2. Review Chapter 11A - Decision Making and Sustainability in the Face of Uncertainty: Selecting a New Organizational Leader and answer the following questions:

a. In general, what appear to be the significant obstacles that keep this team from moving forward? If you were Morris, what suggestions would you make about the search committee's interaction? Think about this in terms of behavior and emotions, then ethics, and then procedures.

b. In this scenario, individual search committee members faced a tension between choosing a director who is good for the organization versus choosing a director who would be better for each of them personally. Which committee members seemed more interested in their own personal needs or agendas? Why? Who seemed to be most concerned about the organization? Why?

c. As part of the job search, Katie embraced one decision-making process that involved listing strengths and weaknesses for each candidate. What appears to be the good qualities of this approach? What could be better? And do you believe it would help a meeting to run as smoothly as it did when used in this case study? Why or why not?

d. If you were an organization development practitioner that had been hired to consult with this team, what actions would you recommend next?

Please include references. Thank you.

SETTING THE SCENE: A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP IN A COMMUNITY NONPROFIT The Seahallow Sustainability Coalition (SSC) is a nonprot organization dedicated to supporting and advising communities on issues of sustainability. Located in the southern United States, the SSC and its employees have been hard at work promoting sustainable practices in their communities since the organization rst began 25 years ago. Until recently, this small nonprot consisted of a director, Paul Andrews, and his minimal team of 20 employees. These employees engaged with members of the coastal city of Seahallow to keep the community clean, healthy, and sustainable. As the director, Paul managed day-to-day operations, including overseeing individual employee duties. To everyone's surprise, Paul stepped down from his position 2 weeks ago to relocate. Although he enjoyed living in the South and near the ocean, he had long wanted to be closer to his extended family on the East Coast. After successfully leading the SSC for so long, he had the experience and record to secure a position in a new, larger nonprot. Unfortunately, his new job required a quick transition. He could only give the SSC one week's notice before exiting. LeToya Wilson, who had been serving as assistant director, assumed the role of interim director. After Paul left, a search committee was created that included the ve employees who were with the SSC for the longest amount of time: Katie Delisio, Denise Jones, Martin Gonzales, Akshar Mitra, and Chris Starke. They all also worked desk positions, indicating they had a good sense of day-to-day business in the organization. Despite their shared interest in nding a good director, the search committee members were split about how to proceed. This split mirrored the feelings of the organization as a whole, as was made apparent by the whispers and many out-of-ofce conversations people were having. As the rst search committee meeting approached, the members knew there would be considerable debate. Specically, they knew half of the organization wanted to search from their own ranks for a new director, while the others wanted to search outside of the organization for the new director. Katie, who was appointed to be chair of the committee, was worried but optimistic. That optimism soon faded during the rst meeting. Martin and Chris wanted to do an internal search, with Chris even mentioning that it would be a \"slap in the face\" to not select LeToya for the position. Denise and Akshar, on the other hand, wanted to do an external search. Denise believed that even though Paul's leadership was strong, looking for fresh new directions would be benecial. Akshar believed that having an external search would allow for a larger pool of talent to be considered and that it would also help LeToya to realize it was not a \"done deal.\" As leader of the search committee, Katie wanted to remain neutral. She did, however, point out that because of their funding sources they had to do a search that was open to both external and internal candidates. Since that meeting, the position has been advertised to the community and on national bulletin boards. Organization members continued to argue over who would be good to lead the organization, with many worrying that the search might become \"political.\" To make matters worse, this transition is happening after Seahallow recently experienced a severe hurricane that devastated the community. As more issues of sustainability demand the organization's attention, including extensive work at cleanup and rebuilding sites, the SSC has become drained of resources and energy. The employees feel demoralized. At the most recent search committee meeting, the employees of the SSC were at least able to create a list of priorities in terms of the kind of candidate they wanted for the search. No one disagreed about what the job entailed and what kind of person should be in the position. As the applications came in from across the country, Katie started to feel somewhat optimistic that perhaps the group would make a good decision. With that optimism, she entered the conference room for what she hoped would be a productive meeting. \"Okay,\" Katie said to start the meeting. \"As you all know, if looks like we've received a good number of applications. We all agreed that we would read each applicant's cover letter and resume and try to find good people to interview. So what do you all think?\" Martin swiftly took the floor. \"It's only right that we give this position to someone who has been working here for years. They know the ins and out of this organization and are already dedicated. They have put their time and energy into the SSC and deserve to be recognized for it. We wouldn't have to worry about training, and we already know they are good workers. Why look anywhere else?\" Chris approved of Martin's stance. \"This organization has been through enough! We are dealing with a lot after the hurricane. We don't need the hassle of hiring someone new. Let's just hire LeToya and call it a day.\" Akshar did not like this idea. \"If we only consider those already working here, we eliminate the majority of candidates, some who look incredibly capable. Instead of limiting our possibilities, we should explore those individuals who would do the most good for our organization, not just the loyal employees we already have.\" Denise offered agreement. \"I think Akshar's right. If the SSC wants to overcome a lot of the giant hurdles we have right nowiand they are giantil think we have to look at all of the applications and figure out who is the best person. Period.