BOB KNOWLTON CASE
Submitted By:
Group 9
Maithili Joshi – PGP10037
Kaberi Malakar – PGP10022
Deeksha Singh – PGP10141
Shubham Pujhar – PGP10173
Facts:
Bob Knowlton recently appointed Project Manager
Performs well from entering the company
Good relationship with his boss Jerrold
Fester joins Bob Knowlton's group
Fester has excellent technical performance
Poor interpersonal relationships of Fester with the "less-trained" team
Good relationship of Fester with Jerrold which causes the command line to be
slammed on certain occasions
Bob Knowlton does not feel the security to tell fester or his boss about his problems
Knowlton invites Fester, in the knowledge of Jerrold, to present the project at an
important meeting
Fester presents the project at a meeting despite not having the administrative level,
Fester impresses at the meeting
Knowlton feels undervalued and starts looking for job opportunities
Problem definition:
Two different kinds of knowledge workers were put together in the same team
Knowlton couldn’t speak up and say how he really felt, he didn’t want to disappoint
Jerrold by letting him know that he didn’t want Fester on the team, because it
seemed Jerrold really had a liking for Fester
Fester came into the group feeling superior over everyone and trying to make
changes and proving everyone’s theories wrong in which they have been working for
so long and he belittled the group to Jerrold, tried not to have the meetings, which
Knowlton believed to be important for building strong group dynamics
Fester lacked the ability to see that he was being pushy, overbearing, arrogant and
rude
Bob believe in team working while Fester prefers individual research but it didn’t
influence on Jerrold great excitement because of Fester’s huge success
Every employee in the organization needs to be supported by his supervisor or
manager. Close relationship between Fester and Jerrold made Bob feel that he had
lost Jerrold support and he has a judgment that is more favourable about Fester
There was also a lack of communication between Bob and his Supervisor Jerrold
o Bob was not informed about Fester’s arrival and he also did not try to
communicate his problems to Jerrold
o Jerrold was least involved with the team, he did not let Bob know that Fester
would be shifted to another project and also, he did not try to interact much
with the team to ensure that nothing was going wrong
Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory:
o Bob Knowlton, because of his capability, his research approaches and his
ability in leading the group he was proud of himself.
o According to Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory, Bob was growing in the lab
(growth), had responsibility and progressed the project, (achievement).
These are the most important motivators that bring job satisfaction. But Bob
was feeling that he was not safe in his job anymore. Safety in job is a hygiene
factor that its absence leads to job dissatisfaction
Action Plan:
Short - term
Jerrold needs to contact Knowlton, explaining what his plans for Fester are, and let
him know that he is needed as the head project manager for this team
As a supervisor, Jerrold needs to improve his inter-personal skills and he should be
more involved in the meetings, and take an initiative to ensure that all employees
were happy and satisfied
He needs to better his communication skills with his employees by discussing his
decisions, ideas and include the project heads in all meetings pertaining them
Also, there should be trainings for employees on how to develop soft skills
Long - term
It is important that Jerrold understand the impact to team dynamics that new
individuals bring with them
The organisation needs to ensure that every employee feels important and has a
place in this company
Feedback is important (especially on the managerial side of it) and needs to be taken
seriously
