Tom’s confusing Role: In 1990, Tom changed his job title from being a ‘managing director’ to ‘executive software designer’. On one hand he did not want own up to managerial responsibilities and on the other he still wanted to exercise the right to supervise the directors. This mismatch of roles confused the employees about Tom’s position at Serendipity and should’ve given Anne an early sign of the buyout. In 1991, after Rick Delaney, Tom’s nominal boss was fired; Tom still refused to take the position of the software development director.
Anne over-burdened: Anne played a pivotal role in the success of Serendipity. Due to her networking with people (letters to her previous employer) and her unrelenting spirit, the company had great business opportunities. She single-handedly managed Serendipity and also adopted the role of promoting it by giving presentations at trade-shows and conferences and writing articles for computer publications. Even though she never complained, we still believe that she had more than she should’ve handled.
Tom’s misbehavior with colleagues: While Tom’s marriage was ending, he was accused of sexually harassing employees. Alan Perkins, the director of marketing in agreement with two other directors, filed these incidents and Tom was warned. With the spread of this news there was chaos in the organization, however, Tom described it as a “supportive act”. Anne realized that this could have repercussions and Serendipity could be sued. However, Tom felt betrayed by Anne, when she didn’t defend him. Anne partly blamed herself for not telling Tom earlier about how his behavior was unacceptable.
Alan – Tom spat: Tom felt that Alan did not understand the culture at the company and was destroying it. He was outraged when Alan did not invite him to celebrate the success at acquiring a new business. They had a fight while Anne was away and both Alan and Tom did not approve of each other’s methods of working at Serendipity.
Unclear company Culture: In the beginning, Serendipity reflected of a strong corporate culture that promoted innovation and high-degree of interaction among the employees. People liked their job at the company and were given recreational facilities in the “Wreck Room”. However, when Alan came, he did not fit into this culture and preferred wearing a suit and tie. He did not follow the ‘informal interaction’ people maintained at Serendipity and rather he communicated with people via memos. Thus, there was a disparity in the company’s culture and we believe this added to the confusion for employees.
Anne - Tom relationship: Anne and Tom were good friends and business partners with complementary skills that took Serendipity to great heights. Gradually however, their relationship was strained due to the chaos at the company. On one hand, Tom felt that Anne betrayed her by not supporting his case and on the other; Anne realized that as the company was growing, Tom had a lot of issues with it. She felt that he did not set a good example as the co-owner and therefore wanted to buyout from him. His indecision stemmed out of unwillingness and the fear of leaving Alan behind.