You are a member of a small consumer loan company. The staff consists of you, another...

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You are a member of a small consumer loan company. The staff consists of you, another loan officer, and a secretary. Last month, a larger financial institution acquired your firm and made some personnel changes. The other loan officer, with whom you had worked for four years, was replaced by Aiko Sato. Having entered the company at about the same time, you and Aiko have known each other for years. In fact, you worked in the Ann Arbor office together for a year. During that time, you were both single, and together you enjoyed the nightlife of Detroit. You learn Aiko is still single and "living it up. In contrast, you have been married for about three years. You looked forward to working with Aiko again but wondered if your lack of interest in the local night scene would affect your relationship. Aiko has a reputation of being capable but lazy. She's known for taking in lots of loan applications and then striking bargains with or cajoling coworkers into helping out with the dreaded credit-checking process. You wonder if this practice has anything to do with the fact that her uncle was a founding partner in the bank. After Aiko arrives, you are shocked at the difference in your work attitudes and lifestyles. "Boy, what a difference three years makes! you think to yourself. You and your previous officemate, Jim, were both married, and both of you favored a vigorous working tempo from 9:00 to 5:15, taking lunch when convenient. You and Jim had a great working relationship, and the loan volume in your office increased steadily. There was even some discussion of expanding the size of the staff. In contrast, Aiko prefers leisurely mornings that begin around 10:30, lunches as long as Mexican siestas, and a flurry of activity between 4:00 and 7:30 p.m. You and your spouse are experiencing some marital turbulence, and you feel it is very important to be home in the evenings. Your spouse has begun attending night classes and leaves for school at 8:00 p.m. The educational program is an extremely intense three-year ordeal. Unfortunately, the stress level already seems unbearable. When you stay at the office late, you not only miss dinner together, but you don't even see each other until after class, when you are both so tired there is no opportunity for quality time. It seems as though most weekends are devoted to homework. Because the office staff is so small, the difference in workday rhythms is creating a serious hardship on you. Aiko doesn't function well in the morning and has begun expressing irritation when you rush out the door at closing time. Lately, your relationship has become strained. You handle most of the walk-in business early in the morning, eat lunch at your desk, and have your paperwork done by 5:30 at the latest. In contrast, Aiko is just getting into high gear about 4:00. Because company rules require checking each other's loan approvals, Aiko becomes testy when you say you can't stay after 5:30 to check her work. Some evenings you have relented and stayed until 7:00 or 8:00, but your spouse got upset. When you don't stay late, you are greeted by a stack of paperwork on your desk in the morning, which makes it difficult for you to meet with new customers. Several times Aiko has tried to get you to do the credit checks on her loan applications, saying that the press of new business was too great. Something has got to change! You decide to go to lunch with Aiko today and tell her how you feel. Aiko Sato, Loan Officer E) New flashcard Copy You have worked for this f time, you have passed up o of working in a small office about making a lot of mon GD Start audio here Search selection very good at your work. During that titutions because you like the flexibility ncially well off, so you aren't concerned Customize menu In every other office, your coworkers have been willing to accommodate your work style. They recognize you are one of the top loan officers in the companyand having the right last name doesn't hurt any so they make allowances for your quirks. But your new officemate (and, you thought, old friend) is an exception. Since you arrived, the relationship has been testy because of your different schedules. You don't understand why there can't be more tolerance for your work style. After all, you get the job done, and that's what counts. Besides, your requests for assistance are not that unreasonable; other coworkers have always been willing to comply. Thinking about the impending discussion, you realize how important it is for you to get Amaliya to change her work habits to conform with yours. You certainly hope you can convince Amaliya to pitch in and help you when you get behind. I mean, that's what coworkers (and old friends) are for, right? you muse on the way to work. During the discussion, you plan to stress the reasonableness of your requests. Others have never objected strenuously; why should Amaliya? If that doesn't work, you plan to try to work out a bargain. Maybe you could put in a good word for Amaliya with your uncle, a founder of the company. Amaliya's career hasn't exactly skyrocketed, and she is probably itching to move to a larger office in a metropolitan city. Possibly, her title could be upgraded to Senior Loan Officer. 1. Identify the problem statement(s), symptoms and sources of influence being demonstrated. Show each element of the problem statement using the four-step process. Then, show the combined clear and concise problem statement. 2. Is it harder or easier to stand up for your rights with strangers (including relatively new coworkers) or friends (including long-time coworkers)? Why? 3. How legitimate/effective is it for Amaliya to include her personal concerns about her marriage in this discussion? 4. Which of the strategies to be used by Aiko would Amaliya find most difficult/easiest to effectively counter? 5. Which of Amaliya's arguments/suggestions would Aiko find most compelling? 