Organization Culture Case Study

Sales & Marketing
Class/Course name: ORGB (January 2022 – March 2022)
Instructor Name: Mack Bhatia
Instructions:
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This is a case-based exam, the exam presents 3 small cases
Each case presents 3-4 questions; you should try your best to analyze, interpret and
apply the concepts we learnt in this session
Points awarded for each answer are mentioned next to the question
Please explain your answers, one or two-line answers will not be accepted
Please write your answers in this word document and after each question
Recommend that you spent anywhere between 45 – 50 minutes per case
Submission Method:
Please submit on Canvas.
CASE STUDY 1
HALSALL ASSOCIATES – MOTIVATION
Meghan Watson left the University of Western Ontario with a degree in
psychology and criminology, not sure what her next step would be. Over the next
two years, she taught snowboarding for a season in BC and did a variety of jobs,
trying to figure out what to do. Returning to school to take a graduate certificate
program in Human Resource Management at Sheridan College, Meghan then had
to fulfill a four-month co-op requirement. This is where she finally found a job that
felt right for her with Halsall Associates.
What drew her to apply to Halsall?
I researched the company and saw their core values posted on the website. I
also saw the interesting projects they had worked on, like the addition to the
Royal Ontario Museum. Fit with an employer is important for me. I want a
work/life balance, I want to be constantly learning, and I want to be able to ask
questions.
Meghan is an outgoing person with a strong internal locus of control. She was
not disappointed with her experience at Halsall, a consulting firm providing
building engineering services.
As soon as I started I was incorporated into the career development team, given
real work, and put in charge of real searches as if I was a junior on the job.
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They were open to my suggestions, welcoming my requests to get my hands on
anything I wanted to do. The orientation day was great. I had the first day
jitters. There is a buddy system set up. I was introduced to everyone, shown the
office and where coffee, tea and juice are provided, and given tips like ’bring
your own fork for lunch because they run out quickly’. Appointments with IT
and accounting were set up for me. I was taken out for lunch by my buddy and
my new manager. I was told stories about the company and filled out many
forms but this was interspersed with the various meetings and activities. It was
arranged that I come in late and leave early which was great because I was
exhausted.
Meghan worked in Halsall’s Toronto headquarters. It also has offices in other
Ontario locations (Sudbury, Burlington, Ottawa), in Vancouver and Calgary, and
in Dubai. In her role Meghan sourced applicants, screened resumes, conducted
phone screens for first interviews, sat in on high and low-level interviews, was in
charge of three entire searches (although accompanied by a colleague when
interviewing and making the hiring recommendation), checked references, worked
on a violence policy for Ontario’s new Bill 168, compiled job descriptions and
postings, and worked with colleges on job fair scheduling. Meghan also carried out
various administrative duties, tracking applications and scheduling interviews. “It
was nice to file stuff for a while when I had been incredibly busy.” Meghan was
also given a lot of responsibility:
One day I was going crazy, working on new graduate recruiting. The potential
recruits had to meet with Human Resources, the manager of their area and a
senior manager so I was setting up interviews for people in three different
places using videoconferencing and juggling with their crazy schedules. It was
a nightmare. But I got it done and went to lunch. When I came back, there was
a cupcake and a thank you note saying “you’re an amazing part of our team and
we appreciate your efforts.” It encouraged me to continue to work hard. I knew
I was noticed and appreciated.
Halsall is a relatively flat organization, with most work being done in teams
and project groups. The engineers are typically involved in several projects at a
time. The president and regional managers take on the role of principal on projects,
staying integrally involved with the company’s activities. The office is open with
“pod” groupings of six or seven people, low walls separating them. All pods are on
the outside facing the windows. Meeting rooms and the president’s office are in the
centre, all with glass walls so activities within are visible. Occasionally all are
invited to breakfasts with the president, which are casual information sessions on
where the company is headed, and an opportunity to ask questions.
Meghan’s constant learning philosophy is a good match with Halsall practices.
There are lunch-and-learn sessions regularly. These may focus on describing
current projects, new technologies or new materials. Meghan says, “I knew nothing
about engineering before but now I can speak their language.” Employees know
what work the company is involved in. “We get e-mails regularly sharing
information about various successes at the company.” Meghan’s work/life balance
priority is also a Halsall principle in action. There are flexible hours around a core
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set when employees must be there. It is a cyclical business so there can be long
hours but then you can leave early other times. Every Wednesday there is a Pilates
program organized for staff (although employees pay for it if they join in). Fridays
there are free refreshments and chips in the lunchroom.
