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Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
The four case studies in this section correspond to the four units (grouping of related chapters) in
the Hamilton textbook:
Case Study 1 includes questions for Chapters 1, 2, and 3 in Unit 1, Understanding
Communication in the Workplace.
Case Study 2 includes questions for Chapters 4, 5, and 6 in Unit 2, Personalizing
Communication in the Workplace.
Case Study 3 includes questions for Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 in Unit 3, Maximizing
Communication in the Workplace.
Case Study 4 includes questions for Chapters 11, 12, 13, and 14 in Unit 4, Polishing Oral
and Written Communication in the Workplace.
In 2012, almart faced an investigation into business practices in Mexico that were thought to
violate the U.S. Foreign Corruption Practices Act (FCPA). The FCPA makes it unlawful to
overview).
. A1). To make
matters worse, it was revealed in the investigation that company executives were aware of
(Henning, 2014), and the industrial company, Alstom, which was recently acquired by General
Electric (Ivory, 2014). It is reported that Avon spent $300 million on internal investigations and
establishing monitoring systems (Henning, 2014). Walmart is reported to have spent $439
million on the investigation and new compliance structures (Harris, 2014), with an additional
$200 million estimated for the coming year (Berfield, 2014). In addition to fines and penalties
In addition to employees and customers, shareholders are an important stakeholder for a
company.
to question their affiliation with Walmart. The New York Times reported the City of Portland,
Oregon, decided in October of 2014 that it would no longer invest in Walmart because of
. B5).
employee and has worked his way up through the organizational structure (About Doug
McMillon, 2016). In the United States, Walmart was a leader in increasing wages in 2015 for
their 500,000 hourly employees (DiChristopher, 2015). Critics, however, show how an
increased hourly wage can become meaningless for individual employees when they are assigned
fewer hours in the work week (Tabuchi, 2015). Furthermore, some suggest the wage increase is
division of Walmart. The bribery claim, although not cited as the reason for the change in
leadership, was mentioned in the news report (Gardner & Gomez, 2014). The New York Times
reported the change in leader -level departures at Walmart after
allegations of widespread bribery at its Mexican unit . . . [which] prompted a flurry of investor
. B2).
To see where your skills stand and what enhancement is needed to ensure your employability,
look for the Polishing Your Career Skills features in each chapter in this unit and throughout the
book. By the time this course is completed, you may be the very person that Walmart is looking
to hire to help with their ethics choices and communication challenges.
As you read the three chapters in Unit 1 and their topics and learning objectives, refer to the real-
1. Which companies like Walmart use one-way, circular, or transaction communication? What
specific advice would you give Walmart executives to improve their communication with
employees, customers, and/or the general public?
2. Compare the four ethical rules and/or the Ethics Traps from this chapter to Wal
incident in Mexico.
faith employees, customers, and investors had in Walmart? In what ways was Walmart
obligated to fit in with the cultural traditions of Mexico?
3. Which type of formal communication is likely to be the most used at Walmart: downward,
upward, or horizontal? Describe two changes, related to formal communication, that would
provide benefit for Walmart. Explain your answer.
1. Which of the five types of organizations best describes Walmart? How do you know?
Support your answer by explaining at least three ways that you feel sure your answer is
correct. How are employees likely to respond to management decisions in the organization
style you selected?
2. Would Walmart be able to offer such low prices if they were a different type organization
from your answer to question #1? Why or why not?
3. Of the five types of organizations, what is the difference in the way communication flows in
each? What type of employees might prefer each type? What about you? Would you feel
at home working for Walmart? What could Walmart do to improve its appeal to a wider
range of employee groups?
1. Which of the five conflict styles do you think Walmart is most likely to use in its dealings
with American manufacturing companies?
prices? What advice would you give for changing conflict styles when dealing with
international companies? How would conflict styles change if the company were from a
collective culture?
2. Give some suggestions for how Walmart (being from an individualistic, low-context,
monochronic culture) should approach companies from a collectivistic, high-context,
polychronic culture such as Mexico without compromising its ethical standards?
3. Which communication style (private, dominant, sociable, or open) would you suspect is
considered the norm for managers who work for Walmart? Which communication style do
you think would create quality relationships leading to employee satisfaction, creativity, and
productivity? Is this the one Walmart is using? If not, what two suggestions would you
give to Walmart management that would please employees while still maintaining low-priced
products? What would have to happen in order for your suggestions to occur?
