COACHING CASE STUDY
Joe R. is 42 year-old systems analyst who, over the 16 years of his career with the Techno Corporation, has taken positions which have drawn on his technical skills, strong ability to think systemically, and willingness to take on new challenges under high-stress conditions. Until recently, Joe was doing an effective job as a team manager in the information systems arena. He was able to drive his team to both produce outcomes in a timely manner and address quality control issues proactively. His style of working the team is consistent with his background. He would bring the team together at the outset of each project, provide numerous diagrams and visual representations of the work to be done with timelines, make assignments, and schedule regular meetings to review the progress of the work. Given the record of the team’s success, his style seems to have been effective with his staff, most of whom had similar backgrounds and training.
The organization in which you and Joe work has recently undergone a significant re-organization, moving from a project team model to an integrated matrix model. This means that the technical teams must work collaboratively with the business and marketing teams. Team managers who used to have full control of the human and financial resources necessary to carry out projects must now plan and work across the board with peers. In some instances, this means that a team manager must request personnel from another area or negotiate budgets with their internal “customers”. The shift has been very difficult for Joe, who has habitually regarded the business and marketing functions of the corporation with some suspicion. In his first quarter review with you, Joe expresses great frustration with the changes. He complains that his peers in business and marketing have been uncooperative, arguing with his every request and failing to include him in decision-making on personnel allocations. He is asking you to exert some influence to back him up.
As his supervisor, you want to help Joe develop more advanced managerial skills that will enable him to move upward in the organization. You want to assist him in resolving his differences with peers in a constructive manner and to help him acknowledge and work with the impact that organizational changes have had on him. As you continue the conversation with Joe, several other considerations come to light. Joe is married, with two boys who play softball. He regularly coaches their team and has placed a high priority on time with family. While Joe does want to move forward in the organization, he has some reservations about the commitment of time and concerns about how this might affect his family life. He is also uncertain about how he fits into the new structure, confessing that he feels somewhat devalued by the heavy corporate emphasis on marketing and innovation. Joe wonders if his college degree (a bachelor’s degree in computer science) is sufficient to carry him forward.
