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Communication in management

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You are the supervisor for a large technology-based corporation. One of your subordinate managers, Carly, is heading up a project for a new system that is scheduled to market on the 1st of the year. It is August and things are not progressing at the pace you had hoped.

When you meet with Carly, all she does is complain about one of the team members, Morris. She exclaims that Morris is always contradicting her and disagreeing with her in front of the entire team. Nothing is getting done because there is this constant tension. Carly continues saying that he is acting like this because he feels that he is smarter than she is - he has a higher-level degree than she does.

When you ask if she has had a conversation with him about it, she says no. She feels that no matter what she says or does, he simply will not listen.

Later that day, you schedule a meeting with both Carly and Morris. After meeting with both parties and talking to other team members, it is obvious that Carly was exaggerating her story. As it turns out, Morris is treated unfairly as compared to the rest of the team. The other team members seem to think that Carly feels threatened by the team member.

Why do you think that Carly didn't come to you sooner to discuss the project delays?
Why do you think Carly hasn't had a conversation with Morris, or vice versa, about their differences? How do you think each of them would respond to this type of conversation? Explain.
What is the biggest problem with the way these team members interact? What could they do to remedy the problem? Explain.
Do you think Carly should continue to serve as Project Manager? Explain.
How would you begin to address this situation? Come up with a plan to remedy this problem and outline a plan for getting the project back on track for the January 1 release.

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This solution provides a detailed explanation of communication in a corporation.

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Hello. I provide the following to assist you with this question. Please note that much of the response provided is opinionated and therefore, you should provide some of your own input in these areas.

Why do you think that Carly didn't come to you sooner to discuss the project delays?

More than likely Carly didn't come to you sooner because she was exaggerating the story. She probably feared that you would side with Morris. Therefore, she would attempt to make excuses why the project wasn't getting done and when it was too late, if she couldn't rectify the situation, she would blame it on Morris or another team member.

Why do you think Carly hasn't had a coversation with Morris, or vice versa, about their differences?

Carly probably hasn't had a conversation with Morris because she was the one that felt intimidated by him because he has a higher-level degree that she does. Morris probably hasn't had a conversation with Carly about the situation because in this instance, she is his superior and he probably felt like what she says goes and that there was no point in discussing the situation.

How do you think each of them would respond to this type of conversation?

More than likely both would be on the defensive. I believe that Carly would be most defensive because, according to other employees, she had already exaggerated the conversations and opinions of Morris.

What is the biggest problem with the these team members interact?

The biggest problem is that these team members are not interacting in an adult and professional manner. They are letting their personal feelings or insecurties hinder the project.

What could they do to remedy the situation?

One or both of them could go to the other to attempt to work out their problems in an amicable fashion. If one or the other felt that having a conversation between the two of them alone would not be effective, then they should have requested a meeting with a supervisor to attempt to hash out their problems.

Do you think Carly should continue to serve as Project Manager?

I think that this depends on how far off base the project is. If it is August and ...

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