Case Study Neil was a young and ambitious employee who had been with an IT company for two years. He had built a reputation as a hard worker and a solid performer and had participated as a junior member of an extremely successful consulting team demonstrating the benefits of modern integrative IT solutions to clients. Neil was well-liked by older employees for his willingness to put in what it took to get the job done, and he was also admired by newer employees for his apparent ability to balance work demands with an active personal life consisting of attending the most current live music and trying out the newest local restaurants. In his third year at the organization, Neil's job responsibilities changed to focus on a long-term project that would last for the next two years. In making the shift to the new responsibilities, Neil was advised by a senior manager to solicit the help of Claire, a new employee who had been hired because of her expertise on projects like the one Neil was starting. Although Claire was just starting with the organization, because of her experience at other similar organizations, she had been brought on as a middle manager. Although Claire wouldn't be Neil's primary supervisor, involving her would mean that Neil would need to keep her apprised of his progress and follow her suggestions. Neil had heard very positive things about Claire and was excited to benefit from her knowledge and skills. Neil was eager for professional development and was hoping for a mentorship relationship from Claire. As Neil and Claire began the project, they seemed to work well together. Their early discussions focused on the work to be completed, and each expressed opinions and suggestions for how to proceed. These discussions vastly improved the plan for completing Neil's project. Neil mostly worked autonomously, but reported periodically to Claire to ask for advice and to report on his progress. After a while, Neil realized that the more he talked with Claire, the larger his project grew. Each time they would meet, she would add an idea or two that would increase his workload. Not wanting to offend her, and trusting in her experience, Neil simply agreed to the extra work. Over the next few months, his discussions with Claire became less frequent, partly because of the time it took to complete the extra work she had given him and partly because he wanted to avoid adding any more work. The early steps of the project were very flexible in terms of their timeline and tangible output, so the frequency of meetings was not a critical issue. About six months later, Claire asked Neil if he would like to join her on a similar project that she was leading. In fact, Claire proposed that Neil extend his project to include her client and run his project concurrently with hers. This meant Claire and Neil would meet more often and work more closely. Since Claire was the lead consultant on her project, she would be Neil's direct supervisor with regard to his work on her project. Not wanting to pass up an opportunity with a skilled consultant, Neil agreed to join Claire's project. Neil continued his practice of working on his own and reporting periodically to Claire. The later steps of his project took more time and lent themselves to less frequent reports. In the meantime, Neil had been busy working on Claire's project, including traveling several times to the client's location for two- day meetings. Progress on both projects occasionally stalled as problems arose but were quickly resolved. Neil took these delays in stride, but Claire reacted negatively toward any holdup and began expressing her displeasure in cutting remarks and critical comments. Her discontent reached a peak one day when she summoned Neil to her office for a talk. She began by outlining the failures on her project, but then proceeded to criticize Neil for the failures on his. Neil admitted he could do better, but Claire's next series of comments took him completely by surprise. She told him that he had better shape up and start working harder or he would never get anywhere in their profession. Claire made it clear that she thought Neil was the source of the problems, both on her project and on his. Neil walked away from this meeting stinging from the unexpected reprimand. Neil knew better than to fire back at Claire, so once she had finished her comments, he simply thanked her and left the room. However, the rebuke seemed to linger in the air for weeks. Over the next several months, Neil found himself less and less eager to see Claire. His communications with her became briefer and more task oriented. Unfortunately, the less he interacted with her, the more she seemed to disapprove of him personally. At the end of the projects, Neil was relieved to finally be free of his ties to Claire. The two never worked together again. Neil's engagement at his work begins to decline. His boss, Frank, comes to you as the HR Advisor asking what to do about Neil's performance. You see on LinkedIn that Neil is searching for jobs. Deliverables: As the team of HR Advisors, analyze the situation and prepare an action plan for all parties involved. Be sure to include the following in a written report: Task 1: What are the key problems or issues? List and explain each problem or issue. (10 marks) Task 2: Who are the stakeholders that need to be involved in the solution and why? (5 marks) Task 3: Develop recommendations to be presented to Frank to resolve the problems you have identified. (10 marks) Task 4: Highlight the relevant OB theories from the course that you have considered when developing your recommendations. (10 marks) Task 5: Prepare a role play to act out the conversation between the team of advisors and Frank during which the HR advisors will present the issues identified and their recommended advice. Time is to be allocated for Q&A where Frank can ask questions or seek clarifications from the HR advisors who will respond appropriately. All team members must participate in the role play. (20 marks)