The company culture shows up in other ways as well:
During Earth Week many of us went out at lunch and cleaned a local park and
then had pizza together. To raise funds for the World Wildlife Fund we did the
CN Tower climb. There were nine teams and we raised over $100,000. There is
a very competitive spirit at Halsall—we competed for the team that raised the
most money, and had the best time.
The company’s engineers are almost evenly balanced between males and
females and are ethnically diverse. Halsall recruitment includes participating in a
program to give foreign trained engineers Canadian experience. Career coaching is
important at the company. And there are different paths for career development, so
people can choose to become knowledge/ technical specialists or to specialize in
business development. Retention is also important. During the recent recession
Halsall has been unusual in choosing not to let employees go. Even in good times,
engineering firms tend to hire and fire on a project basis whereas Halsall believes
in sustainability for the future.
Now back at school to complete her certificate, Meghan has had a chance to
compare her co-op experience with that of her classmates. Her compensation was
average and she had a long commute to deal with. But the range of experience, the
level of responsibility and the autonomy she was given were better than most.
Would she return to Halsall for full-time work if asked after graduation?
Absolutely. Meghan’s experience at Halsall illustrates why it has been ranked as
one of Canada’s Best Workplaces for four consecutive years.
QUESTIONS ON CASE 1
1. Describe which of Maslow’s needs seem to be important to Meghan and what the company
offers to meet those needs. (10 points)
2. Which of McClelland’s three learned needs seem to apply to Meghan and what does that
suggest about how she will be motivated in a workplace?(10 points)
3. Apply equity theory concepts to explain why Meghan would be motivated when comparing
herself to her classmates.(10 points)
———————————————————————————————————————
CASE STUDY 2 – MANAGING CHANGE
TRILLIUM HEALTH CENTRE
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A forced merger between two different organizations is not a typical predictor of
major quality awards and top employer awards. Yet that is exactly the case for
Trillium Health Centre. Trillium came about in 1998 as a result of the Government
of Ontario merging Queensway General Hospital and Mississauga Hospital. One of
the largest community hospitals in Canada (and it retains the two locations),
Trillium now serves over one million people in the Mississauga and West Toronto
region and has achieved amazing successes:
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From 2001-2004 Trillium ranked as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers.
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In 2004, Trillium was the first multi-site hospital in the world to receive ISO 14001
registration.
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In 2009, Trillium was inducted into the National Quality Institute’s Canadian Hall of
Excellence.
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Trillium has earned awards in areas as diverse as innovations in patient safety,
environmental leadership, and innovations in patient information technology
What lies behind Trillium’s achievement as one of the most rapid and
successful hospital mergers in Ontario? Why didn’t animosity and resentment
create an obstacle? Many credit CEO Ken White’s vision of the power of
distributed leadership. “[Our] principles are based on the belief that people don’t
just come for their day jobs, they come with leadership skills from other work
they do outside the organization and a passion to make a difference.” Knowing
that hospitals are typically hierarchical structures with clear authority
relationships, the success of White’s “1001 Leaders” concept shows how much
cultural change was part of the merger’s success.
Making Distributed Leadership a Reality
Trillium supported leadership initiatives through a comprehensive planning
process. Staff development was undertaken to develop leadership skills through
courses and opportunities for learning on-the-job. Trillium identified
organizational and patient-centred projects, dedicated funds to the projects and
offered formal secondments to front-line staff to put those projects into action.
External experts mentored staff in improvement methods, and project
management consultants introduced a systematic approach to planning,
implementing and evaluating projects.
The non-nursing task force is an example. Nurse Karen Kallie and porter
Lakis Faragitakis co-led the project team focused on how to address nurses’
frustrations with tasks that took them away from bedside care. The most frequent
complaints were around searching for missing medications and equipment,
searching for supplies, performing housekeeping activities, and preparing patients
for transport. The task force’s aim was to design a service model that would
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enable nurses to work more effectively and enlarge the support staffs’
contributions to patient care. Using the model as a basis, environmental scans
and performance metrics were completed and improvement ideas collected.
Ideas that were achievable within the budget were fully implemented only after
pilot testing first. One of these was for volunteer service teams to be assigned to
dedicated units where they took on greeting and directing family members and
distributed water to patients. Another led to pharmacy services installing a
uniform bin system on all in-patient units to expedite medication drop-off and
pick-up. Work was redistributed among nursing, portering and hospitality
associates. The schedule for hospitality associates was altered to match peak inpatient admission times. The success of the service model underlying these
changes led to its spread to other parts of the hospital and to further quality
improvement initiatives. The project’s success also led to changes for the coleaders. Kallie went on to coordinate a second care project and Faragitakis moved
into a formal management leadership role.
