To prepare for this Discussion, review the case study “Is the Rookie Ready?” (Green, Schrage, Walker, & Muller 2009) in this Week’s Learning Resources. In this scenario, a manager, Tim O’Connell, has some difficult choices to make. A valuable project has come in and Tim is not sure if a younger and inexperienced manager is ready for the project, nor is Tim confident in how to support his young manager and her team. Imagine that you are a colleague of Tim O’Connell and he has e-mailed you and shared his concerns with you about accepting the Hybara Casinos opportunity. He has reached out to you for advice on how to handle this situation.
With these thoughts in mind
Part 1 (The Case Study Article is attached)
Post your recommendation for how Tim should proceed with Hybara Casino opportunity in the form of a business e-mail. In your e-mail, analyze the relations among commitment, job satisfaction, and performance of his team. Explain to Tim what he needs to do so that his team will be motivated to put forth their best effort, even during the difficult circumstances presented by the Hybara opportunity.
Reference:
Green, S., Shcrage, M., Walker, C., & Muller, P. (2009). Is the rookie ready? Harvard Business Review, 87(12), 33-40. Retrieved from https://hbsp.harvard.edu/tu/cffe4024
Part 2
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond to two or more colleagues’ posts in one or more of the following ways:
Respond to the e-mail your colleague posted as if you were Tim O’Connell and share how you would proceed.
Share an experience that is relevant to you colleague’s post regarding a high-stress situation in your professional career as a manager or leader that expanded how you approached developing job satisfaction and motivation for others.
Expand on a colleague’s post by examining lessons learned from the case and connecting or contrasting those with the readings and resources from the week.
1st Person to respond to
To: TimO’Connell@gmail.com
Cc:
Bcc:
Subject: Hybara Casino opportunity
September 17, 2019
Mr. Tim O’Connell,
I am writing you to give you a little of input regarding the Hybara Casino opportunity. You always must be a manager and do what is right. I applaud you for taking on a challenge in such a short notice, however you must be considerate to others. Being that Hybara Casino gave you two weeks to complete a project that takes six weeks, I would have asked for more time first, before I decided. I would have then met will all staff to discuss this opportunity to get everyone’s opinion. You must communicate with your staff, so everyone is on the same page. It is extremely generous that you have faith in Kristen, but I suggest that you let Alessandra, who knows the ropes to succeeding at any project, take on such an important role. Kristen could always give a helping hand, but she stated she does not have the amount of staff needed to perform the job herself. “Neither Kristen nor her team is being set up for success” (Green, 2009). Alessandra is asking for a large amount of money, but it will be worth it for your company because she knows Hybara’s team and system better than anyone else. “This challenge plays directly to Alessandra’s strengths and flexibility” (Green, 2009). Being that Kristen already approved her employees for vacation time off, it is unfair to the employees to have to work after being told they would be off. As a manager you must reward your employees from time to time to show them, they are appreciated. If you decide to care for them and communicate daily, then it would not be a problem for them to help you when help is needed. Alessandra is available and excited about the project, so I would let her take control right away. Kristen is a team leader and she will have plenty of opportunities to expand at her career, but she is not ready for this project alone. If Alessandra is the best at what she does and can take on a big project under any circumstance, then Kristen should understand. To succeed at this project without any failures, Alessandra should be hired immediately.
Sincerely,
Chloe`
References
Green, S. S. (2009). Is the rookie ready? Harvard Business Review, 33-40.
2nd Person to respond to:
Date: September 17, 2019 8:55PM
To: toconnel@driscoll.com
RE: Hybara Casino Project - Next Steps
Hello Tim,
I feel the final days of this year coming to an end. The holidays definitely find their way towards the biggest stress and the biggest rest! The Hybara opportunity is really exciting! Thank you for letting me in on dilemma; I wanted to share my thoughts of how you can approach Hybara and your team with the most realistic foot being stepped forward.
Reestablishing them as a client will open many more doors for this company. However, something to keep in mind – they are trying to recover from a ginormous loss. We do not want to risk rushing this project with them and fall in the same disappointment, taking a shot at our company’s name in the industry. In all reality, we do not have the manpower and time to meet the two-week deadline. I am confident of our team’s abilities to shave time down from the normal six-week implementation, but you still need to consider the work life quality you are presenting to your team. You have three options at this point: 1) call Hybara to engage in conversation on what your team can deliver and what they will accept, 2) work with Kristen to divide up the days between all staff to put all hands on deck or 3) hire Alessandra as a consultant, adding her to the estimated cost proposal.
As daunting and difficult as it sounds, the most appropriate and dire action needing to be taken is to call Hybara. The high expectations and potential risks are imperative to discuss, as well as the main goals that need to be considered (Green, Shcrage, Walker & Muller, 2009). Even though they are saving the company by coming back as clients, they have given you such a small time frame - especially over the holidays. The reality is that if you accept this case management on behalf your team, you will lose your workers if you throw this project on them without resources or support, let alone canceling their pre-approved vacations. Reassessment of what can be accomplished and what success will look like will need to happen. Once you are able to establish a more realistic timeline and expectation of goals with Hybara, you and Kristen will have a direct idea of the action plan to set in place. It will be important for you support her taking the lead in running daily meetings, implementing strategies, outlining priorities and updating everyone in progress (Green, Shcrage, Walker & Muller, 2009). When progress is met within smaller, achievable goals, there are more positive responses that push motivation to continue working productively (Amabile & Kramer, 2001). If Hybara gives little to no room for leeway on this project’s timeline, I would recommend contracting Alessandra and having Kristen lead the project, utilizing Alessandra for the travel and third-party communication. The rest of the team will be more willing to commit to top performance knowing they are not being set up for failure and have the support they need.
I wish you the wisdom and strength for your decision,
Chelsea
References:
Amabile, T. M., & Kramer, S. (2011). The power of small wins. Harvard Business Review, 89(5), 70–80.(6), 41–51. Retrieved from https://hbsp.harvard.edu/tu/09889d50
Green, S., Shcrage, M., Walker, C., & Muller, P. (2009). Is the rookie ready? Harvard Business Review, 87(12), 33–40. Retrieved from https://hbsp.harvard.edu/tu/cffe4024