JFT2 Organizational Management Task 2
Developing an action plan for Anne Ewers

The Utah Symphony has proven its ability to generate substantial sums of Revenue with both performance revenues and by securing large sums of income from governmental grants along with generous contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations. The Symphony’s ability to draw large crowds along with their demanding schedule length allows them to offer the community ample opportunities to participate. The Symphony provides sustainability for 83 full time musicians, and this allows them to concentrate on the goals of the Symphony without the worries of looking for other income opportunities. Mr. Lockhart is a very talented and experienced music director that has a personal commitment to his symphony. Mr. Lockhart’s role as the music director comes with many challenges, it is through these challenges that he has elevated the Utah Symphony to the status they enjoy today. The musicians and Mr. Lockhart have developed a relationship of trust and respect, Mr. Lockhart has publicly acknowledged how important they are to the overall success of the symphony and his success as a director. The Utah Symphony has a very demanding schedule and with it comes great expense; the symphony needs to look for cost cutting options to maintain operations. They are relying on generous governmental funding and other contributions that are simply not what the previously had been. The symphony will need to look towards the possibility of reducing its staff’s income and benefits, to overcome this shortfall, which is a hard situation to deal with. Mr. Lockhart will need to take a stronger leadership role and develop a plan to approach the musicians about the dire situation they are in and try to develop a strategy to cut cost, however his personal relationship with them present a challenge that is not easy to overcome. Another concern is Mr. Lockhart does not want be perceived as “playing second string” when it comes to his Symphony and will need to look at the bigger picture to see what is best for the Symphony. Anne will need to be as straight forward and honest as possible about the realties that the symphony faces, with regards to budget management and cost saving techniques. She will need to gain the trust of the musicians much the same way Keith has by developing the understanding of the importance the musicians hold within the developing organization for the merger to be successful. She needs to develop a relationship with Keith and his position with the symphony that does not create tension within the merged organization.

The Utah Opera has developed a business strategy that works. They are running a very profitable organization that utilizes effective methods for fundraising and obtaining other contribution resources. They have appropriated their budget to allow them to maximize what revenue they attain wisely; they will have very little reduction in governmental grants, and a projected increase in contributions for individuals, corporations and foundations in the year to come. They have a large inventory of costumes and productions sets and own the building and land they operate in. With Anne as the head of the UOC she has grown the budget from 1.5 million to almost 5 million; she’s an accomplished fund raiser for the UOC. Anne bring many talents to the UOC from stage director, to general director Anne is a very crucial part of the success of the UOC. The UOC faces a challenging future with the lack of performance revenues projected for the upcoming season and increase in production cost they may have to make adjustments to staff to maintain their level of security, however they have been running an impressive surplus of nearly half a million dollars. With the merger details made public they have had some staffing concerns and even the resignation of the Director of operations Leslie Petersen. Some members of the UOC staff feel they may be placed in the shadows of the Symphony and end up flipping the bill for the symphonies failures. Anne has undertaken a huge role within the merger of the organizations and she will need to make sure she doesn’t lose focus with the day to day operations of the UOC, since she is currently without a Director of operations. Anne has a proving record of running efficient organizations and may not be sensitive to the needs and desires of the employees from both the UOC and USO, due to her drive for efficiency. Anne needs to place a Director of operations for the UOC as soon as possible. She will need to talk with her current employees and provide the assurance they need in regards to the important role they play in a successful merger. She will want to assure that the organizations will work together as one and the UOC will not be left flipping the bills from the shadows. Anne will want to continue to meet the needs of the UOC to maintain it level of success.