The non-nursing task force was one of many projects led by front-line staff
and undertaken to challenge traditional working practices and aim to achieve best
practices. Another example is the fractured-hip best practice project. In less than
a year, the project led to significant improvements in timely access to surgery, in
pain management and in patient satisfaction. To achieve this, changes were
implemented not just within specific units but across the system, requiring
collaboration and trust. This was possible for a number of reasons. As with all
other projects, the changes were evidence based, informed by process mapping,
literature reviews, benchmarking and consultation with experts in the field. There
was clear commitment from leadership that included resource dedication and the
delegation of project leadership to frontline staff. The project was led by an
interdisciplinary team comprised of a manager, physicians (including orthopaedic
surgeons, anaesthesiologists and an internist), nurses, clinical educators, an
occupational therapist, physiotherapist, dietician, pharmacist and other support
members from information technology, health records and finance. All relevant
stakeholders in the project were informed of the project’s activities at regular
intervals, promoting engagement from the larger hospital community.
Trillium Today
Ken White’s legacy has been supported by subsequent CEOs Janet Davidson and
Michele DiEmanuele, who continued to support Trillium’s culture of continuous
quality improvements and grassroots involvement. For example, Trillium is
currently participating in the Canadian Positive Deviance (PD) Project pilot
involving six Canadian hospitals. Seeking to reduce the number of healthcarerelated infections, Trillium has created a PD group to lead the project. It consists
of four nurses, an infection-prevention and control employee and a
representative from the national support team. The team has held luncheon kickoffs and unit-based meetings about the project and will begin working with frontFinal Exam
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line staff in various units of the hospital for ideas on infection prevention and
control.
QUESTIONS ON CASE 2
1. Discuss typical reasons why employees resist change and how Trillium dealt with these. (15
points)
2. Apply Lewin’s model to the Trillium change process (HINT: Unfreezing, Moving, Refreezing)
(15 points)
3. Who in your opinion are internal change agents in an organization? How can they be
effective in driving an organizational change? (10 points)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
CASE STUDY 3 – CONFLICT AND NEGOTIATION
MOLSON COORS BREWING COMPANY: CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN
THE AFTERMATH OF A MERGER
In the mid-1990s a dispute began developing between rival factions of the Molson
family for control of the Molson empire, including the Molson brewing business.
Eric Molson and Ian Molson were pitted against one another in this struggle for
control. Eric and Ian clashed at board meetings, with their differences becoming
increasingly intense and embittered. At a January 2003 board meeting, Eric
announced a review of Molson’s corporate governance. While a surprise to the
board, the review was nonetheless conducted. The governance report
recommended eliminating Ian’s position as deputy chairman. Ian confronted Eric
but nothing was resolved. At the following November board meeting, the
recommendation to eliminate Ian’s position was defeated. At the May 2004
meeting three board members, including Ian, resigned in protest over Eric’s
leadership of the company. The remainder of the board chose to reaffirm Eric’s
status as chairman. At the company’s annual meeting the following month, Ian and
four other members of the family-controlled board refused to stand for re-election.
Meanwhile, Molson Inc. and Adolph Coors Co. initiated merger talks. The
two companies had been working together since 1998, with each company
distributing the other’s products in its home territory. The major hurdle to the
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proposed merger was the feud between the two factions of the Molson family. Eric,
who along with allied family members controlled more than half the voting shares,
favoured the merger. Ian, with approximately 10 percent of the voting shares, was
against the merger. A shareholder agreement between Ian and Eric prevented either
one from transferring or selling his voting shares without the consent of the other.
Eric maintained that he had found a legal way to circumvent the agreement. Ian, on
the other hand, was preparing to offer as much as $4 billion to acquire Molson Inc.
in order to prevent the merger with Coors. On July 22, 2004, the two companies
jointly announced the merger of Molson and Coors. As a result of the merger,
Molson Coors became the third largest brewer in the United States and the fifth
largest in the world, operating primarily in three mature markets ⎯ Canada, the
United States, and the United Kingdom.
“At the time of the merger, bringing together the Molson and Coors
families seemed like a recipe for disaster. One was Canadian. One was American.
One was east. One was west. And they both built their businesses in different
ways.” Even nearly three years afterwards, “ the merger is still a sore point with
some, including Eric’s cousin Ian Molson, who saw the ‘merger of equals’ as an
outright takeover ⎯ and not an advantageous one for shareholders at that.”
