Erik Peterson Case Analysis (C & D)

This is a case about a manger who completes his job with competence, but faces trouble
without knowing the causes to the core problems. Recommendations are imperative.

Executive Summary
1. Peterson failed to prepare and plan for top management visit. Peterson should update
Jenkins on his plan to solve the issues and then schedule an official visit with HQ.
2. Peterson failed to maintain good relationship with Scott Green. Instead of dwelling on the
past and criticizing Green’s decisions, Peterson should step down to actively support
Green’s leadership and manage staff members.

Problem Statements and Causes

1. Peterson failed to prepare and plan for senior executives’ visit. Peterson did not contact
Jenkins to discuss the pre-launch problems and HQ to plan for an official visit afterwards.
Instead, he attempted to convince Knight that he could solve them entirely on his own
without any help from the management. Peterson’s overconfidence failed him to discuss
and mitigate the issues with senior executives before their arrival. Jenkins even blamed
Peterson for being “unenthusiastic” about the product launch. Furthermore, Peterson
could not prepare his team members to answer the detailed questions, preventing him to
exercise leadership on the issues.
2. Peterson failed to maintain good relationship with Scott Green. Peterson met with
criticism by Green when he had first interaction during orientation. The uncomfortable
experience with Green caused Peterson to have hard time getting along with him. This
failed Peterson to see the problems from Green’s perspective and adapt himself to
Green’s working needs.

Recommendations
1. Peterson should communicate directly with Jenkins and HQ. Instead of basing his
overconfidence to solve the problems and convincing Knight of his excellent problem
solving skills, Peterson should update Jenkins on his plan to solve the KOL and
manufacturing issues at Costa Rica. Specifically, Peterson should meet with his team, set
up targets, designate tasks, and report the business plan to Jenkins. Afterwards, Peterson
should efficiently manage the top management’s visit by assembling his staff members,
planning agendas for each day of visit, and communicating schedule with HQ.
2. Peterson should assume a positive role in supporting Green. Instead of dwelling on the
past and criticizing Green’s decisions, Peterson should step down to actively support
Green’s leadership and manage staff members. Specifically, Peterson should convey his
capacity to achieve Green’s plan by applying his lessons to organize and staff members in
alignment with Green’s decisions. This will allow Peterson to manage his own boss by
earning Green’s trust and responsibilities and eventually raise his team’s morale as the
reinstated leader.

Total Word Count: 431