Free Essay

Sundale Club Case Analysis

In:

Submitted By krstsanders
Words 1003
Pages 5
Sundale Club Case Analysis The company had gained a prestigious reputation and was highly recommended. A waiting list was established in order to accommodate future club members. The company’s reputation really started to suffer in the past few months of hiring a new activity manager. While reading this case study I noted several problems that were caused by an employee’s behavior toward club members and colleagues and the failure of top level management to handle the issues appropriately. Key employees where lost due to the inappropriate handling of the situation. This paper will discuss the micro, macro problems, causes, the systems affected, alternatives, and recommendations on how the issues should be handled.
Macro Problems The first concern is what will Sundale Club do to gain more members in order to keep its doors open? They will have to analyze the situation and make some big decisions on changes that will have to be made in order to regain a prestigious reputation. They will have to reevaluate the staff. Second what will Sundale do if they continue to lose members and have to close their doors?
Micro Problems Due to the complaints from the staff and club members about Chuck Johnson’s inappropriate advancements towards them, and the miss handling of this situation by Ted Ellis, as well as the untimely promotion he received, the first concern here is whether or not Bob Watts will agree to meet with Pat Franklin and the athletic department with the exclusion of Ted Ellis and Chuck Johnson? If the problems can be resolved and Johnson can be reprimanded without being fired maybe the loss of key employees will be preventable. The second concern is will Sundale keep doing what it is doing and allow inappropriate behavior from its staff towards club members and other staff members and continue to lose key employees due to the inappropriate advancements that Johnson continues to make? Other employees may quit when word gets around that this type of behavior is allowed within the company. Several key employees will be lost to the competition.
Causes
The first cause is Sundale was once considered a prestigious club and once had a waiting list of future members. Now the reputation of the club is on the line and they are losing members. The waiting list has been exhausted and Watts is looking for ways to fill membership vacancies. “Sundale once had a waiting list for those wishing to join, but in the past few months the list has been exhausted and the director, Bob Watts, is considering a membership drive to fill unexpected membership vacancies” (Brown, 2011, p. 253). The second cause is that there is conflict among the employees. Due to Johnson’s promotion Pat Franklin is upset. “Pat Franklin was bent” (Brown, 2011, p. 253). It was expected by the staff members Franklin would receive the promotion due to her experience and dedication to the company. The employees were shocked when Johnson was promoted, even with all the problems his inappropriate behavior is causing. The third cause is that when Frank Havens sensed his staff was upset that he was not responding to their complaints about Johnson he requested a meeting with Ted Ellis. Ellis is good friends with Johnson and cannot separate their friendship from the business. “Ted Ellis was extremely defensive about Johnson and shouted, ‘Chuck Johnson has more savvy about this business in his little finger than the whole bunch of you put together’” (Brown, 2011, p. 253). The fourth cause is when Havens spoke to Watts about the situation, Watts tried to smooth things over, because he decided that it was not wise to rock the boat being that his retirement is just around the corner. “Watts was due to retire next year, so he did not want to rock the boat in the final days of his tenure with Sundale” (Brown, 2011, p. 253).
Systems Affected There are several systems affected. The first one I noticed is the Values and goals system. If Sundale does not value their club members and employees opinions and concerns, members and key employees will continue to leave the company and their doors will have to be closed. The second system affected is the psychosocial system. Havens is starting to feel pressure from his staff. He knew about the complaints about Johnson’s inappropriate behavior and the loss of seven male club members. The staff is wondering why he is not doing anything about the situation. Also Franklin wants to get to the bottom of the situation and find out why she was not promoted and to see if there is a solution to the problems. The third system affected is the managerial system. Havens working relationship with Watts is strained. Due to Watts retirement coming up next year he feels that he better not rock the boat during his final days before his retirement at Sundale. The fourth system affected is the structural system. The chain of command has been weakened and is affecting other departments within the company.
Alternatives
The first alternative would be to fire Johnson in order to make it known that inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. Havens had received reports on verbal passes being made by Johnson from staff members and club members. The second alternative would be to move Johnson to a different position and promote Franklin. She is qualified for the position and shows dedication and commitment. The third alternative would be to fire Johnson and Ellis, Johnson for inappropriate behavior and Ellis for allowing the behavior to continue.
Recommendations
First the company needs to assess their financial state and find ways to bring in new members. Second, Sundale needs to conduct a structural analysis in order to find out how they can strengthen the chain of command and develop a system of ethical standards and goals that align with the company’s needs. Three establish an open door policy.

