Executive Summary

Simmons Laboratories is a small lab focusing on photon research. Projects at the lab rely on collaboration between team members to be effectively researched, assessed, and undertaken. The lab has recently experienced organizational turmoil due to managerial, interpersonal, and communication flaws that came to light upon the addition of a new lab employee. We can apply a number of theories in organizational behaviour to help understand the issues Simmons Laboratories is facing, including self-evaluation and motivation, self-concept, communication, power dynamics, role perceptions, organizational socialization, emotional intelligence, and leadership effectiveness.

Problem Identification

The following facts and symptoms are indicative of a number of underlying organizational problems at Simmons Laboratories.

From the moment Brandon Newbridge was brought into the photon lab, Dr. William Goh told him that the sky is the limit for anyone who can produce. This created unhealthy habits for Newbridge, who enjoyed his work, but often felt compelled to stay late and complete extra work.

Upon Lester Zapfs introduction to the lab, Zapf immediately began criticizing Newbridges research and mentioning topics that Newbridge was unfamiliar with. As project lead, Goh should have played a greater role in the introduction and socialization of the two, and created better role perceptions (Dierdorff, E. C., Rubin, R. S., & Bachrach, D. G., 2008). On Zapfs first day, he chose to work into the evening.

Assumptions. We assume that on this research team, Goh, as project lead, has managerial power and hiring responsibility over the rest of the team members on the project. We also assume that employees in the photon lab have recommended working hours and role responsibilities that are intended to be followed.

Problem statement. The deterioration of Simmons Laboratories organizational culture can be attributed to personal, managerial, and communicative downfalls. Simmons Laboratories must better define organizational structures and roles, improve avenues for communication, and address employees interpersonal shortcomings in order to operate efficiently and repair its cooperative spirit.

Problem Analysis

There are a number of theories in organizational behaviour which can aid in explaining the problems faced by Simmons Laboratories.

Decrease in self-evaluation and motivation. Newbridge's self-efficacy and self-esteem were negatively impacted by the arrival of Zapf. Self-efficacy is the belief that a person has the ability, motivation, correct role perceptions, and favourable situation to complete a task successfully, while self-esteem is the extent to which a person likes, respects, and is satisfied with themselves. Motivation refers to the forces within a person that affect the direction, intensity, and persistence of effort for voluntary behaviour .

Poor communication. One of the primary issues was inadequate communication among team members. Goh did not mention Zapf's arrival to the team beforehand, which caught Newbridge and others off guard. Newbridge became hesitant to express his discomfort to others because he believed it would show weakness. When Newbridge spoke to Goh before the sponsor meeting, he failed to communicate his ideas directly and quickly agreed with Goh's opinion. & Clark, M. Industrial Engineer, 2018).

Power dynamics and relationship conflict. The power dynamics in Simmons Laboratories were altered by Zapfs onboarding. Prior to Zapf's arrival, Newbridge held expert power within the group due to his knowledge and experience, allowing him to have a high degree of control over the group's work. However, when Zapf was introduced to the team, he quickly gained expert power due to his extensive knowledge in the field. Goh respected Zapf for his expertise and drive, which gave Zapf referent power over Goh. Zapf used this power to push for more individual work and less collaboration, leading to a loss of control and cooperative spirit among team members (Power, 2022).

Ambiguous role perception. The lack of role definition in the laboratory contributed to the conflict among its team members. When Zapf was hired, Goh failed to define his exact role and responsibilities. As a result, Zapf's actions caused discomfort and competition, particularly with Newbridge, who felt pressured to work overtime and complete extra work. Zapf's desire to re-address a previously unsolvable problem showed a lack of understanding of the team's roles and responsibilities. By failing to recognize the value of collaboration and team input, Zapf created a sense of ambiguity about how the team should be working and contributing to their research .

Lack of organizational socialization. Zapfs failure to socialize himself into the photon lab created issues that negatively impacted team performance. As stated above, Goh's lack of clarity and guidance led to confusion and uncertainty among both Zapf and the existing team members, which created a significant barrier to effective collaboration and communication. Zapf's negative comments about the team's work and his insistence on individual work further compounded the problem.

Emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence, which encompasses an individual's ability to recognize, understand, and manage their own emotions as well as those of others, appears to be lacking in Goh, Newbridge, and Zapf. Zapf's behaviours demonstrated a lack of awareness regarding how his actions affected his colleagues' emotions. His criticism of Newbridge's work displayed a lack of consideration for Newbridge's feelings. His late-night phone call was an invasion of Newbridge's personal boundaries. Furthermore, his negative comments about the team's work indicated a lack of empathy for his team members' efforts.

Management preferences and lack of leadership effectiveness. Managing a team requires proper leadership skills and traits, such as emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, and strong decision-making skills. In the case of Simmons Laboratories, Goh was not motivated to define roles or improve organizational socialization. The labs previous success came from its employees cooperation and understanding of each others work habits; however, the lab still had some organizational issues at play.

Deterioration and impairment of self-concept. The main reason for the deterioration of self-concept is negative external or internal factors contributing to an employees decreased sense of self. According to social identity theory, the self-concept is made up of four selves: the self-enhancement self, the self-verification self, the self-evaluation self, and the social .

Alternatives

Alternative #1. Dr. Goh should request a friendly discussion with Newbridge before his departure to discuss other options that would benefit both Goh (and the photon laboratory as a whole) as well as Newbridge if he were to stay as project head. Gohs statement: Theres one thing about this place you can bank on. The sky's the limit for anyone who can produce! was implanted in Newbridges mind since the start of his career at the laboratory. This statement could have been interpreted in many ways.

Alternative #2. Newbridge should begin his offered position, leaving Simmons Laboratories, while helping Goh in recommending a replacement, or at least leave the lab by appropriately saying goodbye to all of his previous colleagues.

Alternative #3. The final alternative is for Newbridge to move on to the position at the new laboratory, while Simmons Laboratories implements organizational changes prior to hiring a new replacement. Although this alternative suggests the loss of Newbridge for Simmons Laboratories, making various organizational changes would resolve current issues within the organization as well as any potential issues arising in the future. The recurring issues at the Simmons Laboratories can mainly be explained by the four organizational behaviour theories described previously which include: power dynamics, emotional intelligence, ambiguous role perception and lack of organizational socialization.

Recommendations and Action Plan

We recommend Simmons Laboratories select Alternative #3 and implement organizational changes before hiring a replacement for Newbridge. The disadvantages of this plan, including the time required to implement changes and pushback from staff, can be mitigated by establishing a guiding coalition made up of employees to help implement the organizational reforms. The risk associated with alienating Zapf can also be mitigated by allowing him to join the guiding coalition.

This plan is most advantageous because it addresses the underlying organizational behaviour problems at Simmons Laboratories while also resolving the short-term issues facing Goh and the photon lab. They temporarily have the mathematician, Link, managing the lab, which will allow them time to make necessary organizational changes. Management should establish new lines of communication with their employees so that the organization's structure, expectations, and strategic vision are clearly defined moving forward. Greater communication and involvement in the process will also allow employees of Simmons Laboratories to better embrace change and new styles of leadership in the future.

Action Plan

By implementing the following recommendations, Simmons Laboratories will be able to address its organizational shortcomings and be better positioned to onboard future talent.

Management should clearly define the labs organizational structure to remove any expert power or leadership conflicts. They should also clearly define individual employee roles and their overall strategic vision.

Management should establish a guiding coalition team to help support upcoming organizational changes.

Management should implement policies on employee learning, involvement, and communication in regard to organizational changes. Employees should understand why changes are necessary and how they will affect them, and be present at discussions about the implementation of changes.

Guidelines

You are expected to take the perspective of the stakeholders.

The problems/issues discussed in the consultants report and the specific recommendations and action plan it contains have direct implications for your stakeholder group.

Your objective is to determine:

Whether the analysis presented by the consultants acknowledges how your stakeholder group is affected by the situation described in the case

The positive and negative implications of the recommendation and action plan for your stakeholder group

How the consultants report could be improved to account for the interests of your stakeholder group

In drafting your response, demonstrate your understanding of OB theories and concepts by applying them appropriately to formulate your analysis and arguments.