4. Which key to building and maintaining relationships discussed in Chapter 3 would seem to
be the most important to communication success at Walmart: clear expectations, self-
fulfilling prophecies, or self-disclosure following the curvilinear relationship between
disclosure and satisfaction? Is the key you selected more important for managers,
employees, customers, or more than one group? Based on places you have worked, give an
example to illustrate your choices.
A fascinating problem with the 59-story Citigroup Center tower in New York City (formerly the
Citicorp Center) came to light when a nationally known structural engineer, William J.
building. ded, as a result of the call,
LeMessurier discovered a much more serious problem with the structural integrity of the
building. -Nine-
Morgenstern (1995).
The beautiful Citigroup tower was designed by architect Hugh Stubbins, Jr., but it was
engineered by LeMessurier and his firm. There were several design firsts in this project. One
innovation was the wind braces hidden inside the structural skin instead of one piece, two
of each side of the building instead of at the corners. This made the building appear to float over
the church, shops, and plaza underneath it.
LeMessurier was very proud of this building, which had won much engineering praise. He
patiently explained to the student, who was writing a paper on the building, that the placement of
those which come
when hit by quartering winds. To his surprise, he found that these winds would increase the
strain on several of the braces by 40 percent and would increase the strain on the joints of the
columns by 160 percent. Even this increase would be no problem for soldered joints. However,
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
a few weeks earlier, LeMessurier had discovered that the steel company who built Citicorp tower
knew that there would be too few bolts in these joints for safety under the force of quartering
winds even with the TMD designed to reduce building sway.
Tunnel Laboratory to
run some wind tunnel tests. The results were not encouraging. After working through each floor
and each joint, LeMessurier determined that the 30th
There was a way to correct the problem: A heavy steel plate could be welded around each of the
200 bolted - The joints were readily accessible by simply
removing the carpet and sheetrock that covered them. This fix would raise the safety of the
building to a once-in-every-700-years storm. t
disaster, LeMessurier would have to blow the whistle quickly on himself. That meant facing the
. 24).
Once LeMessurier realized how serious the danger could be from a rare quartering wind, he took
immediate action and notified the lawyers, the architect, and the top brass at Citicorp. After
discussions, the following steps were taken: Emergency generators for the TMD were set up;
contracting engineers inspected an exposed joint on an unused floor and agreed that
-Aid idea was feasible; a number of constantly monitored strain gauges
night and was cleaned up before office workers arrived each morning. By the time Hurricane
Ella headed for New York, repairs to the most serious joints had been completed, and with the
TMD operating, the building could withstand a 200-year storm (fortunately, the hurricane veered
out to sea). Another fortunate thing was that the city newspapers were on strike during the
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
repairs, so no citizen awareness or panic occurred. Although Citicorp filed a claim against
LeMessurier and the architect, they agreed to accept the insu
$2 million and dropped the suit. Robertson, the structural expert brought into the case by
Citicorp, said, . While we
say that all engineers would behave as h
(Morgenstern, 2005, p. 69). For more details on this story, go to the website for the Online
Ethics Center for Engineering and Science at www.onlineethics.org and search on
As you read the three chapters in Unit 2, exploring their topics and learning objectives, refer
back to this real-life case and see how you might answer the chapter-keyed questions.
1.
why you gave him the score that you did. What specific advice would you give to
LeMessurier to improve his listening?
2. Determine whether he was guilty of any signs of poor listening and why. For example, could
?
Why or why not?
3. Decide whether it was ethical for LeMessurier and others involved in the crisis to withhold
this information from the public for 20 years.
1. What did conducting all repair work at night after all employees had gone home have to do
with nonverbal communication? Considering that this decision was really expensive, do you
think it was the correct decision? Why or why not?
2. When LeMessurier was presenting the problem and solution to the top brass at Citicorp, the
lawyers, the director of the American Red Cross, the building commissioner, and various
New York City officials, which types of nonverbal communication do you imagine were the
most important in getting their cooperation? For example, what physical environment and
seating arrangement would work best for this type of message? Also, what appearance and
nonverbal presence would you recommend for LeMessurier? Formal or casual clothing?
Confident or contrite posture and facial expressions? Use of immediacy behaviors? Other
factors? Be specific.
