A systems migration to new skills

Looking across the rows of men suits, Bob Williamson spots Pat Dekkar working with one of his
employees, a sales associate. They are trying to complete a sales transaction on the new
WIZARD information system. Bob watches as Pat again fumbles his way through another
transaction. Almost instinctively, he rolls his eyes and shakes his head.
Bob Williamson manages the Men's Furnishing Group for the Northridge Mall store of the
Dukes and Noble Department store chain. As one of the younger Group managers, Bob has
charge of over 20 full-time and part-time sales and service representatives in four units: suits and
outerwear, leisure clothes, shoes, and accessories. Bob has been wi Dukes and Noble since
joining their Management Associates Development program after graduating from college. Pat
Dekkar is about 15 years older than Bob, with about that many more years of experience in the
retail trade. Pat began his career in a floor sales position and, after years of hard work, was
promoted to supervise the Leisure Clothes Unit.
Beginning about six months ago, Dukes and Noble began a "systems migration" (as the Data
Processing staff called it) of replacing the somewhat antiquated computer and information
processing system with one that was more streamlined Under the new, integrated system, all the
retail functions-inventory, sales and customer tracking, returns and adjustments, accounting and
profitability calculations-would be joined together and operated out of the same data base.
Further, all stores would be linked together, giving headquarters better ongoing control of the
company as a whole and of stores and departments in particular.
As a result of this "migration," virtually every job in the company was changed in some way.
The jobs of the sales associates changed most: virtually every product, customer, or finance
transaction was to be done differently. While the complexity of any one task might be small, the
combined weight of all the changes resulted in major learning stresses on employees. They had
to learn how to operate the system, access it, complete all transactions through it, and make any
needed corrections directly on the point of sale terminal all while the customer waited across the
counter.
As the kick-off date for the conversion to the new system neared, all employees were brought in
for a comprehensive four-day training program. Managers and supervisors were trained first so
that they could serve as aides and coaches to the other employees once the WIZARD was
operational. Bob and Pat attended one of the early programs together.
Bob was impressed by how much the program covered the trainers went through every
conceivable transaction and procedure, demonstrating and explaining them. Each participant in
the class was able to practice some of the procedures on the demo terminal. The notebook
provided in the program was reasonably thorough, even if it was poorly organized.
As was characteristic, Pat Dekkar approached the training with gusto and enthusiasm. Pat had
never worked much with computers before, and his anxiety about learning how to use the system

was more than offset by his strong motivation to learn. Bob was particularly pleased with this
matter because he was concerned that Pat's strong "people orientation" might not have a
corresponding "technical" aptitude.
It has now been more than a month since the new system started up. All the associates in the
store completed the system training shortly before the conversion date and by now, most are
operating fairly well with it.
Indeed, that's what is so troubling to Bob. In spite of the training and the time on the system, Pat
just hasn't made satisfactory progress mastering it. Bob sees Pat's problems in various ways, like
the instance he has just witnessed. There was Pat, working with one of his sales associates,
trying to complete a distinct, but not that unusual, procedure. It was clear that the associate
actually could complete the procedure better than Pat. Pat was following a trial-and-error process
of running through different key combinations to see if any worked. The customer was growing
annoyed
Bob thought about other instances. For example, Pat had asked Bob about how to complete the
same procedure on four different occasions in the course of a ten-day period. At times, Bob
would watch Pat refer a customer to another sales station or have the customer wait while he
asked another associate to process a complicated transaction. At one point, Bob asked Pat to
check his manual, but Pat could only say it didn't help him that much, and besides, he wasn't sure
where he had left it.
On top of it all, Bob is now sensing that Pat is becoming more frustrated and stressed by the
situation. He now thinks that Pat is trying to hide from Bob his discomfort with the system. In a
way, this is Pat's method of signaling to Bob that Pat's knowledge of the new system cannot be
discussed
Bob wonders how much longer he can go without taking action. Already, there are some
grumblings from the other associates that Pat cannot be counted on to help them with their
problems. Bob has noticed how Pat's unease with the process is putting some additional burdens
on the other employees, as well as the customers. Bob knows that Pat is smart enough to learn
this material, but cannot understand why it is so difficult. Bob wants to help but also feels that
Pat needs to show some progress-and fairly soon-or else Bob may be forced to take some actions
he would rather not take.