Analysis of Company scorecards

Financially the goals of the USO and UOC are quite similar they both are concerned with financial stability with increased profitability. Fund raising is realized as being very important to maintain that profitability with the USO focused more on keeping ticket prices the same as last year and the UOC with increasing their endowment being a priority, which has one to think that the UOC is more concerned with money then the artistic exposure aspect that the USO has. Both organizations have goals of increasing profitability, with the USO planning on a significant increased goal, the UOC just wants to increase the reserve funding (there security blanket). Both organization have similar goals with respect to notoriety however due to the size and scope of the entertainment they provide, the USO has a more world vision on success with the UOC is focused on national and regional recognition. Both organizations realize their success depends on great performances and talented performers; they remain very similar in that aspect. The crowds say it all and both the UOC and USO know that feedback and attendance is very important, but they have different views on how to gauge this with the USO focused on feedback directly from exiting customer and the UOC judging this by the ability to producing sell out performances. The internal processes of the two organizations are quite different with the USO maintaining the staff of it musicians tear round, and the UOC gaining new performers for different performances, they face different sets of challenges they both negotiate salaries for the performers and talents with profitability being a major tactic. They measure the success of the internal process differently as we with the USO depending on improving ticket sales and returning customers the UOC is depending on reviews and profitability measurements for success. With respect to learning and growth, the organizations differ slightly. They are concerned with increasing the amount of performances, with the USO focused more on gaining a younger crowd the UOC is just trying to keep sales growing. They both realize the importance of ticket sales to their success with the UOC again is concentrating on having the increase in bottom line, where as the USO wants greater returning audiences. The scorecard does address some of the strengths and weakness, I developed prior but should have a better focus on what the organizations can do to improve and assure they will be successful in the future. The balance score card may not align with all the strengths and weaknesses of an organization but it more approximately focuses on what direction the organization desires to go to meet its desired outcome.

USO & UOC Balanced Scorecard
Financial
· Strategic Goal: Being Financially stable with increased profitability
· Critical Success Factor: Maintaining highly successful fundraising efforts to maintain ticket prices and endowments.
· Measure: Increase profits providing Surplus deficits.
Customer
· Strategic Goal: Providing Top notch performances and gain Notoriety
· Critical Success Factor: Acquiring quality performers
· Measure: Ticket sales and exit surveys
Internal Process
· Strategic Goal: Attracting top talent while improving profitability
· Critical Success Factor: Negotiating contracts closely to assure profitability
· Measure: Improved profitability, and ticket sales.
Learning and Growth
· Strategic Goal: Increase of productions to more appealing crowds
· Critical Success Factor: Increased profitability with Larger demographic
· Measure: Return sales and exit survey results The weakness of the merged organization with regards to the financial stability will be how to distribute the profits; they both have goals to increase profitability which is a good starting point, they will just need to develop a solid plan. With regards to the customer the organization wants to increase its overall notoriety and exposure to different demo graph’s and this is a great strength they share and can benefit from. With regards to Internal processes the current goals they share to maintain profitability while negotiating salaries is a weakness due to the inherently different classes of talents the organizations face and how they can balance that difference while maintaining peace. The organizations share the goal of increased growth and exposure to a varied age group while increasing production so this should be a strength that they both will benefit from and have little trouble adapting to. With the balance scorecard in place, the financial issue that could arise would be how the profitability of the organization should be allocated, whereas the UOC is more focused on maintaining its endowment the USO is more concerned with keeping ticket sales stagnate while keeping the musicians happy. The Humans resources department will be dealing with two very different groups of talent and with the USO musicians union to deal with they will have a very challenging task with the merger. When dealing with customer satisfaction, due to the organizations producing very different types of productions they have a level of frustration and confusion with scheduling and production run times. The best way to educate customers on the performances will be through advertisements and customer interactions such as exit surveys and questionnaires. The new merged company executive will want to develop a detailed business strategy that will show how the organization will be able to maintain its level of profitability while achieving all the financial goals it has developed. The new executive must help the Human resources department understand their roles and assemble this department from both organizations to be successful. As with any company customer satisfactions should be a priority and by educating the public about the benefits of the newly merged company and the great performances you provide can greatly increase your exposure to a larger customer base.

