Test

Roles and Interaction of Group and Team Members The success of a company depends on how the organization is designed and how the group and team members interact with each other. In the case of Gene One, it must overcome the slight assertive influence tactic of the Board of Directors and its centralized organizational design. In the scenario, Don is faced with the recommendation of John Kirby and Susan Wells to replace some of his key team members, Teri and Charles. This indicates that decisions are being made from the top down instead of soliciting the leadership team. In addition Don said, “I have no doubt that this is the right thing to do and it is going to happen, like it or not” durin the leadership team meeting. Similarly, Bill Gates during his time as CEO made all the important decisions. This resulted in many talented employees leaving due to frustration (McShane & Von Glinow, 2004). In addition, Bill Gates was combative towards the Federal Government and competitors, making conflict resolution difficult. This affected Microsoft’s competitiveness in the market and fostered a culture where subordinates mimicked the attitude of Bill Gates. In contrast, the CEOs of American Airlines and Southwest Airlines valued their employees and solicited their input in order to run a successful organization. In difficult times, the employees were the ones who suggested and acted on cost saving opportunities. The success of these two airline organizations is the ability of its leaders to use “soft” tactics instead of assertiveness to achieve the best in their employees. In addition, the two CEOs achieved a balanced organization that is both centralized and decentralized. Recently, Microsoft realized this and decentralized to stay competitive (McShane & Von Glinow, 2004). To be successful, Don must evaluate his influence tactics towards his employees and consider the correct organizational structure and design for Gene One.