References
Brown, D. (2011). An experimental approach to organizational development (8th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Similar Documents

Free Essay

The Sundale Club Case Analysis

...The Sundale Club Case Analysis The problems that are festering at the Sundale Club seem to be deriving from a lax in organizational accountability. From an organizational point of view, accountability is one of the mainstays of organizational health. Roger Connors, CEO and New York Times bestselling author of “The Oz Principle” states; Accountability is the guiding principle that defines how we make commitments to one another, how we measure and report our progress; how we interact when things go wrong, and how much ownership we take to get things done... If accountability is not working in your organization, then every effort toward performance improvement will be inefficient and ineffective (Connors). This lax in accountability begins at the top with Bob Watts, the Director of The Sundale Club. Bob Watts is due to retire next year. It is this impending departure from the company that encourages his unwillingness to engage the issue at hand. The issue in question is Ted Ellis’s unwillingness to address an issue causing disruption within the organization. Ted is the Athletic Director, and answers directly to Bob Watts. Bobs accountability detachment gives Ted Ellis the green light to ride roughshod over the subordinate managers. Below then, is an assessment of the existing problems at Sundale. Overall Problems: 1. Lax in organizational accountability a. Due to impending retirement, top management has become a lame duck leader. 2. Fragmented vision a. Sundale has...

Words: 856 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Sundale Club Case Analysis

...The Sundale Club Case Analysis The Sundale Club is the largest athletic/social club in the city. It has been operating for many years and has a prestigious reputation (Brown, 2011, p. 253). Sundale at one time they had a waiting list for memberships, which had slightly fewer than 1,000, but in the last couple of months memberships have dropped and there is no longer a waiting list. Bob Watts is considering a membership drive to fill unexpected membership vacancies (Brown, 2011, p. 253). Macro What Sundale Club is facing is the decline of memberships. This has not been a problem until recently, because of the waiting lists that they previously had, at this time there seems to be a lack of interest in joining the club. The athletic department is having issues as well. This is impacting both the activity department and mixed activity departments. Another macro issue is the human resource department and their lack of involvement in the hiring, training, and termination of employees. Micro Communication seems to be the biggest issue that the organization is facing. There is a lack of communication between managers and staff. The staff is not happy and seems to be discouraged because of the actions of Mr. Johnson. Though the members have been complaining and some have left the club and nothing has been done about Mr. Johnson’s actions. The relationship between Ted Ellis and Mr. Johnson is too personal in a professional environment. Many members of the organization are afraid...

Words: 906 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Case Analysis: the Sundale Club

...Case Analysis: The Sundale Club Macro The Sundale Club us facing a decline in their memberships. While this usually would not have been a problem, because of the waiting lists that they previously would have had, it currently is a problem because there is a lack of interest in even joining. In addition to this, the athletic department is having issues. These issues are impacting both the activity department and mixed activity department. The last macro issue is the human resources department and their lack of involvement in the hiring, training and termination of employees. Micro Communication seems to be the biggest issue that the organization is facing. There is a lack of communication between managers and staff. The staff is not happy and seem to be discouraged because of the actions of Mr. Johnson. In addition, even though the members have been complaining and some have left the club, there has still not been much action taken against Johnson. The relationship between Mr. Ellis and Mr. Johnson is too personal to use in a professional setting. Many members of the organization are afraid to “rock the boat” as they do not want to put their own employment in jeopardy. When Ms. Franklin was overlooked for a promotion that was then given to Mr. Johnson, favorites were being played. Experience and qualifications are not being utilized in the promotion agenda, and the employees are beginning to see how loyalty and dedication have no say on the career they are trying to build...

