Case Study Introduction to Management

A day in the life of Alex Sander: Driving in the fast lane at Landon Care Products

Behaviors impacting the 360° data

What behaviors by Alex are having the greatest impact on the 360° data provided by her co-workers? Which of these behaviors are positive and which are negative?

From the 360° data provided by Alex’s co-workers, it appears that they have different opinions on her behavior. For example, as we can read on page 4, the feedback reveals that there is a discrepancy between what she says and what she does, and in fact Alex pushed for a leadership position at Nourish, which she obtained, but Sam Glass told her that if she wants to influence over decisions, she has to prove herself as a motivator and leader. In exhibit number 3, we can see what Alex’s co-workers have said about her greatest strengths and about the areas in which they believe she should improve:

Positive behaviors

From the downward comments, it is clear that Alex’s supervisors take a positive view of her aggressiveness since she implements whatever measures are necessary to complete the task. Moreover, they highlighted as one of her strengths the fact that she is not daunted by any learning challenge, but she sees them as opportunities to gain knowledge. Her supervisors wrote also that she has the spirit of an entrepreneur who is unwilling to take “no” from anyone and that, although she didn’t know much about the cosmetic market, she learned fast. Lastly, she doesn’t hope that things will somehow work out, but she pushes for answers, and she is never undecided.

The upward comments showed that Alex is very committed to her work and that she works tirelessly, even beyond working hours, even though she expects others to do the same. Furthermore, they praised her being multitasking and her moving at a faster pace than the others, in fact she managed to launch two products at once. Alex is an example of self-confidence because she shows that if you set your mind on something you will be able to do it, and lastly being on a team with her guarantees visibility because she makes things happen.

Alex’s colleagues wrote in the comments that she ensures a due recognition of the work done by the team and that she shows appreciation for work well done. They also highlighted her willingness to mentor peers in specific areas and her ability to shake a stodgy group. People from outside Landon have said that she is a curious person, always looking for new information and that she has an impressive intellect.

Negative behaviors

Alex’s supervisors have highlighted the areas which need further development as well: they wrote that she typically has the right answer but comes up with it without involving the team and this can breed hostility. In addition, they wrote that she must learn to delegate and to motivate the others to excel, rather than being too critical in assessing others, and that she should learn to treat people with more respect.

From the upward comments, it appeared that she cannot balance work and private life, in fact, she works long hours and is even willing to give up holidays to work. She doesn’t praise others often and she doesn’t trust them as well, in fact, she tells them every single step, but this demotivates them.

Her colleagues wrote that she is arrogant and thinks she is better than everyone else and that she continually ruffles people. Lastly, according to them, Alex needs to work on leading virtual teams since she doesn’t recognize the value of different approaches to working.

Alex’s likely career success

What does the 360° data tell us about Alex’s likely career success? If you were Sam Glass, would you invest more time in helping Sander progress at Landon?

The 360° data obtained from the comments that Alex’s colleagues have written about her behavior tells us that she has a strong personality. From the data, it can be assumed that Alex is a very determined person, who learns quickly and who tries hard to increase her knowledge in order to achieve results in her work, as shown by her last performances at Landon. She has an entrepreneurial approach, so she is not afraid to make decisions on her own and is never frozen by indecision, in addition, she works tirelessly, even beyond working hours.

This information tells us that as a worker Alex is likely to achieve success in her career since she works hard to complete any task that is assigned to her, but she must improve her interpersonal skills. In fact, to be successful, she should learn to delegate some tasks to her co-workers, trusting their skills more, rather than doing everything by herself, also because people work better in a working environment where there is solidarity, loyalty, and progress.

If I were Sam Glass, I would invest more time in helping Alex progress at Landon because I believe that she has huge potential. In fact, from a work point of view, I believe that Alex is the best worker someone could ask for, as she is willing to do everything to improve her skills and bring results to the company, while from a personal point of view I believe that she should work more on her character as she tends to do everything by herself without involving others.

Alex is an important element for Landon because she has characteristics that few workers have: she never wears out, she can make decisions without hesitation, she is able to do several tasks at the same time, and she is not afraid of challenges. Therefore, I would have an interest in helping her progress.

Options for women managers

So, what’s new? Do women managers have different options open to them now than in earlier generations? What are the advantages and disadvantages of Sander’s tough-guy approach?

For many centuries, the world of work only concerned men, while women were forced to stay at home and look after th