You are the manager of a small group of people responsible for an introductory training program for new employees at your company. Your group consists of the following people:

• Rosanna, senior-level trainer with 12 years of experience, 10 at your company.

• Susan, senior-level trainer with 7 years of experience, 4 at your company.

• Hari, senior-level trainer with 15 years of experience, 2 at your company.

• Yang, administrative assistant, 7 years with your company.

Your group decides on the specific content of the training material, based on the needs of the trainees, and then creates the materials (including lectures, handouts, and exercises), conducts the training sessions, and provides the feedback. Although the content for the training is fairly consistent from year to year, it does require some adjustments to match the number of attendees, the needs indicated in the assessments of the trainees before each session, and their course evaluations at the end of each session. The exercises, in particular, change frequently. Also, the instruction for each session depends on the previous session. The trainees receive feedback shortly after each session and must complete a lesson successfully before moving on to the next one. Thus, your group has two critical deadlines: one for preparing the materials and one for providing timely feedback.

Susan and Hari are both excellent trainers. In fact, their evaluations have been some of the highest of any trainers you have had working for you in the past, except for Rosanna, who has consistently received the highest rankings since you hired her 10 years ago. All of the trainers are very dedicated to the company and to their jobs. Lately, however, you have received negative comments about trainers’ tardiness in returning feedback, particularly directed at Susan. Susan and Hari are called “Perceivers” in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator terminology, which means they are easygoing, flexible, spontaneous, and open, all very positive qualities for trainers, since it improves their ability to interact with the trainees and to be creative. However, it also means they are not very good at judging time, often wait until the last minute to get things done, and sometimes miss deadlines altogether.

Susan and Hari’s frequent tardiness has caused extra work for Rosanna, who is always punctual and ends up having to complete some of Susan’s and Hari’s feedback forms and step in when they do not make their deadlines in creating materials. It also creates problems for Yang, since she has had to stay late and come in early several times to duplicate materials.

To ensure that all feedback is delivered on time and that all materials are prepared ahead of time, you decide to try what you think of as “micromanaging,”

even though you do not like doing it. You meet with the group to establish

(1) group deadlines for returning feedback and (2) specific responsibilities and deadlines for each lesson (divided up evenly among all of you). You want to make sure each of you has time to review the materials and make any adjustments before they go to the trainees, so you have specified that all materials be completed and sent to each of you at least a week before they need to be sent out for copying and distribution.

So far (you are just three months into the yearlong training program), Susan and Hari have frequently given handouts to Yang at the last minute and in some cases within as little as 10 minutes before a training session, resulting in mistakes in the handouts and late starts for the sessions. They rarely make the one-week-ahead-of-time deadline to distribute their materials to the rest of the group, and they wait until the absolutely last minute to return their comments on the materials sent to them for review. Also, both have been late returning feedback to the attendees, and Hari has completely forgotten to prepare the materials for one of the training sessions, leaving you and Rosanna scrambling at the last minute to get them together. For the sake of your own stress level but, more important, to ensure that the training program continues to receive positive reviews from senior management, you know you must talk to Susan and to Hari.

The Assignment In breakout groups, answer the following questions:

• What are some of the issues you should resolve before talking to Susan and Hari?

• Should you meet only with both of them individually, with each member of the group individually, or with everyone at the same time?

• How should you conduct the session (consider using the GROW model)?

• How can you ensure that the outcome will be what is best for you and for them?

After answering these questions, individuals may be asked to volunteer to demonstrate a feedback session based on the case.