Nonetheless, just“[t]wo years after the highly publicized merger between U.S.
brewer Adolph Coors Co. and Canadian brewer Molson, the management
problems anticipated by many analysts ⎯ most notably a power struggle between
two long-standing brewing families ⎯ have yet to come to pass. In fact, Molson
Coors Brewing Co.  is leveraging the strength of its family-based culture to
strategically focus on brand building and growing its domestic and international
beer business.”
How has Molson Coors Brewing avoided being decimated by conflict?
Molson Coors CEO Leo Kiely, in describing how they were able to successfully
merge two companies with strong cultures and traditions, cited two key factors.
One factor involved investing local teams with the responsibility for their markets
since the markets of the pre-merger Molson and Coors did not overlap much. The
second factor was celebrating the two companies’ common features ⎯ a strong
family heritage and a passion for brewing beer.
According to Kiely, the first priority after the merger was to get “a good
balanced team in place.” After the merger of Molson and Coors, the senior
management team was reorganized by drawing in people from both companies and
both families and by establishing executive headquarters in both Denver, Colorado
and Montreal, Canada. Eric Molson serves as chairman of the board and Peter
Coors serves as vice chairman. Eric Molson works from Montreal, Canada, and
CEO Leo Kiely, from the Coors side, runs the merged company from Denver,
Colorado. Other members of both the Molson and Coors families play active roles
in the business.
Another major factor in avoiding debilitating conflict was the similar
business interests and heritage of the two companies. Geoff Molson, a seventhgeneration family member working in the business, says “the thing outsiders don’t
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understand is that the families’ passion for brewing was ‘really the essential
ingredient’ in getting the deal done.” Geoff Molson continues, “In the past two
years, we’ve had differences, identified them and figured out a way to address
them together with the interests of building the beer business at the same time.”
Although the merged company reflects 21st century globalization and
consolidation within the brewing industry, “each of the two companies is fighting
to keep its identity, which is rooted in the past.” Regarding the Canadian side of
the merger, Eric Molson says, “Since 1786, playing a part in the community has
been the Molson tradition ⎯ a tradition that is woven into the cultural fabric of
Molson and our family, and continues to thrive today. We are very proud to be part
of this country, from coast to coast.” A similar perspective applies to the Coors
traditions. Indeed, the family aspect and community involvement of both Molson
and Coors define the separate histories of Molson and Coors as well as the present
times of the merged Molson Coors Brewing.
Will the two families of Molson Coors Brewing be able to continue
working together amiably as they grapple with the challenges of an increasingly
globalized and consolidated brewing industry? Addressing this dilemma became
increasing more complicated on October 9, 2007 when Molson Coors and
SABMiller PLC announced plans to merge their United States operations. The
Molson and Coors families did not want to sell the entire brewing company to
SABMiller, and consequently the company’s operations in Canada and the United
Kingdom will remain independent of SABMiller.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. From your perspective, were the consequences of the conflict between Eric Molson and Ian
Molson positive or negative? (10)
2. What in your opinion was a primary cause of conflict? Briefly, what in your opinion is the
best way to manage business or organizational conflict such as the above (10)
Multiple Choice
1. By all reports, the two families of Molson Coors Brewing have been working
well together since their merger, using a(n) ___________________________ style
of conflict management.
a. competing (5)
b. collaborating
c. compromising
d. avoiding
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e. accommodating
2. Conflict that occurs between groups or teams in the newly merged Molson
Coors Brewing organization would be termed: (5)
a. intergroup conflict
b. intragroup conflict
c. inter-role conflict
d. interpersonal conflict
e. intrapersonal conflict
—————————————– END OF QUESTIONS ———————————-
Final Exam
Project
Management
Major Assignments
1
ILACIC
Project Management Major Assignments
Major Assignment #2: Project Completion
The purpose of this assignment is to navigate the project development process, make decisions and create the documents
that you will use in the real-world. You will develop your project in small groups (3-4).
You will create the following documents based on the information on the project you have decided to do with your groups:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Work breakdown (WBS)
Recourse Requirement table
Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)
Labor activity table
Project Description form
Risk assessment matrix
You must include a title page and list the context of the documents in the order shown above.
Example Documents:
Work breakdown structure (WBS) – Flow chart
© ILAC International College |
Project Management
Work breakdown structure (WBS) – Table
|
ILACIC
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Last modified: 02/22/2022
Project Management Major Assignments
Project Description form:
Responsibility Assessment matrix (RAM)
Resource Requirement table
Labor activity table
© ILAC International College |
Organizational Breakdown Structure (OBS)
Project Management
|
ILACIC
2
Last modified: 02/22/2022
Project Management Major Assignments
Evaluation
This assignment is worth 50% of your final grade.
