Thomas Green : Power, Office Politics And A Career Growth At The Corporate Headquarters Of Dynamic Displays

Thomas got hired on in the position with over six years of account executive experience. He did not have the experience for the role that he was applying for, but was extremely persistent in order to do what he could to get the job. He started off in the in-group by doing whatever he could to meet with Shannon which eventually allowed him to receive the offer of a senior market specialist. He also began to develop good rapport with Frank and listened closely to the full description of responsibilities he was required to fulfill.

Several observations and stories touch on how to use the large corporate environment and its resources to maintain a satisfying, successful career. In chapter 15, MacKenzie talks about how to address those who make their living within the hairball. He reminds us that we should not view those within the hairball as our enemies. He suggests that any time a bureaucrat stands between

In Images of Organisation, Morgan, in analysing organisational politics, discusses the relationship that exists between “one’s job tasks, career aspirations and extramural interests”.

Looking from the outside in, there are some distinct reasons why Edward Jones kept its employees finely motivated. Using the Job Characteristics Model as a template to analyze how it was done, it is apparent that Edward Jones harnessed for its employees job meaningfulness, responsibility, and demonstrated knowledge of results; which ultimately guided top-notch work outcomes (Louis, Notes on the Job Characteristics Model). Analyzing the ‘job characteristics’ section of the model, it is evident that Edward Jones mastered the concept of autonomy. Evidence presented itself when Jones’ employees were encouraged to grow roots and stay in one branch office without having to relocate in order to advance careers. This autonomy allowed for another characteristic to prevail, task significance. Through their autonomy, the individual branches reached out to connect with their clientele and clearly were able to perceive the impact that their

The intent of the proposal is to address the case brought forward to our organization concerning “The Young Change Agents,” at Price Waterhouse (PW) who later merged with Coopers & Lybrand. It is my understanding that the platform to address the need for change in the organization plummeted with three young pioneers (Shaw, Middleburg and Sgaralgli) recognized a need for change. Prior to Shaw and Middleburg arrival to PWC, they had an opportunity to work in a well-known student organization AIESEC. In their tenure at AIESEC life was different, as Shaw recalled while operating as the president of the national organization in New Zealand division; he recognized that AIESEC focused on developing his leadership skills by focusing on such programs as skills, attitudes, values and cultural understanding. Furthermore, he noted that his transition to PwC led to a lower echelon, and it was difficult to transition from the president to a staff member. PwC also had a high spending budget for stationery compared to New Zealand AIESEC. Moreover, the technology was not up to par for such a large cooperation. (Jick & Peiperl, p. 463) Shaw and Middleburg later partnered with Sgaralgi to fight the deficiencies that they saw in PwC. They created a force that focused on overhauling the existing values at PwC. They approached each situation, manager and employee one step at a time. Expecting nothing in return, but only to share their message on the new

When faced with a fresh start, whether that is enrolling at a new school, starting a new hobby or, most importantly, starting a new job, there will always be growing pains. Anyone who has experienced a transition from one role to another can make a case for the tensions and discomfort that usually arise. Whether this tension stems from your peers in the workplace or even the managers superior to you, it takes a great deal of effort to ensure that the transition of roles in the workplace is as smooth as possible. In the Harvard Business School case “Thomas Green: Power, Office Politics, and a Career in Crisis,” Thomas Green, recently promoted Senior Market Specialist at Dynamic Displays faces a challenge when he and his direct manager, Marketing Director, Frank Davis, clash in their working styles. As a result of Davis’ loss of credibility and the clash of priorities between the two men, Green’s place at Dynamic along with his job security become tenuous.

After working for five months as an account executive, Thomas Green was directly promoted as the Senior Market Specialist by the vice president of the company, Shannon McDonald, because of immense potential exhibited by him. However, Frank Davis, Green’s boss, did not intend to choose Green as the new senior market specialist. Green and Davis disagreed on work styles and market projections. Green believed that the sales goals set by Davis are based on "creative accounting" and he grossly overstated the existing market environment. A mood of silent conflict developed quickly between them. Davis was very unhappy about Green’s performance and working attitude even after three months of his promotion. Green was concerned

Thomas Green is a creative and ambitious executive with impeccable marketing skills. He is a go-getter who goes out of his way to meet potential clients and pitch ideas on how to improve business relations between airlines, hotels and taxi services. His work styles involve an adept and calculated approach to marketing that is pegged on increasing customer satisfaction and amassing a high clientele (Sasser, 2011). He is also revolutionary and change-oriented. On the other hand, Frank Davis is an experienced marketing strategist who is quite rigid to change. Being in the business for 20 years, Frank possesses the necessary experience and expertise to land clients. However, he adopts an authoritarian form of leadership that entails imposing of ideas on his subordinates (Sasser, 2011). He seeks to tell his subordinates what to do and expects them to follow without question.

