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Competing Through Sustainability:
Concussions Threaten Viability of an American Institution
Under its current course, professional football, the most popular sport in the United States, may
not exist within 30 years – according to the prediction of Bernard Pollard, a safety for the
Baltimore Ravens. He believes this will result from an increase in rules to reduce violence and
promote safety for players, which will ultimately result in a decrease in interest among fans. One
major issue of concern is new scientific evidence concerning chronic traumatic encephalopathy
(CTE) – the formation of abnormal proteins in the brain resulting from repeated concussions.
The NFL is facing legal action on behalf of more than 4,000 players who claim the league
covered up the dangers.
Discussion Question
1. If it is true that CTE can be caused by “routine head jostling” that accumulates over a
number of years, what other types of jobs other than professional football player might be
susceptible to longterm problems in this area?
2. What might be done in terms of ergonomics to reduce problems in these jobs?
1.1 A Look Back
The chapter opened with a vignette that illustrated how General Motors U.S. was making a
comeback, despite the fact that wages in the U.S. are higher than in many other countries to
which work might be outsourced.
1.2 Questions
1. The analysis of workflow design traditionally starts at the end of the process, with the
final product or service that is to be rendered. One then works back to determine the best
process for this, and then determining the appropriate inputs. If an employer is totally
committed to a specific type of input, like high wage labor or existing equipment or easy
access to certain raw materials, how could the process of workflow design play out and
how might the results be different?
Student answers may vary. Answers should show that students are mindful that things
2. Although there are advantages and disadvantages to different structural configurations,
why might it be more difficult to change one’s structure in some directions than others?
Specifically, how are the HR challenges associated with moving from centralized and
functional structures to decentralized and divisional different from the challenge of
moving one’s structure in the alternative direction?
Moving from a centralized and functional structure to a decentralized and divisional
structure by necessity requires employees to act with more self-direction and autonomy.
It likely creates opportunities for employees to make exercise judgment and decision
making. These conditions are likely to lead to higher levels of engagement. However,
3. We have seen through this chapter that many ways of reducing the cost of getting jobs
done, often comes at some price to workers who have to do those jobs. What can be done
to promote a more just, fair, humane and sustainable workforce in all corners of the
world? Does the competitive nature or product or labor markets mean that “nice guys
always finish last?
Student answers may vary. However, this is likely to be an “energetic” discussion about
labor practices around the world. One point that could be made is that the public outcry
1.3 Chapter Vocabulary
These terms are defined in the "Extended Chapter Outline" section.
Centralization
Departmentation
Job analysis
Job description
Job specification
Job design
Job redesign
Ergonomics
1.4
1.5
1.6 Discussion Questions
1. Assume you are the manager of a fast-food restaurant. What are the outputs of your work
unit? What are the activities required to produce those outputs? What are the inputs?
Some examples of outputs for a fast-food restaurant include the food orders and the
2. Based on question 1, consider the cashier's job. What are the outputs, activities, and
inputs for that job?
Inputs for the cashier's job include the raw inputs (food ordered, prices, tax), equipment
3. Consider the "job" of college students. Perform a job analysis on this job. What are the
tasks required in the job? What are the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to
perform those tasks? What environmental trends or shocks (like computers) might
change the job, and how would that change the skill requirements?
Tasks would include attending class, completing homework assignments, and
participating in-group assignments. Some examples of the knowledge, skills, and
4. Discuss how the following trends are changing the skill requirements for managerial jobs
in the United States: (a) increasing use of computers, (b) increasing international
competition, (c) increasing work-family conflicts.
Students should have no trouble discussing how these trends are changing the skill
requirements for managerial jobs in the United States. Managers are increasingly
5. Why is it important for a manager to be able to conduct a job analysis? What are the
negative outcomes that would result from not understanding the jobs of those reporting to
the manager?
The chapter has a section on the importance of job analysis to both HR managers and line
managers. The students' answers will probably reflect information in these sections as
6. What are the trade-offs between the different approaches to job design? Which approach
do you think should be weighted most heavily when designing jobs?
As discussed in the chapter, the trade-offs appear to be between increased satisfaction and
motivation and reduced efficiency due to increased costs. For example, the motivational
7. For the cashier in question 2, which approach to job design was most influential in
designing that job? In the context of the total work-flow process of the restaurant, how
would you redesign the job to more heavily emphasize each of the other approaches?