Task 1
A.1.
Bill Bailey, Chairman of the Board of the Utah Opera Organization is leaning toward positively supporting the merger of the Opera and the Symphony Orchestra. Bailey favors the proposed merger for the following reasons, due to the economic climate the operas financial stability, although stable at present, could be at risk for decline in the years to come due to the declining public and private support. Also, he and the Opera trustees would like to see the opera become a top-tier organization, and with the merger that would be possible.
To reach the goals of financial stability and top tier status, and expanding the opera’s potential, Bailey would need to utilize V. H. Vroom’s theory of motivation to gain the support of the opera’s executive committee and the Orchestra members. Expectancy theory can be used whenever there are a number of choices to be made.
Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory of Motivation is a process theory identifying internal factors that influence motivation. Based on the principle that motivation is a function of a person’s perceptions, thoughts, and beliefs, process theories of motivation are cognitive in nature (Kreitner, & Kinicki, 2010). Expectancy theory relies on extrinsic motivators to explain causes for behaviors. Therefore, if Bailey and the Orchestra executive committee are motivated, to gain top-tier status, expanding their artistic potential, then they can achieve that status, (a valued outcome) with actions (behavior) that supports the merger. Gaining top-tier status would be an example of an extrinsic motivator which expectancy theory relies on to explain behavior (Leadership and Motivation 2011).
Expectancy theory has three important components: Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valance.
Expectancy – the expenditure of effort results in acceptable levels of performance. This perception will be based on the Bailey’s past experience, his self confidence (referred to as self efficacy), and his perception of the difficulty of the performance standard or goal which in this case is the merger of the top two Arts programs in Utah.
Instrumentality - performance level achieved will result in a specific outcome for the person(s). When individuals, such as the Opera executive committee and the Opera members, trust their leader (Bailey), believe they have some kind of control, and have policies linking rewards to performance (Top-tier status), instrumentality tends to increase.
Valance - outcome attained is personally valued. This is a function of Bailey’s and the Orchestra’s needs goals, values, and sources of motivation. In this case top-tier status, financial security and retention of identity after the merger.
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory offers a means for Bailey to realize his leadership goals in that it provides him with an influence strategy to sway the course of action, based upon perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs of the Orchestra executive committee and the Orchestra members wishing to maximize their self-interests.

A.2.
Scott Parker, Chairman of the Board of the Utah Symphony is in support of the merger of the Orchestra and the Utah Symphony Orchestra. Parker favors the merger because approximately one year after he accepted the chairmanship of the symphony’s board he was faced with the Orchestra nearing a deficit with no financial relief in sight. There were also contractual obligations to pay the salaries of the Orchestra’s members. Not only did the Orchestra’s capital fund raising not produce the capital targeted there was speculation that the annual Zoo, Arts, and Parks contribution would not be there this year. In essence private and public monies were becoming coming harder to secure because there was less dollars to be had and more organizations asking for them (contributions). In addition to the financial situation, the CEO of the Orchestra tendered his resignation effective at the end of February. Parker knew that it would not be easy to find the right person to be the CEO. The new CEO must be a tested professional with the ability to lead a symphony organization. Parker having over seen many mergers in his career speculated that there were cost advantages to be realized with the merger of the two Arts organizations. Parker was also aware of Anne Ewers, the general director of the Orchestra; he knew she was a talented artist with a great business sense. Mr. Parker’s thoughts were that the merger of the two organizations would relieve some of the financial pressure that the symphony was facing and solve the problem of recruiting a new CEO by asking Mrs. Ewers to assume the position of CEO of the combined organizations.
One of Mr. Parker’s opponents to the merger was Mrs. Carolyn Abravanel, whose husband, Maurice Abravanel, was maestro and music director of the symphony for 32 years until his retirement in 1979.
Abravanel’s opposition to the merger was more than likely due to the feeling that the merger would constitute a personal loss, i.e. her husbands’ symphony (a four times larger organization than the Opera), taking second billing to the Orchestra.
An effective way for Parker to motivate Abravanel, as well as the Orchestra members, to support the merger would be to employ the Goal Setting theory of motivation.
Dr. Edwin Locke’s research on goal setting and motivation in the 1960’s, states that people are motivated when they have clear goals to achieve with appropriate feedback of their performance. Dr. Locke’s research pointed out that specific goals achieve higher performance than non-specific ones, i.e. you should work harder, a non-specific goal that would produce less performance than the more specific goal of you should increase your output by 15% over the next three hours, which would produce a higher performance output. Dr. Locke’s theory tells us that achieving harder goals are more satisfying when accomplished thereby more motivating.
A few years after Dr. Locke published his research another researcher Dr. G. Latham reproduced and confirmed Locke’s theory that there is an inseparable link between goal setting and work performance. Together the two researchers published a book titled, “A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance”, which reinforced the need to specify goals correctly (clarity and challenge) in order to achieve better results. The book went on to outline three other characteristics of successful goal setting, commitment, feedback, and task complexity for a total of five characteristics that goal setting must have in order to motivate.