Analyzing Meg and Marissa’s corporate climate, we can infer that Meg is very close to the ideal leader profile - Hockey stick. She has been in the industry for quite long and sessioned her skills to become a great and successful leader. Whereas, Marissa is still learning and her profile explains her corporate actions and press sentiments towards decisions. Meg is more mature and clear on her long-term goals whereas Marissa focuses on short-term goals driven by reward. However, both understand and encourage openness within their organizations.

Chern’s talent philosophy is focused on the retention and development of their employees. They are the primary source for their associate department managers and department managers is their sales associate position, with 75 percent of their promotion coming from this source. In a review of the turnover data, the leadership team learned that they are losing a large number of good sales associates. The executives learned that a disproportionate number of good sales associates had left the organization. The exit interview data shows that the sales associates are leaving because they don’t feel there is opportunities available for them to reach managerial positions in the company they are looking for. This indicates that the organization is not doing an effective job communicating promotional opportunities and career development planning to high-potential sales associates. Chern’s needs to improve their communication process for promotional opportunities and ensure that they have a strong succession planning strategy in place to develop high-potential sales associates for open managerial positions.

Working with people in the corporate world and understanding social behaviors is without a doubt a setting where I want to continue gaining experience and expanding my knowledge. Idealistically I would love to see myself in a position where it would be intrinsically as well as extrinsically rewarding; I am at the age where I finally understand that money does not equate happiness. As a novice in the field I do not yet have sufficient understanding of all the positions available with the degree in I/O. A plethora of occupations could benefit from the understanding of the fundamental principles provided by an I/O psychologist. While working at Ross, I catch myself observing the hierarchical pyramid of the HR department, trying to envision where I would love to see myself in 10 years. Specifically, I am intrigued and keen on learning more from the HR consulting sector of the firm, specializing in a variety of fields (i.e. employee incentives, reward programs, benefits). However, I have also realized by observing the Vice President of the HR consulting firm that the stress level within the high level jobs in this particular employment area are ultimately very high. Supporting my realization, Pritchar, Hart, and Fuenton (1989) employment in the arena of HR consulting firms, although they acquire a high starting salary, these specific roles also resonate high levels of pressure; “the overall amount of work demand” (28). If I will go on this route I will have to assess and weigh

Uniquely, various leaders in organizations have faced a similar struggle where their chosen career does not necessarily correspond with their passion. However, they have risen to a leadership position by identifying ways to be passionate about work. This often takes the form of embracing change in an organization, becoming adaptable and flexible to overcome challenges while being agile in solving problems. As they do so, organizations come to respect their abilities, praise their accomplishments and drive their careers. This ultimately creates passion for leaders as they come to understand that their contributions do matter. As these leaders gain power, they must understand where they came from and that there are various other employees who feel stuck and unable to make a difference. It is up to leaders to use the three levels of pull to achieve their potential.

A person’s success in an organization not only depends on his or her personality and ability, but also how he or she manages office politics and resolves conflicts. In order to successfully manage interpersonal relations within a corporate environment, one also needs to understand the power and influence structures in one’s organization. Failure to develop effective work relationships can cause job dissatisfaction, low work performance, unnecessary conflicts, and potentially getting fired from one’s job. Thomas Green Case is a great example of how different work styles and office politics can result in a career crisis.

A number of different issues at NPR show the impact on performance of various behaviors of the management team. Poor conflict handling within NPR has lead to poorer performance by the management team. The jurisdictional ambiguity, or the crossover between where each person thinks his or her management boundary is, is an ongoing issue. Morgan and Tayor’s arguments over what their exact roles are within the company, as well as on strategies that the company should use to attract clients is evidence of this.

I embarked on my ten-week journey into the corporate world at Deloitte, determined and open-minded, soon subjected to the realities of what tech consulting truly was - beyond the corporate mantras and recruiter pitches. In stark contrast to university - applying technical concepts, synthesizing key meeting discussion points, and attending 9am stand-ups quickly became the norm. For me, this placement was about challenging what I knew as a young professional and adult and in doing so accumulating a bank of examples where I’ve learnt to handle difficult situations, gained new analytical skills or reconsidered my actions and behaviours more critically. Through reflecting on my thoughts from voice memos I recorded throughout my placement, this