SUMMARY
Bob Williamson is the manager of the Men's Furnishing Group at the Dukes and Noble's
Northridge Mall store. Bob managed about 20 employees in four units. One of Bob's unit
supervisors is Pat Dekkar. Pat is about 15 years older than Bob and has about that much more

experience in retail sales than Bob. Bob went into the Management Associates program directly
after graduating from college.
About six months ago, Dukes and Noble began a "systems migration," during which the
antiquated computer and information system would be replaced by a more integrated, state-ofthe-art system that allowed a number of functions to be carried out at one spot. This system
linked all the different departments in the Dukes and Noble system to headquarters on a "real
time" basis. The new system made profound changes in all the jobs in the company. For
example, every sales associate now could make direct entries regarding virtually every product,
customer, or financial transaction.
As the kick-off for the new system neared, all employees were brought in for a
comprehensive four-day training program, with managers and supervisors trained first. Bob and
Pat attended one of the early programs together. Bob felt that the training while not perfect, was
generally very comprehensive and helpful. Participants received a notebook. Pat approached the
training with enthusiasm, although he had never worked with computers before.
It has been a month since the new system started While all the other employees have now
achieved a level of mastery, Pat has not. He shows repeatedly that he is not comfortable nor
proficient in doing certain transactions. His poor performance with the system is now affecting
customers as they wait for him to complete routine transactions.
Bob is sensing that Pat is becoming frustrated too. Pat seems to be hiding his discomfort
from Bob. Bob would like to deal with this problem but feels that Pat does not want to discuss it.
Still, the problems are mounting, and unless there is progress soon, Bob may be forced to take
actions he would rather not take.

Case questions

Is there a training problem?

There is clearly a performance problem on Pat's part. Pat has yet to show a minimum level of
proficiency in operating the new system. This problem remains after Pat has completed a
formal training program and has received the same work experience as all the other
employees. During that time, the other employees learned the system well enough to operate
it.
It would be more precise to label the problem as more of a learning than a training problem,
although they are closely linked. Indeed, the issue facing Bob is how to create some new kind
of learning plan that would
What can Bob do to assist Pat in completing the learning process?
Bob can perform several very useful tasks in working with Pat. First, he should make it possible
to discuss the problem. He can do this by letting Pat know that he's noticed Pat may still be in a
learning mode and that he wants to help Pat. In this communication, Bob should try to reduce the
threat-producing anxiety such a meeting might provoke. Bob can do this by treating the matter
not as a job-threatening event, but rather, as a natural process of learning something new. By
indicating that others also struggled to learn and that it is just a matter of time before Pat picks
up the new system can be a big step. Bob can also acknowledge that people learn in different

ways and at different speeds, and that the task before him and Pat is how to find the learning
process that will work best for Pat.
Second, Bob needs to work out with Pat a plan that will help him learn the system. This may
begin by having Pat go through certain transactions so that Bob can discover where Pat is
running into difficulty. Bob should prompt him to keep notes in some way. Bob should also
make sure Pat finds his training manual-or gets a new one.
Pat may be making some simple mistakes that can be easily corrected. However, it's possible that
by this time, Pat is facing some deeper problems. If so, Bob should work with Pat regularly to
practice some transactions. Working on a demonstration and practice cycle can be effective. An
alternative would be for Bob to request training and coaching assistance from someone who
conducted the training.
Bob should also encourage Pat to work on these items on his own; that is, Pat should be
responsible for his own learning This may mean "playing around" with the system during off
hours or at off times.

What should Bob expect of Pat's performance in conducting and completing his own learning?
Pat may not be very effective at managing his own learning process.
Therefore, Bob should work with Pat regularly to help him do the following:
Identify areas of skill discomfort (analyzing skills deficiencies)
Establish learning goals (to remove the deficiency)
Locate instructional information (be it peers, Bob, the training man- ual, or whatever)
* Practice the skills
Bob should make it clear that he does expect Pat to take responsibility for his learning process.

4. How should Bob respond to Pat in the next few weeks?

Bob should take a more active role in working with Pat to help him learn this new system. If
Bob is not actively coaching Pat in the new skills, he should be checking with Pat regularly (at
least every few days) to see how his learning is proceeding. This may require Bob to casually
check out how well Pat is conducting transactions.
If a couple of weeks pass and Pat is not making progress, Bob may need to initiate stronger
action.

