River Woods Plant Manager
Heritage Appliance Company recently announced plans to construct the River Woods manufacturing plant, replacing
the company’s original, flagship facility adjacent to the company headquarters in Edgemont. In announcing the new plant,
the company stated that to the extent possible it would be staffed by Edgemont plant personnel and that the excess personnel
would be transferred to other Heritage plants in neighboring states. Heritage management views the River Woods facility as
the plant of the future, featuring new methods of production and lower processing costs and manpower requirements.
In a recent press release, the Heritage CEO noted that they were replacing one of the least automated plants in the
industry with a plant using new forms of production not previously seen in appliance manufacturing. Heritage Appliance is
also using the River Woods plant to pilot a new decentralized management structure. In the past, the firm’s marketing
activities were directed from the home office by a vice president. Manufacturing operations and certain other departments
were under the control of the company’s senior vice president. In this centralized, functional arrangement, none of the
company’s four plants had a general manager. Instead, each department in a plant reported on a line basis to its functional
counterpart at the home office (e.g., director of production, director of engineering). In contrast, the new River Woods plant
manager will be responsible for the management of all functions and personnel except marketing and sales.
There is general consensus among the top management team that the long–term viability of the firm depends on the
success of this initiative. However, some have expressed concerns about the difficulty of the task facing the River Woods
general manager. They point to the shift from functional lines of communication and accountability to a plant–level focus, as
well as the challenges of upgrading the skills of the Edgemont plant personnel, working out the bugs in new applications of
advanced manufacturing processes to appliance design and production, and dealing with the inevitable complaints from
employees in a small company town who are not satisfied with their new assignments and who might serve as the catalyst
for unionizing the only nonunion U.S. appliance manufacturing firm.
85)
What organizational issues (River Woods Plant issues) will require strategies to help the plant manager
maintain power and influence? Why will the issues affect the plant manager’s influence?
86)
If you were offered the new River Woods plant manager position, based on what you’ve learned about the
sources of position power, what actions would you take to insure that as the company’s first general manager
you had the necessary clout to accomplish your assigned duties?
87)
Explain the three influence strategies and provide an example of each strategy. Identify how one might
neutralize each influence strategy.
River Woods Plant Manager
Heritage Appliance Company recently announced plans to construct the River Woods manufacturing plant, replacing
the company’s original, flagship facility adjacent to the company headquarters in Edgemont. In announcing the new plant,
the company stated that to the extent possible it would be staffed by Edgemont plant personnel and that the excess personnel
would be transferred to other Heritage plants in neighboring states. Heritage management views the River Woods facility as
the plant of the future, featuring new methods of production and lower processing costs and manpower requirements.
In a recent press release, the Heritage CEO noted that they were replacing one of the least automated plants in the
industry with a plant using new forms of production not previously seen in appliance manufacturing. Heritage Appliance is
also using the River Woods plant to pilot a new decentralized management structure. In the past, the firm’s marketing
activities were directed from the home office by a vice president. Manufacturing operations and certain other departments
were under the control of the company’s senior vice president. In this centralized, functional arrangement, none of the
company’s four plants had a general manager. Instead, each department in a plant reported on a line basis to its functional
counterpart at the home office (e.g., director of production, director of engineering). In contrast, the new River Woods plant
manager will be responsible for the management of all functions and personnel except marketing and sales.
There is general consensus among the top management team that the long–term viability of the firm depends on the
success of this initiative. However, some have expressed concerns about the difficulty of the task facing the River Woods
general manager. They point to the shift from functional lines of communication and accountability to a plant–level focus, as
well as the challenges of upgrading the skills of the Edgemont plant personnel, working out the bugs in new applications of
advanced manufacturing processes to appliance design and production, and dealing with the inevitable complaints from
employees in a small company town who are not satisfied with their new assignments and who might serve as the catalyst
for unionizing the only nonunion U.S. appliance manufacturing firm.
88)
If you were part of the selection committee for the River Woods plant manager position, based on what you’ve
learned about the sources of personal power in this chapter, describe what you would consider to be the ideal
candidate’s qualifications.
89)
Explain the determinants of personal power. Provide examples for each determinant.
