Lipschultz, Levin & Gray
Case Study
Lipschultz, Levin & Gray
1. Keeping professionals excited about work that can be routine and standardized is a major challenge for Siegel. How could he use technical, human, and conceptual skills to maintain an environment that encourages innovation and professionalism in his CPA firm? * Like most office jobs, working in a CPA firm is like undergoing a never-ending routine and based-on-standard work procedure. People get the assumption that those who work here live a dull and boring life. But Steven Siegel is planning to change that. The different perceptions of the people under him will make it quite difficult for him but since he has the managerial skills, he’ll most probably get things how he wants them. Using his technical skills, he already found strategies to portray innovation in his firm—wheeled stuff and miniature golf courses are a part of it. He may make use of his human skills by understanding his employees better and finding ways of convincing them that these changes will be beneficial to everybody. Being a manager, he has the authority to make them do what he wants them to do but if he wants to do it right, talking to them as a leader and not as a boss would be appropriate. With his conceptual skills, he may be able to diagnose possibilities brought about by the changes he wants for the firm. He might consider certain situations resulting from the changes he wants and draw plans to make things go smoothly.
2. What management roles would Steven be playing as he (a) made a presentation to potential clients, (b) assessed the feasibility of adding a new consulting service, (c) kept employees focused on the company’s commitments to customers? * A. This is part of the planning phase. He makes a presentation to convince potential clients that may help their firm with the innovations they want. * B. Same as the first situation, Steven is planning to widen the scope of their firm by adding a new consulting service. He is
Lipschultz, Levin & Gray
1. Keeping professionals excited about work that can be routine and standardized is a major challenge for Siegel. How could he use technical, human, and conceptual skills to maintain an environment that encourages innovation and professionalism in his CPA firm? * Like most office jobs, working in a CPA firm is like undergoing a never-ending routine and based-on-standard work procedure. People get the assumption that those who work here live a dull and boring life. But Steven Siegel is planning to change that. The different perceptions of the people under him will make it quite difficult for him but since he has the managerial skills, he’ll most probably get things how he wants them. Using his technical skills, he already found strategies to portray innovation in his firm—wheeled stuff and miniature golf courses are a part of it. He may make use of his human skills by understanding his employees better and finding ways of convincing them that these changes will be beneficial to everybody. Being a manager, he has the authority to make them do what he wants them to do but if he wants to do it right, talking to them as a leader and not as a boss would be appropriate. With his conceptual skills, he may be able to diagnose possibilities brought about by the changes he wants for the firm. He might consider certain situations resulting from the changes he wants and draw plans to make things go smoothly.
2. What management roles would Steven be playing as he (a) made a presentation to potential clients, (b) assessed the feasibility of adding a new consulting service, (c) kept employees focused on the company’s commitments to customers? * A. This is part of the planning phase. He makes a presentation to convince potential clients that may help their firm with the innovations they want. * B. Same as the first situation, Steven is planning to widen the scope of their firm by adding a new consulting service. He is