sputtered but could not say anything. Attridge cunse to the rescue. "Walter's been safely kicked upstairs, thanks in part to Al and neither of you will have to deal with him in the future. But if you're upset about that promotion, you should know that Al had nothing but praise for you and kept pointing out how this division would suffer if we buried you in Topeka. With your bomses, you're still making as much as Murdoch. If your work here continues to be outstanding, you'll be headed for a much better place than Topeka. Embarrassed, Martin looked at Sharp, who shrugged and said. "You want to go get some coffee Ovet coffee, Martin told Sharp what she had been thinking for the past month and apologized for treating him unfairly, Sharp explained that what she saw as aloofness was actually respect and something akin to fear He viewed her as brilliant and efficient. Consequently, he was very cautious, trying not to offend her. The next day, the office was almost back to normal. But a new ritual had been established: Martin and Sharp took a coffee break together every day atten. Soon their teasing and friendly competition loosened up everyone they worked with Moorhead and Griffin Description Read the case, "Heading Off a Permanent Misunderstanding," and analyze the case using the communication process. communication case.pdf Where in the communication process did the misunderstanding occur? What caused the problem? What communication pattern, if any, is displayed in the case? What might have happened if the manager had not intervened