You will be marked according to the following categories for the Written Project Simulation – Written Rubric
Content
Organization
Language Awareness
Citation
Digital Media
(arguments, understanding of the topic)
(logical division of ideas, discourse markers)
(sentence structure, high-level vocabulary)
(sources correct and credible, attention to formatting)
(visuals, graphics, audio, formatting and structure guidelines)
© ILAC International College |
Project Management
|
ILACIC
3
20%
20%
20%
20%
20%
Last modified: 02/22/2022
Organizational Behaviour: Case on Organization Culture
CLUB PENGUIN
Club Penguin is a multiplayer online role-playing game for children 6 to 14, who use cartoon
penguin avatars to play in a virtual winter world. It seized immediate popularity due to a
combination of engaging activities, no advertising, and free membership availability (revenue
comes through an enhanced paid membership). A major feature of the game that satisfies parents
is safety – achieved through filtering that prevents swearing and revealing personal information,
and through moderators who patrol the game. French, Portuguese and Spanish versions of the
game have been created and satellite offices now support players in over 190 countries.
The Kelowna company behind Club Penguin was founded by three work colleagues who
wanted a safe social networking site for their own children. Financing the project themselves,
Merrifield, Priebe and Krysko developed and tested Club Penguin for two years. Released in
2005, it had acquired almost 4 million users by 2007 when it was bought out by Disney for $350
million. The founders had gone looking for a large partner with technical and business expertise
and an international infrastructure to help them manage the incredible success of their creation.
Despite several interested potential buyers, the Club Penguin founders chose to go with Disney,
to a great extent because of their philosophical alignment.
Most of the financial elements we left to the lawyers and bankers to work out, because we
didn’t want to muddle with what we felt really mattered, which was making sure those
philosophical points were there. And it’s been encouraging to see that not only did they
echo and agree to those, but they’ve modified some of their games, and some of their
1
virtual worlds, to reflect the kinds of methods we had been passionate about.
Disney also accepted key conditions in the negotiations: the business would continue to be
based in Kelowna where the founders’ young families were; Merrifield, Priebe and Krysko
would maintain control of the company; and 10% of profit would continue to go to charity.
The tithing condition raised a lot of eyebrows amongst potential partners, surprised at the
desire to give away so much money. But it has been an essential part of the Club Penguin
company from the start. On founding the company, the three men all agreed to direct 10% of
profit to child-focused charitable organizations. Their foundation currently sponsors Adopt a
Village projects (helping build and equip schools, implement sustainable, clean water projects,
provide health care and develop alternative income programs in developing countries) and micro
financing projects for Ethiopian women. Their local community also benefits, with the company
sponsoring activities like soccer teams and a ski hill in the Okanagan Valley.
This belief in global citizenship has also made its way into the Club Penguin game. Each
year for a limited time, the game sets up a ‘Coins for Change’ campaign where children donate
virtual coins earned playing the game as votes for how Club Penguin should allocate $1 million
to charity. Club Penguin chooses a charity in each of three areas (e.g., to support the
environment, children’s health or children in developing countries) and the players’ virtual coin
donations affect how the money is divided amongst the charities. Social responsibility also enters
into the game through game activities like the April, 2010 celebration of Earth Day’s 40th
anniversary. Club Penguin launched a special online party and new ways for its players to
consider making the world a better place – the online penguin community now includes a
Copyright © 2015 Nelson Education Ltd.
Chapter 16 Case: Club Penguin, p. 2
recycling depot and community garden, which players are responsible for maintaining; and
players can help plant and nurture a community tree, which becomes part of the virtual island’s
snow-covered landscape. Club Penguin practices what it preaches by sponsoring a ride-share
matching program to support carpooling for its own employees.
Has the Kelowna company been able to protect its ways since becoming part of a huge
corporation?
Integration is around back-office type things that are very important, like integrating
customer care. But integration is not going to be done to the extent that we would blur
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the integrity…of what makes products work.
They were quite passionate about not getting in the way…Disney would love to see us
grow as much as we feel we need to. And there definitely haven’t been any issues with us
operating up here. In fact, they see it as a huge benefit to be in B.C. We’re in a little bit of
a bubble, kind of an incubator, up here that allows us to keep focused on what we need to
3
stay focused on and not get distracted with everything else that’s going on down there.
There are minor challenges here and there, but Disney’s worked very hard to insulate us
to some extent and keep us thinking entrepreneurially. So it really has been the best of
both worlds for us. We get to keep doing what we love – we just have a lot of new tools to
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work with now.