3. What role could adaptors (a type of gesture and body movement) have played in
? Give some possible examples.
1. Which type of anxiety (trait or situational) do you think probably gave LeMessurier the most
trouble? Since he was successful in getting support for his solutions, do you think he was
anxious? What advice for managing his anxiety would you give him as he prepared the
night before his presentation? What would be one or two positive statements he could use
that would really work?
2. In this situation, did technology work in his favor or against him? If this situation happened
?
Would it be possible to manage th if so, what would you
recommend? Be specific in your advice.
3. What other communication obstacles covered in this chapter could have been an advantage
? For example, does it seem
that the various companies did some serious assuming? What role did poor instruction-
giving play in the unexpected problems that occurred in this case?
2015 (Wingfield, 2016). With such significant growth in the number of employees and such an
ambitious mission, Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, is quoted as saying that
(Gunnarson, 2014). The company hires employees who can thrive in their team-based work
culture. is
embedded in the hiring practice which is why at least half of the time spent in onsite interviews
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
the jobs they are seeking and potential employees are encouraged to ask as many questions as
they like until they really feel like they understand the company and its culture and whether it is
a fit for them. The company acknowledges some difference from country to country, but
generally describes the hiring process as starting with a telephone interview, then moving to a
of effectiveness of the grou Each new hire is intended to elevate the
performance standards in the company, or to raise the bar. long what dimensions might
Employers seek traits that will contribute to the Amazon culture and
make Amazon an enjoyable place to work. During the hiring process, Amazon uses bar
raisers full-time employees who have a long history with Amazon and work in a different area
Once employees are hired, they are assigned as a member of a team. As discussed in Chapter 2,
- ctive size for their
typical team. If the team can be fed by two pizzas, then they are small enough to communicate
successfully usually 5 to 7 people (Deutschman, 2004a). Of course, larger teams can be
organized into several smaller teams that concentrate on different parts of a major problem but
Amazon turns personal, performance tends to suffer.
Raising the bar not only describes a hiring process and an integrated team-based work structure
for Amazon but also the leadership style used by the CEO, Jeff Bezos, which is described as
- . Hal Gregersen, a lecturer in the MIT Sloan School of
Management, describes how a natural curiosity was nurtured for Bezos as a young boy when he
2015). 14 leadership principles
(https://www.amazon.jobs/principles) that guide a highly competitive, frugal, curious,
1. Imagine you are working as a bar raiser at Amazon, what type of interview questions would
you use? Why? Support your answer by explaining at least two ways that you feel sure
your selected type of interview questions would work.
2. Write out at least four sample questions that would help you identify candidates who could
raise the bar. Label each question as to its type (e.g., direct, open).
3. For each sample question you wrote in the previous question, write an explanation of what
the best answer would include and what an unacceptable answer would include. Be prepared
to share your answers with other groups if asked.
4. If you worked for Amazon, what three things would you be looking for in a screening phone
interview in order to invite the candidate to the next step a writing assignment? Be
specific.
1. Amazon does recommend that you have a formal resume. Based on what you have read
about Amazon and its culture, make a list of at least ten keywords that would likely be
important to Amazon regardless of the position sought give a reason for each word.
2. When writing a resume to submit to Amazon, would a chronological, functional, or
combination resume be appreciated the most and why? Which of these organizational
patterns would be the second best to use for Amazon and why? Be specific and give
examples.
3. If you were interviewing with a position at Amazon, what questions would you ask them?
In groups, make a list of five or more quality questions and be prepared to say why you
would ask each question. What would you do if the interview appeared to be wrapping up
and you had not been given a chance to ask any questions?
4. If you had a friend applying at Amazon, what advice would you give him or her on what to
wear to the interview? How do you know that you are correct? Be specific. Summarize for
your friend by suggesting at least one definite thing to avoid.
1. If you were writing a training manual for bar-raiser interviewers and wanted to include
information about groupthink, how would you write an explanation of the concept in three to
five sentences? To make sure it is clear, try it out on several friends and/or family members
for feedback. Be prepared to share your final explanation with other groups.
2. Why do you think that Amazon uses teams (two-pizza teams) for all of their departments and
projects? What are several benefits and some disadvantages of working in teams? Be
specific and give examples. What do you think that Amazon feels is the most important
benefit to working in teams so important that it is worth any possible disadvantages? Do
you think that the employees agree with management on the importance of teams? Why or
why not?
