The new employee orientation committee charged with replacing the current orientation program got off to a good
Question:
The new employee orientation committee charged with replacing the current orientation program got off to a good start at their first meeting. The members seemed excited by the opportunity. Shane, the leader from human resources, was more of a facilitator than dictator and so committee members were able to generate lots of good ideas for what new employees needed. That also meant Shane was not particularly good at addressing conflicts when they came up, like where to conduct the orientation. Several members wanted to go to the conference center at a new hotel in town while others wanted to save money and simply use company conference rooms. Casey was particularly adamant about the advantages of going offsite, but the first meeting ended without a decision about location.
At the second meeting, Casey brought full-color brochures about the hotel conference center that emphasized its diverse food options and reasonable prices. Before long, everyone agreed to try it there at least this time.
Narrowing down the topics was not so easy. Terry was convinced new employees just needed to understand the company's policies and rules. JB felt it was more important they get a sense of the corporate culture and climate. During that discussion, Lane and Kai began arguing with each other. Soon they were attacking each other personally. Kai accused Lane of not knowing company's policy and Kai said Lane was a rule-bound bureaucrat who needed to lighten up. Rather than address the conflict, Shane said they would continue the discussion at the next meeting because they were out of time.
Between meetings, Reese found a consultant who used company policies as a way to understand organizational culture. When Reese recommended the consultant at the third meeting, everyone quickly agreed that was a great solution, but Kai and Lane still managed to be at each other's throats as they tried to work on other details from menus to room arrangements. The meeting ended with the topics selected but with many of the details still in limbo.
The final planning meeting was today. Everyone hoped Shane would have specific recommendations for the details and that Kai and Lane would be absent.
QUESTION:
What is a brief framing of this case? What are the issues and opportunities? What assumptions can be made?
What alternatives are there for addressing the Issues/Opportunities that are presented? And what are the pros and cons of each? What are the most important themes of the case and why are they important lessons to learn? Lastly, what recommendations can be made to improve communication in the organization?
Project Management The Managerial Process
ISBN: 9781260570434
8th Edition
Authors: Eric W Larson, Clifford F. Gray