Has success changed the founders? Merrifield may now employ 400 people in Kelowna and
be the Executive Vice President of Disney Online Studios liaising daily with Los Angeles, but he
still leaves work at 5:30 to go home and have dinner with his family.
References: S. Ghosh, The $350-million penguin, The Globe and Mail Report on Small
Business magazine, Novemeber 18, 2009, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-onbusiness/your-business/exit/selling-your-business/the-350-million-penguin/article1368439/
(accessed August 2, 2010); D. Jordan, Lane Merrifield, BCBusinessOnline, April 1,2008,
http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/people/2008/04/01/lane-merrifield (accessed September 13,
2010); J. Thomson, Club Penguin: Part One, John Thomson Report, June 8, 2010,
http://www.castanet.net/news/John-Thomson/54894/Club-Penguin-Part-One (accessed
September 4, 2010); A. Mlynek, Q&A: Club Penguin’s Lane Merrifield, Canadian Business
magazine, April 25, 2008,
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/ceo_interviews/article.jsp?content=20080428_1987
23_198723 (accessed September 213, 2010); ); J. Thomson, Club Penguin: Part Two, John
Thomson Report, June 9, 2010http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-story-54896-13-.htm#54896
(accessed September 4, 2010); ); J. Thomson, Club Penguin: Part Three, John Thomson Report,
June 10, 2010, http://www.castanet.net/news/John-Thomson/54898/Club-Penguin-Part-Three
(accessed September 4, 2010)
Endnotes
A. Mlynek, Q&A: Club Penguin’s Lane Merrifield, Canadian Business magazine, April 25, 2008,
http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/ceo_interviews/article.jsp?content=20080428_198723_198723
(accessed September 213, 2010).
1
Copyright © 2015 Nelson Education Ltd.
Chapter 16 Case: Club Penguin, p. 3
2
S. Ghosh, The $350-million penguin, The Globe and Mail Report on Small Business magazine, Novemeber 18,
2009, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/your-business/exit/selling-your-business/the-350million-penguin/article1368439/ (accessed August 2, 2010).
3
D. Jordan, Lane Merrifield, BCBusinessOnline, April 1,2008,
http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/people/2008/04/01/lane-merrifield (accessed September 13, 2010)
4
A. Mlynek, Q&A: Club Penguin’s Lane Merrifield, Canadian Business magazine.
Copyright © 2015 Nelson Education Ltd.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Describe the basic functions of an organization’s culture by using Club Penguin (CP) as an
example.
2. If you were interested in doing research to determine whether Club Penguin has a strong
corporate culture, what characteristics would you look for?
3. Describe how founders Krysko, Priebe and Merrifield demonstrate the role of leaders in
shaping culture.
4. Discuss why the acquisition of Club Penguin by Disney has been so successful from a
cultural point of view.
QUIZ QUESTIONS
True/False
_____1. Most mergers and acquisitions are as successful in dealing with cultural differences as
Club Penguin and Disney’s experience.
_____2. Club Penguin’s culture was shaped primarily by the competitive environment.
_____3. The Club Penguin culture is likely to have some subcultures within it.
_____4. Club Penguin employees may be unconscious of the basic assumptions that guide their
behaviour.
_____5. Club Penguin’s penguin symbol is an illustrative artifact of the culture.
Multiple Choice
6. Which of the following is an example of personal enactment?
a. Merrifield goes home at 5:30 for dinner with his family.
b. Stories are told about the negotiations with Disney.
c. Employees use first names in all communications.
d. Club Penguin gets children involved in environmentally responsible activities in their
role-playing.
7. What would the ‘strong culture perspective’ expect to happen if Club Penguin’s culture is
characterized as strong?
a. It will spawn multiple rebellious subcultures.
b. It will perform better than competitors with weaker cultures.
c. It will be insular and therefore insensitive to environmental changes.
d. It will have difficulty attracting achievement-oriented individualistic employees.
Copyright © 2015 Nelson Education Ltd.
Chapter 16 Case: Club Penguin, p. 5
8. What does the ‘fit perspective’ say would be a good reason to consider changing Club
Penguin’s culture?
a. If the culture did not fit the firm’s strategy.
b. If the culture did not fit the expectations of young workers.
c. If the culture did not fit the way a key competitor does business.
d. If the culture did not fit with the average Canadian company.
9. What would the ‘adaptation perspective’ indicate is the kind of culture that would lead to
success for Club Penguin?
a. It should encourage employees to focus on themselves rather than the company as a
whole.
b. It should focus on effective political manoeuvring within the corporate environment.
c. It should encourage confidence and risk taking among employees.
d. It should encourage cautious protection of its interests.
