Name: Namrata Gadkari

Question 1 (4 marks)

Lisa felt disappointed during her first few weeks at Houseworld. What, according to you,
caused friction between her and her team members: Linton and Scoville? Mention at least
2 instances.

Answer:

1. Linton's Cool and Disinterested Reception: On Lisa's first day at Houseworld, her new
boss Deborah Linton greeted her pleasantly but gave off a cool and disinterested
impression. Linton mentioned that she was not expecting Benton for another week and
that her office was not set up yet. During their meeting, Linton made negative remarks
about MBAs, which Lisa had (unlike Linton), and warned her that she would have to
prove herself like everyone else. This created a sense of disappointment and tension for
Lisa, as she felt Linton was not particularly welcoming or supportive.
2. Scoville's Condescending Attitude towards MBAs: Ron Scoville, the associate product
manager who was supposed to help Lisa get settled, also added to the friction. He
asserted that he was smarter and more competent than most people at Home Care, and
he had a negative opinion of MBAs, especially those from Harvard. Despite promising
to teach Lisa the ropes of product management, his condescending attitude towards her
formal education and his disregard for MBAs left Lisa feeling uneasy about working
with him.

These instances contributed to Lisa Benton's disappointment during her first few weeks at
Houseworld, as she encountered a lack of warmth and support from her team members and had
to deal with their negative attitudes towards MBAs.
Question 2 (7 marks)

Scoville displayed erratic behaviour while interacting with Lisa throughout the case.

Question 2A: Analyse Scoville’s personality using the OCEAN framework. What,
according to you, would he score in each of the OCEAN traits? Cite examples or instances
to support your answer. (5 marks)

Note: You can mention either a 'high' or a 'low' for each of the 5 traits. Answer based on the
information given in the case study.

Question 2B: Using the results of the OCEAN framework analysis, suggest two ways in
which Lisa can improve her relationship with Scoville. (2 marks)

Answer 2A:

Trait Level: High/Low Example supporting the answer

Openness to Low During Lisa's initial day at Houseworld, Scoville

Experience exhibited condescending behavior, showing a
strong and inflexible bias against MBAs,
particularly those from Harvard. His comment
during their lunch together on her first day,
where he stated, "I’m a corporate misfit, so don’t
develop a style like mine. But I’m smarter and
more competent than most people at Home Care.
My problem is style, not substance," revealed his
tendency to be closed-minded and resistant to
new experiences.

Conscientiousness Low The copying incident where Lisa had to leave her
work mid-way because Scoville wanted Lis to do
 some copying for him while he made some last-
minute corrections on the marketing plan
implies Scoville’s low conscientiousness trait.

Extraversion Low Scoville referred to himself as a corporate misfit,

and Lisa's perception of his condescending
behavior was shared by everyone else in the
organization. Unlike Lisa, who found it easy to
cooperate with other staff groups, Scoville often
faced difficulties in getting others to comply with
his requests, leading him to either handle tasks
on his own or ask Lisa to do them.

Agreeableness Low Lisa’s colleagues also agreed and remarked that

many of the other product management staff
members felt similarly about Scoville. Several
people had complained about Scoville’s
"destructive" behavior and his "condescending"
treatment of Lisa.

Neuroticism High During the Analysis of Pure & Fresh pricing

incident. Where Lisa showed her analysis to
Scoville as he challenged her assumptions.
When Lisa didn’t agree with Scoville’s opinion
he yelled in a voice audible across the entire
floor, calling Lisa a Cooky MBA! Losing his
temper in a workplace disagreement shows
Scoville’s high Neuroticism trait.
 Answer 2B:

According to Lisa, there have been incidents where Scoville had come across as a decent, even
warm, and open-to-feedback person. Lisa can spend more after-work time with Scoville to get
to know him even better which would help her tackle Scoville’s short-tempered and
condescending behavior. Another way Lisa could improve her and Scoville’s relationship is by
doing her bidding on work and helping him with the other department colleagues.

Question 3 (5 marks)

Linton failed to recognise Lisa’s core strengths during Lisa’s performance evaluation. This
left Lisa disappointed.

Question 3A: Which area of the Johari window does this situation represent? (1 mark)

Question 3B: What can Lisa do to reduce this area and improve her relationship with
Linton? Give at least two relevant examples. (4 marks)

Answer 3A:

The Hidden Area or Façade.

Answer 3B:

As stated by Linton in Lisa’s performance evaluation, Lisa lacked assertiveness and did not put
forth her opinion, while barely contributing to any meetings. Lisa could use her past work
experience at Right-Away where she took the initiative and worked end-to-end from stocking
shelves to financial planning. Lisa should refrain from adopting a passive learner's role and
instead, confidently assert herself by presenting relevant ideas and making strong
recommendations during staff meetings. By doing so Lisa could not only change Linton’s
 opinion of MBAs but would also improve her and Linton’s relationship as she would start
including Lisa in more projects.

