Nupath Foods Ltd.

Problem Statement 2/2

The main problem of the case is based on the communication between James Ornath and his promoted employee Denise Roberge and their perceptions[OU1] toward that promotion. Unhappy with her new job offer, she fails in discussing it with him leading a greater misunderstanding since he believes this is a great opportunity. Their different perceptions lead to other problem such as gender stereotyping, and projection[OU2] .

Causes of the problem 2.5/4

The problem with their different perceptions on this new promotion is in part caused by Denise Roberge’s past experience with her previous employer who had “made it quite clear that women “couldn’t take the heat” in marketing management and tended to place women in technical-support positions after a brief term in lower brand-management jobs.”[1] Because Denise Roberge has only been at the company for 2 years and she is one of the only women, she jumps to conclusions and assumes this is what her new employer is doing. She doubts her employer’s benevolence and integrity. She doesn’t think that he cares much about her or her career (benevolence), or finds his principles and values acceptable (gender-stereotyping).[2] [OU3] Her POS (perceived organizational support) is very poor, and falsely based on her previous experiences. On the other hand, James Ornath is using projection [OU4] in his perception of this new job. He assumes that because it was good for him, and he was grateful for that job at that time, that she feels the same way. This difference in perception is a cause for their lack of communication[OU5] . She is unhappy and not sharing that opinion with him, and he also assumes that she is happily shocked with this promotion. He did not make it clear to her that he was promoting her to that job temporarily, only so she would gain experience in that department.

Solutions and Consequences 1.5/2

In order to keep their employees, management should improve employee job satisfaction by providing affective leadership. Opportunities for learning, designing jobs that are challenging and meaningful, providing recognition

It would be important for the employers to have accurate information about their employees when making decisions about their career. They should know (or ask them) what job they want to do, if they actually like their job, what kind of job promotion they seek etc, with the help of the HR division of the company. With a better understanding about Roberge’s ambitions, Ornath would have explained this promotion better; allowing her to see the positive aspects of it, and the ambiguity would have been avoided. [OU6]

Ornath and Roberge should have another meeting, clarifying the job description and Ornath’s intentions in this promotion[OU7] . He should also reinforce the company’s culture to her, making it clear what they believe in, and their ethical views. It would be important in the future for Ornath to keep an interactive relationship with his employees. It would avoid this kind of situation where an employee does not feel comfortable to share her opinions with her superior, especially when her career is in question[OU8] .

Another solution would be for Roberge to decline this promotion based on her principles, although this would not be the best option since her perception of the situation is not completely accurate. She perceives this new job as being “put on the sidelines”.[3] [OU9]

Recommended Solution.5/1

It is recommended that another meeting must take place to clarify the situation and therefore eliminating any ambiguity. The meeting should be between Ornath and Roberge because of the poor communication that happened earlier that lead to their different perceptions. As a long term solution, the employer should reinforce the company’s culture to the organization as a whole, and the workforce diversity so that future conflicts due to different perceptions are eliminated[OU10] . HR should also have a meeting with management to train them to be aware of the promotion process [OU11] and to clarify career paths since they will be making decisions about their employee’s careers. Promotion criteria should also be clearly identified to help this process. [OU12]

Implementation 1/1

The meeting should take place immediately to ensure that Roberge does not give her resignation. Ornath should be prepared with a specific job description on paper for her and reasons why he believes this new job will be beneficial for her career. As her superior and leader, he should make himself available and approachable, allowing her to come to him with any problems or concerns, therefore avoiding any poor communication in the future. In the short term, it would be important for Ornath to have a meeting, or business party to reinforce the company’s views about diversity. He could use Roberge as an example to that effect. This way, the employee’s POS would be positive therefore avoiding any problems with any problematic perceptions in future situations. In the long term, HR should always train newly positioned top managers to inform them of the promotion process, career paths so they would be knowledgeable when promoting employees and interview guidelines that could be useful for meetings when promoting employees, therefore avoiding once again any ambiguity. HR should also inform and train new employees of the company’s culture and beliefs to make sure their perceptions will not be altered due to their previous experiences with different companies. [OU13]