Name Dhiren Henry Monteiro

Question 1

Here are some instances according to me that could have caused the friction between Lisa and
her team members.

Instance 1: Both Linton and Scoville had no regards for her Harvard MBA and shrugged it off.
Since both did not have an MBA and built their career over time, they believed that she needed
to work hard in the company to prove herself.

Instance 2: The lack of guidance and support from her immediate superior, Linton. Despite
being promised a meeting to discuss Pure & Fresh's history, she kept postponing it and seemed
preoccupied with other matters. This lack of direction made Lisa feel ignored and undermined.

Instance 3: When Linton brushed off her requests, Lisa reached out to Scoville. Scoville’s
manner of responding to Lisa's queries came across as patronizing. His comment like "You’re
in a learning mode" implying that Lisa's questions were basic and expected as she has only just
joined the company. This not only undermined Lisa's confidence but also created a sense of
frustration.

Instance 4: She felt underutilized and alienated when she was assigned menial tasks such as
obtaining artwork approval forms and doing copying, which she perceived as being below her
capabilities as a Harvard MBA graduate. She also hesitated to ask for more work as she didn’t
want to come off as too aggressive.

Question 2
Write your answer for Part A here.

Trait Level: High/Low Example supporting the answer

Openness to Low Lisa had worked on analysis of Pure & Fresh

Experience pricing, she has showed him her
recommendations, he challenged her
assumptions and implied her analysis was flawed
and blamed it on her MBA.

Conscientiousness Low He couldn’t keep up with his own deadlines on

the marketing plan and burdened Lisa with
menial jobs like copying rather than entrusting
her with substantial work on the marketing plan.

Extraversion Low He explains about his aggressive no-nonsense

style to Lisa, he also has a hard time interacting
with other colleagues and chooses to work alone.
This reflects low extraversion

Agreeableness Low He was always rude to Lisa and liked to

micromanage her work. He was confrontational,
tried to exert control, and dismissive of her ideas.

Neuroticism High His erratic behaviour, aggressive style of

communication and impulsive reactions all
displayed signs of emotional instability. Hence,
he is high on neuroticism.
Here are two ways we can look to improve Lisa’s relationship with Scoville,

1) Scoville's low openness to experience suggests that he may prefer routines and may be
less receptive to new ideas and unconventional approaches. To improve their
relationship, Lisa should communicate with Scoville in a clear, detailed manner,
focusing on facts and practical implications rather than speculative discussions. This
could transition into a better relationship based on detailed communication.

2) Given Scoville's ‘potential’ for being high on conscientiousness, he likely values

competence, and attention to detail. Lisa can improve her relationship with him by
acknowledging his expertise and knowledge in relevant areas. She can reach out to him
for advice or input on matters, showing respect for his capabilities and encourage
collaboration.

Question 3

This situation represents the "Hidden Area" area of the Johari Window.

In Hidden Area, aspects of oneself are known to the individual but not to others. Lisa's core
strengths were known to herself but were not recognized by Linton during Lisa's performance
evaluation.

Here are some ways that Lisa can do to improve her relationship with Linton and help reduce
her Hidden Area,

Clear Communication: Lisa should actively communicate about her strengths,

accomplishments, and aspirations to Linton. At times, the crying baby gets the milk. The
instance where she received positive feedback on the memo from Jack Vernon is a good
instance to loop Linton on and request to take on more responsibilities within the team. She
 can also have frequent one-on-ones with Linton to share her progress and challenges, this way
staying ahead of the curve.

Demonstrate Skills: Lisa can proactively contribute to meetings and showcase her skills. She
can start by contributing at the agency meetings with marketing strategies that would work
basis the analysis she has done, i.e. proposing a new approach for the coupon test market
booklet. Maybe even suggest cross-functional collaborations to help streamline
communications between departments, this would save everyone time and showcase her
leadership skills.

Feedback Mechanism: Constantly asking for feedback from Linton could help with improving
her hidden area. Getting suggestions from Linton would also help with streamlining her career
goals and play out positively at her performance reviews.

Question 4

Here are some ways that Linton could have handled the performance review better.

1) While the review did start on a positive note, the latter half of it did dwell on a more
negative tone. Linton should have balanced out the positives and negative to help keep
Lisa motivated. Calling out specific achievements like Vernon did would help boost
Lisa’s confidence and help her perform better.

2) Based on the feedback of “unassertive” and “lacking in initiative and confidence”,

Linton should have been more specific regarding them, provide examples of their
working relationship of why she felt this way. She could then choose to help Lisa by
communicating on how to improve on these areas. This would make Lisa feel more
relaxed and have a better understanding of her key areas.
Question 5

Here are a few engagement tactics that could have helped Lisa feel more feel motivated to
work at Houseworld.

1) Learning and Development: Houseoworld could have provided Lisa with L&D
opportunities for her to develop her skillsets. She had joined the company for their
focus on training and the first-hand experience that she would get during her tenure
there. This would demonstrate their commitment to her by investing in her career
growth and developing new skills and competencies. For Example: Enroll Lisa in a
leadership development program focused on communication skills, conflict resolution,
and team management. This would enhance her professional capabilities but also boost
her confidence and motivation.

