Judy Wheeler Management Case Study

Judy Wheeler was coming to really dislike the third Tuesday of each month. This was the day of the monthly status briefing of the Special Operations Review Committee. Judy sat at the head of the conference table, looking out the window at the other buildings populating this office park. As head of the Committee, Judy was always the first there, waiting for everyone else to arrive. However, the situation had not been like this in   the beginning.

When the Special Operations Review Committee had been formed four months ago, she was very proud to be appointed to head it. With the competitive pressures on the business growing for some time, there were many rumours about new corporate initiatives to search for ways to improve the productivity of various systems and operations.  She felt it was an honour to have been put in charge of one such initiative. The Committee included people from data processing, auditing, accounting, operations, marketing, and personnel. She looked around as people began to file in. "This thing has turned into a real zoo," she thought, “and my patience is running o u t ."

She looked at some of the real sore spots. One was Mike Slater, typically sitting over at the comer of the table, staring vacantly into space.  He was as aloof as ever. It was clear from his actions and comments that Mike did not want to participate in this Committee.  She overheard him comment one time that he had better things to do than work with a bunch of "operation types." He would show up late, walk out in the middle of the briefing, read the paper, do almost anything he could think of which would say: "I don't want any part of this, and I'll work real hard not to play a part in it." He was usually successful, and when he did contribute, it was only by virtue of his making some kind of caustic remark. Unfortunately, Judy realized, Mike did have some important in- sight and experience that could be very helpful to the Committee.  It was just that he made it so difficult to listen to h i m.

She looked at Fem Henry, standing near the coffee pot, joking with Sue Casey. Fern was from Personnel and had been in that department for over 15 years. Fern's biggest asset was her ability to talk about anything, at any time, and for great periods of time. And while her knowledge of the personnel issues surrounding the Committee's work was good, she tended to voice her opinions quickly and at length, neither fully considering them nor allowing others to question her. She could talk for 10 minutes at a stretch and end up saying very little. Judy hated to tum her on because it was hard to tum her   off. Judy glanced at Sue Casey, who was from Operations. She then saw Buddy Griffith, also from operations, enters the room and sits down.