Minding the Store Case
Minding the Store Case
1. One of the guidelines for empowerment that have been violated by Hoffman is providing support for employees (Whetten & Cameron, 2010). Leaders must provide support for efforts made by subordinate employees. In this case, Hoffman appears to criticize all initiatives that are made by Ruth. He criticizes her for hiring an administrator and for going on TV to represent the company. Ruth also fails to connect her actions to outcomes (Whetten & Cameron, 2010).
Empowerment requires employees to become accountable for their actions. In this case, Ruth did not consider the outcomes of paying the administrator higher that the sales clerk. She also did not consider the consequences of failing to charge the regular client, emotional arousal, connect to outcomes, confidence.
2. One of the guidelines for delegation is the creation of common values (Whetten & Cameron, 2010). There appear to be inconsistent values between Hoffman and Ruth. Ruth considers hiring an administrator as a priority while Hoffman does not. Hoffman appears to be mainly concerned about what others would think about his work. He tells Ruth that failing to inform him about the TV appearance was making him look as if he has lost control over the store. Hoffman has also failed to delegate consistently (Whetten & Cameron, 2010).
On one instance, Hoffman is angry because Ruth went on Television without informing him. On another occasion, Hoffman because Ruth had referred a customer who requested a charge that was beyond what she authorized to give to the headquarters. Apparently, Hoffman fees that Ruth did not use her head in the later occasion.
5. Hoffman need to establishment meaningful empowerment by clarifying the vision of the company (Whetten & Cameron, 2010). Vision acts as a benchmark that guides the overall actions of employees. Having a clear vision will provide Ruth with a guide during decision making process. Hoffman must also foster personal consequences by helping people to see the repercussion of their actions (Whetten & Cameron, 2010). When subordinate are able to understand the consequences of their actions they are able to act responsibly and become accountable.
References
Whetten D. & Cameron K. (2010). “Developing Management Skills”. USA. Pearson, Prentice Hall
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