The Jim Davis Case
The Jim Davis Case
Background
At the end of this story we find Jim Davis, a relatively newly hired Retirement Account Coordinator and Business Development Manager for Hereford National Bank, in a management quandary. He is faced with a situation where a branch manager, Patty Matthews, has skipped a mandatory training session that he is conducting for all branch managers of the company. Patty, a 25-year veteran, claims that she missed the training because of illness, but Jim doesn’t feel that she is really being truthful. His perception of Patty may have been form by a candid conversation that Jim had with Allen Jones, Patty’s supervisor and an awkward exchange Jim had with her at a short meeting. Jim has concluded that he will consult with Allen Jones, Branch Manager Coordinator, and Eric Johnson, Vice President, Marketing before he addresses the situation with Patty Mathews (Mainolfi, 2004).
The Executives
Jim has concluded that he will consult with Allen Jones, Branch Manager Coordinator, and Eric Johnson, Vice President, Marketing before he approaches Patty Mathews about her missing the training session (Mainolfi, 2004). Jim should meet with Patty’s direct supervisor, Allen Jones and with Eric Johnson, Vice President to discuss Jim’s concerns about his perceptions that Patty blew off the training session and faked being sick. Jim’s objective should be to use my Reflective Observation learning style to gather more insight into Patty as an individual and gain a better understanding of how she might view things (Hay Group 2006). Allen Jones, as Patty’s direct supervisor, may be able to provide Jim with this insight and help him understand what makes Patty tick. Especially, since he is the one who helped Jim form his opinion of Patty during a discussion after playing racquetball. Jim should also consult with Eric Johnson about what the company policies might be about an employee deliberately skipping training sessions and what type of discipline can be
Background
At the end of this story we find Jim Davis, a relatively newly hired Retirement Account Coordinator and Business Development Manager for Hereford National Bank, in a management quandary. He is faced with a situation where a branch manager, Patty Matthews, has skipped a mandatory training session that he is conducting for all branch managers of the company. Patty, a 25-year veteran, claims that she missed the training because of illness, but Jim doesn’t feel that she is really being truthful. His perception of Patty may have been form by a candid conversation that Jim had with Allen Jones, Patty’s supervisor and an awkward exchange Jim had with her at a short meeting. Jim has concluded that he will consult with Allen Jones, Branch Manager Coordinator, and Eric Johnson, Vice President, Marketing before he addresses the situation with Patty Mathews (Mainolfi, 2004).
The Executives
Jim has concluded that he will consult with Allen Jones, Branch Manager Coordinator, and Eric Johnson, Vice President, Marketing before he approaches Patty Mathews about her missing the training session (Mainolfi, 2004). Jim should meet with Patty’s direct supervisor, Allen Jones and with Eric Johnson, Vice President to discuss Jim’s concerns about his perceptions that Patty blew off the training session and faked being sick. Jim’s objective should be to use my Reflective Observation learning style to gather more insight into Patty as an individual and gain a better understanding of how she might view things (Hay Group 2006). Allen Jones, as Patty’s direct supervisor, may be able to provide Jim with this insight and help him understand what makes Patty tick. Especially, since he is the one who helped Jim form his opinion of Patty during a discussion after playing racquetball. Jim should also consult with Eric Johnson about what the company policies might be about an employee deliberately skipping training sessions and what type of discipline can be
References: Hay Group. (2006). Kolb Learning Style Inventory: Power Point Slides. Retrieved from http://cq-ais.s3.amazonaws.com/gmu/emba653/GMU_OB_CH_LSI.pdf Mainolfi, D. J. (2004). Who’s in Charge?: The Jim Davis Case. BAB086. Retrieved from http://cqais.s3.amazonaws.com/gmu/emba653/readings/Who_is_in_Charge_Jim_Davis_Case.pdf