|Utah Symphony and Utah Opera Merger Proposal|
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4/23/2012|Organizational Management Analysis|
|This project will look at theories of motivation relating to the merger as well as discuss positional and personal power concepts. A discussion will also address the musician’s concerns which could potentially jeopardize the merger. The project will conclude with a look at various influential tactical strategies utilized in persuasion.|

Utah Symphony and Utah Opera Merger Proposal

Organizational Management Analysis
Bill Bailey and motivation theory in opposition to the merger Bill Bailey is the current chairman of the board of directors for the Utah Opera Organization and could pose a significant roadblock to merger the approval process if he does not publicly or privately support the merger. One area of the merger where Bill Bailey already has expressed concern is regarding the potential inequity between the two groups in a post-merger environment, which directly relates to Adam’s equity theory. In order to understand Bill Bailey’s potential concerns, it is imperative to understand the principal and philosophical logic behind equity theory. As the name implies, equity theory is model of motivation that describes the feeling that interpersonal relationships should be fair and equitable in the workplace. More specifically, Adam’s motivational theory seeks to explain how an individual’s motivation to behave in a specific manner may be fueled by perceived inequity or lack of justice. There are two components to Adam’s equity theory; inputs and outcomes. Input can be things such as high caliber work, seniority, and expended effort or other intangibles a person puts into their ‘work’. Outcomes are items such as pay, benefits, promotions, and perceived job security. For example, Bill has expressed some concern regarding the fact Anne Ewers will essentially be the sole decision maker and will have final say regarding all creative and financial decisions regarding the merged opera and symphony collective. As a result, she may give inequitable treatment to the opera despite the fact the symphony is of higher caliber and more renowned. Keep in mind, the favoritism does not have to be real or even exercised; only perceived to be considered inequitable. Given Anne’s background in opera and Bill’s current role as director of the opera, musicians and fellow directors could also perceive an inequitable collusion between upper management of the collective arts group in a post-merger environment. It is also important to note the opera has the most to lose in a merger which could lead to feelings of inequality from the existing opera staff. Currently, the opera is operating at a profit and provides more sources of revenue than the opera and demonstrated the most growth. This fact is well known and often discussed within the symphony which is composed of 83 musicians who all draw a significant salary and account for a large part of symphony expenditures. The musicians already feel their salaries and job security could be threatened by the merger and if Bill Bailey were to make his concerns known, it would only exasperate the problem. In order to demonstrate Adam’s equity theory, Bill can issue several statements of a perceived inequity between the symphony and opera groups to the symphony directors, musicians, and the media. Bill could allude to potential lay-offs for symphony musicians since the opera (with no salary employees) is providing the majority of the revenue to the merged arts group while the symphony (with 83 salary employees) comprises the majority of expenses to the group. Bill might let the symphony directors and musicians know that he does not feel the two groups are theoretically the same and therefore will not be treated equally, thereby imposing a much stricter set of operational and creative guidelines regarding daily symphony operations. For instance, Bill could let the directors of the symphony know that for every hour of performance, the opera provides more revenue and is therefore more valuable to the community and merged arts business. Bill could go on to say that since there is an obvious negative equity scenario between the two groups that the symphony’s budget needs to be reduced in order to become as profitable as the opera and there will no longer be salaried musicians in the symphony. In an effort to create a more equitable relationship, the symphony will now be run on an ad-hoc basis similar to the opera. Musical groups will be assembled for specific performances and released upon completion. Since opera singers and opera performance staff do not draw a salary or benefits, this is a logical move which seeks to balance the inequities between the two groups. A statement of this type could create a significant rift between the two groups; particularly because the symphony puts in in an exponentially higher number of hours and performances each year. The resulting fallout could leave the symphony musicians feeling as though they are putting forth the greater effort, while receiving a perceived lesser reward. Finally, by promoting Anne to the CEO position and Bill to the director position, a perceived inequality is demonstrated between upper management and the lower rank employs. Any creative decision making abilities the musicians had in the day to day operations of the symphony could be perceived as revoked since it appears all decisions will be made at the CEO level and passed down to the lower ranking employees.

