Question One
The case study in this situation and for this question shows a store manager that is obviously acting in an improper way. Indeed, sales are down at one of the stores and the store manager has reacted to this, at least in part, by berating and yelling at people that do not have the leverage or latitude to raise sales on their own. Indeed, it is conceded as part of the run-up to this question that the marketing and other high-level operations of the firm are what really get people into the store. Instead of going about things the right way, the manager has acted in a way that has led to lower morale and a feeling among many people in the store that perhaps it is best to move onto another job. To be sure, complaining about the lagging sales is one thing but the salespeople cannot do their job when the people necessary to incur the sales are not entering the door in the first place. If the customer is there and is turned off or away by the service, that would be one thing. However, it is pretty clear that the customers are not showing up in the first place and are instead going to the smaller retailers mentioned in the case study (HBR).
When it comes to emotional intelligence and how it was not used in this situation, there are a few clear examples. First, the manager played the blame game and put the blame for the fledgling sales at the feet of the salespeople. Second, even if it was the salespeople’s fault that sales are down, to come with an attitude and tone like the store manager used is never acceptable. The directive as noted in the case study is to be flexible in achieving goals. Further, the department managers are keenly aware that the current state of affairs puts them in a bit of a lose/lose situation. They are being accosted for not meeting sales quotas but those same department managers have no real leverage to fix the shortage of sales. Instead of coming with the anger and illogical accusations that were manifested, the store manager instead should have assured the department managers and other staff that the marketing and other methods to bring in customers would be tweaked so as to get more people through the door. Only then can the department managers and sales staff do the job that they were hired to do. It is imperative that the store manager do this and do it quickly. Whatever emotions and statements that the store manager emits is going to rub off on the employees. If the store manager is composed and fair, this will be received well by the employees. If, on the other hand, the store manager is grumpy, short-fused and otherwise hard to work with, this will almost certainly lead to people looking for proverbial greener pastures. If the people that work at the store are affected in a negative way, which is what will happen if the store manager or any other manager acts improperly (or allows a worker to do the same in an uninhibited way), the performance of the store will falter (Ovans).
Question Two
It is perhaps a bit too common that actions or inactions can be misinterpreted. The chances of this happening skyrocket when there is a person that is different than the rest of a group. The case study snippet for this section of this report is proof positive of this. However, to use two generic examples that are exterior to and different than this one, there are many things that could be cited. For example, a person that is quiet and reserved may come off as a snob or intense. The silence may be interpreted to mean that the person thinks that they are “too good” to be among the others in the group. It could also be perceived that the person is festering or “intense”. Meaning, they might feel that the silence means that the person is pent up and simply trying to not “blow up” and otherwise become a spectacle. Regardless, silence can be off-putting and it is not interpreted positively by people that do not know the person that is leaving things unsaid in an artificial or obvious way. It can come down to shyness but a clear differentiation between that person and the others can also be the root cause, not unlike the case study example given. Another example would be a person that is clearly in a political minority. To use an example from the United States, a Hillary Clinton supporter would probably be uncomfortable in a group of Donald Trump supporters (Ingram).
In the case of the employee for this section of the report, people are doing a lot of presuming and that needs to be shut down. First of all, the different employee has every right to have their own lifestyle and life choices and that person should not be treated like dirt because of it. Second of all, to punish someone for activities that, at the end of the day, do not really have anything to do with work (even if they involve a group of people from a single department or employer) is not remotely fair. The employee that is different should have no burden to keep up on popular culture and go out drinking just to be in the office clique. To address this, there should be team-building activities that involve things and activities that are more palatable and acceptable to the employee that is averse to engaging in the activities under way. If the activities in question are organized by the employer, the employer would have the ability to control when they happen, how they happen and so forth. Beyond that, the employer needs to make clear that not everyone has the same hobbies and habits outside of the workplace and that using this as a means to divide and gossip is not remotely acceptable. Just because someone has not seen the newest movie at the cinema or tried the newest and greatest beer should not be ostracized or mistreated for it. As noted above, it should be of no concern to the other employees what the new person does outside of the office and she should not be mistreated for not being like the others. She should be judged on her work performanceno more and no less (Ingram).
