Dick Spencer Case Analysis Essay

Dick SpencerIn this case Dick Spencer, a well- acknowledgen employee of an aluminum producing company worked his way up the ranks from being a successful salesman to a plant manager. However through his transition of maps Dick experienced or so pitfalls. In the following paragraphs I leave discuss the important contributing factors to Dicks success as a salesman and the issues he faced as a plant manager and provide informed ersatz solutions. Dick knew the business well which played a vital role in his success as a salesman. Fresh out of college and with a senior pilots degree in vexation Administration attributed to his knowledge of the business world. According to Foster-Pedley (2013), individuals with a MBA apply their new expertise and fresh talents in their jobs and towards the furtherance of the organization. They use resources better, applying their imagination and creativity more effectively, and d ar to transform and make progress (Foster-Pedley, 2013, p. 13). Indivi duals who attained a MBA credit their promotion, field change or overcompensate addition to the degree (Ainsworth, 1995). Weve all heard the adage, knowledge is power and Dick certainly had the potential and prevailed as a salesman. Dick had the ability to sale and concord to his coworkers he was personable which amplified his sales ability. Effectively communicating and connecting with clients is an important aspect of the buyer-seller relationship (Hung, Lin, 2013). Whether its on a personal level or professional level making that relation is the key.Through his easy to talk to personality, Dick built relationships and gained trust. Research indicates higher levels of trust are expected to result in more positive attitudes, higher levels of cooperation and other forms of workplace behavior, and superior levels of performance (Dirks, Ferrin, 2001). Additionally in order to sale a product you have to know your product. increase knowledge directly correlates with how customers w ill respond to your product (Sangtani, Murshed, 2013). Once youve established a connection with the customer you want to listen and understand your customers of necessity. Having product knowledge is important so you can identify what your product(s) can do to serve your customers needs. According to Feiertag (2006), It is just not enough to simply mention the feature it needs to be presented as a value to the prospective buyer. Successful individuals working in sales are enthusiastic and highly motived aboutselling their product (Stevenson, 2004). Dick was able to signed several large contracts by applying these fundamental sales skills. Dick was surefooted in his abilities to get the job done. Shortly after being employed Dick secured a single, large contract deal, placing him high on the sales loss leader board. Dick was confident in his abilities and alikek pride in getting the job done. Its important to have confidence at work to professionally educate and advance your care er. Dicks confidence as a salesman later helped him get a care position. Dick enjoyed being a salesman and was pretty in effect(p) at it.The study performed by Gyllensten and Palmer (2014), found participates were happier on the job and outside of work when their confidence levels increased. They also reported improvements in employees completing their work duties and a willingness to make decisions (Gyllensten and Palmer, 2014). Again we can also give credit to Dicks MBA degree as providing self-assurance in his job performance abilities (Simpson, 2005). trustingness gives you the courage to do things you normally wouldnt feel comfortable doing. In sales there are plenty of circumstances where the ordinary sales cast aside just wont seal the deal. Dick was also very committed to the job which reflected in his sales volume. In a review of the inquiry on organization commitment and job performance, researchers identified there is a direct correlation in commitment to the job an d achieving favorable results (Myer, Paunonen, Gellatly, Goffin, Jackson, 1989). Consistent with this prospective, bring and Martin (1989) found that better performance was shown by employees with higher commitments. Dick was so committed to the job that it cost him his first marriage. He was dependable about compass his sales goals and to each one of these factors previously described played a part in his success as a salesman.However after a some years as a salesman, Dick wasnt getting the satisfaction from the job as he had in the past. Therefore he requested a transfer out of the sales department and into a management role. Dick was named plant manager at Modrow. He came in at a feverish time when a lot of changes were being implemented. In his efforts to familiarize himself with the daily operations, Dick first struggle as a manager was micro-managing. He had his pass off in everything possible which made his employees feel very un-easy. According to Dr. White, Dick poss essed many symptoms of a Micromanager. For example, Dick interest in cutting cost required the expert knowledge of the accounting group. Knowing thataccounting wasnt his strongest subject he still spent numerous hours burying himself in expound that he just could not understand. Micromanagers dont allow any decisions be made with their approval (White, 2010).Dick had also taken on too many tasks at once making it almost impossible for any of them to be implemented successfully. Being the micromanager that he was, Dick didnt delegate tasks very well, another symptom of a micromanager (White, 2010). Another example of Dicks micromanaging is when he insisted on changing the disposal process of scraps. When discussing this change with his foremen, Dick didnt listen to the foremans thoughts as to why the change wouldnt work. Micromanagers tend to have the mentality its my way or the highway. Traditional micromanagers will completely disregard new concepts offered by their subordinates ( Weyand, 1996).Work-related stress affected Dicks job performance. It also was creating issues with his family as they felt abandoned while he spent countless hours at the office. Through trying to prove himself to leadership and to