Bill Smith and Lana Kane seemed to have had some “bad chemistry” the day they met. Bill, a 23-year-old recent graduate and now working on his MBA, has been with the Marketing Group for a year. He is eager to excel, thrives on instant (especially positive) feedback, and is accustomed to participative, entrepreneurial work relationships. Upper-level management has been impressed with his work and has given him “free rein” on most assignments, since the Marketing Group had been without a director for the past year. Lana, who is 51, has been with the company for nine years and has just been assigned to head up the Marketing Group. Lana is accustomed to a more structured, orderly approach and also takes her seniority seriously. Bill was preparing a presentation on a new, promising product launch for the company’s CEO and officers when he found an e-mail from Lana asking to review and approve his presentation before he submits it to Ralph, the CEO.

Lana’s e-mail was critical of several of Bill’s ideas, and she asked to meet with him. At their one-on-one meeting the following afternoon in Lana’s office, they immediately started clashing. Lana politely but straightforwardly read her responses to Bill’s e-mail, and Bill couldn’t remain silent. He challenged her on every point, refusing to accept her logic. Lana grew tense and finally lashed out at Bill saying, “Can’t you be more open to dif­ferent perspectives? My role is to offer criticism to improve our efforts, not only to always give praise.” Bill was frustrated and hurt that Lana couldn’t see the same talent in him that upper management saw. “Why is she so stubborn and controlling?” he thought as he folded up the paper with her comments about his presentation. Nervously pondering the situation before leaving her office, he thought, “Maybe I should talk to Ralph about her. If I have to work with this style, I should pack my bags today.” At the same time, when Lana looked at Bill’s expressions, she thought, “I’m not sure this guy ‘gets it.’ He’s bright but too spoiled, and not tough-skinned enough to take helpful criticism. I wonder if I should talk to human resources about him?”

Questions

1. What are the problems in this situation?

2. What potential “ethical” dilemma or issue could arise from this situation?

3. What perspective(s) in this chapter could help diagnose this evolving issue?

4. What should be done to prevent an issue from erupting into a conflict and between whom?