Fred Blogs stared at the phone receiver in disbelief. He was too stunned to

be disappointed. The disappointment would come later, once he had fully

processed what had just happened.

The light for line 2, the customer line, blinked as his phone began to ring.

Fred knew he should really answer; it was probably a customer needing help

with his or her new photocopier equipment. Normally Fred did everything he

could to help customers, including staying late, going in person to their office

when phone support wouldn't suffice, and even letting them call him on his

cellphone on evenings and weekends. But now, after what had just happened

well, let's just say it was time to take an hour or two off and go for a walk.

The customer calling would just have to solve his own problem this time.

Fred had begun working for Encre Office Machines in Toronto 14 months ago,

immediately after completing his MBA at the age of 36. Prior to his return to

school, he had worked 14 years in field sales in the software sector. Fred

had sold large, complex database and enterprise resource planning

solutions to corporate clients. The products allowed clients to automate

business processes from inventory control and accounting to human

resources management. Selling these tools meant spending a great deal of

time with C-level executives analyzing business processes and

communication flow. Fred had been very successful in that role, but after 14

years he grew tired of having a sales quota hanging over his head every

month. He saw the MBA as a way to transition to a new, less stressful career.

Unfortunately, Fred's master plan had not included a recession. After taking

two years off for his MBA, he found himself newly graduated, in debt, and

unemployed with few immediate job prospects. Unwilling to go back into

direct sales field, Fred started applying for jobs in other functional areas. His

undergraduate degree had been in education. Although he'd long ago

decided that looking after a classroom full of kids all day wasn't for him now,

he thought he might leverage his combined education degree and MBA to

get a corporate trainer role. He thought he could do a great job of staff

training and education, especially for sales, presentation, and customer

service skills.

After almost six weeks of sending out rsums, Fred finally landed an

interview with Encre Office Machines. The interview went well but both he

and the human resources person interviewing him admitted that he was

overqualified for the entry-level training role they had available. It wasn't

what he had hoped forinstead of training managers and new hires he

would be training customers who had just bought new photocopiers.

Customers needed lessons on how to maintain the machine and use

advanced copy features. It seemed like a comedown. But one thing

encouraged Fred. The human resources manager had said, "We understand

that this job is a little simple for someone with your experience and

background but we are really interested in getting you on our team and this

is the only job available right now. Within a year to 18 months something

more suitable should open up and we can promote you, but for now we just

want you on board." Under the circumstances, with his bank account

dwindling, Fred accepted the job.

Fred proceeded to do truly excellent work for the next 14 months, which he

considered a trial period during which he would prove he was promotion

material. He enjoyed the challenge. He went above and beyond for his

customers. He also examined the processes Encre used to manage and

monitor customer inquiries, and made some process-related suggestions that

improved communication between the training team and technical support.

The accolades he got for that felt great! He took on tasks other trainers

balked at due to their difficulty, most notably helping high-maintenance

clients known to be bad-tempered and difficult. He smiled inside every time

he helped out, sure his actions were being noticed. Fred did all this and bided

his time, waiting for his opportunity.

After 14 months it happened. A new job was created at Encre in response to

excessive turnover among sales personnel. A Director of Training role was

created to oversee, manage, and improve the new-hire orientation and sales

training process. The internal job ad that went around the company stated

that key qualifications included a business degree, demonstrated knowledge

of the training function, a minimum of five years' success in field sales, and a

proven record of innovation. Fred felt very confident when he sent in his

application. His confidence was further bolstered when he got a call the next

day setting up an interview.

On the day of the interview Fred prepared carefully, picking out his best tie

and adding extra shine to his shoes. He had reviewed the corporate strategic

objectives and even talked to several sales reps to get their perspective on

training needs. He was ready to blow the interview out of the water! That's

when he got the call he couldn't believe, the call cancelling his interview. "I

am sorry," the assistant said, "but the VP has decided that only someone

with sales experience at Encre should be considered for the job." "That is

ludicrous," thundered Fred, "I have 14 years of experience selling

technology, doesn't that count for anything?"

Fred went home early that day, deflated and angry at the same time. That

weekend he turned his cell phone off. Let the customer wait until Monday, he

thought to himself bitterly. He continued like this for a week, heading out the

door exactly at 5:00. He probably would have continued like that for some

time but then he heard the news.

The promotion to Director of Training had been given to someone currently in

sales at Encre, Tom Fields. Tom had no formal education credentials, had a

BBA rather than an MBA, and only 8 years' experience in sales. What truly

infuriated Fred, however, was that Tom was the life partner of Jim Guenther,

Encre's VP of Operations. It had actually been the VP of Sales who had made

the decision, but she was known to be friends with Jim.

The whole thing seemed very suspicious, and even in this bad economy Fred

had no patience for unfairness. He considered his options: stay and work

hard for another promotion, stay and do the bare minimum, or move on. He

decided to . . .

1. Despite the fact that he was underemployed, Fred seemed to enjoy

his job at first. What conditions contributed to Fred's job satisfaction

when he was first hired?

2. Explain why Fred's workplace behaviour changed so dramatically.

What could have prevented the behavioural change?

3. Is this a process or an outcome related issue? Explain your answer.

4. What could a manager do now, after these events occurred, to

improve Fred's job satisfaction?