his new employees, Dick lost focus on other important matters. His management position required him to take on more responsibilities which demanded more of his time. In order for supervisors and managers to excel and be a dynamic force in organisational life, job stress must be harnessed (Stanley, 2014).As Dick noticed processes that needed to be changed he was unsuccessful in communicating those changes. As a manager being able to successfully chat is essential. Communication loser could potentially become a serious problem in an organization. knowledge is lost causing confusion reducing productivity and increases costs. In an article published by Jost (2006), he discusses several situations where failure to communicate resulted in some hefty financia l costs to many companies. Dick was so focused on cutting costs that he forgot to look at the big picture. If he had effectively communicated his interest to cut costs with his supervisors and foreman, he could have potentially found a solution. Additionally, his relationships with his employees werent the best, which is another consequence of ineffective communicating (Tunk, 2014). straight Id like to focus on the following recommendations that could resolve Dicksmicro-managing style, work-related stress, and ineffective communication.To address Dicks micro-managing style, he needs to be flexible in how the job gets done. Dick can delegate tasks that can be handled without his supervision and give them ample time to complete each task. He can do this by building trust, empowering his employees to be a part of the decision making process (White, 2010). Making rounds within the plant had a negative impact on employees. They were worried about what he was up to and why he kept coming around. There was a lack of trust. His battlefront caused everyone to be less productive in their jobs.The second recommendation is time management to address Dicks work-related stress. Its important for Dick to divulge a balance between work and family for the sake of his marriage and kids but also for his well-being. If Dick continues operating this way it could potentially lead to some serious health problems (Heikkia et al., 2013). To help him find this balance he needs to reevaluate whats most important to him. Review his job duties that need to be accomplished and prioritize them. Identify the tasks that can be done by someone else and delegate those tasks (McDonald & Hucheson, 1998). Dick should also try to engage in outside operation that requires his complete attention. Research supports that a psychological detachment from work effectively mitigates some of the negative effects of work-family conflict (Moreno et al., 2009).My last recommendation is improving his commu nication skills. Dick was not successful in trying to implement a change in the process to discard scrap siding. The keys to effective communication is comprehend and learning. Effective communication improves work performance and productivity within the business. It also builds trust and creates transparency which is something Dick is currently lacking within the Modrow plant. Communication promotes collaborative work where everyone has an opportunity to share information (Tunk, 2014). If Dick were to implement these few changes I believe he would start reaping the benefits of his management role and overall increase morale at the plant.ReferencesAinsworth, M., & Morley, C. (1995). The Value of Management Education Views of Graduates on the Benefits of Doing a MBA. Higher Education, 30(2), 175-87.Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2001). The Role of Trust in Organizational Settings. Organization Science, (4), 450. doi10.2307/3085982.Feiertag, H. (2006). Product knowledge is key to imp roving group sales. Hotel & Motel Management, 221(8), 10.Foster-Pedley, J. (2013). Older and maybe just a little bit wiser.. Finweek, 12-13.Gyllensten, K., & Palmer, S. (2014). Increased employee confidence A benefit of coaching. train Psychologist, 10(1), 36-39.Heikkil, K., Fransson, E. I., Nyberg, S. T., Zins, M., Westerlund, H., Westerholm, P., & Kivimki, M. (2013). Job strain and health-related lifestyle Findings from an individual-participant meta-analysis of 118,000 working adults. American Journal Of Public Health, 103(11), 2090-2097.Hung, K., & Lin, C. (2013). More communication is not always better? The interplay between effective communication and interpersonal conflict in influencing satisfaction. Industrial Marketing Management, 42(8), 1223-1232. doi10.1016/j.indmarman.2013.05.002.Jost, A. C. (2006). What Weve Got Here Is FAILURE to Communicate. (cover story). Journal Of The Quality Assurance Institute, 20(4), 2-5.McDonald, B. D., & Hutcheson, D. (1998). Balancing work , family, work, self and work hurts employees. Business Press, 10(48), 29.Meyer, J. P., Paunonen, S. V., Gellatly, I. R., Goffin, R. D., & Jackson, D. N. (1989). Organizational Commitment and Job Performance Its the Nature of the Commitment That Counts. Journal Of Applied Psychology, 74(1), 152.Moreno-Jimnez, B., Mayo, M., Sanz-Vergel, A., Geurts, S., Rodrguez-Muoz, A., & Garrosa, E. (2009). Effects of work-family conflict on employees well-being The moderating role of recovery strategies. Journal Of Occupational Health Psychology, 14(4), 427-440. doi10.1037/a0016739.Shore, L. M., & Martin, H. J. (1989). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment in relation to work performance and turnover intentions. pitying Relations, 42(7), 625.Simpson, R., Sturges, J., Woods, A., & Altman, Y. (2005). Gender, Age, and the MBA An Analysis of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Career Benefits. Journal of Management Education, 29(2), 218-247.Stanley, T. L. (2014). stress management for high achievers. Su pervision, 75(5), 17.Stevenson, B. (2004). 4 Reasons Why Sales Fail. NZ Marketing Magazine, 23(1), 32-33.Tuck, P. (2014). A failure to communicate. Training Journal, 43-47.Weyand, J. (1996). Micromanagement Outmoded or alive and well?. Management Review, 85(11), 62.White Jr., R. D. (2010). The Micromanagement Disease Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Cure. Public Personnel Management, 39(1), 71-76.