CASE # 2: THEORY AND POLICY ENCOUNTER POWER AND MOTIVATION AT CONSOLIDATED AUTOMOBILE

I. Point of View: Plant Manager

II. Statement of the Problem:

The problem of the plant manager regarding the actions of his two employees which caused a huge amount of loss in line operation and how to go about the restoration of production line.

III. Objective/s:

To restore production on the profitless assembly line To develop policies for preventing future production interruptions by assembly line workers

IV. Areas of consideration:

1. On Tuesday morning at 6 A.M., two young automobile assembly-line workers, disgruntled over failing to get their supervisor transferred, shut off the electric power supply to an auto assembly line and closed it down at Consolidated Automobile Manufacturers, Inc. 2. Strong and Kane, who worked as spot welders, had taken matters into their own hands when the union’s grievance procedure had not worked fast enough to satisfy them. Co-workers, idled by the dramatic protest and the motionless assembly line, grouped themselves around the fenced area, shouting encouragement to the two men inside. In response, Strong and Kane were chanting, “When you cut the power, you’ve got the power.” They were in the process of becoming folk heroes to their co-workers.

3. Sam Winfare, who supervised Strong and Kane and who was the target of their protest, had been supervisor for only a short time. In explaining the events that led to the protest, Winfare said that production on the assembly line had been chronically below quota before he took charge, and the plant manager had plainly told him that his job was to improve the production rate. Production had improved markedly in the short time that Winfare had been supervisor.