Case Study "Bad News"
When George moved to the four-day workweek scheme, should he have expected his managers to work five days for four days' pay?
Yes, he should. Managers are leaders for the company employees. Therefore, they have to “model the way”. To effectively model the behavior they expect of others, leaders must first be clear about guiding principles. “Words and deeds must be consistent.” A company is a team, and a team has a complex structure. There are dependencies among members, and among groups within the company. The company is a complex model that is stitched with threads of honest, shared values, responsibility, passion, and etc. Employees will feel betrayed, if the management will continue being paid as previously.
2. Should George tell anyone except his immediate staff about the impending layoff before the details have been worked out? The employees?
Yes, He should. Fear can paralyze. A great leader once said that the greatest thing we have to fear is fear itself. The same can be said for the top managers. Managers understandably fear that they will not be able to find a way through the bad times. Employees too have fears. They will easily sense that times are not what they were. They too read newspapers, listen to news, know something about markets and talk with each other. They pay attention to managers’ nonverbal communication that says times are bad, perhaps really bad. Employees feed on each other’s fears. Employee/People have a right to know the truth. Often they are responsible not only for themselves but for their families as well. Knowing the truth employees/people can manage the situation in advance. They will get rid of their fair of uncertainty and begin acting. In a perfect world, managers have to communicate with the employees instead of leaving a message on their table that they are dismissed. Recognition, Shared Values, Honest, Credibility are useless words for people who were betrayed. What about the board of directors?
George should
Yes, he should. Managers are leaders for the company employees. Therefore, they have to “model the way”. To effectively model the behavior they expect of others, leaders must first be clear about guiding principles. “Words and deeds must be consistent.” A company is a team, and a team has a complex structure. There are dependencies among members, and among groups within the company. The company is a complex model that is stitched with threads of honest, shared values, responsibility, passion, and etc. Employees will feel betrayed, if the management will continue being paid as previously.
2. Should George tell anyone except his immediate staff about the impending layoff before the details have been worked out? The employees?
Yes, He should. Fear can paralyze. A great leader once said that the greatest thing we have to fear is fear itself. The same can be said for the top managers. Managers understandably fear that they will not be able to find a way through the bad times. Employees too have fears. They will easily sense that times are not what they were. They too read newspapers, listen to news, know something about markets and talk with each other. They pay attention to managers’ nonverbal communication that says times are bad, perhaps really bad. Employees feed on each other’s fears. Employee/People have a right to know the truth. Often they are responsible not only for themselves but for their families as well. Knowing the truth employees/people can manage the situation in advance. They will get rid of their fair of uncertainty and begin acting. In a perfect world, managers have to communicate with the employees instead of leaving a message on their table that they are dismissed. Recognition, Shared Values, Honest, Credibility are useless words for people who were betrayed. What about the board of directors?
George should