WRITE THIS CASE STUDY PLEASE Case 2 United's Turbulent Communications Strategy United gained instant notoriety in 2017 following an incident in which a passenger was violently removed from a plane in Chicago Unfortunately for them, the companys immediate handling of the incident only made things worse This activity is important because it demonstrates how essential a good communication strategy is for a companys ability to handle incidents such as this one if they come up The goal of this activity is for you to identify exactly how Uniteds approach to communication affected its ability to rebuild its image following this incident Read about Uniteds 2017 flight related incident in Chicago and the immediate aftermath Then, using the three step problem solving approach, answer the questions that follow United Airlines is one of the worlds largest airlines serving 353 destinations across five continents The Chicago based carrier has approximately 92,000 employees and earned more than $41 billion in revenue in 2018 1 Oscar Munoz started as Uniteds CEO in 2015, and by March 2017 was named Communicator of the Year by PRWeek Unfortunately, he fell from grace a month later due to Uniteds botched response to a flight related incident 2 Lets consider how United communicated about the incident Sunday, April 9 Chaos on Flight 3411 A fully booked United flight 3411 was preparing to depart from Chicago to Louisville when gate agents realized that four airline crew members needed to get to Louisville The gate agents asked for four volunteers to give up their seats in return for compensation No one accepted Uniteds offer because the flight was the last one to Louisville that evening United then decided to enact an involuntary de boarding situation, in which four random passengers were directed to deplane Three of the passengers deplaned without incident The fourth, Dr David Dao, refused, saying I cant get off the plane I have to get home Im a doctor I have to get to the hospital in the morning, according to The Sentinel News 3 United employees responded to Dao by contacting the Chicago Department of Aviation Security A scuffle broke out between the officers and Dao when they tried to forcibly remove him from the plane, resulting in a concussion, broken teeth, a broken nose, and other injuries for Dr Dao The bloodied image of Dr Dao was posted on social media and rapidly spread around the world 4 Monday, April 10 Uniteds Initial Response A series of communication blunders transpired the next day United released a statement apologizing for the overbook situation The airline would later backtrack and clarify that the flight was not actually overbooked, and passengers were removed to make space for United employees CEO Munoz released a public statement on Twitter calling the incident an upsetting event, but did not address the treatment of passenger Dao He apologized to the passengers who were involuntarily deplaned but called their removal reaccommodation 5 According to Sean Czarnecki of PRWeek, the word reaccommodate was then lodged in the Internet lexicon as a United Airlines euphemism for brutally assaulting your customers 6 CEO Munoz sent an internal letter to United employees blaming Dr Dao for what happened, calling him disruptive and belligerent He also stated that he fully supported his employees handling of the situation 7 The internal letter quickly became public, which flamed the negative publicity News outlets compared videos of a bloodied and bruised passenger being dragged off an aircraft with Uniteds defensive, unempathetic, written responses 8 The result was outrage on social media with thousands of flyers signing a petition demanding Munozs resignation Many also called for a boycott of United, whose slogan of Fly the Friendly Skies was tarnished by the incident 9 In fact, a survey conducted by Morning Consult found that nearly half of the respondents said they would pick a more expensive, longer flight to avoid giving United their business 10 Tuesday, April 11 United Changes Course A turbulent day on Wall Street kicked off after Uniteds initial response to the incident The airline started the morning losing nearly $1 billion in stock value Munoz responded by releasing another written statement This time he struck a different tone and took full responsibility for the episode and said that Dr Dao should not have been mistreated the way he was The airline also pledged to conduct a review and quickly release findings Although the statement helped reduce the stocks slide, United still closed the day down around $250 million 11 Wednesday, April 12 Munoz Appears on TV On Wednesday morning, Munoz utilized another medium of communication by appearing on ABCs Good Morning, America His body language was solemn as he said he felt shame when he saw the video of Dao being dragged off the plane This can neverwill never happen again on a United Airlines flight Thats my premise and thats my promise, Munoz told viewers 12 The airlines efforts may not have been enough to turn the tide A survey taken by LendEDU after Munozs TV appearance found that 42 of millennials, the most frequent business travelers of any generation, would still not fly with United 13 A Tough Couple of Weeks for Munoz and United The crucial conversations spurred by flight 3411 continued for weeks after the incident United published full page ads in several major U S newspapers in late April The ads included an apology from Munoz That day, corporate policies were placed ahead of shared values, said Uniteds CEO The ads also outlined how the airline was changing its policies to prevent the reoccurrence of such an incident 14 Munozs handling of the situation took a toll on his career at United The airlines parent company, United Continental Holdings, denied the CEOs planned promotion to chairman weeks after the incident 15 Ironically, he too lost a seat he expected to receive Apply the 3 Step Problem Solving Approach Step 1 Define the problem Look first at the Outcomes box of the Organizing Framework (Figure 9 6) to help identify the important problem(s) in this case Remember that a problem is a gap between a desired and current state State your problem as a gap and be sure to consider problems at all three levels If more than one desired outcome is not being accomplished, decide