Week 3 Assignment - Case Study

“You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

1.  Explain how you would approach this employee.

The method of approach is probably one of the most important factors with handling the situation.  One thing I wouldn’t want to happen is for the troubled employee to feel like he/she is being targeted.  This is going to be difficult due to the fact that the employee performance has been subpar according to the company standards.  In approaching the employee, I would take the appropriate actions:

            a.  Schedule a time and place to meet with the employee – to prevent the employee from feeling like he/she is being put on the spot, preparation is key and a big step to preparing is finding the right place, away from everyone else, and as subtle as possible.

            b.  Organize the pertinent information – because the employee has received various complaints from others along with the fact that he/she has become confrontational, its important to get all the facts prior to meeting with him/her.  I wouldn’t want to approach the employee just by rumor.

            c.  Establish the right atmosphere – because the goal of this meeting is to deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal, I want to make sure that I meet with the employee in a setting that doesn’t make him/her already feel terminated. 

            d.  Conduct the session – being a good manager, I would have an ear to my department and know my people.  I feel that is what makes a good leader.  I would open the session by asking about how he/she was doing, and how his/her family (if any) is.  These questions may identify the problem immediately.

2.  Anticipate the employee’s response.

This is where having an appropriate counseling approach is vital during the meeting.  Even if I introduce the session in a calm, positive manner, the employee may still have feelings of betrayal, anger, shock, disbelief, ect.  If he/she is already exhibiting confrontational behavior, the type of approach I may use will be direct.  The following are examples of counseling approach the Air Force teaches in leadership training.

            a. Non-Directive – this method encourages two-way communication and can be used when the employee is cooperative.  As stated earlier, I would open the session by asking how everything was going which would allow him/her to communicate back to me.  With this method, the response for what’s triggering the behavior may come out in a stress-free setting.  It could be a family issue, or it could be frustration that in 2 years, he/she has not progressed the way expected.

            b. Directive – This approach is the “I talk, you listen” approach.  This means that the ultimatum is leaning heavy on the outcome of dismissal.  It also means that the employee is uncooperative with me and may even be confrontational.  He/she may have responded with “get off my back” or “everyone’s out to get me” or “after 2 years of hard work, this is the thanks I get.”

3.  Analyze which conflict resolution techniques you would use.

I think it’s important that a leader empowers his/her subordinates.  Many times, people are frustrated with their jobs because they don’t see their role in the bigger picture.  They don’t feel important to the organization.  One of the things I would do with the employee after finding out what the issue is would be to remind him/her their value with the company; ask him/her if they know the company mission plan and explain how they fit in it.  Additionally, I would see if the problem actually lies with other employees and also have a company meeting to discuss any issues; kind of like a “clear the air” session to let everybody say what they feel.  I’ve learned that often, people don’t really need anything except for the opportunity to vent to upper leadership.