Leadership: Power, Influence & Persuasion.

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Bob’s Meltdown                 Case Analysis

Bob’s Meltdown

  • Nicholas G. Carr

Case Overview

Annette Innella is just coming into the lunchroom at Concord Machines when Bob Dunn starts screaming at her. After throwing his lunch tray against the wall, he stomps out, leaving Annette stunned. Naturally, Annette, the new senior VP for knowledge management, is beside herself. She knows her proposal to establish a cross-functional knowledge management committee is progressive thinking for this old-line manufacturer, but Bob's reaction is totally over the line.

If Bob stays, she goes--that's all there is to it. Bob is contrite, but he's under a lot of pressure. The general manager of the Services Group, he's just returned from a two-week trip around the globe to gear up his troops to beat revenue targets again, despite shrinking budgets and hiring freezes. Then an e-mail from Annette requests that two of his best people devote half their time to what he calls her "idiotic" Knowledge Protocols Group.

CEO Jay Nguyen is in a bind. Bob is his top manager--he brings in all the money. And even though future revenues are going to have to come from somewhere else, Jay is not totally behind Annette's initiative in the current business climate. He can't afford to lose Bob. But if he reins in Annette, it will look like he's condoning Bob's outburst. What should he do?

Case Analysis        

Robert Dunn, Senior Vice president & General Manager, he has been a capable line manager with the Concord Machines Company. A crusty, experienced and efficient business manager he lost his cool and humiliated Annette Innella, Vive President, Knowledge Management in public at the company cafeteria.

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Jay Nguyen, President and CEO, needs to respond to his top manager’s tantrum but not before he has himself analyzed the finer nuances of the incident post a hobnob with both managers and a wee bit of introspection on his own account. While Jay needs to immediately deal with the current situation by either taking a stern action or diffusing the brawl he needs to have fast-thinking on Concord Machines future and deliverables he seeks from his executive team on the same.

Jay as a leader for the company must ensure his handling of the situation is ...

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