To: Dan Johnson, Personnel Director

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 811.

Memo

Problems

Listen to a television interview on Cornerstone's plans for Metrot

Listening

It is now nine months later. The change of ownership and new management style at Metrot have caused many problems. The memo below illustrates some of the difficulties.

From: Jacques Lafront, Union Organiser

Subject: Staff morale Date: March 18

Staff are very unhappy with the present changes.

As a result, productivity has fallen and staff turnover is high. Let me summarize some of the reasons for the staff's low morale.

1. Factory inspections.American managers are always checking up on us and

taking notes. No one knows why they are doing this or what they are up to.

2. Redundancies. Since June, about 60 employees from the Development

Department have lost their jobs. They were given no reasons. The staff thinks that

this is unprofessional.

3. Further changes. People are looking for new jobs elsewhere. They want to move

before they are pushed. People are afraid that the new management will relocate

both of the factories.

4. Management style. Staff constantly complain about the silly changes the new

management are making. I enclose a list of comments made to me by our members.

· ‘They are trying to do everything too fast – A new computer system, learning English, and maybe other languages, new product ranges, new customers.'

· ‘There was a family atmosphere before. The management really cared about us. Everything was more informal.'

· ‘We don't know where the company is going now. We've no idea what our strategy is, what our objectives are.'

· ‘We get e-mail messages from Dallas telling us what to do. Surely they can trust the management over here to make the policies and decisions?'

Task

A meeting of senior managers has been called to resolve the problems. One team, led by the new Chief Executive, Hugh Whitman, consists of American Executives The other is made up of senior executives of Metrot who have kept their jobs under the new management.

Divide into two groups: Cornerstone executives and executives of Metrot. Each group prepares separately for the meeting. They hold the meeting as one group. The Agenda is as follows:

1. Reasons for the resistance to change.

2. Suggestions for managing the change more effectively.

3. Action plan to raise staff morale and resolve the present problems.