1. Clarity - a goal is clear and specific, with a definite time set for completion. When Clear goals are measurable there is less misunderstanding about what behaviors will be rewarded. To improve Mr. Parker’s chances for buy-in form Abravanel, the executive committee, and the symphony members, he must set clear goals that use specific and measurable standards.

2. Challenge - To motivate by achievement, the goal(s) must be challenging and realistic. The anticipation of accomplishment and reward(s) of success are motivating factor. Therefore, Parkerwill need to develop challenging and realistic goals to motivate the stake holders of the merger towards support.

3. Commitment – Locke and Latham’s research points to the fact that individuals are more likely to buy-into goals if they are included in the goal setting process. Thus, Parker should include Abravanel, the executive committee, and the symphony members in the development of goals, for the success of the merger of the Opera and Orchestra.

4. Feedback - Effective goals include feedback. Individuals are more motivate when they can determine for themselves how they are doing. Feedback provides opportunities to clarify expectations, adjust goal difficulty, and gain recognition. After the goals are set and initiated, and to motivate for support of the merger, it will be important that Parker provide benchmark opportunities so the stakeholders of the merger can determine for themselves how they are doing.

5. Task complexity – To facilitate success, goals are necessary. The conditions around the goals, i.e. the complexity, should not discourage or restrain a person from obtaining the objective set by the goal (MindTools, 1996-2011).
In the case of a merger between the Utah opera and the symphony, the task of merging a major symphony and an opera were unprecedented therefore, the goal and objectives could become very complex. Parker will need to give the people involved in the merger time to meet the goals that they agree upon and time to learn what is expected and required to make the merger successful.

A.3.
Following is a discussion of Anne’s positional power as it relates to her personal power. Anne’s positional power is that which is derived from her position in the organization as general director. Positional power is advantageous because, in organizations, it empowers individuals so that they can do their jobs effectively. All managers have some degree of legitimate power (Stimson, n.d.). Anne’s personal power is internal. It is the skill set that earned her the job title of general director; it is the knowledge she gained from experience and study that mastered the skills needed to rise to the position. It is her ability to stay cool under pressure, a can-do mindset. It is utilizing her character traits, resilience, persistence, patience, and intelligence. Because these things are internal to her, they cannot be taken away or controlled from the outside. It is Anne’s personal power, that which is internal her, that is the source of true strength, true power. (Collier, 2008).

A.3.a.
Anne has legitimate power by virtue of her position as general director of the ORCHESTRA. Positional power is resultant from a person’s position in the organization in which they are a part of. Take the position of general director away from Anne and the power, at least a large amount of it goes with it. However, Anne would still have informational power due to her impressive resume and the experience her career has provided her. Anne’s resume gives her Positional power to accept and lead the merger efforts as the CEO in a successful and meaningful manner. Anne could use her positional power by taking steps to: • Create a positive atmosphere concerning the merger
• Set high performance standards for the new organization
• Encourage initiative and responsibility
• Reward openly and personally
• Practice equity and collaboration
• Express appropriate confidence in subordinates • Create fair and open organization policies
• Remove bureaucratic constraints
• Reward empowering behaviors A.3.b.
Keith Lockhart felt “sandbagged” when he received a copy of the organizational chart showing him reporting to Anne. Keith believed he would have less control and report to someone with whom he had no history. Keith was worried about losing positional power that he currently enjoys. Anne could use her personal power to empower Keith Lockhart by exhibiting an attitude of trust in him. Anne should encourage his participation, solicit input, and involve Keith in decisions. Also, Anne by having a high degree of expertise within the organization increases her personal power whereby Keith will gain respect for her as a leader and develop an attitude of trust towards her.

A.4.
The relationship between the Orchestra musicians, their collective bargaining agreement, and the Board of the new organization, will be a potential issue of organizational performance, if not resolved by Anne and the Board of the newly formed company. This is evident by the musicians forming an ad hoc committee and presenting a set of guiding principles to represent their interest. The forming of this committee tells us that the musicians perceive that their interests are being opposed and are exhibiting political posturing of a coalition. Anne will need to find and display mutuality interest – a win-win situation by carefully reading this early warning and take appropriate action.