which one is most important and focus on it for Steps 2 and 3 Cases have key players, and problems are generally viewed from a particular player's perspective You need to determine from whose perspectiveemployee, manager, team, or the organizationyoure defining the problem Use details in the case to determine the key problem Dont assume, infer, or create problems not included in the case To refine your choice, ask yourself, why is this a problem Explaining why helps refine and focus your thinking Focus on topics in the current chapter, because we generally select cases illustrating concepts specifically located within the current chapter Step 2 Identify causes Using material from this chapter and summarized in the Organizing Framework, identify what are the causes of the problem you identified in Step 1 Remember, causes tend to appear in either the Inputs or Processes boxes Start by looking at the Organizing Framework (Figure 9 6) and decide which person factors, if any, are most likely causes of the defined problem For each cause, explain why this is a cause of the problem Asking why multiple times is more likely to lead you to root causes of the problem For example, do employee characteristics help explain the problem you defined in Step 1 Follow the same process for the situation factors For each ask yourself, why is this a cause By asking why multiple times you are likely to arrive at a complete and more accurate list of causes Again, look to the Organizing Framework for this chapter for guidance Did particular policies or practices play a role Now consider the Processes box in the Organizing Framework Are any processes at the individual, group team, or organizational level potential causes of your defined problem For any process you consider, ask yourself, why is this a cause Again, do this for several iterations to arrive at the root causes To check the accuracy or appropriateness of the causes, be sure to map them onto the defined problem and confirm the link or cause and effect connection Step 3 Make your recommendations for solving the problem Consider whether you want to resolve it, solve it, or dissolve it (see Section 1 5) Which recommendation is desirable and feasible Given the causes you identified in Step 2, what are your best recommendations Use material in the current chapter that best suits the cause Consider the OB in Action and Applying OB boxes, because these contain insights into what others have done Be sure to consider the Organizing Frameworkboth person and situation factorsas well as processes at different levels Create an action plan for implementing your recommendations and be sure your recommendations map onto the causes and resolve the problem TABLE 96 How to Manage Up Steps Description Step 1 Prepare Unlike crucial conversations that often happen in the moment attempts to manage up or coach your boss are an agreed your message upon arrangement that occurs over time Therefore, use time to your advantage and prepare know what you want to accomplish Support your points with examples data or other evidence Step 2 Pen you plan the delivery of your message the one and choice of words that will most likely achieve your desired result Role playing delivery and is a very valuable practices Step 3 Delvet When conducting the coaching conversation, be sure you know the right way to discuss problems with your boss Be sensitive Your boss has feelings just like youand just as you don't like to get hammered with comments about how horrible and disappointing you are, neither does your boss Dont generate behavior Speak to specific areas of your boss's job, specific behaviors, and specific stations Provide ideas or soppestions in a polite and be manner Don't introduce your ideas as if they are the only ones that will work, or use language like you must or you should Step 4 Follow up Coaching and managing both consist of more than simply providing feedback Follow up to see how your boss has been doing in the areas discussed Establishing a trusting relationship with your boss may position you as the go to person who can pick up the slack when needed SOURCES Selepese The Right and Wong Way to Manage the Once The Wol Setumallor10 2016 http www corticles theight and wrong way to mariage up as the office 15225673 Reynolds, Justin What Does It Mean to ManageUp TINYP, March 1, 2017 www nypulse com blog what does meas to manage up Rosenthal, Michael Last Word Constructive Criticism for Manager Lakiwood Media Group LLC com d com und Pool Cheed LC TABLE 96 How to Manage Up Steps Description Step 1 Prepare Unlike crucial conversations that often happen in the moment attempts to manage up or coach your boss are an agreed your message upon arrangement that occurs over time Therefore, use time to your advantage and prepare know what you want to accomplish Support your points with examples data or other evidence Step 2 Pen you plan the delivery of your message the one and choice of words that will most likely achieve your desired result Role playing delivery and is a very valuable practices Step 3 Delvet When conducting the coaching conversation, be sure you know the right way to discuss problems with your boss Be sensitive Your boss has feelings just like youand just as you don't like to get hammered with comments about how horrible and disappointing you are, neither does your boss Dont generate behavior Speak to specific areas of your boss's job, specific behaviors, and specific stations Provide ideas or soppestions in a polite and be manner Don't introduce your ideas as if they are the only ones that will work, or use language like you must or you should Step 4 Follow up Coaching and managing both consist of more than simply providing feedback Follow up to see how your boss has been doing in the areas discussed Establishing a trusting relationship with your boss may position you as the go to person who can pick up the slack when needed SOURCES Selepese The Right and Wong Way to Manage the Once The Wol Setumallor10 2016 http www corticles theight and wrong way to mariage up as the office 15225673 Reynolds, Justin What Does It Mean to ManageUp TINYP, March 1, 2017 www nypulse com blog what does meas to manage up Rosenthal, Michael Last Word Constructive Criticism for Manager Lakiwood Media Group LLC com d com und Pool Cheed LC