2) Rewards and Recognition: The company could have created a culture of recognition
and encouraged managers to give their teams monthly Rewards or Recognitions
(R&R). This would create a sense of belonging and provide a great morale boost to
Lisa on being recognized for her efforts. For example: Create a quarterly R&R for the
‘Group Product Manager’. This would lead to Jack Vernon realizing Lisa’s potential
and recognize her for them.

3) Increase Accountability and Responsibility: Managers should encourage and create a

sense accountability to the Associates and Assistant Product Managers, this would
build their confidence in taking on more work. Thus, allowing them to take ownership
of projects, make independent decisions, and increase their sense of control and
responsibility. For example: Linton should have tasked Lisa with creating a new
marketing strategy for Pure & Fresh, thereby giving her full autonomy on strategy,
planning, and execution where Linton can later provide support on.
Question 6

Here are some soft power tactics that Lisa can use to improve her relationship with Linton and
Scoville and how we can implement them.

1) Referent Power - Impression Management – Seeking Feedback

Here, Lisa can seek constant feedback form Linton and Scoville showing that she has
respect for them and a lot to learn if she must grow.
Here’s how we can implement this.
A) Reaching out to them with specific questions every time she is tasked with
work. This will emphasize that she respects their input on the matter and
open to learning new things.
B) Get constant feedback and advice from them on the work she presents to
them and being grateful for their time and insights.

2) Expert Power - Persuasion– Showcase Expertise

Here, Lisa can leverage her skills, knowledge, and expertise on specific areas and try
and gain the confidence of Linton and Scoville and improve her credibility.
Here’s how we can implement this.
A) Keep researching latest trends and showcase the ideas, solutions, and
discuss insights with them.
B) Provide guidance and support in her key areas and offer to lead projects and
therefore demonstrating your competence and capabilities.

Here are some hard power tactics that Lisa can use to improve her relationship with Linton and
Scoville,

1) Informational Power – Informational control – Becoming Indispensable

Lisa can constantly work towards being better at work and exceeding Linton and
Scoville’s expectation of her.
Here’s how we can implement this.
 A) Anticipate their needs and proactively complete their work, this way they
start to rely on you more.
B) Keep tracking your accomplishment and showcase them at your
performance reviews to double down on reliability.

2) Expert Power – Silent Authority – Solving Critical Problems

Lisa will need to showcase her ability to take care of problems therefore cementing her
pivotal role.
A) She will need to identify and preempt team problems and challenges and
discuss the possible solutions and outcomes with Linton and Scoville.
B) Understand Linton and Scoville’s career goals and key focus areas and
work towards helping them improving it and helping them achieving it.

Question 7

Yes, there has been a breach of ethics by Lisa’s coworkers, here a few instances.

1) Gender Discrimination
This is the incident with the Group Product Manager Jack Vernon lashed out at Lisa
for the word processing task which he felt was beneath her without understanding
context to the situation. This reflects his gender discriminatory attitude in the
workplace which goes against most company policies.

2) Condescending behavior and harassment

Scoville’s patronizing attitude toward Lisa, treating her as a subordinate, handing over
his menial tasks all go against certain policies for bullying that companies stand for.
 His attitude towards her education was another instance for harassment as he has a
prejudice towards MBA graduates and their incompetence.

3) Conflict Resolution
Linton’s failure to address Lisa’s complaints about Scoville’s behaviour, where she
asks Lisa to just “get along” with Scoville, is a cause for major concern. The lack of
accountability on Linton’s end and not addressing the complaint showcases her attitude
in the workplace and the fact that she enables a hostile work environment is a red flag.
This is a serious breach of ethics for most companies.

4) Unprofessional Conduct
Linton failed to provide adequate support during the initiation/orientation of Lisa when
she joined the company and didn’t help her with her questions, nor did she provide any
key areas to focus on. In turn, during her performance review, she informs her that she
is “unassertive” and “lacks in initiative and confidence” without citing specific
examples for these scenarios. These can be considered unethical on a higher level for
companies that primarily focus on employees.

Question 8

No, I think Lisa should not quit her job at Houseworld. Here are a few reasons that support this
decision.

1) Skill Recognition: Despite facing multiple challenges at the workplace, she had
received great feedback from both Vernon and Linton regarding her communication
skills, her ability to get along with the larger teams and learn quickly. This shows a
positive trajectory for her experience and indicates that she has valuable skills that she
could hone in on during her time here.
 2) Growth Opportunity: Lisa should take her performance review from Linton in a
positive manner. She now understands the areas that Linton needs her to improve on,
indicating the potential for growth. Although having those skills, Lisa could then use it
to her advantage and catapult her career within the organization by impressing both
Linton and then Vernon.
3) Peer Support: Lisa has received a lot of positive feedback from her peers and was able
to form a bond and create friendships with a few of them. They even help ease her
work out at times. This sense of solidarity and teamwork would suggest that she’s part
of a supportive work culture and can collaborate and work with her peers.

Understandably, despite all these challenges faced by Lisa, she has learned from them and
came out of these situations with more experience. This is a great learning curve and also one
of the reasons why Lisa took up the opportunity at Houseworld in the first place.