6. What are the pros and cons of Amaliya complaining to the boss regarding a situation like this? 7. Identify if there are any substantive negative communication characteristics within your team for this assignment? If some are identified, please identify what actions can be undertaken to improve them? Ignoring issues will not make them go away. You are a member of a small consumer loan company. The staff consists of you, another loan officer, and a secretary. Last month, a larger financial institution acquired your firm and made some personnel changes. The other loan officer, with whom you had worked for four years, was replaced by Aiko Sato. Having entered the company at about the same time, you and Aiko have known each other for years. In fact, you worked in the Ann Arbor office together for a year. During that time, you were both single, and together you enjoyed the nightlife of Detroit. You learn Aiko is still single and "living it up. In contrast, you have been married for about three years. You looked forward to working with Aiko again but wondered if your lack of interest in the local night scene would affect your relationship. Aiko has a reputation of being capable but lazy. She's known for taking in lots of loan applications and then striking bargains with or cajoling coworkers into helping out with the dreaded credit-checking process. You wonder if this practice has anything to do with the fact that her uncle was a founding partner in the bank. After Aiko arrives, you are shocked at the difference in your work attitudes and lifestyles. "Boy, what a difference three years makes! you think to yourself. You and your previous officemate, Jim, were both married, and both of you favored a vigorous working tempo from 9:00 to 5:15, taking lunch when convenient. You and Jim had a great working relationship, and the loan volume in your office increased steadily. There was even some discussion of expanding the size of the staff. In contrast, Aiko prefers leisurely mornings that begin around 10:30, lunches as long as Mexican siestas, and a flurry of activity between 4:00 and 7:30 p.m. You and your spouse are experiencing some marital turbulence, and you feel it is very important to be home in the evenings. Your spouse has begun attending night classes and leaves for school at 8:00 p.m. The educational program is an extremely intense three-year ordeal. Unfortunately, the stress level already seems unbearable. When you stay at the office late, you not only miss dinner together, but you don't even see each other until after class, when you are both so tired there is no opportunity for quality time. It seems as though most weekends are devoted to homework. Because the office staff is so small, the difference in workday rhythms is creating a serious hardship on you. Aiko doesn't function well in the morning and has begun expressing irritation when you rush out the door at closing time. Lately, your relationship has become strained. You handle most of the walk-in business early in the morning, eat lunch at your desk, and have your paperwork done by 5:30 at the latest. In contrast, Aiko is just getting into high gear about 4:00. Because company rules require checking each other's loan approvals, Aiko becomes testy when you say you can't stay after 5:30 to check her work. Some evenings you have relented and stayed until 7:00 or 8:00, but your spouse got upset. When you don't stay late, you are greeted by a stack of paperwork on your desk in the morning, which makes it difficult for you to meet with new customers. Several times Aiko has tried to get you to do the credit checks on her loan applications, saying that the press of new business was too great. Something has got to change! You decide to go to lunch with Aiko today and tell her how you feel. Aiko Sato, Loan Officer E) New flashcard Copy You have worked for this f time, you have passed up o of working in a small office about making a lot of mon GD Start audio here Search selection very good at your work. During that titutions because you like the flexibility ncially well off, so you aren't concerned Customize menu In every other office, your coworkers have been willing to accommodate your work style. They recognize you are one of the top loan officers in the companyand having the right last name doesn't hurt any so they make allowances for your quirks. But your new officemate (and, you thought, old friend) is an exception. Since you arrived, the relationship has been testy because of your different schedules. You don't understand why there can't be more tolerance for your work style. After all, you get the job done, and that's what counts. Besides, your requests for assistance are not that unreasonable; other coworkers have always been willing to comply. Thinking about the impending discussion, you realize how important it is for you to get Amaliya to change her work habits to conform with yours. You certainly hope you can convince Amaliya to pitch in and help you when you get behind. I mean, that's what coworkers (and old friends) are for, right? you muse on the way to work. During the discussion, you plan to stress the reasonableness of your requests. Others have never objected strenuously; why should Amaliya? If that doesn't work, you plan to try to work out a bargain. Maybe you could put in a good word for Amaliya with your uncle, a founder of the company. Amaliya's career hasn't exactly skyrocketed, and she is probably itching to move to a larger office in a metropolitan city. Possibly, her title could be upgraded to Senior Loan Officer. 1. Identify the problem statement(s), symptoms and sources of influence being demonstrated. Show each element of the problem statement using the four-step process. Then, show the combined clear and concise problem statement. 2. Is it harder or easier to stand up for your rights with strangers (including relatively new coworkers) or friends (including long-time coworkers)? Why? 3. How legitimate/effective is it for Amaliya to include her personal concerns about her marriage in this discussion? 4. Which of the strategies to be used by Aiko would Amaliya find most difficult/easiest to effectively counter? 5. Which of Amaliya's arguments/suggestions would Aiko find most compelling? 6. What are the pros and cons of Amaliya complaining to the boss regarding a situation like this? 7. Identify if there are any substantive negative communication characteristics within your team for this assignment? If some are identified, please identify what actions can be undertaken to improve them? Ignoring issues will not make them go away.