Scenario:Javier Jones is a new Regional Manager for a retail chain that sells kitchen supplies. With the popularity of cooking shows, blogs and the “foodie” culture, Javier expected to find energized stores with a vibrant culture but instead found several stores with low morale and high turnover. This turnover was costing the company a great deal of money. His first priority was to visit all of the stores and determine the cause or causes of the turnover identify how much impact it was having on the organization and to recommend solutions to the problem.Part A: Individual Intervention During Javier’s initial visit, he learns recently there have been several new hires from the local culinary school. He is pleased to see that the company is tapping into the skills of the students and feels they will help improve the business with their knowledge of tools and the tips they can provide to customers.As he tours the stores, however, he hears rumors some of the new employees are facing resistance from some of the longer tenured employees. As he reviews the personnel files and other notes, he notices the most recent group of new hires includes some individuals with backgrounds not matching those of the more established employees. In the materials left by the previous manager, he finds the following information:Jane Miller: Jane is a 22 year old female who grew up in suburban Detroit in an upper class neighborhood. Her parents were very involved in her life and gave her everything she wanted. At 16 she began using drugs and was incarcerated. Upon her release, she enrolled in culinary school and has used her schooling as a way to get her life back on track. Bob Stevenson: Bob was born and raised in Saucier, MS, a small town just north of Biloxi, MS. While attending college he met his partner Dan and they have been together for over 20 years. He still enjoys some of the same hobbies he learned as a child including hunting and fishing, but he has embraced his new hobby, cooking, with enthusiasm.Shontel Brown: Shontel grew up in Rio Rancho, NM. As a child she was in and out of the hospital until her doctor tested her and realized she was allergic to milk, eggs and wheat. She decided to go to culinary school to help other people with dietary restrictions find the joy in food.The previous manager also left the following notes based on the investigation of complaints:Gary Kerr lodged several complaints on the new hires. He indicated he could not work with Shontel because he was afraid for his safety, and he was afraid she would use some of the skills she learned in jail on him. He also told the previous manager he was uncomfortable when Jane’s friend came into the store because he thought they would begin making out at any minute. When it came time to plan for the store’s monthly celebration, he always planned it on a day when Bob was off so that he didn’t have to deal with his weird diet. The previous manager left before these concerns were addressed.Diana Hansen is the store chatterbox. Jane submitted a complaint after a conversation she overheard in the lunchroom. Diana was speaking to other employees and loudly stated she thought that “druggies couldn’t be helped and programs to rehabilitate them were a waste of money.” One of her co-workers shared a success story about someone who turned their life around and Diana immediately apologized and stated she was glad for her friend. Jane had not had any negative conversations with Diana, but she was concerned that her private information had been shared with the rest of the team. The manager assured her that her legal history was confidential and was not shared with anyone in the store.Bob Stevenson met with the previous manager after a routing performance evaluation showed his productivity was down, and he was taking time off frequently on Tuesdays. Bob shared the reason was due to Gary’s treatment of him. They were paired together on Tuesdays, and Gary frequently made derogatory comments about homosexuals which made Bob uncomfortable. Bob requested a change in shifts to avoid the situation. His next quarter evaluation showed a marked improvement.Javier believes these stereotypes and biases have an impact on the operations of the store. What would you recommend he do?Your submission must address the following:• Identification of the underlying issue(s)• Describe how it impacts the turnover/morale of the store• Recommend 3 solutions for Javier to implementPart B: Group Intervention Javier utilized some of the recommendations given regarding the individual situations, but he is still a bit concerned about the turnover and the morale. In the store on the East side of his district, he notices the group does not appear to be working well and he has received several complaints from individuals who are considering leaving the organization. Upon further investigation, he identifies Gary’s long time co-workers are upset at his leaving and feel it is due to comments made by other members of the tem.Meanwhile on the West side of the district, he is receiving daily calls regarding a particular manager. Kai Moran is a very driven store manager. She is considered a “type A” personality and wants the West side store to be number one in all corporate measures for productivity and efficiency. Her employees, however, are used to a more relaxed, low key style.Your submission must address the following:• Identification of the underlying issue• Describe how it impacts the turnover/morale of the store• Recommend 3 solutions for Javier to implementPart C: Organization InterventionAfter further discussions with the employees, Javier feels the final step to conquering the turnover and morale issue is to create a certification program. Many of the employees have a lot of knowledge to give to other employees and customers, and he feels it would be a way to make the employees feel more invested in the store and to provide an opportunity to increase the skill level of all employees. He is anticipating a training program based on the different areas of the store and has brainstormed concentrations in grilling, desserts and spices. His program will reward employees for this extra training and his hope is that everyone will want to be a Grillmaster, a Dessert Diva and a Sultan of Spice. Your submission must address the following:• What obstacles should he expect on both an individual and an organizational level?• How should he implement this program to ensure the least stressful change?• Who will benefit from this type of change?Part D: Now that Javier has been with the organization for a year, he is starting to see some of the changes positively impacting the productivity and profitability of the stores. As he continues to visit the stores, what type of information should he monitor to ensure the continued success of these changes? Do you anticipate any new issues that could arise either on the individual, group or organizational level?  [Show Less]