Carol Bevin’s Perceptions at Optico Case Study
Organizational Behavior – Carol Bevin’s Perceptions at OptiCo
1. What was Carol’s perception of Levy and Johnson? How did Carol’s perceptions change during the case?
Carol’s perception of Levy:
Based on the information of Carol Bevin’s perception, her first impression of the new chief financial officer Harold Levy was rather negative: he was stern, demanding and impatient. She thought that his flamboyant and aggressive style would not fit at OptiCo. Then, after a few months working with him, she said that his true personality began to show. In a way, it confirmed her first impressions that he had a large ego and a loud behavior (“who you work for is more important than the work you do. I’m your boss.”), that of one who felt that was running the show. In addition, she considered that he was very flirtatious when relating to women. On the other hand, she was able to modify her perception and noticing good aspects of Levy such as that he was action-oriented and was able to make changes that no one else would be able to, apparently with success. With time she and Levy developed a productive working relationship and the mutual cooperation between them turned out to be a successful one.
Later, when Levy announced that he left the Company, Carol was really surprised, because even if she knew that there were tensions between Levy and Johnson, she had the impression that Robert Johnson and Harold Levy were both very pleased with the Company’s evolution. But then, she realized that her perception didn’t reflect the reality of the situation.
Carol’s perception of Johnson:
Carol had very little direct contact with Robert Johnson, because he was often on the road and was busy when he was in the office. He wasn’t heavily involved with all levels of his company, except for his direct reports. In her opinion, she had a neutral to slightly positive relationship with him, because he had always been cordial when she passed him in the hall. She also presumed that he
1. What was Carol’s perception of Levy and Johnson? How did Carol’s perceptions change during the case?
Carol’s perception of Levy:
Based on the information of Carol Bevin’s perception, her first impression of the new chief financial officer Harold Levy was rather negative: he was stern, demanding and impatient. She thought that his flamboyant and aggressive style would not fit at OptiCo. Then, after a few months working with him, she said that his true personality began to show. In a way, it confirmed her first impressions that he had a large ego and a loud behavior (“who you work for is more important than the work you do. I’m your boss.”), that of one who felt that was running the show. In addition, she considered that he was very flirtatious when relating to women. On the other hand, she was able to modify her perception and noticing good aspects of Levy such as that he was action-oriented and was able to make changes that no one else would be able to, apparently with success. With time she and Levy developed a productive working relationship and the mutual cooperation between them turned out to be a successful one.
Later, when Levy announced that he left the Company, Carol was really surprised, because even if she knew that there were tensions between Levy and Johnson, she had the impression that Robert Johnson and Harold Levy were both very pleased with the Company’s evolution. But then, she realized that her perception didn’t reflect the reality of the situation.
Carol’s perception of Johnson:
Carol had very little direct contact with Robert Johnson, because he was often on the road and was busy when he was in the office. He wasn’t heavily involved with all levels of his company, except for his direct reports. In her opinion, she had a neutral to slightly positive relationship with him, because he had always been cordial when she passed him in the hall. She also presumed that he