Case Incident 17

1. Describe in detail the control dilemma at Ace Electronics.

The control dilemma at Ace Electronics has the potential of spiraling out of control. Right now, as stated, the company is meeting quotas set by the government consumer and is still profiting, but not without grief from manipulative employees who deliberately delay production for increased wages. This alone indicates that the employees are motivated my monetary incentives, even if it means working more hours. The control of the employees is also lost when they are found rationalizing reading magazines in the bathrooms as acceptable behavior. Since they have no quota for production out lined by the company, they are finding other things to fill their work hours. The lack of a quota also results in Al finding it difficult to fire his employees, as he has not found a way to prove they are deliberately slowing down production. The government clearly has standards for Ace Electronics, but Ace electronics does not have standards for its employees.

2. Are Al Abrams and the employees getting the same feedback? Why or why not?

Al and the employees are not getting the same feedback. The feed back Al is getting, is that the employees are bird-dogging, (what we call “skating” in the military) by taking longer breaks and increasing their pay checks. The feedback the employees are getting from the company is that management is acting as a slave drivers and only care about production when it benefits the company. The employees are displaying a behavior Mechanical engineer and “Father of scientific management” (grave epitaph, Philadelphia) Fredrick Winslow Taylor, refers to as soldiering. (Text book pg26)

3. What should Al do?

It would behoove Al to create a sense of belonging for his employees; to create an environment that emanates a contagious desire to produce for the company. Phycological and social conditions at work, such as informal group pressure, individual recognition, and...