Case Team Analysis of Jenson Shoes: Jane Kravitz’s Story
1. Problem and Issue Identification
The fundamental issue in the case of Jenson Shoes: Jane Kravitz’s Story is that Jane’s distorted perceptions of Lyndon Brooks causes her to manage him ineffectively. Specifically, disregarding Chuck’s negative perception of Lyndon, Jane opts to give Lyndon the “benefit of the doubt”, attributing his incompetent behaviour to external causes. This in turn, influences her management decisions; instead of using her authority to demand the required output from Lyndon, she makes special allowances for him in hopes that he will realize the potential she originally perceives him to possess. Throughout the analysis, when we refer to her decisions, or managing approach, we are referring to examples from the case including: throwing him a party, excessive guidance for project, taking him out for lunch, and negotiating the amount of work he is assigned.
2. Analyses and Evaluation
a. Factors that influence Jane’s perception of Lyndon
Individuals make decisions based on their perceptions, which are influenced by characteristics of the perceiver, the target, and the situation. Furthermore, errors, biases, and organizational constraints also influence this decision-making process. In order to understand Jane’s decisions, we must first understand how she formed her perception of Lyndon. Jane, the perceiver, is confident in her own managing skills and has a positive attitude toward this new project. This confidence causes her to overlook any negative connotations associated with Lyndon. In regards to the target, Jane assumes that Lyndon “could be a star if given the right situation and motivation”. Her optimistic view of Lyndon is caused by the context of the situation, namely, the fact that this new job is important to Jane’s career development.
b. Attribution Theory
Through application of the Attribution Theory, it is evident that Jane initially attributed Lyndon’s inadequate behaviour, such as his lack of motivation or failure to
The fundamental issue in the case of Jenson Shoes: Jane Kravitz’s Story is that Jane’s distorted perceptions of Lyndon Brooks causes her to manage him ineffectively. Specifically, disregarding Chuck’s negative perception of Lyndon, Jane opts to give Lyndon the “benefit of the doubt”, attributing his incompetent behaviour to external causes. This in turn, influences her management decisions; instead of using her authority to demand the required output from Lyndon, she makes special allowances for him in hopes that he will realize the potential she originally perceives him to possess. Throughout the analysis, when we refer to her decisions, or managing approach, we are referring to examples from the case including: throwing him a party, excessive guidance for project, taking him out for lunch, and negotiating the amount of work he is assigned.
2. Analyses and Evaluation
a. Factors that influence Jane’s perception of Lyndon
Individuals make decisions based on their perceptions, which are influenced by characteristics of the perceiver, the target, and the situation. Furthermore, errors, biases, and organizational constraints also influence this decision-making process. In order to understand Jane’s decisions, we must first understand how she formed her perception of Lyndon. Jane, the perceiver, is confident in her own managing skills and has a positive attitude toward this new project. This confidence causes her to overlook any negative connotations associated with Lyndon. In regards to the target, Jane assumes that Lyndon “could be a star if given the right situation and motivation”. Her optimistic view of Lyndon is caused by the context of the situation, namely, the fact that this new job is important to Jane’s career development.
b. Attribution Theory
Through application of the Attribution Theory, it is evident that Jane initially attributed Lyndon’s inadequate behaviour, such as his lack of motivation or failure to