Scott parker and a theory of motivation to convine mrs. abravanel to support the merger

Mrs. Abravanel has publicly expressed her opposition to the merger in the form of an open letter to the community. In the letter she describes how disappointed her late husband would be should a merger go through. In order for Scott Parker to convince Mrs. Abravanel that the merger is in the best interest of the symphony and her husband’s legacy in the arts community, Scott will need to employ Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation. Generally speaking, the expectancy theory states that an individual believes that a certain amount of effort will result in an expected outcome. In other words, if a person puts forth a tremendous amount of effort, then they will achieve the desired outcome. Looking at this from Mrs. Abravanel’s standpoint, she feels if she puts enough effort into public opposition of the merger, than the merger will not go forward. Likewise, Mrs. Abravanel feels that if she does not put any effort into stopping the merger, than the merger will go through. While it may seem odd to employ the expectancy theory in this case, you have to consider the inverse effect of Mrs. Abravanel’s efforts to stop the merger. For instance, if Scott Parker were to explain to Mrs. Abravanel that despite all her efforts and public commentary, the move toward a merger had a lot of external and internal support and will most likely go through despite her objections. Scott Parker could try to address the amount of effort relative to the expected outcome of Mrs. Abravanel’s opposition. In other words, despite any amount of effort Mrs. Abravanel put into stopping the merger, it would most likely go through. At this point Scott could appeal to her ego and remind her that it would reflect poorly on her husband’s name to be vocal in opposition of moving the symphony forward in tough economic times by trying to ensure the symphony’s viability for the future. Scott could also go on to explain that it would even be possible for Mrs. Abravanel to embarrass herself in the public eye and the arts community by being vociferous in opposition of the merger; while in the end the merger will move forward without her. This would demonstrate to the public, Mrs. Abravanel, and the arts community that Mrs. Abravanel does not have much influence in the symphony and reinforce the fact she is more of a figurehead used primarily for fundraising. Scott should also make sure to point out the dire financial situation of the symphony and let her know if the financial health of the symphony continues down its present path, the symphony could cease to exist at all. This would mean Abravanel Hall could lose its namesake and could potentially become the future home of the opera. Again, this addresses Vroom’s expectancy theory by demonstrating to Mrs. Abravanel that despite all of her efforts against a merger, she could potentially lose exactly what she is fighting for. Her efforts would essentially work against her. Scott can demonstrate that if she were to spend more time supporting the merger proposition instead of opposing it, she could continue to see her husband’s name on the concert hall in addition to seeing the symphony continue to operate as a top tier arts organization in Salt Lake City. Once Mrs. Abravanel is able to understand her efforts against the merger would be lost, she may change her philosophy and instead put her efforts toward promoting the merger. Once Mrs. Abravanel considers this option, she may realize Vroom’s expectancy theory. If she were to put her efforts into supporting the merger and it goes through as planned, she would achieve her newly expected outcome. Scott could also reinforce Vroom’s expectancy theory when dealing with Mrs. Abravanel by offering her a position in the newly merged arts organization; perhaps in a fund raising capacity. This would act as a reward for both the support of the merged organization as well as provide some motivation for Mrs. Abravanel to garner some support among her social contacts and fellow arts community patrons. In order to take the expectancy theory to the next level once Mrs. Abravanel is onboard with supporting the merger, fundraising goals can be established. Since her husband’s legacy is important to Mrs. Abravanel’s he Abravanel benefit concert in remembrance of her late husband’s contribution to the arts community of Salt Lake City. The concert would consists of several of her husband’s favorite compositions as well as a joint performance with the opera and symphony performing together to usher in a new era in the arts community. This would motivate Mrs. Abravanel to not only support the merger, but to put her name and influence into elevating the effects of the merger with the reward of honoring her late husband’s name and reputation while insuring the long term vitality of the symphony which is so close to her heart. Anne Ewers personal and positional power Anne Ewer’s positional power is anchored in her current role as general director of the opera and potential role as CEO of the merged arts group. Anne’s positional power is external to her. Her positional power consists of things like her title, pay check, various degrees and accolades, and current roles and responsibilities within the opera. Since all of these things are external to Anne, they all have the potential to be taken away from her. On the other hand, Anne’s personal power is internal to her and cannot be taken away. It is her highly skilled opera and stage management technique and talent that makes her opera groups successful. It is the arts and opera industry knowledge she has learned through years of experience. It is also her ability to be an