10. What stage of socialization at Club Penguin has the following key concerns: realism,
congruence between skills and role demands, and congruence between the individual and the
organization?
a. Anticipatory
b. Encounter
c. Change and acquisition
d. Integration
11. If Club Penguin employees are highly socialized, which of the following is a likely outcome?
a. High conformity but low creativity
b. High turnover
c. High role ambiguity
d. High job satisfaction
12. Suppose you assess Club Penguin’s culture by interviewing individuals, surveying
employees, and observing employee interaction over an extended period. What method have
you used?
a. Culture Empowerment Examination
b. Kilmann-Saxton Culture-Gap Survey
c. Organizational Culture Inventory
d. Triangulation
Copyright © 2015 Nelson Education Ltd.
Organizational Behaviour: September – November 2020
Major Assignment #1
Chapter 11: Communication
SMART PHONES: PROMOTING COMMUNICATION CONNECTEDNESS OR
DISCONNECTEDNESS?
In early 2007, Anjali Athavaley, writing in The Wall Street Journal, observed that “[w]ireless
email devices used to be largely the domain of harried executives and professionals. Now, the
so-called CrackBerry effect is beginning to afflict the masses. The BlackBerry has become
ingrained in daily life, much like the cellphone and computer.”1 Indeed, since this observation
was penned, Smart Phones, like the BlackBerry, have become ubiquitous in the general
population. Increasingly, people from all walks of life, young and old, all socio-economic strata,
etc. have embraced the potential of Smart Phones for communicating with others, searching for
information, doing work, playing games, and a myriad other applications. “[E]veryone from
stay-at- home parents to college students is depending on BlackBerrys or similar  devices for
basic daily tasks, such as checking sports scores, finding directions, emailing the children’s
baseball coach and keeping in up-to-the-minute touch with friends.”2 “They are talking on
mobile phones, checking email on handheld computers or integrated communicators, or getting
an instant or a text message on either device. Some are listening to music and playing games on
personal game consoles, while others are checking sports scores, watching replays, or even
making dinner reservations. No matter age, gender, national identity, or socio-economic status,
broad mobile device adoption seems to know no bounds.”3
There are numerous potential applications for Smart Phones like the BlackBerry. Nick
Wingfield, writing in The Wall Street Journal, notes that “mobile workers have been ditching
their desktop computers for laptops that they can take wherever they go. Now road warriors are
starting to realize that they can get even more portability ⎯ and lots of computing punch ⎯
from [S]mart [P]hones.”4 Many business “travelers are now using [S]mart [P]hones the way they
once used laptops ⎯ and laptops the way they once used desktop computers,” and some
traveling business people are even “ditching their laptops entirely and doing all their mobile
work from [S]mart [P]hones.”5
Interestingly, with the increased popularity of Smart Phones and all they can do to
facilitate communications, they have also undermined verbal communication and promoted
incivility in the communications process. “[F]riends hardly call each other. People resist
protocols that call for verbal communication . People don’t like using their phones to make
calls or listen to voice mails.”6 Texting seems to be the preferred mode, especially for younger
people, when communicating with others.
Among college students, texting is a dominant form of communication ⎯ and as most
college students know, texting goes on at inappropriate times. For instance, texting during class
⎯ even when it’s not allowed ⎯ is an all-too-common occurrence. “In a survey of 1,043 college
students at the University of New Hampshire, almost half said they feel guilty about texting
during class when it’s not allowed. Even so, texting is quite common: 65 percent said they send
at least one text message during a typical class.”7
Copyright © 2015 Nelson Education Ltd.
Chapter 8 Case: Smartphones, p. 2
“People calling, texting and responding to e-mails at inappropriate times and places have
become an issue in both a professional and business context.”8 Joseph De Avila, reporting for
The Wall Street Journal, notes there is a pervasive expectation that people have instant access to
email, and rapid replies to one’s messages are also expected.9
Incivility in interpersonal communication also is manifested in the level of empathy that
people display toward each other. “Recent research has shown a marked decline in empathy .
A new University of Michigan study finds that empathy among college students has declined
40% in the past two decades. Researchers say one factor may be our reliance on social media.
We’re more apt to be empathetic when we communicate face to face.”10
Yet there is some backlash to the pull of technological connectivity. “In an increasingly
connected world, some CEOs prefer to kick it old school, avoiding the short attention span that
comes with being plugged in. They have assistants that handle all their communication, prefer
reading printed out e-mails, and don’t dip their toes in any social media. That level of isolation is
unrealistic for most executives, but learning when to connect and when to disconnect is essential
in today’s business culture.”11
As people in all walks of life are becoming more connected technologically, are they
becoming increasingly disconnected interpersonally?
