SPARTACUS Project

Please be advised that you have been selected to join the SPARTACUS Project beginning June 1, 2011. This project requires complete confidentiality due to the sensitivity of its workers. The current company has selected to outsource our company to manage their labor functions. There are 300 skilled labor workers currently employed. We would like to keep all 300 on board, have them join our company, and continue doing their current job roles. Our team will be evaluating the current process and work instructions on the floor to understand the job functions, to ensure the LEAN process and identify any opportunities for improvement.

During this evaluation we will be communicating with the workers. Since they are not aware of the change in management, it is our goal to make them feel at ease with our presence, answer any questions as honestly as possible, try to eliminate any uncertainty that they may have, and establish somewhat of a relationship with them. We will have 30 days of evaluation prior to taking over the complete process. On the 25th day the company will announce the outsourcing of management of their labor and advise the workers the option to join our company with the same pay, benefits and seniority.

If they do not choose to remain they will be offered a severance package based on the length of time with the company. Again our goal is to retain as many of the skilled workers as possible. This company has a very low attrition rate and workers are loyal with 5, 10, and 15 years of service. On this project you will experience different attitudes, emotions, and personalities, you are to establish a relationship with the worker and motivate them not only to stay on board but to energize them with change.

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This is a difficult task; however keep in mind our reading in Chapter 6 of the Organizational Behavior textbook regarding Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. These needs are:

1. Physiological: Includes hunger, thirst, shelter, sex, and other bodily needs
2. Safety: Includes security and protection from physical and emotional harm
3. Social: Includes affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship
4. Esteem: Includes internal esteem factors such as self-respect, autonomy, and achievement; and xternal esteem factors such as status, recognition, and attention
5. Self-actualization: The drive to become what one is capable of becoming; includes growth, achieving one’s potential, and self-fulfillment.

As a team we need to recognize that these skilled workers have these needs and as the new company we need to cater to them. When you are out on the floor inquire what the worker would like to see change. Many workers are waiting on an opportunity to be heard and have never received a chance to voice it until now.

Also praise the loyalty, dedication, and morale that you see on the floor, let them tell you about their time here with the company and their families, what they have accomplished and achieved both personally and career wise. Take notes of what they said, acknowledge them by name, and ask them how they are doing when you see them. We have 25 days to fulfilling these needs. In those 30 days we know that we will not retain everyone. Workers may leave as it is an opportunity to change careers, a chance for early retirement, leave the job force, or for many other reasons.

You have been chosen to be part of this team as your personality, motivation, and leadership play a large part in this project; to retain as many skilled workers as possible. Your personality characteristics contain or scored high positively in the Big Five factors mentioned in Chapter 4 of the Organizational Behavior textbook. The Big Five factors are:

1. Extraversion: This dimension captures one’s comfort level with relationships. Extraverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. Introverts tend to be reserved, timid, and quiet.
2. Agreeableness: This dimension refers to an individual’s propensity to defer to others. Highly agreeable people are cooperative, warm, and trusting. People who score low on agreeableness are cold, disagreeable, and antagonistic.
3. Conscientiousness: This dimension is a measure of reliability. A highly conscientious person is responsible, organized, dependable, and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and unreliable.
4. Emotional stability (often labeled by its converse, neuroticism): This dimension taps a person’s ability to withstand stress. People with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure.

Those with high negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure. 5. Openness to experience: The final dimension addresses one’s range of interests and fascination with novelty. Extremely open people are creative, curious, and artistically sensitive. Those at the other end of the openness category are conventional and find comfort in the familiar. Think of yourself as Spartacus leading himself and others from gladiator slavery with mere kitchen tools. History books state that Spartacus was able to influence 200 slaves to fight, only 80 of them got away in the first fight.

You are utilizing the skills that you have learned to influence and motivate the skilled workers of this company to stay on board and let us manage them. You will face both acceptance and resistance. Resistance will come from workers who do not adapt to change well, and those that feel insecurity. Focus on them, take that challenge that you can influence them to accept, grow, and prosper with the change. Please feel free to discuss any questions, concerns, or ideas that you may with me at any time. My door is always open and your insight is always valuable. Remember you are an important asset in making this project a success.

Reference

1. Robbins, S. P. & Judge, T. A. (2007). Organizational behavior (12th ed.). Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspx

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