excellent fundraiser and the business acumen associated with running an organization with a tight and variable budget. In other words, Anne’s personal power is her character, enthusiasm for the opera, energetic personality, intelligence and ability to captivate the arts community and be an excellent fund raiser. This is not to belittle Anne’s positional power. She has a very important and strategic role in the Utah Opera and she has worked hard to get to her current position. She needs this positional power in order to effectively make the decisions she feels are necessary in order to drive the opera group toward future success. However, Anne’s personal power is just as important and is the single factor which sets her apart from others in similar positions around the country. Anne has demonstrated she is dedicated to continuously learning and honing the skills associated with her craft. She lives and breathes the opera and relishes the planning, coordinating, and execution activities that coincide with being a successful general director. She has demonstrated throughout her career that she pushes herself and continues to grow as a person. In short, Anne’s position is not her and should not define who she is. She does not own the opera or any of its various pieces. However, she does put all of her personal self into the opera. She exercises her personal power in her current capacity as general director to give the opera a life and quality of its own which reflects her ideals and commitment to excellence. As much as Anne is a part of the opera, the opera is a part of Anne. Anne can use her positional power as general director of the opera to engage other member of the board and those in position of decision making authority in the Utah arts community to support the merger. Anne also has the benefit of influencing public opinion. Her position is well respected within the community and a public show of support from Anne Ewers could go a long way in getting the public to buy into the concept of a merger. Anne’s position can also validate the purpose and motives behind the merger. Should she decide to exercise her positional authority within the opera, she could issue a non-verbal directive seeking to influence the opinions of those underneath her in the organization to ensure all members of the Utah Opera support the merger. Her positional power is also what allows Anne to lead her team effectively and ensure those around her comply with her guidelines for success. Anne is also able to demonstrate the fact the merger is vitally important to the community. Clearly her position commands the respect of those in the general public and arts communities. A statement by Anne Ewers describing the importance of the merger to the vitality of both arts organizations in the community would carry a lot of weight. She can also use her positional power in a negative manner to belittle or disregard the opinions of those with lesser titles or roles who disagree with the merger proposal. Anne’s positional power is crucial to the merger efforts in both her current role and potential future role as CEO. She needs the power associated with her position in order to effectively make changes quickly and steer the direction of the opera to meet her vision. Anne is also able to use her personal power to empower Keith Lockhart. Clearly Anne has used her person al power and taken the opera to new heights by quadrupling the operating budget in her short tenure as general director. Keith appears to have been caught off guard when he found out he could potentially be reporting to Anne in a post-merger environment. Keith’s primary concern with the merger is centered on his loss of positional power and the associated ability to make meaningful decisions regarding creative control and the future direction of the symphony. Anne could use her personal power to empower Keith and assure him he would retain complete creative control over the Utah Symphony. Anne could use her personal power to demonstrate her complete faith and trust in his leadership and creative abilities. Although the process may take time, Anne should begin by making sure Keith feels welcome and respected in role in the post-merger environment. Although Anne will still have the final decision in the arts group, she can gradually give Keith added responsibilities, empowering him to become more autonomous in his new role. Doing so will help Keith to embrace not only Anne’s role but allow him to be supportive of the new state of the art groups in a post-merger environment. Anne should also seek to empower Keith Lockhart by involving him heavily in the day to day activities and decisions of the organization and show Keith that he has earned her trust and respect. potential issues with musicians and anne’s resolution The single most important issue facing both the symphony musicians and the potential merger is the musician’s current collective bargaining agreement. The orchestra’s salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes account for roughly 60% of the total expenditure of the symphony. The musicians have made their expectations clear and want to see more fundraising, an effective organizational structure, and a strong budget. If they feel these demands are not being met, they could potentially strike or pursue legal action and effectively shut the symphony down while the collective bargaining agreement is addressed. The musicians need to feel like their concerns are being addressed and the merger process will need to address each of their concerns effectively in order for the symphony to be sustainable in the long term. It is the responsibility of Anne Ewers to address these concerns and show she can protect the interests