Class Exercise 2
In-class Interview Analysis
A new manager has just been assigned to a division of a company. The manager, Kim
Smith, set up individual appointments with each employee to give an orientation to the
new management style and goals. The following conversation took place:
Note: M = manager, E = employee
M: Hello, my name is Kim Smith, your new supervisor for this department.
E: Well, it is good to meet you. My name is Jo Dalbert--I’m in charge of accounting for this
department.
M: As you know, Jo, I’m calling each member of the department into my office to discuss the
new directions for the department and to get to know the personnel.
E: New directions?
M: Well, your previous supervisor was given a lateral move in the company.
E: Oh, we heard that he was given a promotion because things were going well in our
department. After all, he was given a larger office.
M: Be that as it may, he was moved laterally and changes are needed in this department!
E: Oh, I see.
M: Let me outline very briefly my philosophy of managing. First, I expect the very best work
from my staff--I want to improve the efficiency of this department by 10% over the next 6
months. As I examined the efficiency reports over the last several years, I noted that 40% of
the division’s time was spent in departmental meetings. We will cut this time by 50% by
having only regularly scheduled meetings during the week. Ad hoc meetings will be
virtually eliminated. This measure alone should increase our productivity way beyond that
10% mark.
E: I see....
M: You seem to disagree...
E: Well, ahh...we had recognized this problem before and had come up with a plan, which
included cutting our regular meetings to only two per week, and then allowing time for a
number of ad hoc meetings as needed.
M: Look, I want to get things straight--I don’t know how you ‘used to do things’ around here,
but from now on, we will do things my way or not at all.
E: I see...well, I didn’t mean to suggest that your plan wouldn’t work or anything.
M: Let me move on to how I want to specifically change your responsibilities. I’ve never had
much use for accountants, per se, but I recognize the necessary evil. Anyway, I want you to
divide your time equally between your accounting work and your new responsibility of
1
mapping out a marketing strategy for the department. I know you haven’t been trained in this
area, but we will provide you the training.
E: Wow, that is a bombshell! I feel overworked now! I can barely keep up with the accounting
work I have to do.
M: Do you mean you can’t do the work assigned to you?
E: Of course not!
M: Then you will just have to make time for these new responsibilities.
E: Look, I can barely keep up with the accounting workload now and keep it at that ‘very best’
level. I know you think I can do it, but that is really off-base.
M: You’re just saying that to make me think you’ve been working hard--and I believe you’ve
been a hard worker--your record shows that. But you do have the time and you ‘really’ know
that you can do it.
E: What? I can’t believe this!
M: Oh, you accountants can always figure something out...I’ll see you next week with the plan in
your hand.
E: Plan? What plan? What do you want in the plan?
M: Look, just get some thoughts together on how you can equally divide your time. See you
next week with the plan!
Questions:
1. Pinpoint the problems caused in this dialogue by each of the undesirable characteristics
of language (i.e.: abstraction, inference, bypassing, stereotyping, false polarization,
links). Find examples of each.
2. Discuss how each of the basic propositions about communication help explain this
interaction (i.e.: process, risk, symbols, intentions, meaning construction, multi-level).
Find examples of each.
3. Map out the FIRO-B profile of the manager and employee. Evaluate the effectiveness of
the communication chosen by the manager and employee in light of the profiles.
4. Analyze the issue, “there is time to do the marketing work”/”there is not time to do the
marketing work” in the dialogue and map out the different perspectives (direct, meta,
metameta) of the manager and employee on this issue.
5. Evaluate the degree of effectiveness achieved by the participants in the interview.
6. In light of your analysis above, select the 3 major communication factors (propositions,
FIRO B, perspectives, communication barriers) that created the climate in the interview.
7. Suggest some communicational alternatives for each of the participants that could have
changed the outcome of the dialogue or could change the relationship in the future.
2