Government Structures Case Study
Case Study 2
GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES LABORATORY
Bill Prince was reading through his morning mail when his secretary announced over the intercom that Jim Sloan was waiting outside. Prince was the director of the production research branch of a government aerospace laboratory. Sloan was one of his six branch chiefs and was in charge of the metals joining branch. Prince sighed audibly as he told his secretary to send him in. Although Sloan was a highly competent engineer and researcher, he took up more of Prince’s time than the other five branch chiefs put together. Anytime Prince asked the branch chiefs for anything, he knew that Sloan would have to discuss the matter at great length, questioning every aspect of the request and objecting to almost everything.
SLOAN: Bill, I’ve been thinking about your request for recommendations for promotions and sustained superior performance awards. It is really difficult to decide who of my people deserve what, but here are my recommendations.
Prince was almost afraid to look the memorandum. Sure enough his worst fears were confirmed. Sloan had eight professionals in his branch, and he had recommended four of them for a grade promotion and the other four for a sustained superior performance award.
PRINCE: Now, Jim, you know this is not reasonable. I’ll be lucky if I can get four promotions this year for the entire division. With six branches there is no way that I can support four promotions in your group. The same is true of the SSP awards. You know that the laboratory does not have a budget that will allow us to promote half the people and give cash SSP awards to everyone else. Besides what about your nonprofessional people. Aren’t any of them deserving? Your secretary hasn’t been promoted in 8 yrs and is the lowest grade secretary in the division. Doesn’t she deserve some consideration?
SLOAN: Of course, my technicians and secretary deserve promotions. But I knew you wouldn’t support everyone. The technicians
GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES LABORATORY
Bill Prince was reading through his morning mail when his secretary announced over the intercom that Jim Sloan was waiting outside. Prince was the director of the production research branch of a government aerospace laboratory. Sloan was one of his six branch chiefs and was in charge of the metals joining branch. Prince sighed audibly as he told his secretary to send him in. Although Sloan was a highly competent engineer and researcher, he took up more of Prince’s time than the other five branch chiefs put together. Anytime Prince asked the branch chiefs for anything, he knew that Sloan would have to discuss the matter at great length, questioning every aspect of the request and objecting to almost everything.
SLOAN: Bill, I’ve been thinking about your request for recommendations for promotions and sustained superior performance awards. It is really difficult to decide who of my people deserve what, but here are my recommendations.
Prince was almost afraid to look the memorandum. Sure enough his worst fears were confirmed. Sloan had eight professionals in his branch, and he had recommended four of them for a grade promotion and the other four for a sustained superior performance award.
PRINCE: Now, Jim, you know this is not reasonable. I’ll be lucky if I can get four promotions this year for the entire division. With six branches there is no way that I can support four promotions in your group. The same is true of the SSP awards. You know that the laboratory does not have a budget that will allow us to promote half the people and give cash SSP awards to everyone else. Besides what about your nonprofessional people. Aren’t any of them deserving? Your secretary hasn’t been promoted in 8 yrs and is the lowest grade secretary in the division. Doesn’t she deserve some consideration?
SLOAN: Of course, my technicians and secretary deserve promotions. But I knew you wouldn’t support everyone. The technicians