Magic Cable - Case 5

Magic Cable: Case 5

INTRODUCTION

The Magic Cable Case reviewed in Steven McShane and Mary Ann Von Glinow’s Organizational Behavior text was authored by Sam Houston State University students Joseph Kavanaugh, Henry S. Maddux III, and Harry Gene Redden (2008). This case details the employment hardships of Gary Roberts, a 40-year-old, recently divorced, college-educated maintenance mechanic with years of experience and knowledge in the manufacturing industry. Roberts is interested in furthering his knowledge and experience in the manufacturing industry, specifically in the production processes, by obtaining the opportunity to apply management skills and techniques learned while obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in management. Robert’s has experienced two specific disappointments while attempting to secure a management position. First, he was promised a management position when he finished his college education, but the company went bankrupt during the oil recession of the 1980s. More recently, Roberts was promised a production supervisor’s job once the expansion was complete at Tile-Elite, but once completed, Robert’s supervisor informed him he would not be promoted as he was more valuable to the company remaining a maintenance mechanic. Through persistence and dissatisfaction with the work conditions and inability of advancement at Tile-Elite, Roberts secured a job as maintenance mechanic at Magic Cable, with hopes of advancing to a management position in the production department (Kavanaugh, J., Maddux III, H.S, & Redden, H.G., 2008). In analysis of this case study, first, I will give a brief description of the factors leading to Gary Robert’s decline of satisfaction, loyalty and trust in various jobs. Next, I will evaluate the leadership decision making skills of Tile-Elite and Magic Cable in comparison to decision making models described in the Organizational Behavior textbook. Then, I will describe organizational support of employee...