Virtudazo, Maria Christina C.

March 18, 2021

Case No. 1 - Alvarez

Point of View

Pinto, assistant plant manager

Introduction

Mr. Stone faces difficulty in establishing his authority because of the insubordination

of Mr. Alvarez. Along with his ego and constant grumbling at work, Mr. Alvarez brought an

uncomfortable atmosphere in the workplace, resulting in complaints from both Mr. Stone and

his colleagues.

Problem Statement

How can Pinto improve the current work environment at the Canalven factory to

promote efficient management (under Stone) and better work performance?

Situation Analysis

Workplace Diversity

One of the characteristics that sets Alvarez apart from Stone is their age gap,

evidenced by how Alvarez addresses Stone as ‘young engineer’ in a demeaning manner.

Despite Stone having a higher position, Alvarez does not acknowledge him as his superior.

Thus, he does not treat Stone with respect.

Another characteristic is tenure. With 25 years of experience under his belt, Alvarez

exercises his seniority over Stone to speak and do as he pleases. Given his history with

Canalven, he does not like Stone interfering with how things work because he knows how

everything operates more than anyone. He criticizes the capabilities of Stone to manage a

division he is new to. Hence, these factors (age gap & tenure) became the basis for

discrimination in the workplace, more specifically referred to as incivility. See Exhibit 1 for

details.
Attitude & Behavior

Through 25 years, Alvarez has established himself as an invaluable asset to the

company. He prides himself on his contributions such as designing and building machines for

Canalven. Due to this, he has grown egotistical and does not seek advice from anyone. His

negative attitude towards his supervisor can be explained by Exhibit 2. With this underlying

attitude, Alvarez is dissatisfied under Stone’s management. Thus, he acts destructively

towards him by countering his decisions and demoralizing him in front of others. As a result,

productivity is compromised and stress levels in the workplace increase.

On the management side, Stone cannot tolerate Alvarez’s attitude and insubordination

any longer. He requests Alvarez’s termination because he is the primary reason why workers

don’t fully trust him which affects the overall performance of the factory. Without trust, the

chain of command is questioned, leading to delays in output. Finally, the habit that Stone

dislikes the most is ‘Alvarez’s mania’ — when Alvarez inscribes his name on every piece of

equipment he builds with yellow lettering. Stone perceives this to be both unnecessary and

irritating, which triggers negative emotions that can impede effective and rational decision-

making.

Recommendations

Pinto should propose collaborative solutions on their meeting regarding how the

factory should move forward with the goal of fostering efficient management for better

performance:

Establish proper communication to foster better relationships

To improve the work environment, Pinto must first address the relationship between

Stone and Alvarez. Since both parties have biased perceptions against each other from the

beginning, he should organize a private conversation with Stone and Alvarez where they

directly discuss their differences and issues. In this manner, Stone and Alvarez will become
aware of their respective behaviors and begin the process of conciliation such as setting

compromises. The objective of this discussion is to help them become civil and treat each

other with respect by accepting their differences and the hierarchy. From there, Pinto must

also help the other employees address their issues with Alvarez to help them move forward as

a unit. Despite their diversity, they need a common way of looking at and accomplishing

major tasks which can be achieved with proper communication (Judge & Stephen, 2017).

Furthermore, Pinto must advise Stone to use both feelings and thinking to produce

more efficient and rational decisions (Judge & Stephen, 2017). Finally, Pinto must inform

Alvarez of the implications of his negative actions in their workplace. Correcting this

behavior can reduce the level of stress in their environment.

Integrate skills and knowledge to improve productivity

With a unified workforce, Pinto can work on improving the factory’s work

performance. First, Pinto must teach Stone to seek advice from Alvarez whose insights are

supported by his extensive experience. Conversely, Alvarez must also learn to consult with

his peers, especially the younger generation because past operations may not be as effective

as they are in the present. Thus, the business must learn to adapt to changes. With this

mindset, integrating skills and ideas from a diverse workforce produces better performance.
References

Judge, T., Robbins, S., (2017). Organizational Behavior. 17th Edition. Pearson. pp. 85, 99,

113, 146

Appendices