Words: 1047 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

The Sundale Club Case Analysis

...Background The Sundale Club is the largest athletic/social club in the city. It has been established for many years and has a prestigious reputation. Currently, the membership is slightly under 1,000. Sundale once had a waiting list for those wishing to join, but in the past few months the list has been exhausted and the director, Bob Watts, is considering a membership drive to fill unexpected membership vacancies. Alice Smith was thinking about her modeling job on her way home that evening. Today had been dandy. Ted Ellis, the athletic director, had fired Pat Franklin, who had worked for Sundale for nearly nine years. The Problem The whole mess started five months ago when Ellis hired Chuck Johnson to become the men’s activity manager. Shortly after Johnson arrived, rumors started that he was a homosexual. Two of the members complained to Frank Havens, the assistant athletic director, that Johnson had made verbal passes at them. Ted Ellis and Johnson were close friends, so Havens was reluctant to approach his boss with this problem. During the next few years more incidents involving Johnson’s behavior were reported by various staff members to Havens, in addition to complaints from club members. Havens could sense that his staff was wondering why he had not done something about the situation, and he was aware that seven of the male members had withdrawn from the club. Finally, he requested a meeting with Ted Ellis. The Meeting The meeting with Ellis did not go...

Words: 700 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Sundale Club Case Analysis

...The Sundale Club is the largest athletic/social club in the city. It has a prestigious reputation and has been established for many years. Currently, the membership is slightly under 1,000. Pat Franklin, who had worked for Sundale for nearly 9 years was fired by Ted Ellis, the Athletic Director. The whole mess started 5 months ago when Ellis hired Chuck Johnson to become the Men’s Activity Manager. Shortly after Johnson arrived, rumors started that he was homosexual. Frank Havens, the Assistant Athletic Director received a complaint from two members of the company that Johnson made verbal passes. Ted Ellis and Chuck Johnson were close friends, so Havens was reluctant to approach his boss with this problem. More incidents involving Johnson’s behavior were reported by various staff members to Havens, as well as club members. Havens could sense that his staff was wondering why he did not do something regarding the situation and was aware that 7 of male members had withdrawn from the club. He then requested a meeting with Ted Ellis. Unfortunately, the meeting did not go well. Ellis was very defensive about Johnson. Havens talked to Bob Watts about the meeting he had with Ellis earlier. Watts was due to retire next year, so he did not want to rock the boat in the final days of his tenure at Sundale. Watts tried to convince Havens that it was just a silly rumor. Frank’s working relationship with Ellis has became very awkward, and he continued to receive pressure from below. Within the...

Words: 319 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Sundale Club Case Analysis

...Problems A. Macro 1. The Sundale Club needs to figure out a way to gain more members so they can keep the club open. The club needs to analyze the situation they are in and make some big decisions in regards to change that will help them gain a good reputation. 2. Sundale Club needs to have a meeting with the human resources department. At this meeting the owners need to address the lack of involvement that the human resources department is having when hiring and training the staff. B. Micro 1. It seems that communication is one of the biggest issues that Sundale is currently dealing with. There is a lack of communication between the staff and the managers, which is causing problems with the overall structure of the club. 2. It seems as if the current staff is discouraged and unhappy due to Mr. Johnson’s actions. 3. Many members of the organization are afraid to speak up because they fear they will lose their jobs. Favoritism was used when Pat Franklin was over looked for a promotion that was then given to Mr. Johnson because of the personal relationship between him and Ted Ellis. II. Causes 1. No recognition for the Sundale Club staff and the fact that Pat was over looked for a promotion. 2. The personal relationship between Chuck Johnson and ted Ellis withdraw from goals that the organization had set in place. 3. The fact that Bob Watts is going to be retiring in the near future is diminishing interest in problems at the club. III. Systems affected ...

Words: 504 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Sundale Club

...Sundale Company 1 Running head: The Sundale Company Case Analysis The Sundale Company Case Analysis Julia Cunningham Baker College Dr. Michael Laibe August 20, 2012 Sundale Company 2 The Sundale Company Case Analysis Problems Macro The Sundale Club is the largest athletic/social club in the city (Brown, 2011) and while in previous years had to deal with a waiting list is now encountering dwindling membership numbers. Complaints about the Men’s Activities Director (Chuck Johnson) were surfaced to the Athletic Director (Ted Ellis) and were dismissed. This dismissal and subsequent behavior began to have an impact on the club’s other departments (social and mixed activities). The dismissal did lead to Ellis speaking with the club’s Director (Bob Watts) however Watts was more focused on retirement and quite simply did not want to rock the boat and deal with a key human resources issue. Having exhausted all avenues available, Ellis resigned and moved to the competition. Micro The dismissal by Ellis of the complaints from members of the club led to the staff becoming discouraged and discontent with their jobs. If the Athletic Director would be willing to go to bat for a friend and not deal with the growing number of complaints from the members of the club, how would other issues be addressed and have them be heard? Other members of the staff as a result would limit their interaction with Johnson due to the preferential treatment being shown...

