The Management Training Tool Kit
152
American Management Association / www.amanet.org
Case Discussion:
A Wet Pain in the Neck
Summary
Tom Brown arrived in his parents’ hometown shortly before Christmas. He needed a haircut and, on
his sister’s recommendation, went to Hair Locks, a haircutting salon in a nearby shopping plaza. It
was the day before Christmas, in the morning, and there were no waiting lines. A hair cutter who was
working on a customer asked what he wanted. When he said he needed a haircut, she motioned him
toward the rear of the salon. After hanging up his coat, he followed her instructions, unsure of what
was supposed to happen next.
The salon’s interior was divided into two work areas: a haircutting section and a hair washing ...