Synopsis:

Marshall Gordon, who works for a large chair manufacturing corporation, has unique insight and design skills that enable him to design the best chairs on the market. However, his coworkers do not enjoy working with him. In fact, they will often leave the company to avoid him. Now, two top designers have demanded that management do something about Marshall or they will resign.

Questions:
If you were a top leader, how would you respond to the ultimatum? Be specific. Explain why. What is Marshall missing with respect to his leadership abilities? How do you explain his poor leadership behavior? If you were Marshall’s manager, how might you increase Marshall’s awareness of the negative impact he is having on his team? How would you guide him toward better team leadership, sharing his knowledge with others, and mentoring his team members?

This is a complex issue that may reflect on the organizational culture of that company. As a leader, it is necessary to understand the situation and listen to both parties in order to find a favorable solution for the company and the employees. Since Marshall's work is important to the company, firing him at first may not be a favorable decision, what the leader can do is provide feedback to him about his interpersonal relationship at the company.

As an effective leader, it is necessary to constantly monitor the work and the relationship between employees, in which case it is necessary to understand the reason for Marshall's behavior and try to change the parameters and procedures that may be facilitating this behavior. It is necessary for him to understand that despite being an effective worker, the company is an integrated system that must be in perfect synchronicity for it to be successful in the market.

What the leader could do in this case then is to try to change the code of organizational ethics, seek training and psychological assistance for Marshall if necessary, talk to the workers who are part of the conflict to understand the situation in the best way, to seek a work redesign. , etc.