Consolidated Life Case Study Assignment
Order ID 53563633773 Type Essay Writer Level Masters Style APA Sources/References 4 Perfect Number of Pages to Order 5-10 Pages Description/Paper Instructions
Consolidated Life Case Study Assignment
Description
CONSOLIDATED LIFE
Case Study 5
3 to 4 pages double spaced, TNR 12 pt font
- Summary of the Case- Refer to the textbook page 486
The case deals with the experiences of Mike Wilson at Consolidated Life. His career with Consolidated Life has some serious plot twists. For this case study, follow the directions carefully. The success of the exercise depends on your reading to a certain point and then stopping and trying to analyze what will happen later in the case.
- Answer the following questions – Use vocabulary and concepts from the text to describe and support your opinions.
- This case can be treated as a three-part predictive exercise (this means to get part of the information and try to predict what will happen next).
- Read only Part 1 and stop. How do you think the supervisors’ “statement of intent” will be received by top management at Consolidated Life?
- Read only Part 2 and stop. What do you think Mike will do now? What do you recommend that he do?
- Read Part 3. Should Mike try to continue his career with Consolidated Life or find a job elsewhere? How does the self-fulfilling prophecy affect this situation? If he leaves, do you think he can be successful in another organization?
- Was Mike wise to attempt to change the behavior of his boss? Was such an attempt ethical? What methods have you read about that he could have used? What would you have done differently?
- How do you think that Mike would describe the organizational culture at Consolidated Life? What is an employee’s responsibility for “reading” a firm’s culture, and for adjusting to it?
- Evaluate the memo that Mike wrote. Now assess the fairness and motivational impact of the feedback that Mike received. Will such feedback be useful in changing his behavior? What advice could you have given Rick and Jack prior to the meeting with Mike?
The study Case :Consolidated Life
PART 1
It all started so positively. Three days after graduating with his degree in business administration, Mike Wilson started his first day at a prestigious insurance company— Consolidated Life. He worked in the policy issue department. The work of the department was mostly clerical and did not require a high degree of technical knowledge. Given the repetitive and mundane nature of the work, the successful worker had to be consistent and willing to grind out paperwork.
Rick Belkner was the division’s vice president, “the man in charge” at the time. Rick was an actuary by training, a technical professional whose leadership style was laissez- faire. He was described in the division as “the mirror of whoever was the strongest person- ality around him.” It was also common knowledge that Rick made $60,000 a year while he spent his time doing crossword puzzles.
Mike was hired as a management trainee and promised a supervisory assignment within a year. However, because of a management reorganization, it was only six weeks before he was placed in charge of an eight-person unit.
The reorganization was intended to streamline work flow, upgrade and combine the clerical jobs, and make greater use of the computer system. It was a drastic departure from the old way of doing things and created a great deal of animosity and anxiety among the clerical staff.
Management realized that a flexible supervisory style was necessary to pull off the reorganization without immense turnover, so the managers gave their supervisors a free hand to run their units as they saw fit. Mike used this latitude to implement group meetings and training classes in his unit. In addition, he assured all members raises if they worked hard to attain them. By working long hours, participating in the mundane task with his unit, and being flexible in his management style, he was able to increase productivity, reduce errors, and reduce lost time. Things improved so dramatically that he was noticed by upper management and earned a reputation as a superstar despite being viewed as free-spirited and unorthodox. The feeling was that his loose people-oriented management style could be tolerated because his results were excellent.
A Chance for Advancement
After a year, Mike received an offer from a different Consolidated Life division located across town. Mike was asked to manage an office in the marketing area. The pay was excellent, and the position offered an opportunity to turn around an office in disarray.
This case was prepared by Joseph Weiss, Mark Wahlstrom, and Edward Marshall, and is used with permission of the authors and the publisher, Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc.
486
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The reorganization in his present division at Consolidated was almost complete and most of his mentors and friends in management had moved on to other jobs. Mike decided to accept the offer.
In his exit interview, he was assured that if he ever wanted to return, a position would be made for him. It was clear that he was held in high regard by management and staff alike. A huge party was thrown to send him off.
The new job was satisfying for a short time, but it became apparent to Mike that it did not have the long-term potential he had been promised. After bringing on a new staff, computerizing the office, and auditing the books, he began looking for a position that would both challenge him and give him the autonomy he needed to be successful.
Eventually, word got back to his former vice president, Rick Belkner, at Consolidated Life that Mike was looking for another job. Rick offered Mike a position with the same pay he was now receiving and control over a 14-person unit in his old division. After consider- ing other options, Mike decided to return to his old division, feeling he would be able to progress steadily over the next several years.
