Question
The president of ACBN Bank, Anna Rosh, was taken by surprise at the amount of conflict that came to the surface after ACBN contracted the
The president of ACBN Bank, Anna Rosh, was taken by surprise at the amount of conflict that came to the surface after ACBN contracted the US-based IT consulting firm, Degroote, to replace their antiquated HR information system (HRIS) with a new state-of-the-art HRMS (HR management system). Through the grapevine Anna heard that the five employees who were responsible for the current HRIS were worried that their jobs would eventually be outsourced to Degroote once the new system was installed. Because of this, they were somewhat reluctant to provide details about ACBN's HR operations that the Degroote consultants needed to do their jobs effectively. "Why should we tell them what we know and end up losing our?" these employees privately warned each other. The consultants sensed this reluctance, but the ACBN employees kept their concerns to themselves. Adding to the employees' concerns was the question of who should lead the project an ACBN IT manager or someone from Degroote? Anna tried to resolve this by giving the leadership role to one of the Degroote consultants with a successful project implementation track record, but this decision simply added to the tension. The problem was that ACBN's IT people would be responsible for the system long after the external consultants were gone, so they felt that someone from their team should lead the project. As the project got under way, scheduling soon became a source of discontent. Each week, the Degroote consultants flew in from other cities across the US to ACBN's offices in Toronto, typically working 12- hour days, Monday through Thursday, then flew back to their home cities on Friday. ACBN's employees lived close to the company's offices and worked Monday to Friday with regular hours, usually 9 to 5 with one or two hours of flexibility around those times. The consultants raised concerns that the project would be delayed by ACBN's IT staff if they did not adjust to the consultants' schedule during the two or three months that the consultants were on-site. The employees complained because the consultants' schedule would mean significant disruption to their usual nonwork life, such as attending evening school events, spending time with family, or participating in sports and other social activities during the week. In an effort to address the scheduling issue, Anna reached out to the Paul Nanos, the Managing Director of Degroote. Paul did not reply to her emails so she gave him a call. During that conversation, Paul said he was very busy this week, and that this was due to an important project implementation for another client. Anna reminded Paul that ACBN's project was also important and that it was necessary for it to be 2 implemented on time as planned and that ACBN's board of directors was keeping a close eye on its progress. Degroote was likely aware that having ACBN as an ongoing client meant repeat business for them, as there would be a lucrative maintenance contract and other potential new IT projects in the coming months and years. Anna is at her wits' end. On the one hand, she wholeheartedly wishes to support her employees. On the other hand, she needs to ensure the project is a success. The Degroote consultants really are the best in the business and it is important for this new system to be implemented flawlessly. Anna has reached out to your team of HR advisors for guidance on next steps. Using Johari Window model, Which conflict-handling approach should Anna take in her dealings with Paul, and why are you recommending this approach? draft a role play for the above question
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