Human Relations Week 6

Discussion Description:

You have just been hired by Yummy Juicy, a national corporation that sells organic juices at most major retail stores. You have been hired as the West Coast Distribution Manager. After about five weeks on the job, you get the following email:

Sir/Ma’am,

You are hurting this company. You have continued to try to force all of us to change our ways and follow procedures that are no good. I am not sure why you got the job. You trained us on the new procedures, which wasted hours of our time. Don’t bother to reply to this email, I know nothing will change.

R/

Bob (disgruntled employee)

There are FOUR parts to this week’s Discussion assignment:

PART I: Complete the following:

Develop an email response using the three-step process for being assertive (without being aggressive—aim for a WIN-WIN resolution). Bob is one of your first-line supervisors and has been with the company for 20 years. Mary, another supervisor, tells you that Bob is just trying to bully you and that most other supervisors love the new processes. (I realize many of you would call Bob into your office; but for this assignment, you must generate an email response). Post your email response to Bob in your Discussion.

PART II: Answer each of the following questions:

1. Do you find it difficult to be assertive in your own life (personal and professional)? Why or why not?

2. What are the risks of being assertive with Bob? Make sure you utilize common course terminology when explaining the risks.

PART III: Mary comes to you later in the day and says: “Boss, Bob is trying to negotiate with you. He has a target in mind, and is not flexible; so his limit is not much different than his target.” Explain what Mary is talking about. After reading the e-textbook, explain in your own words, the concepts of targets and limits during negotiations.

PART IV: Then respond to at least two other students in the following manner:

1. First Reply to a Peer: Explain what specifically won’t work in a fellow student’s email to Bob? Make a recommendation on how to re-word or use a different approach.

2. Second Reply to a Different Peer: Become Bob–negotiate with the “boss” (a different student than received your first reply), and make him/her see your point of view. Utilize course material in your reply. Reply should be formatted as an email (but don’t actually send an email).