Learning Activities

Directions: Read the Case Scenario and answer the questions using course materials to support your reasoning and conclusions. Post the answers to your questions in the Week 6 Discussion by Thursday at 11:59 p.m. eastern time.

Respond to a minimum of three classmates by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. eastern time in the following manner: select ONE of the recommendations provided by your classmate and explain why you think this recommendation would work, or why it would not work. Use course materials to support your opinion, reasoning and conclusions.

Case Scenario

Mr. Barney, the CEO, has received your memo request to be considered for further leadership positions. He has decided to put you to the test! He assigns you to help his Director of Payroll, Loretta Cash with a problem.

You walk over to Payroll and visit Loretta. She is visibly upset. She has just received her annual performance review from her manager. This is a 6-month review, as Loretta was recently assigned to this role after working with great success for 10 years in another area of the Accounting Department. As part of this review, her manager interviewed the six members of the Payroll Department, who all answer to Loretta. Loretta shares with you some of their comments:

“Loretta marched in here thinking she knows everything. She doesn’t want to listen to any of our ideas. It’s her way or the highway.”

“We really don’t know Loretta all that well. She keeps to herself…except of course when payroll deadlines are due, and then she’s all over our backs.”

“She acts as if she is perfect. I’m scared of getting yelled at when I make a mistake.”

“Most times, Loretta is fine, but when we have a deadline she micromanages us. I literally dread coming in to work on days payroll is due because I know Loretta will be watching over us like a hawk.”

Answer the following questions, and support your answers with the course materials:

1. What is the root cause of Loretta’s problem?
2. List three specific recommendations that Loretta can do today to turn this situation around. Make sure the three recommendations are actionable (in other words, Loretta can take your advice and put it into practice immediately) and specific (in other words, not too general that it cannot be easily understood). For example, “improve communication skills” is not actionable today, and too general to be clearly understood. However, “give immediate feedback to demonstrate she is actively listening” can be put into practice today and is specific enough to be understood. (Do not use this example in your answer!).

Completing the Discussion

• Read the grading rubric for the project. Use the grading rubric while completing the project to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade.

• Third person writing is required. Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person.

• Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them.

• Paraphrase and do not use direct quotation marks. Paraphrase means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document, but put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document. Not using direct quotation marks means that there should be no passages with quotation marks and instead the source material is paraphrased as stated above.

• Provide the page or paragraph number when using in-text citations. Note that a reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.

• You may only use the course material from the classroom. You may not use books or any resource from the Internet.

Self-Plagiarism: Self-plagiarism is the act of reusing significant, identical or nearly identical portions of one’s own work. You cannot re-use any portion of a paper or other graded work that was submitted to another class even if you are retaking this course. You also will not reuse any portion of previously submitted work in this class. A zero will be assigned to the assignment if self-plagiarized. Faculty do not have the discretion to accept self-plagiarized work.