Question 4 (4 marks)

In Lisa's performance review, Linton described Lisa as "unassertive" and "lacking in

initiative and confidence". What could Linton have done differently while giving the
feedback? Suggest two improvements.

Answer:

Firstly, when providing negative feedback, Linton should have assessed whether she had given
Lisa a fair chance to be part of her team without any bias. Secondly, as Lisa's boss, Linton
should be careful in delivering negative feedback to team members, ensuring it does not
negatively impact their confidence but rather motivates them to perform better and grow.
Instead of using harsh terms like "unassertive" and "lack of confidence and initiative," Linton
could opt for more encouraging language such as "areas for improvement" or "opportunities to
develop." Additionally, Linton could have offered Lisa opportunities to showcase her skills and
learning by actively involving her in projects and providing encouragement.

Question 5 (6 marks)

Suggest three engagement tactics that could have helped Lisa in feeling more motivated to
work in Houseworld.

Answer:

Employee engagement contributes to the level of dedication employees have towards the
organization and its objectives. When employees feel valued and genuinely engaged in their
 work, they tend to be more productive and exhibit greater loyalty, leading to increased retention
rates. Three tactics that can keep employees engaged includes:

1. Organizing enjoyable and captivating activities during company Town Halls

2. Conducting training sessions to enhance and cultivate new skills
3. Recognizing and appreciating employees' work in a timely manner

Question 6 (4 marks)

Lisa can improve her relationship with Linton and Scoville using certain power tactics.
Based on this, answer the following questions.

Note: Answer based on your learnings from the Organisational Behaviour module.

Question 6A: Mention 2 soft tactics that Lisa can use. Suggest relevant ways in which these
can be implemented. (2 marks)

Question 6B: Mention 2 hard tactics that Lisa can use. Suggest relevant ways in which
these can be implemented. (2 marks)

Answer 6A:

Exchange: Lisa can engage in reciprocal favors with both Linton and Scoville. For instance,
she could assist with urgent tasks or leverage her influence to expedite tasks from other
departments for Scoville, thereby building trust and gaining acceptance for her perspective.

Persuasion: Lisa should dedicate time to understanding the behaviors of Linton and Scoville
while strengthening her relationship with them. Further, persuading them both through the
approach that seemed best for Linton and Scoville based on the connection built.

Answer 6B:
 Assertiveness: Lisa should be more assertive while dealing with Linton and Scoville. For
instance, she could have responded firmly to Linton's negative remarks about MBAs and given
assertive feedback to Scoville concerning his management style. Such an approach could have
minimized her negative experience.

Coalition Formation: Lisa discovered that some of her colleagues in other departments also
had concerns about Linton's managerial and training skills. Additionally, she received support
from another assistant product manager who shared her views on Linton's management style.
She could have utilized this peer network's support to form a coalition and advocate for her
ideas with both Scoville and Linton.

Question 7 (4 marks)

Do you think there has been a breach of ethics by Lisa's coworkers? Justify your answer by
giving reasons and mentioning instances from the case study.

Answer:

Yes, Lisa's co-workers breached ethical standards in this case. Lisa should have been treated
without any form of discrimination or favoritism.

Both Linton and Scoville discriminated against Lisa based on her MBA degree. Additionally,
Linton showed favoritism towards Scoville, favoring him over Lisa for projects, which might be
connected to rumors of a potential affair between them.

The rights approach underlines the importance of respecting Lisa's dignity, but Scoville
disregarded this principle when he humiliated Lisa in front of the entire office during a
disagreement over the analysis of Pure and Fresh's pricing. Furthermore, Linton's failure to
address the numerous complaints about Scoville's behavior demonstrated a breach of ethics
from both of them.
Question 8 (6 marks)

Should Lisa quit her job at Houseworld? Support your answer with at least 3 relevant
arguments.

Note: 2 marks will be awarded for each relevant argument in favour of the decision.

Answer:

Lisa should consider staying at Houseworld and not quitting her job.

Despite Scoville's previous instances of humiliation, Lisa managed to establish a personal

connection with him during a drink, and he appeared open to feedback, coming across as warm
and decent. Understanding his frustrations of not getting promotion and triggers may lead to
better cooperation between them in the future.

The friendship Lisa shares with her peers from other departments would be challenging to
replicate elsewhere.

Jack Vernon, the group product manager, expressed his liking for Lisa, evident from his
commendation and their discussions about Harvard. He recognized that she was capable of
more than menial tasks, as seen in the typing incident, and looked out for her best interests by
preventing her from doing secretarial work.

Her peers advised Lisa that the Pure and Fresh project was only temporary, lasting 12-18
months, which is standard in the marketing department. They suggested she hold on for a few
more months until she is assigned to a different project.