\" \"What about you, Katie? What are your thoughts?\" Akshar asked. Katie was being uncharacteristically quiet. Although she often felt comfortable expressing her opinions, she did not want to take sides in this search. Her plan was to call the meetings and then sit back and let the team decide. \"As far as I'm concerned, I can really only see a couple of these applicants being able to handle this position,\" Chris said, jumping in after Katie was silent a moment. Chris seldom allowed an opportunity to assert his opinion to pass. \"Well, I disagree about backgrounds. But at the same time, even if a lot of the candidates have good school backgrounds, they don't have a lot of experience. Or they seem to see this as a stepping stone,\" Denise responded. \"Plus, I mean, all the talk has been on LeToya.\" \"Yeah, about that,\" Akshar chimed in. \"We do talk about LeToya a lot. But it is clear that Alex Castillo's application looks good, too.\" \"What do you mean?\" Chris asked. \"I didn't even waste my time looking at his. Alex can't do nancial ledgers. The person in LeToya's position has to be able to do that!\" \"Did you read Alex's application?\" Denise asked. \"He has a degree in accounting.\" \"Of course I read the applications!\" Chris raised his voice. Then he turned to Martin. \"See this? This is where we're at. She's attacking me, making it sound like I didn't do myjob. Everyone knows who she wants in the position. I told you.\" \"Well, come on, Chris; that is a pretty big oversight,\" Martin responded. He wanted to appear as neutral as possibleithat way, he could quietly push LeToya into the position. \"I almost missed it, too,\" Denise responded. \"I just figured that Alex is the guy who helps to build things. I didn't know he had all these skills.\" \"For Pete's sake!\" Chris said. \"First, Martin, I know you didn't read the application because we both talked about what a joke it is that Alex applied. Second, you all are wasting our time. Let's just hire LeToya and call it a day!\" \"But wait,\" Akshar jumped in on the conversation. \"I get the sense that not everyone read the whole application. I\" \"Game's over, Akshar,\" Chris interrupted. \"We know you read every little thing, but the rest of us have work to do. So we're taking a vote now. All in favor of hiring LeToya, raise your hand.\" \"Listen,\" Katie nally said, \"I would love to just vote now and get this over. Buti\" \"But what?\" Chris responded. \"Just do it.\" \"We can't,\" Katie said. \"We have to follow proper procedures, or we could get sued. The paperwork for the search saysi\" \"Ugh!\" Chris let out a dramatic sigh. \"If Akshar wants us to waste our time reading all these applications and you want to sit there like a slug, Katie, then Denise, Martin, and I will read instead of focusing on our actual jobs.\" Chris had a plan. He would read every application closely and nitpick all the other people until he had made LeToya the default candidate. He knew Martin was also on his side, and Katie seemed to not care. \"Um.\" Katie was not sure how to respond. Then she had a thought. \"Okay, yes. Good idea. Let's take a few days to read the applications more closely. I'll be in touch about setting up our next meeting.\" With that, everyone left. Akshar felt as if the atmosphere was a volatile mess. Denise wondered if Chris and Martin cared about anyone beside themselves. Chris and Martin were both thinking about how they could set the situation up to be of advantage to LeToya. Katie was thinking in a completely different direction: She wanted to bring someone in to help with the situation. Friday at work, Katie asked the search committee for an impromptu meeting. After the group met in the conference room, she asked that they consider bringing in a consultant to help them with the search. After some initial concern and lots of questions, there was reluctant but clear consensus. Denise suggested that Morris Hodges, the assistant director of the Harborton Community Health (HCH) nonprofit organization, might be helpful. Similar to the SSC, HCH found itself without a leader 2 years ago and quickly located a new director. Based on the organization's accomplishments, and its reputation for getting along, it appears as if they had successfully transitioned. Because HCH was only 20 miles away, and because Morris was the chair of their search committee, he appeared to be an excellent candidate. Even though many in the SSC knew Morris and his work, they did not have personal connections. That helped everyone to believe he could be somewhat neutral as a consultant. LeToya approved and was able to nd funds to provide a modest consulting fee. The organization was less thrilled about the decision, as it presented even more uncertainty, but overall there was support as people knew it would probably help them to move forward. The watercooler and parking lot were abuzz with speculation about what would happen, especially when Morris came to the ofce, met people, and he and Katie spent several hours in the conference room. Katie was surprised at how he asked candid questions about the personalities of the people on the committee and their behaviors. He offered several suggestions. As she approached the candidate selection meeting, she was quite curious about whether they would work. \"Okay, it's 3:30.\" Chris smiled. \"Let's get into these so-called applicants. I gave a fair look at each and every one.\" \"Great,\" Katie said. \"But rsti\" \"I still think LeToya is the best choice,\" Chris continued. \"So why don't we start with her?\" Katie remembered what Morris had suggested to her. When possible, try to turn an aggressive team member into an asset. Make them a part of the organizational structure you have for your meeting. Katie then realized that Chris's suggestion could be incorporated into what she had planned anyhow. \"Okay, Chris,\" she said. \"We will discuss LeToya first. But before we do that, I want to know who else we should discuss. Could everyone write down their list of the top three candidates? That way we can get a pulse on the room.\" \"I don't have three,\" Chris said. \"That's okay,\" Katie responded. \"Write down as many as you would like, up to three.\" Everyone quickly started writing. It appeared that they had one or two quick answers each, but people looked more in thought as they had to write down their third name. Remember, Katie, silence and thinking can be okay. Don't feel as if you always have to fill the meeting with sound. Thinking can be good, too. After a moment, Katie noticed that everyone seemed to have their decision. \"Okay, everyone,\" Katie said, \"let's see who you have.\" Everyone read the names on their list. Chris looked really nervous at first, but then he calmed down when everyone had LeToya on their lists. Martin looked pretty happy, too. Beyond LeToya, a lot of other names overlapped, too. \"Okay, so now we have a list of people to start considering. Is there anyone missing from this list that we