Words: 1008 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Sundale Case

...Case Analysis: the Sundale Club Case Analysis: The Sundale Club Macro The Sundale Club us facing a decline in their memberships. While this usually would not have been a problem, because of the waiting lists that they previously would have had, it currently is a problem because there is a lack of interest in even joining. In addition to this, the athletic department is having issues. These issues are impacting both the activity department and mixed activity department. The last macro issue is the human resources department and their lack of involvement in the hiring, training and termination of employees. Micro Communication seems to be the biggest issue that the organization is facing. There is a lack of communication between managers and staff. The staff is not happy and seem to be discouraged because of the actions of Mr. Johnson. In addition, even though the members have been complaining and some have left the club, there has still not been much action taken against Johnson. The relationship between Mr. Ellis and Mr. Johnson is too personal to use in a professional setting. Many members of the organization are afraid to “rock the boat” as they do not want to put their own employment in jeopardy. When Ms. Franklin was overlooked for a promotion that was then given to Mr. Johnson, favorites were being played. Experience and qualifications are not being utilized in the promotion agenda, and the employees are beginning to see how loyalty and dedication have no say on the...

Words: 306 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Sundale Club Case

...Alexander Becerra BUS 431 Chapter 9 Case Study The Sundale Club Case Analysis Form 1. Problems A. Macro 1. Sudden decline in membership and interest in facility 2. Impacts from the athletic department on the social activity department and the mixed activity department 3. Lack of Corporate Human Resources supervision on issues such as hiring, terminations, and promotions B. Micro 1. Staff has become discouraged and discontent with their jobs 2. Communication lines have been reduced due to a personal relationship between Ellis and Johnson 3. Intergroup conflict and lack of support for each other due to fear of “rocking the boat” 4. Avoidance style of conflict resolution within the organization 5. Ellis hiring a friend 6. Johnson being promoted to Assistant Athletic Director 7. Low employee morale and fear of retaliation if voice concern 8. Hiring practices not based on qualifications and years of experience II. Causes 1. Improper and unethical behavior on the part of Chuck Johnson 2. Ted Ellis dismissing the complaints brought to him by Frank Havens 3. Watts dismissing complaints brought to him 4. Co-workers and peers avoiding talking to Johnson about his inappropriate behavior 5. Johnson’s promotion over Pat Franklin who was more qualified 6. The firing of Pat Franklin has increased the team’s tendency to not “rock the boat” and avoiding addressing the situation 7. Lack of investigation into Johnson’s actions and lack of actions taken to address complaints...

Words: 785 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Case Analysis

...Lindo Enterprises is one of the small-scale industries which has established and positioned their product in the market. They are in the business of processing raw seafood into a packed-snacks. Their financial data had shown an increasing sales and profit year after year since 1998. However, they are faced with a challenge of maintaining their competitive advantage and market position through a sustainable 10% annual growth rate for the next five years. Achieving this target would require the considerations and a careful study of the major threat or problems that the business is, and is going to face. Competition is on the top list, distribution of the product both locally and internationally through export-consolidators considering the quality standard, the increasing worldwide trend towards health consciousness which negates the consumption of processed snack foods and the stricter health and sanitary requirements on the import goods of the export markets are the major threat that must be resolved or given action. The analyst had come up with the recommended plan of action that could counter strike the above mentioned threats or problems. A strong campaign for marketing strategies to promote the product and gain the competitive advantage, a nationwide distribution of the product must be targeted, a continuous innovation of the product focusing on its quality and standards that could surpass the export requirements and of course considering to go with the direct exporting which...

Words: 443 - Pages: 2