Question

CASE SCENARIO: SALES DEALERSHIP DILEMMA

Mark has recently been promoted to manager of a large car dealership. He is happy for the promotion and confident that he can succeed, however, in discussion with his wife, he admitted to experiencing stress due to the recent change and the demands of the new position.

Late one afternoon, Gabrielle a newly recruited salesperson came to his office with a complaint about something she says really bothers her. Ever since her recruitment, she has been heckled by her male co-workers, who do not believe a female is suitable for the job, in fact, there have been snide comments about the reasons for her selection.

Mark is aware of the challenge and admits that her employment constitutes a significant change in the organization. He informed her, that in its 30 years of existence, females have only been hired for administrative roles but never as salespersons. He however assured her, that her performance would be the deciding factor and hastened to advise her about a proposed 360 degree evaluation system, which would be beneficial in ensuring fair performance evaluations.

At a meeting with his team, Mark sought to address the situation by informing them that Gabrielle was selected strictly based on the recruitment requirements implemented by the Human Resource Department. He also informed them of a new 360 degree performance management system which would be implemented within the next quarter and advised that personnel from the Human Resource department would be visiting the location, to advise them about the merits of the system.

The stress level within the organization is at an all time high. Mark needs to do something quick, as the current situation is having a negative impact on sales.

Question 1

1.       Given the current situation, identify and explain at least three (3) potential sources of
         work-related stress that could have possibly caused the low staff morale at the dealership.
         [CLO 2]                                                                                                               [12 marks]
2. Describe in detail, four (4) steps would you propose for Mark to take, to reduce the experience of stress among the workforce.                                                        
   [CLO 2]                                                                                                               [12 marks]
3. Explain at least four (4) measures that Mark has at his disposal, to ensure that employees respond positively to change in the organization.                 [16 marks]
   [CLO 5]

Question 4

The social psychologists French and Raven, in a now-classic study (1959), developed a scheme of five (5) categories of power, which reflected the different bases or resources that power holders rely upon.]

Answer 1

Q.1. a.

Organisation culture: The organizational culture in the car dealership is a male dominant one. The abilities of  females are questioned by the males and they are scorned at.

Bad management practices: The management practices were such that females were never given an administrative job in the last 30 years. This is a biased practice as females will feel that the organization is discriminating against them. In every organization, there should be equal opportunities for both men and women.

Relationships at work: The relationships at work are not good. The males are questioning the appointment of a female worker for an administrative job and being harassed, and this has led to friction between the employees within the organization

Lack of support: In this organization, Gabrielle doesn’t have the support of fellow male employees. This will make Gabrielle more stressed.

b. Steps to reduce stress:

Open discussion: The employees should be asked to openly discuss the issues they are facing. By communicating and negotiating with each other, they can come up with solutions for solving the tension between the employees within the organization.

Counselling: Providing counselling to the employees will help them to manage stress well. The employees will be able to alter themselves in order to manage the stress properly.

Make sure there are enough breaks: Giving the employees enough breaks will help them to cope with stress and work much better. Employees will feel more relaxed.

Encourage social activity: Involving the employees in social activities will mean that they can get away from the stress as well and also get to know each other. This will help in creating bonds between the employees and people can get along with each other quite well.

Flexible working and remote working: Flexible working and remote working will allow the employees to make sure that work schedule suits them. Remote working means that employees do not have to go to the workplace and can work from home. This means that there is a little chance of employees facing snide comments from fellow employees and they will feel more relaxed and satisfied.

c. Measures at Mark’s disposal:

Communication: Talk with the employees and let them know what they feel about the change process. Listen to what they have to say about it and value their concerns and fears.

Employee participation: Allow employees to participate in the change process. Take input from them and ask for their advice while making important decisions. This will mean that employees will be motivated and will accept the change process much better.

Training the employees: Train the employees to provide them with the important skills that they need to face the new requirements. Sometimes, employees will not be confident about the change process and will wonder whether they will be able to cope up with the new job requirements and the pressure that comes along with it.

Employee recognition and evaluation: Evaluate the work of the employees and let them know about the progress they are making. Recognize and laud those people who try to accustom themselves to the new work requirements. Those who are not doing enough to fit in should be told that their performances are not good enough.

Five categories of power:

Legitimate: This refers to the formal power that one has over others to demand from them the expected efforts. This comes to existence as a result of formal appointment. For example, the power of the Prime Minister comes as a result of his election.

Reward: This is the power to compensate someone or not compensate someone. A person has the power to reward someone when they do well, and not to increment their pay or give them bonuses when they are not performing well.

Expert: This is the kind of power that comes as a result of their experience or qualifications. For example, the power of a project manager.

Referent: This is dependent on a person’s personal traits and qualities, how highly they are held in the minds of other people. This comes as a result of their association with someone or some association. For example, if there is an employee who has previously worked for a large multinational firm, he or she will have an influence on others.

Coercive: This refers to the ability to punish or take away from someone something. This will be achieved by intimidating them that something will be taken away from them if they do not adhere to the instructions. For example, telling an employee that their contract will be terminated if they do not work according to the instructions being provided to them.