3. Creativity and innovation are paramount in importance to Amazon and to solving any
problems that they encounter during the development process. What role do you imagine
that brainstorming plays in this process? What two pointers would you give to Amazon
team members that would assist them in brainstorming success?
1. Which of the dysfunctional roles/behaviors often found in groups would be the most
disruptive to the team culture at Amazon? Give an explanation. How possible is it that this
role that you picked would be possible to overlook as disruptive until damage was already
done? If not the one you picked above, which role could fit this description? Based on
your experience in teams, how likely is this to happen?
2. Which one or two leadership styles discussed in this chapter would be the most effective in
-based work culture? Which styles would most likely not be effective?
Why? Be specific.
3. Take a poll in your group to see which leadership style your current members appreciate the
most. Taking this into consideration, do you think that your current group would work well
or not so well in the Amazon culture? Give several specific reasons why or why not.
When you hear the name Bernie Madoff, what comes to mind? For many people the name
Madoff is synonymous with the phrase Ponzi scheme. Through smooth talking and deception,
investment practices but found it
was impossible. He took the information to several colleagues and asked for their expert advice;
he ran mathematical models. Finally, Markopolos was ready to present his findings, which he
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
did in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, and 2008 (American Program Bureau, 2009). The first two
and by 2005, he had prepared 29 glaring red flags for the SEC to investigate. These ranged from
the simple
even want his investors to know he was managi
mathematically impossible for a strategy using index call options and index put options to have
such a low correlation in the market where its returns are supposedly being generate
randum reveals a few distinct problems in his
communication style. If, as Markopolos asserts before Congress in his 2009 testimony on
-SPAN
Video, 2009), he certainly did not tailor his memorandum to the level of knowledge of his
audience. The pages of his memorandum reflected well-documented knowledge of the financial
regardless? The SEC ignored Markopo report multiple times, succinct or not, even when
(C-SPAN Video, 2009). Perhaps Markopo shy demeanor and his stated fear of retribution
from Madoff played into the situation as well (C-SPAN Video, 2009). Less than a year after the
and admitting to fraud. Was his action due to looming government investigations, knowledge of
the information gathered by Markopolos, or a bad economy that made continuing the Ponzi
scheme impossible? The reason is still unknown. Despite these setbacks, Madoff was
eventually brought to justice and was sentenced to 150 years in prison but not before
unbelievable damage was done to hundreds of thousands of lives, from unassuming retirees to
famous Hollywood actors to everyday citizens. Apparently, having knowledge of a fraud is not
enough if you cannot get those in power to believe you.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
As you read the four chapters in Unit 4, exploring their topics and learning objectives, refer to
this real-life case, and see how you might answer the chapter-specific questions.
1. Markopolos obviously misread the SEC. How could he have analyzed his audience better?
Be specific.
2. Suggest what Markopolos could have done differently once he realized the lack of
knowledge on the part of his audience (the SEC).
3. See use of an informative memorandum and determine its
appropriateness in light of what happened.
4. Go to YouTube.com and find a video of Markopolos testifying before a congressional
subcommittee and listen to him speak. Which delivery method should Markopolos have used
for a presentation in front of the subcommittee? Which methods would you recommend he
avoid? Why?
1. Considering the situation, which types of supporting materials do you think would work the
best for Markopolos as attention-getters? Best for clarification purposes? Best to add proof
to his arguments?
2. problem of not getting the SEC to listen to him was
his visual aids. Would you recommend that he add more movement and color and maybe
even sound to his slides? Why or why not? If so, what would you suggest?
3. According to the visual aid formula in your text, how many PowerPoint slides would be the
suggested maximum for Markopolos to prepare for use in a 60-minute presentation before
the SEC? As a group, design one really good slide that Markopolos could have used. What
type images should be on this slide? Be specific. Share your finished slide with other
groups.
1. Maybe the problem was that Markopolos prepared an informative presentation when he
really needed a persuasive one. A good persuasive presentation can still contain the same
supporting materials but they are just organized differently in a persuasive manner. Which
persuasive pattern do you think would be the best? Why?
2. Which might have worked best to persuade the SEC should Markopolos have presented
one or both sides of his argument? List at least three reasons why your decision is the
correct one.
3. Wha credibility played in his inability to persuade the SEC?
What could he have done to appear more credible?
