Question

A case study of understanding communications

Tom Ellery was vice president of sales and Steve Watson was a regional sales manager in charge of four district managers. Steve reported to one of three area managers who, in turn, reported to Tom. Tom had followed Steve's career with interest and considered him one of the best sales managers in the company. It was not surprising, then, that Steve's name came immediately to mind when Tom received a memo from the marketing vice president asking for recommendations for someone to take over the marketing services department.

Marketing services employed about 400 people and provided promotional support and special services to the sales division. In terms of salary grade, the position was one level higher than regional sales manager so it would offer Steve a promotion. Tom felt Steve was the ideal candidate for the job for several reasons. First, people in both the marketing and sales divisions felt marketing services had become unresponsive to sales division needs. The department was now more of a bottleneck than a service, and Steve's extensive experience as a sales manager would give him a clear idea of what kind of support the department ought to be giving.

Second, the department had begun to suffer from an "image problem," which Steve's transfer could do much to correct. Marketing services had developed a reputation for being a place where people were assigned when they ceased being effective in product management or in field sales. Putting an acknowledged "comer" like Steve in charge of the department would go far in dispelling that image. The position would also provide Steve with an opportunity for wider corporate exposure, one in which he cou1d influence total company marketing and sales efforts.

After consulting with the marketing vice president, Tom sent Steve a copy of the original memo with the added note, "Are you interested? 1think you're the best person for the job. Come by and let's talk about it."

Tom was pleased that his own division was finally strong enough to allow him the flexibility to offer one of his best men to another division. It had taken three years of systematically identifying weak spots and moving strong new people like Steve into them to provide this luxury, and he planned to make the most of it.

A few days later, Steve came by to discuss the memo. Tom was surprised to find Steve both uninterested in the transfer, and a little curt and ill-at-ease as well. Steve began by saying he didn't think he had the background in do the job and that he still had a lot to do in the region before he felt he could move on to another job. Sensing that Steve might be a little anxious about moving into the marketing division, Tom went into more detail on the reasons why he thought Steve could handle the job and do it well. Steve, however, remained unconvinced. As a last resort, Tom suggested that Steve talk with the marketing vice president before making a final decision. Tom couldn't help feeling a little annoyed at the end of the conversation. He found himself questioning his original judgments about Steve's flexibility and adaptability.

To Tom's continued disappointment, Steve's talk with the marketing vice president failed to change his mind, and Tom began to feel his relationship with Steve become strained. Soon afterwards Tom noticed Steve was avoiding him in the company cafeteria and seemed especially silent in his presence. About a month later, Tom received a call from Steve's area manager saying that Steve had resigned to take a position with a competitor.

Tom later learned from a mutual friend that Steve had left because he had concluded that his career with the company was finished when Tom offered him the marketing services job.

Discussion Questions

1. What are the perceptions that influence Steve’s behavior of quitting his job?

2. How do you sense Steve feels in taking such behavior?

3. What is the difference in interpreting the transfer of the job between Tom and Steve? (note: to be used for the Chapter on Communication)

Answer 1

Q-1

A: Tom had later learned through a mutual friend that Steve had perceived and concluded that his career with the company was finished when Tom had offered him the marketing services job, and as a result, Steve had left his job, and joined a competitor.

Q-2

A: Steve had gone by a general perception in the company that the marketing services department had an image problem and had developed a reputation for being a place where people were assigned when they ceased being effective in product management or in field sales Another perception carried by the marketing services department is that it was a support department to marketing and sales and was looked down upon as a lower department by the other two departments. So, Steve felt demotivated and disappointed that Tom was seriously considering and recommending him to a post in that department. Steve felt betrayed and let down for all his efforts and achievements in his department and region going in vain and felt that Steve was trying to shunt him out / transfer and sideline him in the marketing services department in spite of it being a promotion for Steve on paper in terms of grade and pay.

Q-3

A: Tom did not perceive the job to be negative and in fact had clearly conveyed the reasons for recommending Steve for the position. Tom felt the department could do well and change for the good if Steve joined it and he also thought of it as a promotion to Steve in terms of grade and pay. Tom felt proud that his department was well settled and could recommend a member of his team to join and improve another department. Thus, Tom viewed the transfer of Steve's job positively and challenging with personal growth involved.

Steve, on the other hand, was going by all the negative perceptions of his company pertaining to the marketing sales department and anxious and disappointed that his career had ended in the company and so took a drastic step of leaving. His mind was so made up that in spite of talking to the heads of both departments he remained unconvinced of the proposal to take the transfer and this had surprised and disappointed Tom very much that his impression of Steve being adaptable and flexible were wrong.

Thus, as one can see, perceptions can make a lot of difference to one's reactions to different stimuli or situations. Perceptions need not be true and can just be based on gossip, rumours, personal bias, etc., so one needs to clarify and not be hasty in forming judgements about people or their behaviour.