Case 7-1. Who Is Managing The Manager? Team F Alex Stratton Brandyn Butler Roha Qureshi Toan Huynh (Tony)  

Case Summary Privately owned Oreck vacuum cleaner store Two employees John Timmson (Owner) Gerald Mahoney (Sales Manager/Sole full-time employee) Deteriorating work relationship between John and Gerald Gerald overwhelmed by number of responsibilities John’s lack of involvement in day to day business at the store

Case Summary Continued Mahoney’s exhibits low job performance Mahoney blames it on external factors Timmson begins to think whether Mahoney is the right person for the job

Character Analysis

Gerald Mahoney Sales Manager and sole full-time employee Exhibits low job performance Blames performance on external factors Lack of help from John Unable to organize job priorities Never received management training

John Timmson Owner of Oreck vacuum store Rarely at store Success of store does not appear to be his top priority Blames Gerald for the store’s low profits Is not proactive in problem solving Never provided Gerald with formal training

Problem Identification and Solutions

What type of training should Mahoney have immediately received from John Timmson that might have avoided this?

One-on-One/On-the-Job Training Allows trainees to learn quicker Provides instant feedback from the trainer The instructor can customize the training process to the trainee’s needs Results in higher training-to-job transfer Increased training satisfaction and job satisfaction

A study was conducted to determine the relationship between training satisfaction, overall job satisfaction, and what training methods resulted in the highest correlation between the two. One-on-One training explained a large portion of the variance of job satisfaction Schmidt, S. (2007). The Relationship Between Satisfaction with Workplace Training and Overall Job Satisfaction. Human Resource Development Quarterly,18, 481-497.

Pros it would most likely be highly effective in changing the way Mahoney manages the store Cons it would be very time consuming for Timmson which appears to be a scarce commodity for him to invest in Mahoney and the store.

  Assuming Timmson keeps Mahoney as the store manager, what would be the steps he institutes in the training process?

Interactive/Case Observation Method Step 1: Preparation Of The Trainee Introduce the topics that will be covered during the training to the trainee Step 2: Present Mahoney With The Task Timmson would perform all of the tasks while explaining each step several times. Have Mahoney verbally walk Timmson through the steps to the task Provide Mahoney with a written list of all steps and tasks.

Step 3: Allow Mahoney To Perform All Tasks On His Own Mahoney would perform all tasks while explaining each step and then Timmson would correct any errors that he sees.   Step 4: Follow Up  Timmson would provide any help that is necessary while Mahoney is on the job.   Allow Mahoney to perform task without direct supervision

training would be very costly and time consuming. Pros High fidelity of the training method and transferability to Mahoney’s task performance. Cons training would be very costly and time consuming.

Assuming that Timmson and Mahoney agree to a training program in order to solve the problem, what are some challenges Timmson might face in conducting this training?

Challenges time high costs of training “small business owners face higher costs of training and lower benefits than larger business owners” Storey, D. (2004). Exploring the link, among small firms, between management training and firm performance: a comparison between the UK and other OECD countries..International Journal of Human Resource Management, 15, 112-130.

Requires time, a commodity that Timmson doesn’t seem to have Pros Would help Mahoney with his task management and increase his job performance Cons Requires time, a commodity that Timmson doesn’t seem to have Timmson does not seem to want to manage Mahoney so why would he invest time a effort into doing so

What are the five methods for increasing and decreasing employee behavior? Which ones would work best for changing some of Mahoney’s more problematic behaviors?

Positive reinforcement application of a reward as result of a desirable behavior Punishment Type I the application of a negative reward in order to decrease unwanted behavior Punishment Type II the removal of a desirable reward in order to decrease unwanted behavior

Negative reinforcement removal of an unwanted outcome when a desirable behavior is performed Extinction occurs when there is the removal of a consequence following an unwanted behavior

Use Positive Reinforcement

Pros it is the most effective way to improve job performance and desirable behavior. Cons Costs would add up over time Uncertainty of results in the long-run

What are some of the appropriate training techniques that Timmson might use to increase Mahoney’s KSAs? 

Case Observational Method (COM) COM is both more cost effective than sensitivity training and has more variety than it as well. uses situational cases and group discussions to develop problem solving and situational analysis among those in the group. Gannon, M. (1970). THE CASE OBSERVATIONAL METHOD: A NEW TRAINING TECHNIQUE.. Training & Development Journal, 24, 39.

very effective in improving Mahoney’s KSAs. Pros fairly inexpensive very effective in improving Mahoney’s KSAs. Cons there may not necessarily be a class offered in the area therefore not being very realistic as a training method.

Mahoney jumped from being a sales associate under Mr Mahoney jumped from being a sales associate under Mr. Paulson to a store manager under Mr. Timmson. How might career planning and development have helped him in making this transition?

Career planning and development could have prepared Mahoney with basic managerial training Would have given Mahoney with at least a small management foundation Training would have made the transition easier

Recap

Mahoney needs to receive the proper training for his position

One-on-One/On-the-Job Training Or Interactive/Case Method Observation Method And Positive Reinforcement