Enter Jack Greely; Mike Wilson Returns
Upon his return to Consolidated Life, Mike became aware of several changes that had taken place in the six months since his departure. The most important change was the hiring of a new divisional senior vice president, Jack Greely. Jack had been given total authority to run the division. Rick Belkner now reported to Jack.
Jack’s reputation was that he was tough but fair. It was necessary for people in Jack’s division to do things his way and get the work out.
Mike also found himself reporting to one of his former peers, Kathy Miller, who had been promoted to manager during the reorganization. Mike had always hit it off with Kathy and foresaw no problems in working with her.
After a week, Mike realized the extent of the changes that had occurred. Gone was the loose casual atmosphere that had marked his first tour in the division. Now, a stricter task-oriented management doctrine was practiced. Morale of the supervisory staff had decreased to an alarming level. Jack Greely was the major topic of conversation in and around the division. People joked that MBO now meant “management by oppression.”
Mike was greeted back with comments like “Welcome to prison” and “Why would you come back here? You must be desperate!” It seemed as if everyone was looking for new jobs or transfers. The negative attitudes were reflected in the poor quality of work being done.
Mike’s Idea: Supervisors’ Forum
Mike felt that a change in the management style of his boss (Jack) was necessary in order to improve a frustrating situation. Realizing that it would be difficult to affect Jack’s style directly, Mike requested permission from Rick Belkner to form a Supervi- sors’ Forum for all the managers on Mike’s level in the division. Mike explained that the purpose would be to enhance the existing management-training program. The forum would include weekly meetings, guest speakers, and discussions of topics relevant to the division and the industry. Mike thought the forum would show Greely that he was seri- ous not only about doing his job but also about improving morale in the division. Rick gave the okay for an initial meeting.
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Case Problems
The meeting took place and 10 supervisors who were Mike’s peers in the company eagerly took the opportunity to engage in the discussion. There was a euphoric attitude in the group as the members drafted their statement of intent. It read as follows:
To: From: Subject:
Rick Belkner
New Issue Services Supervisors Supervisors’ ForumOn Thursday, June 11, the Supervisors’ Forum held its first meeting. The objective of the meeting was to identify common areas of concern among the managers and determine topics we might be interested in pursuing.
The first area addressed was the void that we perceive exists in the management-training program. As a result of conditions beyond anyone’s control, many of us over the past year have held supervisory duties without the benefit of formal training or proper experience. Therefore, we propose that we use the Supervisors’ Forum as a means to enhance the existing management- training program. The areas we hope to affect with this supplemental training are as follows: (a) morale/job satisfaction, (b) quality of work and services, (c) productivity, and (d) management expertise as it relates to the life insurance industry. With this objective in mind, we have outlined below a list of activities we would like to pursue:
Further use of the existing in-house training programs provided for manager trainees and super- visors, i.e., Introduction to Supervision, EEO, and Coaching and Counseling.
A series of speakers from various sections in the company, which would help expose us to the technical aspects of their departments and their managerial styles.
Invitations to outside speakers to address the forum on topics such as managerial development, organizational structure and behavior, business policy, and the insurance industry. Speakers could be area college professors, consultants, and state insurance officials.
Outside training and visits to the field. This activity could include attendance at seminars on managerial theory and development relative to the insurance industry. Attached is a representa- tive sample of a program we would like to have considered in the future.
In conclusion, we hope this memo clearly illustrates what we are attempting to accomplish with this program. It is our hope that the above outline will give the forum credibility and establish it as an effective tool for all levels of management within New Issue Services. By supplementing our on-the-job training with a series of speakers and classes, we aim to develop prospective manage- rial personnel with a broad perspective of both the life insurance industry and management’s role in it. Also, we would like to extend an invitation to the underwriters to attend any programs that might be of interest to them.
cc: J. Greely Managers
The group felt that the memo accurately and diplomatically stated its dissatisfaction with the current situation. However, the members pondered what the results of their actions would be and what else they could have done.
PART 2
An emergency management meeting was called by Rick Belkner at Jack Greely’s request to address the union being formed by the supervisors. Four general managers, as well as Rick Belkner and Jack Greely were at that meeting. During the meeting it was suggested that the forum be disbanded to “put them in their place.” However, Rick Belkner felt that if guided in the proper direction, the forum could die from lack of interest. His stance was adopted, but it was common knowledge that Jack Greely was strongly opposed to the group
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and wanted its founders dealt with. His comment was, “It’s not a democracy and they’re not a union. If they don’t like it here, then they can leave.” An investigation was begun by the managers to determine who the main authors of the memo were so they could be dealt with.