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WRITE THIS CASE STUDY PLEASE Case 2: United's Turbulent Communications Strategy United gained instant notoriety in 2017 following an incident in which a passenger was

WRITE THIS CASE STUDY PLEASE

Case 2: United's Turbulent Communications Strategy

United gained instant notoriety in 2017 following an incident in which a passenger was violently removed from a plane in Chicago. Unfortunately for them, the companys immediate handling of the incident only made things worse. This activity is important because it demonstrates how essential a good communication strategy is for a companys ability to handle incidents such as this one if they come up.

The goal of this activity is for you to identify exactly how Uniteds approach to communication affected its ability to rebuild its image following this incident.

Read about Uniteds 2017 flight-related incident in Chicago and the immediate aftermath. Then, using the three-step problem-solving approach, answer the questions that follow.

United Airlines is one of the worlds largest airlines serving 353 destinations across five continents. The Chicago-based carrier has approximately 92,000 employees and earned more than $41 billion in revenue in 2018.¹ Oscar Munoz started as Uniteds CEO in 2015, and by March 2017 was named Communicator of the Year by PRWeek. Unfortunately, he fell from grace a month later due to Uniteds botched response to a flight-related incident.² Lets consider how United communicated about the incident.

Sunday, April 9: Chaos on Flight 3411

A fully booked United flight 3411 was preparing to depart from Chicago to Louisville when gate agents realized that four airline crew members needed to get to Louisville. The gate agents asked for four volunteers to give up their seats in return for compensation. No one accepted Uniteds offer because the flight was the last one to Louisville that evening. United then decided to enact an involuntary de-boarding situation, in which four random passengers were directed to deplane. Three of the passengers deplaned without incident. The fourth, Dr. David Dao, refused, saying I cant get off the plane. I have to get home. Im a doctor. I have to get to the hospital in the morning, according to The Sentinel News.³

United employees responded to Dao by contacting the Chicago Department of Aviation Security. A scuffle broke out between the officers and Dao when they tried to forcibly remove him from the plane, resulting in a concussion, broken teeth, a broken nose, and other injuries for Dr. Dao. The bloodied image of Dr. Dao was posted on social media and rapidly spread around the world.⁴

Monday, April 10: Uniteds Initial Response

A series of communication blunders transpired the next day:

United released a statement apologizing for the overbook situation. The airline would later backtrack and clarify that the flight was not actually overbooked, and passengers were removed to make space for United employees.
CEO Munoz released a public statement on Twitter calling the incident an upsetting event, but did not address the treatment of passenger Dao. He apologized to the passengers who were involuntarily deplaned but called their removal reaccommodation.⁵ According to Sean Czarnecki of PRWeek, the word

reaccommodate was then lodged in the Internet lexicon as a United Airlines euphemism for brutally assaulting your customers.⁶

CEO Munoz sent an internal letter to United employees blaming Dr. Dao for what happened, calling him disruptive and belligerent. He also stated that he fully supported his employees handling of the situation.⁷ The internal letter quickly became public, which flamed the negative publicity.

