Case Assignment
Part I: Role Playing
Bret O’Brien
Bret O’Brien works for MediSys Corporation as a manager in product engineering. First employed at the company in 1995, he is experienced in his field having previously led the engineering effort for pulmonary systems. O’Brien has been rated a high performer and was personally groomed for a managerial role by Len Broman the Vice President of Design and Engineering. He was one of the original members of the ad hoc group that formed to create the early development of the patient monitoring system to be used in hospitals’ intensive care units later named IntensCare. O’Brien was then included in the formalized core team put together by Art Beaumont. His responsibility is to ensure that the software and hardware’s forms will be finalized by May 1st.
Bret O’Brien’s bases of power include legitimate power, information power, expert power, and referent power. He can exercise legitimate power for the obvious reason that he is the manager of the engineering and design area of the team for the IntensCare project. He reports directly back to the project leader, Jack Fogel, and is the voice for all those working under him in terms of product hardware development. Secondly, O’Brien holds information power because he is the manager of design and engineering. He knows every stage of the development process of the software and hardware including progress and setbacks that the engineering area of the team is having giving him information power. For example, O’Brien held the knowledge of some serious engineering problems, which arose with trying to fit the data displays and battery units into the customer size specifications, that he chose only to divulge to Jack Fogel. Thirdly, O’Brien is able to exercise is expert power. Having obtained a Masters degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology as well as having been trained by Len Broman, the VP of Engineering and Design, O’Brien is very knowledgeable and experienced in product hardware and
Bret O’Brien
Bret O’Brien works for MediSys Corporation as a manager in product engineering. First employed at the company in 1995, he is experienced in his field having previously led the engineering effort for pulmonary systems. O’Brien has been rated a high performer and was personally groomed for a managerial role by Len Broman the Vice President of Design and Engineering. He was one of the original members of the ad hoc group that formed to create the early development of the patient monitoring system to be used in hospitals’ intensive care units later named IntensCare. O’Brien was then included in the formalized core team put together by Art Beaumont. His responsibility is to ensure that the software and hardware’s forms will be finalized by May 1st.
Bret O’Brien’s bases of power include legitimate power, information power, expert power, and referent power. He can exercise legitimate power for the obvious reason that he is the manager of the engineering and design area of the team for the IntensCare project. He reports directly back to the project leader, Jack Fogel, and is the voice for all those working under him in terms of product hardware development. Secondly, O’Brien holds information power because he is the manager of design and engineering. He knows every stage of the development process of the software and hardware including progress and setbacks that the engineering area of the team is having giving him information power. For example, O’Brien held the knowledge of some serious engineering problems, which arose with trying to fit the data displays and battery units into the customer size specifications, that he chose only to divulge to Jack Fogel. Thirdly, O’Brien is able to exercise is expert power. Having obtained a Masters degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology as well as having been trained by Len Broman, the VP of Engineering and Design, O’Brien is very knowledgeable and experienced in product hardware and