Scott Davis sat at his desk anxiously waiting for the next few minutes to pass. It was almost time for the meeting he had scheduled between Debra Cronin and Ken Brown. Scott knew this meeting would be challenging for everyone. Debra and Ken had been at odds for quite some time. The problems started soon after Ken joined the company. At first Scott thought the conflict was healthy and would bring some much needed change to the department. Scott soon learned that the disputes between Debra and Ken were more personal than professional. Debra had been with the company for seven years. Scott had no complaints about her performance. She was a hard worker that got the job done. Unfortunately, Debra was also the source of a lot of conflict in the department. She always felt she knew the best way to do everything and freely shared that opinion with everyone, whether they wanted it or not. Scott has spent many hours listening to employees’ complaints about Debra’s insistence on showing them the “proper” way to do their jobs. Debra’s interference had caused a fair amount of discontent in the department, but Scott never felt it was enough to consider termination. The meeting today may well change that opinion.

Ken Brown was new to the company. He had joined Scott’s department just four months ago. He was young with a lot of fresh, new ideas. Scott liked everything about Ken and thought he would be great for the department and the company. But just like those before him, Ken found working with Debra difficult. She was set in her ways and was not going to change. Worse, she was undermining the other employees’ interest in changing. Scott felt that he had done everything he could to resolve the conflict between the two, without success. He felt sure that today’s meeting would end with one person leaving the company. His decision was which one: Debra, the long-time employee, or Ken, the newcomer, with the vision for the future?

Questions:

1. Does Scott have a greater responsibility to Debra than to Ken? Why? (2%)

2. Evaluate Scott’s decision alternatives. (3%)

3. Which one would you choose if you were the manager? Give details about your action plan. State your reasons. (5%)