News outlets compared videos of a bloodied and bruised passenger being dragged off an aircraft with Uniteds defensive, unempathetic, written responses.⁸ The result was outrage on social media with thousands of flyers signing a petition demanding Munozs resignation. Many also called for a boycott of United, whose slogan of Fly the Friendly Skies was tarnished by the incident.⁹ In fact, a survey conducted by Morning Consult found that nearly half of the respondents said they would pick a more expensive, longer flight to avoid giving United their business.¹⁰

Tuesday, April 11: United Changes Course

A turbulent day on Wall Street kicked off after Uniteds initial response to the incident. The airline started the morning losing nearly $1 billion in stock value. Munoz responded by releasing another written statement. This time he struck a different tone and took full responsibility for the episode and said that Dr. Dao should not have been mistreated the way he was. The airline also pledged to conduct a review and quickly release findings. Although the statement helped reduce the stocks slide, United still closed the day down around $250 million.¹¹

Wednesday, April 12: Munoz Appears on TV

On Wednesday morning, Munoz utilized another medium of communication by appearing on

ABCs Good Morning, America. His body language was solemn as he said he felt shame when he saw the video of Dao being dragged off the plane. This can neverwill never happen again on a United Airlines flight. Thats my premise and thats my promise, Munoz told viewers.¹² The airlines efforts may not have been enough to turn the tide. A survey taken by LendEDU after Munozs TV appearance found that 42% of millennials, the most frequent business travelers of any generation, would still not fly with United.¹³

A Tough Couple of Weeks for Munoz and United

The crucial conversations spurred by flight 3411 continued for weeks after the incident. United published full-page ads in several major U.S. newspapers in late April. The ads included an apology from Munoz. That day, corporate policies were placed ahead of shared values, said Uniteds CEO. The ads also outlined how the airline was changing its policies to prevent the reoccurrence of such an incident.¹⁴ Munozs handling of the situation took a toll on his career at United. The airlines parent company, United Continental Holdings, denied the CEOs planned promotion to chairman weeks after the incident.¹⁵ Ironically, he too lost a seat he expected to receive.

Apply the 3-Step Problem-Solving Approach

Step 1: Define the problem.

Look first at the Outcomes box of the Organizing Framework (Figure 9.6) to help identify the important problem(s) in this case. Remember that a problem is a gap between a desired and current state. State your problem as a gap and be sure to consider problems at all three levels. If more than one desired outcome is not being accomplished, decide which one is most important and focus on it for Steps 2 and 3.
Cases have key players, and problems are generally viewed from a particular player's perspective. You need to determine from whose perspectiveemployee, manager, team, or the organizationyoure defining the problem.
Use details in the case to determine the key problem. Dont assume, infer, or create problems not included in the case.
To refine your choice, ask yourself, why is this a problem? Explaining why helps refine and focus your thinking. Focus on topics in the current chapter, because we generally select cases illustrating concepts specifically located within the current chapter.

Step 2: Identify causes. Using material from this chapter and summarized in the Organizing Framework, identify what are the causes of the problem you identified in Step 1. Remember, causes tend to appear in either the Inputs or Processes boxes.

Start by looking at the Organizing Framework (Figure 9.6) and decide which person factors, if any, are most likely causes of the defined problem. For each cause, explain why this is a cause of the problem. Asking why multiple times is more likely to lead you to root causes of the problem. For example, do employee characteristics help explain the problem you defined in Step 1?
Follow the same process for the situation factors. For each ask yourself, why is this a cause? By asking why multiple times you are likely to arrive at a complete and more accurate list of causes. Again, look to the Organizing Framework for this chapter for guidance. Did particular policies or practices play a role?
Now consider the Processes box in the Organizing Framework. Are any processes at the individual, group/team, or organizational level potential causes of your defined problem?