Students' answers may vary. All of the approaches could be used to design the cashier's
job. To redesign the job to emphasize the mechanistic approach, students should discuss
concepts such as more specialization. To redesign the job to emphasize the motivational
Self-Assessment Exercise:
Refer to the self-assessment exercise in the text.
Manager’s Hot Seat Exercise:
Virtual Workplace: Out of Office Reply-Please refer to the Asset Gallery on the OLC for Hot
Seat videos and notes.
1.7
I. Introduction
Telecommuting is a flexible working option that many companies have embraced. The
advantages and disadvantages of telecommuting are highlighted in this scenario.
Instructors of Management or Human Resources may use this situation to discuss
managing teleworkers and the need for clear and consistent policies.
II. Learning Objectives
1. To assess students’ understanding of the challenges of telecommuting.
2. To analyze and evaluate managerial actions related to telecommuting.
III. Scenario Description:
Overview: Three months ago, Ralph Ramos assigned a number of employees to work as
telecommuters to alleviate the lack of space in their office building. Among them was
Angela Zononi, an employee and friend for over four years, who was delighted to work
from home since her commute to the office was particularly time-consuming. Although
things went relatively smoothly for the first six weeks, since then communication and
performance have taken a steady downturn. Angela has biweekly meetings with Ralph in
his office. Lately they have had unprecedented arguments and frequent
misunderstandings.
Profile:
Ralph Ramos is the Senior Manager of Claims, managing a 75 employee
department, at Saber Union Insurance, an international insurance company.
Angela Zanoni is a Claims Investigator at Saber Union. She has handled very
large accounts, including insurance fraud cases, resulting in multi-million dollar
recoveries for her company.
References: The references included in the DVD are:
Advantages and Challenges for Employees (PPT 12-3)
Advantages and Challenges for Employer (PPT 12-5)
Telework Assessment Tool (PPT 12-7)
Supervisor Checklist for Telecommuters (PPT 12-9)
Back History: Angela was one of five employees that moved to home offices three
months ago. She had volunteered right off the bat because she could spend more time
with her family if she eliminated all that commuter time [on a bad day she was losing
over three hours roundtrip!]
The telecommuting has had it’s ups and downs but her relationship with Ralph is going
downhill. They’ve been having frequent misunderstandings, and a few small arguments.
Angela feels that Ralph’s operating on an out of sight out of mind mentality. He doesn’t
even seem to read the email reports very closely. They do meet every two weeks at the
office as a check-in but it’s a pure formality. To make matters worse, a colleague who
works in the office told her about all the high stakes claims another investigator, Bob, has
been working on. Angela hasn’t had anything ‘hot’ in weeks.
Ralph is happy with the way things are working out. The office is no longer
over-crowded or disturbingly noisy. The telecommuters are doing their work and
reporting regularly. He is having more trouble staying on top of their reports and their
projects but that’s probably because he’s so busy.
Scene Set-up: Ralph and Angela are meeting to discuss their recent miscommunications
and Angela reveals her dissatisfaction with her recent treatment.
Scene Location: Ralph’s Office
The Meeting - Summary: Ralph brings up the missed deadline and Angela says she was
not informed that the deadline had been moved. Ralph explains how the information was
conveyed. She says she feels that she is out of sight, out of mind and that since she began
telecommuting it has hurt her career. She notes that Bob has received more high-stakes
claims than her recently. Ralph explains that assignments to employees are based on
their talents and experience and that Bob had experience with one client which is why he
chose him. Ralph says he didn’t realize she was feeling this way and wasn’t prepared.
He suggests they meet later.
Two weeks later – Angela misses an appointment with Ralph and deliberately fails to
provide work on time. Ralph wants to understand what has happened to change the good
working relationship they had. Angela threatens to resign, but Ralph maintains his
composure and urges her to try to work out a solution with him. They decide that for the
next two weeks they will talk on the phone everyday. Then, they will decide if Angela
should come back to the office rather than telecommute.
Afterthoughts – Summary: Ralph states his strategy was to listen to Angela. He notes
that he often has issues with people working from home because it’s difficult to keep
track of what is going on. He feels voicemail and email are impersonal. He drafts
written plans with employees who want to work from home that outlines goals. The
plans are executed on a temporary basis until it is clear that they will work and then he
gives final approval.
Dossier: The specific artifacts included in the DVD are:
1. Emails between Ramos and Zanoni
2. Voicemail from Sorento to Zanoni
3. Ramos’ Assistant’s Voicemails to Zanoni
