This model of the Research Report addresses the case study of Andrew Bartlett's plumbing business in Western Australia.
See attached copy of the case, taken from ?Andrew Bartlett: Managerial dilemmas'. In Bartol, K., Tein, M., Matthews, G. & Martin, D. (2005). Management: A Pacific Focus, McGraw-Hill and Irwin, p.p. 471-2
Introduction
[1] Team-structured organisations are becoming increasingly popular in many different industries and in situations where companies have geographically distributed offices. Jehn and Mannix (2001, p. 238) note that work teams provide many benefits to an organisation, including increased innovation and discussion of ideas, knowledge-sharing and commitment to goals. However, teams have also been negatively associated with conflict within organisations. While some conflict within teams is now considered beneficial, it is essential that it be managed effectively to avoid problems (De Dreu & Weingart 2003, p. 741). [2] The high level of conflict that exists in Andrew Bartlett's business is a serious managerial problem [3] because the negative effects of conflict can result in low employee morale, leading to reduced productivity and effectiveness, and staff turnover. [4] In this report, I will argue that this conflict is due to poor communication and a lack of structured work processes in the Bunbury office. In order to address this problem, [5] Andrew Bartlett must restructure the Bunbury office by appointing an administration manager to handle non-technical matters and by introducing a structured communication process to deal with issues as they arise. Implementation of this strategy will result in an improvement in both team effectiveness and employee satisfaction.
Problem Identification
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[5A] The Aust ...