Into the Fray Issues - Case Study Example

Expert Opinion Case Study: Into the Fray Martin Sharkey Western International Expert Opinion Case Study: Into the Fray What dependencies exist? The first dependency that is the immediate cause for the outburst of Michael’s problem is the resignation of Lafleur’s SAs president of U.S. operations, Lucien Beaumont. This incident leaves the question of who will take his position. As a result, people at Lafleur have become very careful and politically-minded, in order to “back the right horse”. Another deeply rooted dependency is the previous acquisition of New-York-based Campos Beverage by Lafleur. Even without Beaumont’s resignation, restructuring is underway; there is expected cut-down of staff. It can be presumed that Lafleur management will prefer their own staff to take up the leading positions. This presumption, however, is disputable, because the company has been managed by Lafleur’s and Campos’s managers for two years, meaning that both parties have had time to prove their professionalism. This leads on to another dependency on the workplace, which is the experience of the candidates for the open position. Lafleur executives are likely to choose the most experienced and high potential candidate who have proven their skills not only in results-achievement, but also in communication. This makes Michael’s guess about Danielle’s favorable position well-grounded. It’s probably also because of Michael’s lack of international experience that Pierre offers him an open position in China, which will add to his professional background. Related to the issue of competition is Michaels relationship with Danielle Harcourt, more precisely the lack thereof. It results from Michaels overall attitude towards “office politics”. Consequently Michael suffers the lack of her support and is overwhelmed with suspicions about her intentions. Another dependency that comes into question after CEO’s proposition for China is the effect such a move can have on Michael’s family. His wife, Karen, has already given up an attractive position for Michaels career and future sacrifices are very hard for her to accept; and when it comes to their son, there are both positive and negative implications from a prospective move to China. herofcourt, more precisely te more precisely teunication. ars, meaning that p000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 2. Do Michael’s colleagues demonstrate legitimate or illegitimate political behavior? In my opinion, Danielle demonstrates completely legitimate political behavior. After she has attempted to establish a professional relationship with Michael and upon his refusal and inaction, she has no reason to regard Michael as an ally. Still, the communication she has with Michael and his subordinates is straightforward by e-mailing and meetings proposals. The problem with political behavior is not with Danielle’s moves, but with Michael’s disregard of “social alliances that make an organization run” (Cohen). Therefore rumors and interpretations make Danielles behavior seem threatening and illegitimate. The only problem is that Danielle is acting and connecting to people in order to obtain the desired position, and Michael is not. 3. What should Michael do about the China opportunity? Why? First of all, Michael should decide whether or not he wants a career at Lafleur (Hassan). If he does, then his ambition should be long-term oriented and he and his family should judge as to what the best move for Michael is. If he really wants to develop in Lafleur, then he should take this opportunity seriously and discuss the personal implications with his family. Michael lacks international experience and the China position is an opportunity for him to develop his leadership abilities in networking (Cohen) and grow in the company. What is more, CEO’s proposition is only indicative that Michael is not the best candidate for Beaumonts place right now, but it also proves Pierre’s trust in Michael’s abilities and his desire to keep Michael motivated and within the company. 4. What should Michael do about the open position for President of U.S. Operations? The assumption for the proposition for China is that Michael has little chance to get the open position of head of U.S. operations (Rhodes). Still, if Michael really wants this position, he should discuss it with Lafleur’s CEO, Pierre Hoffman. Its obvious that Pierre is positive about Michael’s future in the company, so they should discuss Michael’s career prospects and his real chances to get the position. Still, my opinion is that Michael is not ready to take such responsibility and, provided he seeks a career at Lafleur, he should accept the China offer and back-up Danielles moves to take the position in U.S. 5. Does Michael have any power in this situation, and if so, what type(s) of power? In my opinion Michael has little political power to negotiate for the open position in U.S. for several reasons. First, he lacks international experience. Second, he has not proven skills in social networking. Third, the offer for China is the best proof that somebody else is already considered for President of U.S. Operations. Still, the latter is only an assumption Michael should prove. Michael has some power which is derived from his excellent performance and top results in the category he manages. This is the best proof for Michael’s managerial abilities. Further on, Michael has the power of positive communications with the CEO. He plays golf with Pierre and presumably can openly discuss important career issues. If Michael has no chance to get the U.S. position at the moment, at least he has the power to positively influence the CEO’s decision in favor of Danielle. If Michael gives Danielle his support, then he should represent the most reliable third-party recommendation, having worked with her for 2 years. 6. How can Michael improve his political edge? Michael should take the China position, which will improve his political edge in two aspects. First, he’ll be a “mini CEO” (Hassan) able to prove his managerial skills. Second, he’ll be forced to develop his social networking skills in order to be successful and this in the long-term will improve his position. Michael should obtain Karen’s support in whatever he decides, because otherwise either his career or his family will suffer. Also, Michael should improve his relationship with Danielle, give her his support at the present moment and become long-term allies with her (Clifford). 7. Outline of ethical political strategy In order to be successful in China, Michael should: Meet with the CEO to discuss his future and career prospects Agree with the CEO on the terms of the job in China (Clifford), including time limit of the contract. He should discuss specific goals with Pierre and be aware of what is expected and required from him Secure his connection to the offices in New York and Paris (Clifford) by business trips and constant communication. Top management at Laffleur should be aware of his successes in order to consider him for future promotions. Carefully revise the needs of his family, his wife in particular and her career opportunities “Gain greater appreciation of political alliances” and social networking (Cohen) and become more politically-minded, because politics is inseparable part of executive management’s position References 1. Peebles M., Widmann N., Kopelan A., Hassan F., Cohen A., Rhodes G. (2005) “Into the Fray” Harvard Business Review Jan 2005, Vol. 83, Issue 1 pp.15-18 Read More