O' Reilly Case
MINA O’REILLY AT LOGAN AIRPORT’S TSA
HARVARD BUSINESS CASE 9-409-116
Introduction & Background Analysis This paper provides a case study analysis and case solution to an organizational behavior and leadership Harvard Business School case study by Michel Anteby and Erin McFee concerning the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Boston’s Logan Airport (Anteby & McFee, 2009). The case focuses on supervisor and managerial responses to a Transportation Security Officer’s (TSO) role in enabling a security breach at the airport. The time setting for the case study is a Monday morning in 2009, the day after the security breach. The principal decision maker is Mina O’Reilly, one of about 100 Supervisor Transportation Security Officers (STSO) at Logan Airport. O’Reilly was responsible for supervising both Ludo Sanchez, the Transportation Security Officer who was directly responsible for the security breach, and the Lead Transportation Security Office (LTSO) who had been directly supervising Sanchez at the time of the breach. Leaving behind her partnership in a fizzling IT venture, O’Reilly joined the TSA in the entry-level TSO position in 2006. She quickly proved herself a fast-riser and a strong performer, earning a quick promotion to LTSO and subsequently STSO. With a series of great performance reviews and a flawless record with headquarters (at least until the current breach), O’Reilly was positioning herself for an eventual move into the senior management ranks at TSA. Having joined the TSA shortly after its formation in the aftermath of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks, and having declined to pursue promotion opportunities, Ludo Sanchez is an eight year veteran at his job as a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) at Logan Airport. Personable, energetic, enthusiastic, and strongly committed to his job, Sanchez was well-liked by colleagues, his direct supervisors (especially by O’Reilly) and even by the passengers in the position of having to be
HARVARD BUSINESS CASE 9-409-116
Introduction & Background Analysis This paper provides a case study analysis and case solution to an organizational behavior and leadership Harvard Business School case study by Michel Anteby and Erin McFee concerning the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Boston’s Logan Airport (Anteby & McFee, 2009). The case focuses on supervisor and managerial responses to a Transportation Security Officer’s (TSO) role in enabling a security breach at the airport. The time setting for the case study is a Monday morning in 2009, the day after the security breach. The principal decision maker is Mina O’Reilly, one of about 100 Supervisor Transportation Security Officers (STSO) at Logan Airport. O’Reilly was responsible for supervising both Ludo Sanchez, the Transportation Security Officer who was directly responsible for the security breach, and the Lead Transportation Security Office (LTSO) who had been directly supervising Sanchez at the time of the breach. Leaving behind her partnership in a fizzling IT venture, O’Reilly joined the TSA in the entry-level TSO position in 2006. She quickly proved herself a fast-riser and a strong performer, earning a quick promotion to LTSO and subsequently STSO. With a series of great performance reviews and a flawless record with headquarters (at least until the current breach), O’Reilly was positioning herself for an eventual move into the senior management ranks at TSA. Having joined the TSA shortly after its formation in the aftermath of the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks, and having declined to pursue promotion opportunities, Ludo Sanchez is an eight year veteran at his job as a Transportation Security Officer (TSO) at Logan Airport. Personable, energetic, enthusiastic, and strongly committed to his job, Sanchez was well-liked by colleagues, his direct supervisors (especially by O’Reilly) and even by the passengers in the position of having to be
References: Anteby, M. & McFee, E. (2009). Mina O’Reilly at Logan Airport’s TSA. Harvard Business School Case Study, 9-409-116(Rev. June 19, 2009). Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing. Cusack, G.P. (2009, Spring). Willingness: a reflection on commitment, organization, citizenship and engagement from the perspective of Albert O. Hirschman’s concept of exit, voice and loyalty. Review of Business, pp. 19-29. McCartney, S. (2006, April 18). Airports anticipate longer security lines; change in hiring process for screeners. Wall Street Journal, p. D1 U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) (2005, May). Aviation Security: screener training and performance measurement strengthened, but work remains. Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Aviation, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives. Washington, D.C.: GAO.