The employees in a company’s phone center are not paying any attention to new procedures for taking orders from clients. They are following the old procedures, which they prefer, and avoiding the changes that they dislike. What’s more, they are spending so much time bickering with one another that overall productivity has been suffering. You are called in to handle this situation.

1. How might sex differences or cross-cultural differences in communication styles lie at the heart of this situation? What can be done about this?

2. How might technology be used to improve this situation?

3. What can be done to make the employees better listeners and more supportive of one another? How do you think these measures would help address the problem?