of the musicians. In order for Anne to address the fundraising concerns of the musicians she can draw on her personal power and past performance as an excellent fundraiser who has grown budgets in nearly every place she has been. She can reach out and seek to draw in more funds from outside the state and work to gain a higher portion of federal grant money. Once the musicians see the amount of effort Anne puts into fundraising efforts, they will feel like the potential CEO is a part of their cause and begin to trust in the institution. Anne will be able to address the organization concerns in much the same manner. Her skill and personal power with Keith Lockhart can demonstrate to the musicians they will not lose any creative control over the symphony. She can explain the fact she is not there to micro manage each decision and describe her complete faith in Keith’s decision making and abilities to operate the symphony on a day to day basis. In other words, from a musician’s standpoint, nothing will change in the day to day operations of the symphony. Anne can address the budget concerns using a few different arguments. At 60% of the total symphony expenditure, the symphony cannot continue to operate and be profitable. Anne basically has two decisions, grow the budget and lessens the salary’s overall portion of the budget or shrink the salary. Her first area of focus should be on fundraising and increasing the budget. For years the Utah Symphony has been on the cusp of becoming one of the elite orchestras in the country, yet has always remained just outside that goal. If Anne were to solicit funds from outside the state and use the media attention given to the merger to promote the symphony, she could help grow the budget much the same way she grew the budget of the opera. Her track record with the opera speaks for itself, and the orchestra musicians have seen first-hand how effective Anne is in both budgeting and fund raising. Anne should also reach out and seek to the support of Mrs. Abravanel. If Anne were to use some of the motivational strategies described earlier, she could potentially gain an endowment or significant contribution for a Maurice Abravanel memorial concert. Anne could use her personal power to try and convince the musicians to perform for the benefit concert on a pro bono basis and take all of the funds raised in additional to Mrs. Abravanel’s contribution and work to grow the overall general budget. This will show that Anne is dedicated to the long term vitality of the symphony while showcasing in innovative and effective fund raising strategy which will strengthen the trust and future relationships of the musicians.

Anne Ewers influence tactics to endorse a merger Anne is in the unfortunate position of trying to convince a tightly knit opera staff currently under contract to approve a merger which does not have much momentum or support. However, Anne is fortunate to have several different influence tactics available to her and the skill and knowledge to use the tactics effectively. Anne should begin with one of the more effective methods of influence; rational persuasion. Anne has the benefit of budget numbers, the symphony and opera’s current standing throughout the community, and promising potential fundraising opportunities. Anne also possesses expert power due to her extensive experience and skill in operating an opera. Anne should present the current budget numbers to the opera staff in a very logical and matter of fact manner because it may be hard for the current opera staff to understand why a merger is good for the opera. Anne can use logic and reason to show the potential for the opera to grow and possibly become as well known as the Utah Symphony. By combining the two groups’ budgets, the bargaining power and internal resources have a better chance of effective utilization when used collectively. Another great influence tactic Anne could use involves consultation. By going to the current opera staff and seeking their input and advice, she is showing her trust and respect for the opinions of her employees. By listening to their concerns and offering logical, reasonable solutions and answers both parties will be better able to come to a mutual decision. The opera staff will also feel like they have a part in the decision making process and their opinions are valued and acted upon. Another great influence tactic Anne should use is inspiration. Given her natural ability for public speaking and contagious charisma and energy, Anne would have no trouble inspiring and generating excitement around the proposed merger. Anne could appeal to the opera staff’s emotions or ideals by acknowledging their fears for the future careers, but also legitimize their concerns by demonstrating how the opera could grow to benefit the staff, their families, and the surrounding community. Given the combination of these three influence tactics; Anne has a great chance of generating support for the merger. When people rely on consultation combined with rational persuasion as influence tactics, the ability to get those around you to commit to the cause is much more likely. All three methods of influence are also friendly and not threatening to the group or rely on exerting overt power on the staff. Commitment will also be more likely to occur if the subject in question is perceived as important to both parties, which is the case with the opera staff. Both Anne and the opera are very passionate about the opera and its future role in the community. If Anne is able to use either a combination of these three tactics or all three together in one persuasive movement, she will find success in gathering support for the proposed merger with the opera staff.