Question

Question one: (Word count 200 words)

Imagine you are a manager in an organization and one of your employee is in a meeting with you to discuss a situation that he faces at work:

“Sir, can I have 10 minutes of your time? ….. My name is Racha and I’m facing a problem with one of my colleague Ahmed , we are supposed to be working together on a project to market and sell one of our brands, one of our potential customer was asking for detailed information and presentation of our brand product, Ahmed and myself discussed what to do on the phone the beginning of the week to prepare the presentation and to divide the work between us, I believe that we agreed on who is going to do what in the presentation and on parts of the required written document to be sent to the customer.

The set date to meet with the customer is at the end of the week-after two days- I called Ahmed yesterday to make sure that his part is done to add to my part to complete the document and the presentation, but when I called him to inquire about work, he answered me in a way I didn’t like, and said that some of that we agreed on-in our phone conversation- was not his responsibility and it was my responsibility – although I recall from our conversation- that it is his responsibility not mine.

Also he talked to me in a way – I don’t sir how to describe it- like he is ordering me to do things, this is how I felt it.

I think I did my part and he is not working enough to complete his, and now I have to do his part and it is huge and I can’t finish it in two days or we have to postpone the meeting with the client and might lose the contract.

I feel that I’m being treated in a different way than my other male colleagues in the team, although I work very hard and this not fair to be judged in this way because I’m a female employee.

A. Use and apply active listening guidelines to solve this situation- use examples from the case.

B. In your opinion why we use active listening in the above situation- use examples related to the case above.

Answer 1

ANSWER :

A)

In this case, there are two problems Racha is facing. One is regarding the presentation where her colleague bailed out at the last moment and second is that of discrimination based on gender. The first problem has to be solved by listening to both the employees and taking their inputs. I would interview both employees separately and seek to understand their perspectives by the active listening process. Listening to both of them will give a clearer picture of what has happened. As an experienced professional, i can judge if the presentation needs to be done by a single person or two-person within the timeframe. This gives me an idea of who is negligent about his work. Bringing them back together on the table to discuss this issue and listen to both of them will solve most of the problem. Second is related to gender discrimination. Sensitising staff and employees regarding equal treatment in the form of training must be provided. Also, I would treat Racha as equal since people follow the boss. I would also advise racha to keep doing the good work as this will earn the respect of others in due course.

B)

Active listening is used in this situation since one needs to get a clear picture without any doubts or confusion. One needs to untangle the situation and see from both the participant's perspectives. Talking with the employees solve most of the problems and to gain their acceptance first, they need to be heard. Hearing Racha in this example will boost her morale and confidence as she gets the support of her superior.This will ensure that her performance remains consistent and of high quality.