Mini–Case: A Day at the Office. Your boss has called you into his office. It’s 9:00 a.m. Friday morning. He asks, “I’ve talked to
others in your group, and they have agreed to work this weekend to get the project out the door by next Monday. I had better
be able to count on you. It’s not going to pretty if you can’t make it work.” You respond, “Let me check my calendar and get
back to you by 11:00 a.m. I need to double–check my calendar before I commit.” Your boss grudgingly agrees. In checking
your schedule, you see that you have a meeting at 2:00 p.m. with one of your company’s major clients to review the latest
shipment. If you work this weekend, you will have to cancel the meeting because you will have some preparation work to do
prior to working on the project this weekend. The client will not be pleased if you cancel the meeting. You immediately find
Max and say, “Max, good friend, remember that time I pulled your shift last May when your wife had the baby? Well, I need
for you to cover for me this weekend. Can you?” Max agrees. You go to your boss’s office and before you have an opportunity
to speak, he says, “I was a little brusque with you earlier. The fact is, I really need for you to see this project through for me.
You are the only one in the group that fully comprehends what this project means to the company. I need your expertise and
judgment on this.”
90)
In your first meeting with your boss, at 9:00 A.M., which influence strategy did he employ?
River Woods Plant Manager
Heritage Appliance Company recently announced plans to construct the River Woods manufacturing plant, replacing
the company’s original, flagship facility adjacent to the company headquarters in Edgemont. In announcing the new plant,
the company stated that to the extent possible it would be staffed by Edgemont plant personnel and that the excess personnel
would be transferred to other Heritage plants in neighboring states. Heritage management views the River Woods facility as
the plant of the future, featuring new methods of production and lower processing costs and manpower requirements.
In a recent press release, the Heritage CEO noted that they were replacing one of the least automated plants in the
industry with a plant using new forms of production not previously seen in appliance manufacturing. Heritage Appliance is
also using the River Woods plant to pilot a new decentralized management structure. In the past, the firm’s marketing
activities were directed from the home office by a vice president. Manufacturing operations and certain other departments
were under the control of the company’s senior vice president. In this centralized, functional arrangement, none of the
company’s four plants had a general manager. Instead, each department in a plant reported on a line basis to its functional
counterpart at the home office (e.g., director of production, director of engineering). In contrast, the new River Woods plant
manager will be responsible for the management of all functions and personnel except marketing and sales.
There is general consensus among the top management team that the long–term viability of the firm depends on the
success of this initiative. However, some have expressed concerns about the difficulty of the task facing the River Woods
general manager. They point to the shift from functional lines of communication and accountability to a plant–level focus, as
well as the challenges of upgrading the skills of the Edgemont plant personnel, working out the bugs in new applications of
advanced manufacturing processes to appliance design and production, and dealing with the inevitable complaints from
employees in a small company town who are not satisfied with their new assignments and who might serve as the catalyst
for unionizing the only nonunion U.S. appliance manufacturing firm.
91)
What could you do to maintain position power if you were the plant manager?
Mini–Case: A Day at the Office. Your boss has called you into his office. It’s 9:00 a.m. Friday morning. He asks, “I’ve talked to
others in your group, and they have agreed to work this weekend to get the project out the door by next Monday. I had better
be able to count on you. It’s not going to pretty if you can’t make it work.” You respond, “Let me check my calendar and get
back to you by 11:00 a.m. I need to double–check my calendar before I commit.” Your boss grudgingly agrees. In checking
your schedule, you see that you have a meeting at 2:00 p.m. with one of your company’s major clients to review the latest
shipment. If you work this weekend, you will have to cancel the meeting because you will have some preparation work to do
prior to working on the project this weekend. The client will not be pleased if you cancel the meeting. You immediately find
Max and say, “Max, good friend, remember that time I pulled your shift last May when your wife had the baby? Well, I need
for you to cover for me this weekend. Can you?” Max agrees. You go to your boss’s office and before you have an opportunity
to speak, he says, “I was a little brusque with you earlier. The fact is, I really need for you to see this project through for me.
You are the only one in the group that fully comprehends what this project means to the company. I need your expertise and
judgment on this.”
92)
Your spouse has reminded you on several occasions during the past week how he wants to visit his family this
weekend. He has implied that unless you agree to go, you will hear about this until the day you die. Which
influence strategy is your spouse using?
93)
Explain the arguments of structural hole theory.
