Banana Time Case Instructions

As you first read the Banana Time case you might be asking yourself, what do I do with this case? There are no questions at the end to which I can simply respond. Attempting to analyze a social system or group such as described in the Banana Time case can be an awkward, chaotic experience, especially at first.

Start with your primary task which is to 1) identify each of the social system elements (as listed in bullet points below and on page 83) and 2) to see if you can describe the interaction between the elements. In other words, can you diagnose why what is happening is happening?

Much like a medical doctor would trace the cause of symptoms, youll need to look at the results of this groups efforts in 3 areas: Productivity, Satisfaction and Development. Describe how the group is doing in these 3 critical areas (are they productivegetting the work done as well as they could be, are they satisfied, and are they growing and developing). As you assess how they are doing in these 3 areas, consult the Social System Conceptual Scheme on page 83 of your text to see what might be causing the results youve observed and described.

So start by seeing if you can identify/describe the elements of the system listed below (as shown on page 83):

Background Factors

Personal systems

External status

Organizational Culture

Technology/Layout

Reward System

Leadership style

Required System

Activities

Interactions

Attitudes

Emergent System

Activities

Interactions

Attitudes

After you have picked out examples of these elements above, see if you can trace their interplay and affect on 1) productivity, 2) satisfaction and 3) development. For instance, what impact has the leadership style had on productivity? Satisfaction? Development? Good or bad--explain.

Also, what impact have the background factors had on these 3 results? What have the job requirements (Required system) impact been on those 3 results? You might also comment on why the group has fallen into the practice of the various rituals (emergent behavior?) and of what significance are the rituals? Do they have a functional/useful purpose?

You should also comment on the emergent system: which is Activities, Interactions and Attitudes that have emerged, but were not requested by the required system. Are these emergent system elements helpful or counterproductive?

Now the punch line. If you were the manager, what elements of this system would you tweak or change in order to get different results? What do you predict will happen as a result of each change you propose?

Final Note:

Being able to wade into the chaos of this case, mentally sort through it, and begin to construct order is a valuable management skill. You will most likely feel some anxiety and maybe even frustration as you attempt to sort through this case and make the cause and affect connections. This is ok. Its normal to feel that way. But, allow yourself to mentally work through the chaos and look for the connections between the system elements and their resulting consequences.

Once you hypothesize as manager/scientist, you can begin to test assertions and assumptions. You can begin to figure out why various people are doing what they are doing and understand the associated consequences of their behavior. As you do so youll be able to intelligently analyze and discuss this case in your write up and effectively explain why things are working the way they are and what might be done to improve this system. An effective write-up will generally be 2-3 pages in length. Have fun!