Running head: WORK GROUP ANALYSIS 1

Work Group Analysis

Tameca Dale

Saint Marys University

WORK GROUP ANALYSIS 2

INTRODUCTION

Merit Corporation was a family-owned business that specialized in the production and

selling of childrens furniture. The CEO of Merit, John Kirschner, is currently preparing for

retirement but wants to look out for the continued success of the Merit Corporation before his

departure. Mr. Kirschner originated a radical idea to create a team that is devoted to the vision of

making a new product, and in-turn, this would boost company sales. The employees identified

for this project was: Christopher Kane, Andrew, Jacobson, John OHara, Robert Vidreaux,

Susanne Tashman, Joan Waters, Matthew Kiris, and Raynor Carney. When Mr. Kirschner

retired, Joe Donaldson was brought in as the new CEO of Merit. As you can see, there were

many changes occurring in the Merit cooperation, and these changes brought about mixed

emotions, lack of trust, and even uneasiness. As leaders we have to understand that the success

we envisioned can sometimes bring heartache and pain to those working for us.

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

On the outside looking in, it appears that the identified problems are with the

development and design of the New Products Development (NPD) team. They arent mandated

to follow the rules and regulations, they are purposely segregated, and they only answer to one

echelon of leadership. These issues within itself seem like they are the problems, but they truly

arent. The underlying issue is the reason the group was established. Let me explain my theory.

Ivancevich, Konopaske, and Matteson defined groups as being randomly formed, resulting in a

varied mix of skills. Groups are accountable to a manager and create and share norms of

performance and behavior (2014, p. 267).

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Mr. Kirschner developed this group of eight men and women to come up with new

designs for the company before he retired. His goal was to leave a legacy for himself by

producing a group of individuals that could take the company to new heights and most of all,

bring financial gain. So he ostracized his group of minions to develop products that would leave

a name of importance for him upon retirement. What he failed to think about was what would

happen to the group once he was gone? No longer being the overseer of the group meant they

were back at square one feeling lost without guidance or direction.

Once Mr. Donaldson, the new CEO, was actively engaged, he recognized that his vision

of the company didnt line up with Mr. Kirschners vision. He began to make changes, and

removed NPD from the foundation on which they were built on, and this lead seven of the eight

members to cease their employment with the company. Mr. Donaldson saw that the group was

not producing like they were in the past, therefore to keep a special group such as this was

unnecessary.

ANALYSIS

I held Mr. Kirschner accountable for the 20 months of drama that transpired at Merit. I

call it drama because from the hiring process, special work hours, separate floor work space, to

the Mr. K entitlement, all lead to issues within the organization. Due to the fact that the team

was utterly maintained and controlled by him, he was setting them up for failure. He knew that

he would be leaving soon, which meant that the NPD team would get new management. Since

the team was allowed and encouraged to be segregated, it made it difficult for new leadership to

get them integrated. Even with all of the amenities they were provided with, the mindset was

already engrained within them. Research consistently shows that teams underperform, despite

all the extra resources they have. Thats because problems with coordination and motivation
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typically chip away at the benefits of collaboration. And even when you have a strong and

cohesive team, its often in competition with other teams, and that dynamic can also get in the

way of real progress (Coutu, 2009).

Mr. Kirschner fits into the Path-Goal Theory as a leadership participation method. In this

theory the leader does what she or he can to clear a path for group members to act. This is done

by delineating clearly what is to be done, removing obstacles, and rewarding those who perform

well. The levels in intensity a leader may do these things will vary according to the

circumstances. The follower may be more motivated or capable, or the work to be done could be

easy or difficult. Leadership styles in this method can vary from being dictatorial to the leader

being a participant (Leadership Central, n.d.). Now that there is a new CEO, he couldve

integrated the team slowly. He could have sat each member down and explained to them his

goals and what his intended outcomes he was trying to achieve. Possibly even providing team-

building training for the entire company would have also helped.

Personally, I believe that many companies build groups just like these unknowingly. For

instance, I worked on the night shift in an Emergency Room. Teams that work at night are: given

special shift-differential pay and even some training is brought to the ER personnel because they

cant make training during the day. Special treatments such as this builds a mind-set of

superiority. Then we begin to feel like we arent working together with our day shift counter-

parts, but that we are working against them. Blame, anger, bitterness, frustration, and gossip

develop amongst the day and night shifts and breaks that spirit of cohesiveness.
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SOLUTIONS/CONCLUSION

We can look at solutions from two different aspects. We can look at a prevention method

that shows that for future reference teams should be built on the foundation that is already set

within the company. Anyone brought into the team should be welcomed and embraced, and then

provided the vision and tools for success. On the other hand, if there is already separation within

your company and it is hindering growth, then it is never too late to change. As a leader,

communicate what is within your heart and what you are striving to attain. Let your staff know

that there will be changes, but it will be for the greater good of the company. We have to

understand that we cant build teams only to make money, but the teams role is to build up each

and every individual so that everyone is successful.

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References

Coutu, D. (2009). Why teams dont work. Retrieved from

https://hbr.org/2009/05/why-teams-dont-work

Ivancevich, J. M., Konopaske, R., & Matteson, M. T. (2014). Organizational behavior and

management (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Leadership Central. (n.d.). Path-goal theory Robert house. Retrieved from

http://www.leadership-central.com/path-goal-theory.html#axzz3zUyJAmA9