94)
Your friend Eleanor confides in you that she feels completely overlooked in her organization. She is struggling
to figure out how to gain credibility within a large bureaucratic system. Her questions remind you of the
determinants of position power. What advice would you give her?
95)
Robert is a manager at a car sales dealership. He was concerned about a new line of cars that were not selling
well. He wanted to discuss the issue with other managers and asked the secretary for the senior executive of the
dealership to put the issue on the agenda for the next all managers meeting. She responded, “Sorry, the agenda
is already full for the next three months of meetings. Would you like me to put the issue on the agenda four
months from now?” At that moment, the senior executive came out of his office and stopped to say hello to
Robert. After greeting the executive, Robert explained his concern over the low sales with the line of cars and
asked if it could be discussed at the next meeting. The senior executive turned to the secretary and asked her to
put it on the agenda for the next meeting. Then, he said to Robert, “Just so you know, we are considering
elimination of that line of cars at our dealership. No one knows that yet, but think about that before our next
meeting.” Which key indicators of Robert’s upward and outward power in an organization are apparent in the
above example? Which key indicators are not apparent in the above example?
Mini–Case: A Day at the Office. Your boss has called you into his office. It’s 9:00 a.m. Friday morning. He asks, “I’ve talked to
others in your group, and they have agreed to work this weekend to get the project out the door by next Monday. I had better
be able to count on you. It’s not going to pretty if you can’t make it work.” You respond, “Let me check my calendar and get
back to you by 11:00 a.m. I need to double–check my calendar before I commit.” Your boss grudgingly agrees. In checking
your schedule, you see that you have a meeting at 2:00 p.m. with one of your company’s major clients to review the latest
shipment. If you work this weekend, you will have to cancel the meeting because you will have some preparation work to do
prior to working on the project this weekend. The client will not be pleased if you cancel the meeting. You immediately find
Max and say, “Max, good friend, remember that time I pulled your shift last May when your wife had the baby? Well, I need
for you to cover for me this weekend. Can you?” Max agrees. You go to your boss’s office and before you have an opportunity
to speak, he says, “I was a little brusque with you earlier. The fact is, I really need for you to see this project through for me.
You are the only one in the group that fully comprehends what this project means to the company. I need your expertise and
judgment on this.”
96)
Which influence strategy did you employ with Max?
River Woods Plant Manager
Heritage Appliance Company recently announced plans to construct the River Woods manufacturing plant, replacing
the company’s original, flagship facility adjacent to the company headquarters in Edgemont. In announcing the new plant,
the company stated that to the extent possible it would be staffed by Edgemont plant personnel and that the excess personnel
would be transferred to other Heritage plants in neighboring states. Heritage management views the River Woods facility as
the plant of the future, featuring new methods of production and lower processing costs and manpower requirements.
In a recent press release, the Heritage CEO noted that they were replacing one of the least automated plants in the
industry with a plant using new forms of production not previously seen in appliance manufacturing. Heritage Appliance is
also using the River Woods plant to pilot a new decentralized management structure. In the past, the firm’s marketing
activities were directed from the home office by a vice president. Manufacturing operations and certain other departments
were under the control of the company’s senior vice president. In this centralized, functional arrangement, none of the
company’s four plants had a general manager. Instead, each department in a plant reported on a line basis to its functional
counterpart at the home office (e.g., director of production, director of engineering). In contrast, the new River Woods plant
manager will be responsible for the management of all functions and personnel except marketing and sales.
There is general consensus among the top management team that the long–term viability of the firm depends on the
success of this initiative. However, some have expressed concerns about the difficulty of the task facing the River Woods
general manager. They point to the shift from functional lines of communication and accountability to a plant–level focus, as
well as the challenges of upgrading the skills of the Edgemont plant personnel, working out the bugs in new applications of
advanced manufacturing processes to appliance design and production, and dealing with the inevitable complaints from
employees in a small company town who are not satisfied with their new assignments and who might serve as the catalyst
for unionizing the only nonunion U.S. appliance manufacturing firm.
97)
Using the information on influence strategies in the second half of this chapter as your guide, strategize how
you would address the challenges you are likely to encounter if you accepted the position of River Woods plant
manager.
98)
Explain the determinants of position power. Provide an example of each determinant.
Answer Key
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Answer Key
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Answer Key
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Answer Key
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Answer Key
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