A.4.a.
Integrative negotiation would be appropriate for Anne to deal with this interorganizational conflict. An important goal for Anne would be to get the musicians (ad hoc committee) to abandon traditional fixed-pie thinking and their win–lose expectations.
The goal of integrative negotiation is the outcome is as good as possible for both parties, in other words win-win negotiation (the mutuality interest that Anne needs to resolve this issue). It is alternate strategies to distributive negotiation, the more common negotiation technique of trying to come up with the best possible outcome for your own side or win lose. The goal in integrative negotiation is to work together to find outcomes that best support both sides interest. For integrative negotiation to be effective it requires both sides to put more effort than usual into understanding what the other side needs and or wants from the deal. The quality of information exchanged is the key to the success of integrative negotiation (Lister, n.d.).

A.5. Anne will need to rely on her social power(s) to influence the opera staff to endorse and support her in the merger effort. One way for Anne to accomplish the task of endorsement would be to incorporate 5 soft persuasion tactics of influence into her argument.

• Rational Model of Persuasion - suggests that people think and behave in ways based on reasons, logic, or facts, and are relatively predictable. Use of Anne’s expert power.
• Inspirational appeal - ability to tap into people’s emotions and enthusiasm. Use of Anne’s referent power.
• Consultation – Involving the opera’s staff in planning, and decision making. Use of Anne’s legitimate power.
• Ingratiation - Friendly, helpful, and using praise or flattery before asking for endorsement. Use of Anne’s reward power.
• Personal appeals - Appeal to feelings of loyalty and friendship. Use of Anne’s referent and or reward power (Kreitner, & Kinicki, 2010).

Reference

Collier, N. (2008). Personal Power vs. Positional Power retrieved on November 6, 2011 from http://www.nscblog.com/entrepreneurship/personal-power-vs-positional-power

Kreitner, R, & Kinicki, A. (2010). Organizational behavior [Ninth Edition by Kreitner, Kinicki]. Leadership and Motivation. SuperVision, 69(2), 6-9. Retrieved January 24, 2011, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1421827271).

Lister, John. (n.d.). What is integrative negotiation? Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-integrative-negotiation.htm

Michelson, Barton J. (n.d.). Leadership and power base development: using power effectively to manage diversity and job-related interdependence in complex organizations. Retrieved from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/au-24/michelson.pdf

MindTools.com. (1996-2011). Locke’s goal setting theory: understanding smart goal setting. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_87.htm

Task 1
JFT2 TASK 1

Kreitner and Kinicki text book has some very good examples motivation theories. I would like to start out by giving a little background on the word motivation. Motivation was derived from the Latin word movere, meaning "to move." As you know motivation is a very broad word and most definitions define it as forces that act on or within a person that cause some sort of reaction and/or arousal, and persistence of goal directed activities (Kinicki, 2009). If you use that definition then motivation theory is nothing more than processes that try to explain the how and why human behavior is activated (Kinicki, 2009).

Utah Symphony and Utah Opera: Merger Proposal

1. Illustrate how Bill Bailey, chairman of the board of the Utah Opera Organization, might use one theory of motivation to oppose or support the merger.

If you use one of the above motivation theories and knowing Bill Bailey's position as chairman of the board I think he could use McClelland’s Need Theory to support the merger. The use of the McClelland’s Need Theory can help Bailey support the merger via promoting the needs for achievement, for power, and for affiliation.

Need for Achievement (Kinicki, 2009): This aspect of McClelland’s theory involves concerns of excellence, competition, overwhelming difficulties, persistence, and challenging goals. Both the Opera and the Symphony pride themselves on great achievements. Both the Opera and the Symphony compete with other arts for business. Both the Opera and the Symphony challenge themselves everyday via practicing and performing difficult performances. Bailey could promote by merging they help each other continue doing what they do best at a very high level.