At about this time, Mike’s unit had made a mistake on a case, which Jack Greely was embarrassed to admit to his boss. This embarrassment was more than Jack Greely cared to take from Mike Wilson. At the managers’ staff meeting that day, Jack stormed in and declared that the next supervisor to “screw up” was out the door. He would permit no more embarrassments of his division and repeated his earlier statement about “people leaving if they didn’t like it here.” It was clear to Mike and everyone else present that Mike Wilson was a marked man.
Mike had always been a loose amiable supervisor. The major reason his units had been successful was the attention he paid to each person and how he or she interacted with the group. He had a reputation for fairness, was seen as an excellent judge of personnel for new positions, and was noted for his ability to turn around people who had been in trouble. He motivated people through a dynamic, personable style and was noted for his general lack of regard for rules. He treated rules as obstacles to management and usually used his own discretion as to what was important. His office had a sign saying “Any fool can manage by rules. It takes an uncommon person to manage without any.” It was an approach that flew in the face of company policy, but it had been overlooked in the past because of his results. However, because of Mike’s actions with the Supervisors’ Forum, he was now regarded as a troublemaker, not a superstar, and his oddball style only made matters worse.
Faced with the fact that he was rumored to be out the door, Mike sat down to appraise the situation.
PART 3
Mike decided on the following course of action:
Keep the forum alive but moderate its tone so it wouldn’t step on Jack Greely’s toes.
Don’t panic. Simply outwork and outsmart the rest of the division. This plan included a massive retraining and remotivation of his personnel. He implemented weekly meet- ings, cross-training with other divisions, and a lot of interpersonal stroking to motivate the group.
Evoke praise from vendors and customers through excellent service, and direct that praise to Jack Greely.
The results after eight months were impressive. Mike’s unit improved the speed of pro- cessing 60 percent and lowered errors 75 percent. His staff became the most highly trained in the division. Mike had a file of several letters to Jack Greely that praised the unit’s excellent service. In addition, the Supervisors’ Forum had grudgingly attained credibility, although the scope of activity was restricted. Mike had even improved to the point of sub- mitting reports on time as a concession to management.
Mike was confident that the results would speak for themselves. However, one month before his scheduled promotion and one month after an excellent merit raise in recogni- tion of his exceptional work record, he was called into the office of his supervisor, Kathy Miller. She informed him that after long and careful consideration the decision had been made to deny his promotion because of his lack of attention to detail. Denial of the promo- tion did not mean he was not a good supervisor, just that he needed to follow more instead of taking the lead. Mike was stunned and said so. But before he said anything else, he asked to meet with Rick Belkner and Jack Greely the next day.
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Case Problems
Study Guides
The Showdown
Sitting face-to-face with Rick and Jack, Mike asked if they agreed with the appraisal Kathy had discussed with him. They both said they did. When asked if any other supervisor sur- passed his ability and results, each stated that Mike was one of the best, if not the best they had. Then why, Mike asked, would they deny him a promotion when others of less ability were approved? The answer came from Jack: “It’s nothing personal; we just don’t like your management style. You’re an oddball. We can’t run a division with 10 supervisors all doing different things. What kind of a business do you think we’re running here? We need people who conform to our style and methods so we can measure their results objectively. There is no room for subjective interpretation. It’s our feeling that if you really put your mind to it, you can be an excellent manager. It’s just that you now create trouble and rock the boat. We don’t need that. It doesn’t matter if you’re the best now. Sooner or later as you go up the ladder, you will be forced to pay more attention to administrative duties and you won’t handle them well. If we correct your bad habits now, we think you can go far.”
Mike was shocked. He turned to face Rick and blurted out, “You mean it doesn’t matter what my results are? All that matters is how I do things?” Rick leaned back in his chair and said in a casual tone, “In a word, yes.”
Mike left the office knowing that his career at Consolidated was over and immediately started looking for a new job. What had gone wrong?
Questions to be answered
- This case can be treated as a three-part predictive exercise.
a. Read only Part 1 and stop. How do you think the supervisors’ statement of intentwill be received by top management at Consolidated Life?
- Read Part 2. What do you think Mike will do now? What do you recommend that he do?
- Read Part 3. Should Mike try to continue his career with Consolidated Life or find a job elsewhere? How does the self-fulfilling prophecy affect this situation? If he leaves, do you think he can be successful in another organization?
Was Mike wise to attempt to change the behavior of his boss? Was such an attempt ethical? What methods have you read about that he could have used? What would you have done differently?
How do you think that Mike would describe the organizational culture at Consolidated Life? What is an employee’s responsibility for reading a firm’s culture and for adjust- ing to it?
Evaluate the memo Mike wrote. Now assess the fairness and motivational impact of the feedback that Mike received. Will such feedback be useful in changing his behav- ior? What advice could you have given Rick and Jack prior to the meeting with Mike?