SOURCE: This case was written by Michael K. McCuddy, The Louis S. and Mary L. Morgal
Chair of Christian Business Ethics and Professor of Management, College of Business
Administration, Valparaiso University.
Endnotes
A. Athavaley, “The New BlackBerry Addicts; Ubiquitous Professional Device Becomes Staple of Private Lie;
Emailing the Kids’ Coach,” The Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition) (January 23, 2001): D1.
2
A. Athavaley, “The New BlackBerry Addicts; Ubiquitous Professional Device Becomes Staple of Private Lie;
Emailing the Kids’ Coach,” The Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition) (January 23, 2001): D1.
3
E.D. Wagner and P. Wilson, “Disconnected,” T + D 59(12) (December 2005): 40 (4 pages).
4
N. Wingfield, “Technology (A Special Report); Why It May Be Time to Leave the Laptop Behind; For More
Mobile Workers, Phone Increasingly Give Them Much of What They Need ⎯ With a Lot Less Hassle,” The Wall
Street Journal (Eastern edition) (October 27, 2008): R4.
5
N. Wingfield, “Technology (A Special Report); Why It May Be Time to Leave the Laptop Behind; For More
Mobile Workers, Phone Increasingly Give Them Much of What They Need ⎯ With a Lot Less Hassle,” The Wall
Street Journal (Eastern edition) (October 27, 2008): R4.
6
J. De Avila, “The Unused Cellphone App: ‘Calling’,” The Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition) (February 24,
2010): D1.
7
Anonymous, “College Kids Often Feel Guilty About Texting in Class: Survey; Half feel bad about messaging
when it’s banned, but two-thirds do it,” HealthDay News, http://news.health.com/2011/02/25/college-kids-ofte-feelguilty-about-texting-in-class-survey/ (accessed June 17, 2011).
8
B. Pachter, “Mind Your Business Manners: Etiquette Suggestions for Success,” CPA Practice Management Forum
6(5) (May 2010): 16 (3 pages).
1
Copyright © 2015 Nelson Education Ltd.
Chapter 8 Case: Smartphones, p. 3
J. De Avila, “The Unused Cellphone App: ‘Calling’,” The Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition) (February 24,
2010): D1.
10
J. Zaslow, “Keeping Your Foot Away From Your Mouth,” The Wall Street Journal (Eastern edition) (July 7,
2010): D1.
11
A. Chapin, “Wired CEOs Learn to Tune Out, Turn Off,” Canadian Business 84(1) (Summer 2011): 127.
9
Copyright © 2015 Nelson Education Ltd.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Can the basic interpersonal communication process be used as an aid in understanding the
impact of Smart Phone usage? If so, how?
/4
2. How have Smart Phones transformed the way in which businesspeople communicate with
regard to fulfilling their job responsibilities?
/4
3. How have Smart Phones transformed the way in which college students communicate? /4
4. Do you think that as people become more connected technologically they become less
connected interpersonally? Why or why not?
/4
QUIZ QUESTIONS
True/False
/4
_____1. A Smart Phone texting interaction has a higher level of communication richness than a
telephone conversation.
_____2. Reflective listening is not possible in a texting interaction.
_____3. Texting involves one-way communication.
_____4. Smart Phone texting could be a tool in an organizational grapevine.
Multiple Choice
/5
1. Applying the basic interpersonal communication model to communication via texting, which
of the following is true?
a. Feedback is not possible.
b. A perceptual screen may affect both the communicator and the receiver.
c. Message content will focus only on thoughts, not feelings.
d. Voice is considered the medium.
2. The case reports that the use of technology has led to a decline in empathy. Which of the
following important aspect of communication would be negatively affected by this decline?
a. Reflective listening
b. Informativeness
c. Expressiveness
d. Persuasion
Copyright © 2015 Nelson Education Ltd.
Chapter 8 Case: Smartphones, p. 5
3. What does research suggest is the impact of computer mediation of communication on the
communication interaction?
a. Communication tends to be blunter and less tactful.
b. Communication tends to be slower and less precise.
c. Communication tends to have a higher emotional content.
d. Communication tends to be less creative.
4. The use of technology like Smart Phones encourages more than one activity. What does this
mean?
a. Greater performance speed
b. Group collaboration
c. Multitasking
d. Insincerity
5. How does communication via technologies tend to influence group interaction?
a. It promotes faster decision making and an easier time reaching consensus.
b. It makes gender differences in communication more obvious.
c. It emphasizes power and status differences.
d. It tends to equalize participation.
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