Part 1

From: Patterson,Neal
To: DL_ALL_MANAGERS;
Subject: Management Concerns; New Implementations
Importance: High
To the KC_based managers:
I hope everyone is having a satisfying week. Due to recent findings, below will detail several
changes in operations. Please note these changes are mandatory.
We have noticed many employees are not working full 40-hour weeks. Our parking lot is rarely
full at 8am. Likewise, at 5pm. We fear expectations have declined in our workplace. Due to the
severity of these issues, we must intervene. Unfortunately, if we do not make policy changes we
will have to make personnel changes.
Before next weeks end, I plan to implement to following:

1. Closing of Associate Center to employees from 7:30AM to 6:30PM.

2. Implementing a hiring freeze for all KC based positions. Cabinet approval
is required to hire someone into a KC based team.

3. Employees must now clock in and clock out. Refusal to do so may result in
deduction from employee vacation.

4. We passed a Stock Purchase Program, allowing for the employee to

purchase Cerner stock at a 15% discount, at Fridays BOD meeting.

5. Implement a 5% reduction of staff in KC.

6. Promotion consideration will be halted. It will resume after production levels

are satisfactory.
All of these changes are made to benefit the entire company. I have reservations for these new
rules but find them necessary. Unfortunately, this problem revolves around management so
consequences will be passed accordingly.

Part 3

If you have any solutions, please reach out. Additionally, please reach out to me for any other
reason as well. I am here to help facilitate your success within Cerner. I request that you copy
Kynda on any email in regards to this issue. I hope for positive growth from here forward.
Sincerely,
Neal Patterson
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
Cerner Corporation www.cerner.com
2800 Rockcreek Parkway; Kansas City, Missouri 64117
We Make Health Care Smarter
Mr. Patterson,
Above is the email you passed along to me for rework and revision. While going through
the email I have made several changes that I feel you should note. First is the change in tone. I
felt it would be more efficient if we changed the tone so the management feels we are on the
same team. This being said, I made sure to maintain the communication of the severity of the
company changes.
The second major change I made was the removal of several paragraphs towards the end
of the memo. By shortening the email as a whole, managers do not have to search for the
important information. Keeping a one page length will not discourage readers like a full 2 page
memo would.
Other than a few grammatical changes, the last change I made was to organize the new
policy list. I removed some words so the managers do not have to search for the rule change.
Also, I have added some extra white area by spacing to make it easier on the managers eyes and
to ensure nothing is over looked.
Hopefully your email is received appropriately and change takes place!

Sincerely,
Eric Horvath

Part 3

Obviously, this email was very poorly constructed. Like I noted in my memo to Neal, my
first change I felt necessary was the change in tone. No one wants to open an email that is
basically yelling and belittling him or her. Instead, we want the managers to feel we are on the
same side but due to recent actions changes are a must. While addressing these sorts of issues, it
is best to walk the tight rope of giving stern commands without speaking down to the managers.
The changes I made now allow the managers to understand the severity of the situation without
angering them too much.
I felt this email was far too long. I removed almost the entire second page because Neal
was just venting his anger at them. This is unnecessary while communicating in a business
setting. I understand in removing these paragraphs some information was lost but I felt it did not
hinder the message. The statement about Neal wanting the managers to reach out with questions
replaced these paragraphs.
I have always been taught, when writing business memos that white space is important. If
there is white space surrounding one sentence, it more or less highlights that sentence. I left
space between each rule change in order for the managers to quickly scan the memo and see
exactly what they need to see. Other minor changes were the removal of capitalization in the
attempt to eliminate the yelling tone originally projected. I also changed the title of the email.
The title of an email is like the handshake or first impression of a face-to-face conversation. If
the initial impression is negative, the whole conversation will be taken as a negative. Changing it
to a neutral statement allows the managers to go into the memo with an open mind and curiosity.