Do the original goals of the team management system used at Marshalls comport more with the philosophy of human relations or human resources management? How would the theorists discussed in this chapter (Maslow, McGregor, Likert, and Blake and Mouton) analyze the current situation at Marshalls?

MINI CASE

Marshalls is a large plant in the midwestern United States that processes corn into the fructose syrup used in many soft drinks. Marshalls is a continuous processing plant, running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There are two major components of the plant. In the wet mill, where 75 employees work, the corn is soaked. Then the soaked corn moves on to the refinery (employing 80 employees), where the soggy corn is processed into fructose syrup. Marshalls is a computerized state-of-the-art plant, and much of the work in the wet mill and refinery consists of monitoring, maintenance, cleanup, and troubleshooting. There are also 30 staff members who work in the office and in various other support positions. All the employees except the support staff work 12-hour shifts.