Case Analysis

Jim Donovan has recently accepted a new position as president for the company Famous Products. He has been asked to fly in to Milwaukee to take a look at the facilities and meet with the former president Don Bird. Jim is so excited and confident about his new position that he doesn’t think twice about his meeting with Bird. Upon his arrival Bird welcomed Jim to the building then brought him into a huge conference room where a bunch of other men in business suits sat. Bird made it openly clear he was not pleased that Jim would be taking over in front of everyone; this was obviously a huge shock to Jim. Jim was not prepared at all for Bird to react this way, we will discuss the mistakes Jim made before he got to the appointment, Jim’s reactions and what he should do during and after the meeting.

Jim Donovan did not do a good job preparing for his appointment with Don Bird. He assumed Bird would accept him, that he would be able to observe the company and have a smooth transition into his new position. He never thought he would be put on the spot like he was. Instead of thinking he might have an interview and should prepare for anything he just decided to wing it. We think he did a very poor job in “playing” things in regards to his appointment. There are a few mistakes that he made such as, expecting that since Bird was retiring he would be pleasant and welcoming. It is hard not to assume that if someone was older and ready to retire they would be happier to give their position to someone younger and maybe even look to mentor them and help them through the first couple of months. Bird handled this the complete opposite, as he state he would not support Jim in any way and did not believe he was qualified for the position. This could have been a tactic Bird used to test Jim and to see how he handled tough situations, much like a surprise interview. The case leaves this open ended and it does not tell us how Jim reacts to these harsh statements or what happens