The primary issue which is discussed in the case is related to corporative culture inconsistency. The major problem which can be identified in the offered for the analysis case is the discrepancy of the corporative culture with the values and life perspectives of the new employee. The team’s biases result from the poor corporative culture, which lacks adaptive inquiries. TechPoint Software may consider expanding the boundaries of the corporative culture in order to advance the general performance of employees, creating more fairness and trust within the team.
Analysis
The discussed issue can be considered from the three main perspectives: the manager’s, Julie’s, and colleagues. From the leader’s perspective, building the corporative culture and the employees’ preserves are vital factors in creating an efficient working atmosphere (Elsbach, 2019). Therefore, Julie’s lack of commitment can disrupt the whole culture. However, the manager’s principal task is to find each employee’s strengths and help them manifest themselves. Moreover, the corporative culture was possibly poorly displayed to the new employee. Julie was not directly instructed that these events are vital in building trustful relationships in the team (Elsbach, 2019). From Julie’s perspective, she committed no mistakes because the skipped events which were marked as voluntary. Moreover, she realizes that her working outcomes are excellent, and she probably has no idea that there are additional unspoken rules in this company.
From the perspective of the team members, Julie’s action can result in a lack of trust in her work and professionalism. The general difficulties in perception of the manager’s work can occur. However, the issue is primarily based on the biases related to the friend-and-foe psychological concept. The strange behavior, which is drastically different from the patterns approved by the team, frightens Julie’s colleagues. As a result, they judge her based on the skipped events instead of her working progress and outcomes.
Alternative Solutions
One of the alternative solutions for this situation is to discuss the problem with Julie. Probably she does not realize that these events are essential for creating the image of a good worker. However, from a long-term perspective, this approach contradicts creating a flexible corporative culture. Another possible solution is to deny the promotion to Julie, blaming her for being unsuitable for this company’s corporate culture. A well-established teamwork tradition is more vital than one new employee. However, such an approach limits the company’s development and flexibility. As a result, the team’s competitiveness and the workers’ efficiency will decrease due to the lack of adaptation to the various market conditions.
Proposed Solution and Recommendations
The most rational solution for this problem is to make the corporative culture more flexible, for example, applying strategy with a focus on results. This type of corporate culture features the frequent change of project managers depending on their professional skills. To achieve goals, employees are not limited to instructions. They offer their own options for solving problems, so the company achieves results faster. The significant advantage of such a solution is that employees will have the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and climb the career ladder. Additionally, the corporative culture will become free of biases.
The major disadvantage of making the corporative culture more accessible and employee-oriented is the difficulties in establishing trustful relationships in the team. The joint event in the company, being unspoken obligatory, limits employees’ actions, creating a hierarchy. Many workers consider such an approach as ore easier to work with due to the lower level of personal responsibility. However, avoiding such a horizontal type of corporative culture can significantly increase the productivity of workers, increasing motivation and justice in the company. Considering the long-term perspective, the managers and leaders of the company may change the nature of the corporative culture completely, focusing on the quality of work rather than on the particular event attended. Such an approach will help to create more comfortable conditions for diverse employees with different views. At the same time, it will help to keep the potential productive employees realizing their potential.
Reference
Elsbach, K. (2019). FaceTime at TechPoint Software, Inc. University of California.