50 Case Studies for Management and Supervisory Training

5

Case 2

“She’s a Smart Enough Broad”

Background Information

The young man glanced at the nameplate on his desk after closing the file cabinet

drawer: James Washington, Center Manager. He leaned against the cabinet for a

moment, smiling and thinking.

James really liked the way that title sounded. And why not? He was only 24 years

old, had just completed the company’s Management Associate Trainee Program,

and had just assumed the manager’s job at the Northview Servicing Center. He was

eager to do a good job in this first assignment, and there was a lot about the job that

he liked. However, there was one thing he didn’t like, and he could see her through

the glass partition of his office, out on the service center’s main floor.

His problem was Dorothy Rogers, or more exactly, the way he felt about her. In

his opinion, she was both pushing and resisting him.

Dorothy was something of an established figure at Northview, having worked

there for over 12 years as an assistant manager. She was now 59 years old and had

dropped hints occasionally about retiring. “If only…,” James thought to himself.

He remembered the first time he met Dorothy, about six weeks ago. James had

just learned he was being promoted into the Northview manager’s job. He went to

visit the service center to meet the personnel and begin the transition process with

Hank Waters. Hank was the current manager and was being moved to manage a

larger branch of the company, closer to his home. He had been at Northview almost

two years.

After showing James the facility and introducing some of the sales and service

representatives, Hank had walked James to Dorothy’s desk and introduced them.

Although she was very pleasant and nice, James watched rather uncomfortably as

Hank tried to pass along an assignment to her regarding a customer account investi-

gation. Six weeks later, their exchange, which follows, remained clear in James’s

memory.

Hank: By the way, Dorothy, can you follow up on the Williams’s account

problem we talked about earlier today? I just got word from downtown

that…

Dorothy: (interrupting in a soft yet determined voice): Hank, you know that if I

do that for you, I won’t be able to take care of the budget reconcilement

report you have me do each week. Don’t you think you can take care of

it yourself?

Hank: (pausing a moment, obviously thinking): Well, yes, I know you’re busy.

I was just hoping that you could…