Need for Power (Kinicki, 2009): This aspect of McClelland’s theory involves making an impact on others, i.e., influencing, urging people to change, and the desire to make a difference. Both the Opera and the Symphony have this interpersonal ability. Their very essence is all about controlling people emotions and events. Each Opera and concert is supported by some kind of theme and the job of the Opera and the Symphony is to promote that theme via temporarily having the audience live and feel it.

Need for Affiliation (Kinicki, 2009): This aspect of McClelland’s theory involves the need of promoting intimate, close, and warm relationships with other people. In this case the community at large. Both the Opera and the Symphony are a part of the Arts community as well. Both the Opera and the Symphony are motivated to express their emotions and feelings through their art. In return they expect the community to respond with the same.

2. Illustrate how Scott Parker, chairman of the board of the Utah Symphony Organization, might use one theory of motivation to convince Mrs. Abravenal to support the merger.

Scott Parker is in a tough position post Mrs. Abravenal public announcement of her opposition to the merger (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). In this scenario Mr. Parker could use Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory to break down Mrs. Abravenal's current beliefs and make her understand the bigger picture. Frederick Herzberg took a different approach than the others via the motivation theories and focused on what satisfied and dissatisfied people at work. Herzberg reports people have two sets of needs. One of the needs is the avoidance of pain or uncomfortable things and the other related to the desire for psychological growth. Due to Ms. Abravanel not fully understanding the ramifications of our current economy and the possible future impact, Scott Parker could influence her decision by explaining the possible outcomes if the merger does not take place. Scott Parker could start with what makes the Utah Symphony happy and that is achievement, recognition of achievement, work itself, responsibility, advancement, and growth. Then Scott Parker can explain what could make the Utah Symphony unhappy and that is poor working conditions, lower salaries, reduction in force, and decreased status in the community, less job security, poor interpersonal relations, more supervision from management, and possibly the closing of the Utah Symphony doors. Mrs. Abravenal needs to understand the show must go on and it's not about playing second fiddle to anyone.

3. Describe Anne's positional power in relation to her personal power.

Anne Ewers positional power and her personal powers are very strong. Anne Ewers has an extensive background in making organizations better. Anne Ewers has held many prominent positions. Per the article Anne Ewers served as general director of the Boston Lyric Opera where she retired $450,000 in debt she inherited (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Ewers served as assistant director for two other Operas (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Ewers held the position as stage director for over 60 opera productions across the U.S. and abroad (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). At UOC, Ewers grew the company’s annual budget from $1.5 million to $5 million (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Her outstanding reputation has given her the ability to be successful at fund raising (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Due to Ewers many accomplishments and reputation among the executive committees at both the opera and the symphony she was recommended for the position as CEO of a merged organization (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005).

How are all of the above examples of Ann Ewers past, present, and future positions related to positional and personal powers? Most leaders have some form of power, but how power is used by leaders differs. Power in a nutshell is a force of influence and authority (Kinicki, 2009). Positional power comes with a leader who has legitimately held a position of authority (Kinicki, 2009). A good example would be a CEO of a company. Anne Ewers had held the position of general director of the Boston Lyric Opera, assistant director for San Francisco Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, stage director for over 60 opera productions and currently general director at UOC (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Personal power is the ability to influence via persuasion. A good example would be a manager promoting more productivity via offering time off from work. Anne Ewers personal powers has helped her increase the number of UOC annual productions, increased the annual audience to approximately 130,000 patrons, increased the annual budget from $1.5 million to $5 million, successful fund-raising, and solicited donations from entities outside of Utah(Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Anne Ewers has been able to do all of the above via persuading her superiors and subordinates to support the increased annual productions schedule. That in turn promoted the increase in the annual audience. Anne Ewers ability to persuade has promoted her superiors to increase the annual budget with a proven track of increased sales. Anne Ewers ability to persuade has promoted donations and successful fund raising. This was all accomplished via her position and her ability to persuade and shows the relationship between her personal power and positional power.

a. Discuss how Anne could use her positional power to successfully lead the merger efforts.