Question Three
When it comes to addressing an employee that cannot or will not identify and congeal with the group and its teambuilding mission, one has to be a bit careful. Regardless, dealing with this matter as described in the third part of the case study requires that the manager remain dispassionate and focus on the facts and details of the issue at hand rather than acting in a knee-jerk or reckless way. In terms of what is really going on, the employee is probably shy. Another possibility (and probably likely in this case) is that the employee is introverted and simply likes to work alone. This can be borne of being anti-social or it could be due to lack of trust and common respect for other teammates. It is no mystery that many people like to have sole and complete ownership of what they are working on because they are a bit of a perfectionist or something else like the sort. However, if it is the mission of the company to require that all employees sign on to the efforts and methods of the team rather than acting on their own, this employee must be made to understand that participation with the group is not an option and it is expected to be done. It may be hard to justify firing an employee who technically gets their job done on time. The reason this issue must be forced is that having an employee who refuses to meld with the corporate culture of the wider firm can be a cancer and a problem for the rest of the company. If the company is not clearly towing the line and keeping people aligned with the expected culture, this will not go unnoticed by the other people, especially those closest to the employee in question (Economy).
As far as how to engage this employee and situation, there must be an understanding of why the employee insists on being a loner and not a full team player. One has to use communication styles and keeping emotions out of it by approaching the employee and asking them why they prefer to work alone and what is keeping them from engaging the group. Of course, there has to be a reason but the inquiries about this subject cannot be overly direct or caustic. Failure to keep things civil and polite is a bad idea, obviously. One can be direct but approaching the person like they are scum and absolutely in the wrong is not the way to go. Compliance is obviously what is expected and required in this case but there has to be some common ground before buy-in and cooperation can be realized in this case, in all likelihood. To answer the third bullet of this section of the report, it comes down to assessing and drawing out the needs and preferences of the employee in question and also asserting the needs of the company. If it can be impressed upon the introverted employee that cooperation is expected but that it can also lead to trust and synergy, some common ground should be more than possible (Economy).
Question Four
It obviously stands to reason that emotionally effective people will be willing and able to adapt to the revised business strategies and goals of the company. If sales are falling, that is something that must be focused on. Sure, the sales figures should not be raised if the salespeople have no ability to get people in the door. However, if people are in the door and sales are down, then sales needs to be the main focus. So long as the expectations and goals of the store are fair and reasonable, the people that are charged with raising sales will probably realize that delaying training is a good idea so as to right the proverbial ship when it comes to sales. However, the store manager and other executives/managers involved need to be careful. They need to ensure that they present information in the right way. The communication should not be negative but it should be honest. Indeed, telling the relevant people that sales are down and that adjustments are needed to get things corrected is all well and good so long as it is done in the right way. So long as there are no illogical business goals and/or the use of fear and anger as tools to demand compliance, then the employees should receive it well, or at least better than they would if the negative tactics are used (Bradberry).
Regardless of the details and the options, it has to be realized how certain tones, decisions and so forth can be taken in terms of emotional and work-related reactions. Instilling a sense of calm and the idea that the struggles going on can and will be overcome and that non-necessary items in the present will simply be delayed is the good way to go. The tone and words actually matter a lot more than what is actually being communicated, although that needs to be line up properly as well. In short, the problem should be called what it is and in the right way in addition to having a plan that actually makes sense and that is based on the reality as it is exists and as it is desired to exist. Regardless of the plans or what is desired, the company has to be sure that all relevant laws related to OHS and WHS are followed. Indeed, anything that compromises any sort of laws or regulations (e.g. safety) cannot be allowed or permitted. Even if an employee is willing to skirt the law, they must be told flatly and plainly to not do so. The company has to make sure that all business decisions are both legal and ethical. Just meeting one standard or the other is not acceptable from a corporate social responsibility standpoint. This would include keeping expectations realistic, not cutting corners when it comes to safety and otherwise implementing a plan that is measured, based on things as they truly exist and so forth. Emotions and emotional intelligence comes down more on the ethical side. However, this does not make it any less important or vital (Australia).
Works Cited
Australia. "Work Health And Safety (OHS) Acts, Regulations And Codes Of Practice".
Business.gov.au. N.p., 2016. Web. 8 Sept. 2016.
Bradberry, Travis. "Why You Need Emotional Intelligence To Succeed In Business".
Entrepreneur.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 8 Sept. 2016.
Economy, Peter. "5 Ways To Build An Extraordinary Team Culture". Inc.com. N.p.,
2015. Web. 8 Sept. 2016.
Ingram, David. "Promotion & Awareness Of Cultural Diversity In The Workplace".
smallbusiness.chron.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 8 Sept. 2016.
Ovans, Andrea. "How Emotional Intelligence Became A Key Leadership Skill". Harvard
Business Review. N.p., 2015. Web. 8 Sept. 2016.