RUBRIC
QUALITY OF RESPONSE NO RESPONSE POOR / UNSATISFACTORY SATISFACTORY GOOD EXCELLENT Content (worth a maximum of 50% of the total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 20 points out of 50: The essay illustrates poor understanding of the relevant material by failing to address or incorrectly addressing the relevant content; failing to identify or inaccurately explaining/defining key concepts/ideas; ignoring or incorrectly explaining key points/claims and the reasoning behind them; and/or incorrectly or inappropriately using terminology; and elements of the response are lacking. 30 points out of 50: The essay illustrates a rudimentary understanding of the relevant material by mentioning but not full explaining the relevant content; identifying some of the key concepts/ideas though failing to fully or accurately explain many of them; using terminology, though sometimes inaccurately or inappropriately; and/or incorporating some key claims/points but failing to explain the reasoning behind them or doing so inaccurately. Elements of the required response may also be lacking. 40 points out of 50: The essay illustrates solid understanding of the relevant material by correctly addressing most of the relevant content; identifying and explaining most of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology; explaining the reasoning behind most of the key points/claims; and/or where necessary or useful, substantiating some points with accurate examples. The answer is complete. 50 points: The essay illustrates exemplary understanding of the relevant material by thoroughly and correctly addressing the relevant content; identifying and explaining all of the key concepts/ideas; using correct terminology explaining the reasoning behind key points/claims and substantiating, as necessary/useful, points with several accurate and illuminating examples. No aspects of the required answer are missing. Use of Sources (worth a maximum of 20% of the total points). Zero points: Student failed to include citations and/or references. Or the student failed to submit a final paper. 5 out 20 points: Sources are seldom cited to support statements and/or format of citations are not recognizable as APA 6th Edition format. There are major errors in the formation of the references and citations. And/or there is a major reliance on highly questionable. The Student fails to provide an adequate synthesis of research collected for the paper. 10 out 20 points: References to scholarly sources are occasionally given; many statements seem unsubstantiated. Frequent errors in APA 6th Edition format, leaving the reader confused about the source of the information. There are significant errors of the formation in the references and citations. And/or there is a significant use of highly questionable sources. 15 out 20 points: Credible Scholarly sources are used effectively support claims and are, for the most part, clear and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition is used with only a few minor errors. There are minor errors in reference and/or citations. And/or there is some use of questionable sources. 20 points: Credible scholarly sources are used to give compelling evidence to support claims and are clearly and fairly represented. APA 6th Edition format is used accurately and consistently. The student uses above the maximum required references in the development of the assignment. Grammar (worth maximum of 20% of total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 5 points out of 20: The paper does not communicate ideas/points clearly due to inappropriate use of terminology and vague language; thoughts and sentences are disjointed or incomprehensible; organization lacking; and/or numerous grammatical, spelling/punctuation errors 10 points out 20: The paper is often unclear and difficult to follow due to some inappropriate terminology and/or vague language; ideas may be fragmented, wandering and/or repetitive; poor organization; and/or some grammatical, spelling, punctuation errors 15 points out of 20: The paper is mostly clear as a result of appropriate use of terminology and minimal vagueness; no tangents and no repetition; fairly good organization; almost perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage. 20 points: The paper is clear, concise, and a pleasure to read as a result of appropriate and precise use of terminology; total coherence of thoughts and presentation and logical organization; and the essay is error free. Structure of the Paper (worth 10% of total points) Zero points: Student failed to submit the final paper. 3 points out of 10: Student needs to develop better formatting skills. The paper omits significant structural elements required for and APA 6th edition paper. Formatting of the paper has major flaws. The paper does not conform to APA 6th edition requirements whatsoever. 5 points out of 10: Appearance of final paper demonstrates the student’s limited ability to format the paper. There are significant errors in formatting and/or the total omission of major components of an APA 6th edition paper. They can include the omission of the cover page, abstract, and page numbers. Additionally the page has major formatting issues with spacing or paragraph formation. Font size might not conform to size requirements. The student also significantly writes too large or too short of and paper 7 points out of 10: Research paper presents an above-average use of formatting skills. The paper has slight errors within the paper. This can include small errors or omissions with the cover page, abstract, page number, and headers. There could be also slight formatting issues with the document spacing or the font Additionally the paper might slightly exceed or undershoot the specific number of required written pages for the assignment. 10 points: Student provides a high-caliber, formatted paper. This includes an APA 6th edition cover page, abstract, page number, headers and is double spaced in 12’ Times Roman Font. Additionally, the paper conforms to the specific number of required written pages and neither goes over or under the specified length of the paper. GET THIS PROJECT NOW BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK TO PLACE THE ORDER
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