Positional power is gained by a person’s role in their organization (Kinicki, 2009). Anne Ewers has held the position of general director of the Boston Lyric Opera, assistant director for San Francisco Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, stage director for over 60 opera productions and currently general director at UOC (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Anne Ewers getting the role as CEO via her past, present, and current roles can help lead the merger efforts. Ann Ewers already has a reputation of being energetic, enthusiastic, and capable (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). As CEO of the merged organizations Anne Ewers can use her positional powers to improve operations, strategy, marketing, company culture, financing, and sales. To accomplish the above as CEO, Anne Ewers will use her positional powers by communicating a shared vision for value creation. As CEO, Anne Ewers will use her positional powers to seize the defining moments and to make good merger choices along with trade-offs. As CEO, Anne Ewers will use her positional powers to employ an aggressive integration planning process.

b. Discuss how Anne could use her personal power to empower Keith Lockhart.

Anne Ewers can use her personal powers to create a strong relationship between herself and Keith Lockhart. Anne Ewers personal powers has helped her increase the number of UOC annual productions, increased the annual audience to approximately 130,000 patrons, and increased the annual budget from $1.5 million to $5 million, successful fund-raising, and soliciting donations from entities outside of Utah (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Anne Ewers would be wise to bring all of her accomplishments to Keith Lockharts attention. Empowerment is using your power, not to withhold or withdraw, but to grant to another the power that you’ve worked to obtain (Kinicki, 2009). Keith Lockhart's initial thoughts about the merger were negative per the article, but soon after said we can explore the idea more (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Anne Ewers needs to use her personal powers via sitting down with Keith Lockhart and explaining their relationship and how this merger is best for all. Anne Ewers needs use her personal powers to explain to Keith Lockhart he has the freedom to act and be innovative. Anne Ewers needs use her personal powers to explain to Keith Lockhart that he has a voice and it will be heard. Anne Ewers needs use her personal powers to explain to Keith Lockhart that she will support him in his new role and to not mistake empowerment for an absence of direction because a lack of clarity about desired outcomes and role expectations is disempowering.

4. Present a potential issue with the musicians that, if not resolved, would jeopardize the continuing organizational performance.

The Utah Symphony Musicians are unionized and the community feels their wages are too high. The combined benefits of the musicians represent 60% of the total program expenses for the symphony (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Per the collective bargaining agreement the salaries are expected to increase by 12.9% from 2002 to 2003 and by 6.8% from 2003 to 2004 (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Before the merger can proceed the Union and senior management will need to get involved to work out a possible new collective bargaining agreement. If the union and management are unable to negotiate or come to a satisfactory agreement the union may initiate a work stoppage or as most call it a strike. This would be bad for all parties involved and for sure would push for the halt of the merger.

a. Recommend how Anne could deal with the issue.

Looking at the above conflict Anne Ewers will have no choice but to meet with the Union before proceeding with the merger. Per the article, pass Union and management negotiations did not fair too well for the musicians (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Anne Ewers will need to present to the Union a detailed economic projection for the organizations merged and unmerged. The main goal of the union during collective bargaining is to improve the status of the worker while still keeping the employer in business. Anne Ewers would need to explain to the Union UOC is at the moment financially stable and flexible whereas the Symphony is not and that the merger would and could possibly increase union membership along with improving the status of the worker. The Union needs to understand due to the weakening economy a merger is the best possible solution to replace lost revenues and to maintain solvency. Anne Ewers need to get the Union to understand their current collective bargaining agreement needs to be revised or it would jeopardize future organizational stability.

5. Discuss influence tactics Anne could use to persuade the opera’s full-time staff and artists under contract to endorse the merger.

Anne Ewers can persuade the opera's full-time staff and artists to endorse the merger by using some of Kipnis nine influence tactics. Anne could use rational persuasion by introducing them to reason, logic and facts (Kinicki, 2009). By showing the Opera employee's the numbers via declining sales, decrease in corporate and foundation pledges, decrease in government subsidies, decrease in private support, etc., they will see the big picture and the reason for the merger consideration (Delong, Thomas & Anger, David, 2005). Anne Ewers could use the consultation tactic by getting them to participate in the planning, changes and decision making (Kinicki, 2009). Anne Ewers could use the coalition tactic by getting supporters of the merger to help her influence the opera workers and artist (Kinicki, 2009). All of the aforementioned tactics could be and should be used to get the Opera workers and artist to endorse the merger.

References

Delong, Thomas, J., & Ager, David, L. (2005). Utah symphony and utah opera: A merger