For any process you consider, ask yourself, why is this a cause? Again, do this for several iterations to arrive at the root causes.

To check the accuracy or appropriateness of the causes, be sure to map them onto the defined problem and confirm the link or cause and effect connection.

Step 3: Make your recommendations for solving the problem. Consider whether you want to resolve it, solve it, or dissolve it (see Section 1.5). Which recommendation is desirable and feasible?

Given the causes you identified in Step 2, what are your best recommendations? Use material in the current chapter that best suits the cause. Consider the OB in Action and Applying OB boxes, because these contain insights into what others have done.
Be sure to consider the Organizing Frameworkboth person and situation factorsas well as processes at different levels.
Create an action plan for implementing your recommendations and be sure your recommendations map onto the causes and resolve the problem.

image text in transcribed

TABLE 96 How to Manage Up Steps Description Step 1-Prepare Unlike crucial conversations that often happen in the moment attempts to manage up or coach your boss are an agreed your message upon arrangement that occurs over time. Therefore, use time to your advantage and prepare know what you want to accomplish Support your points with examples.data or other evidence Step 2-Pen you plan the delivery of your message the one and choice of words that will most likely achieve your desired result. Role-playing delivery and is a very valuable practices Step 3-Delvet When conducting the coaching conversation, be sure you know the right way to discuss problems with your boss: . Be sensitive Your boss has feelings just like youand just as you don't like to get hammered with comments about how horrible and disappointing you are, neither does your boss. Dont generate behavior Speak to specific areas of your boss's job, specific behaviors, and specific stations Provide ideas or soppestions in a polite and be manner. Don't introduce your ideas as if they are the only ones that will work, or use language like you must or you should." Step 4-Follow up Coaching and managing both consist of more than simply providing feedback. Follow up to see how your boss has been doing in the areas discussed. Establishing a trusting relationship with your boss may position you as the "go-to person who can pick up the slack when needed SOURCES Selepese. "The Right and Wong Way to Manage the Once The Wol. Setumallor10.2016. http: /www.corticles theight and-wrong way-to-mariage-up as the office-15225673 Reynolds, Justin "What Does It Mean to ManageUp TINYP, March 1, 2017 www.nypulse.com blog what does meas to manage-up: Rosenthal, Michael "Last Word Constructive Criticism for Manager. Lakiwood Media Group LLC. com d.com und Pool Cheed LC TABLE 96 How to Manage Up Steps Description Step 1-Prepare Unlike crucial conversations that often happen in the moment attempts to manage up or coach your boss are an agreed your message upon arrangement that occurs over time. Therefore, use time to your advantage and prepare know what you want to accomplish Support your points with examples.data or other evidence Step 2-Pen you plan the delivery of your message the one and choice of words that will most likely achieve your desired result. Role-playing delivery and is a very valuable practices Step 3-Delvet When conducting the coaching conversation, be sure you know the right way to discuss problems with your boss: . Be sensitive Your boss has feelings just like youand just as you don't like to get hammered with comments about how horrible and disappointing you are, neither does your boss. Dont generate behavior Speak to specific areas of your boss's job, specific behaviors, and specific stations Provide ideas or soppestions in a polite and be manner. Don't introduce your ideas as if they are the only ones that will work, or use language like you must or you should." Step 4-Follow up Coaching and managing both consist of more than simply providing feedback. Follow up to see how your boss has been doing in the areas discussed. Establishing a trusting relationship with your boss may position you as the "go-to person who can pick up the slack when needed SOURCES Selepese. "The Right and Wong Way to Manage the Once The Wol. Setumallor10.2016. http: /www.corticles theight and-wrong way-to-mariage-up as the office-15225673 Reynolds, Justin "What Does It Mean to ManageUp TINYP, March 1, 2017 www.nypulse.com blog what does meas to manage-up: Rosenthal, Michael "Last Word Constructive Criticism for Manager. Lakiwood Media Group LLC. com d.com und Pool Cheed LC