In spite of its name, the Four State Medical Supply Corporation was in fact one of the largest
distributors of medical supplies and materials in the nation. Four State served hospitals and
medical offices throughout the South. Joan Lloyd joined Four State as manager of the
Information Systems Division not quite a year ago. Joan had been an Information Systems
Department manager in a metropolitan hospital for five years prior to moving to Four State.
Joan's de- partment handled the computer information system at Four State.
The Information Systems Department was organized into three main groups: systems planning
and analysis, data entry, and computer operations. All 36 peo- ple in the department shared the
fourth floor of the Four State headquarters building. Even though most of the staff worked the
normal 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. shift, there was round-the-clock coverage in computer operations.
The non- management personnel in her department belonged to the Information Workers Union,
local 818.
During her first year on the job, Joan spent much of her time working with other managers to
improve the performance of the company's information proc- essing systems. As such, she had
little daily contact with the employees in her department, although she knew them and felt that
she was on generally friendly terms with each. She relied on her group supervisors to handle the
ongoing su- pervision of employees.
One day, on her way back from a meeting, Joan ran into Brenda Upton at the elevator.
Brenda worked as a data-entry clerk in the Data Entry Department, which was supervised by
Wilma Lane. Wilma reported directly to Joan. Brenda was also the shop steward for the
unionized employees in the division, and she was known for her aggressive representation of
employees in grievance matters. Brenda could advocate for an employee even when the nonunionized employ- ees in the department had good reason to believe that the employee was
wrong. This relentless pursuit to protect union members made her disliked by many in
management and elsewhere.
When Joan encountered Brenda at the elevator, Brenda asked Joan if she could privately
speak with her as soon as possible. Joan had some free time at the moment because of a
cancelled meeting and invited Brenda into her office.
Brenda promptly took a seat in front of Joan's desk and came straight to the point: "rm being
sexually harassed by Mtombe Akilo, and I want you to make him stop. There are others who will
support what I'm saying." Mtombe Akilo was a senior computer operator and supervised the
midnight to 8:00 a.m. work shift.

This revelation was about the last thing Joan expected from Brenda.
"Brenda, Fm a little surprised," Joan said as she tried to recall any prior in- dications that
there could be a problem here. "Tell me what happened."
Brenda looked directly at Joan as she told her: "It's happened a couple of times over the past
six months or so. I'll be sitting at my terminal, doing my work, and when there's no one around,
he'll rap on the glass partition, then hop on the work counter behind him. When I look up, he'll
move his hips back and forth and touch himself in his crotch. It's disgusting."

Joan visualized the work area: The data-entry terminals faced into the com- puter room,
which was surrounded by a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. There was a counter just inside the wall.
Joan asked Brenda: "Well, what did you do?"
Brenda paused a moment, thinking "The second time he did it, I walked over to the computer
room and told him to stop. I was upset. But he did it a few more times. Finally, I went to his
boss, Matt McWilliams, to complain."
Matt McWilliams, like Brenda's boss, Wilma Lane, was a supervisor who reported directly to
Joan.
"What did Matt do?" Joan inquired. "Oh, you know men," Brenda replied off-handedly. "He
listened, then just
shrugged it off He said Mtombe was probably just kidding and that I shouldn't pay any attention
to it." Brenda paused for a moment. "Mtombe did it again about two weeks ago, and that's when
I decided to tell you."
After a little more conversation, Joan thanked Brenda for bringing this mat- ter to her
attention and promised to do something about it soon.
The next morning, at eight o'clock, Joan called a meeting of Brenda; Brenda's boss, Wilma
Lane; Mtombe; and Mtombe's boss, Matt McWilliams. Joan told them that Brenda had accused
Mtombe of sexual harassment and that she wanted it to stop. She pointedly asked Matt
McWilliams why he had not taken any action. He mumbled something about not thinking it was
a very serious problem. The meeting broke up shortly thereafter.
For the next six weeks or so, things seemed to quiet down. Joan heard nothing further and
concluded that the issue has been resolved.
It was at this time, though, that Joan was invited to attend the annual meeting of the human
resources managers, which was held to brief company managers on important policies and
developments. One key issue discussed in this year's conference was sexual harassment It was
during this conference that Joan looked over the company's policy in detail. Thinking back to the
incident between Brenda and Mtombe, she recognized that there were some things she had not
done properly and needed to correct.
For example, under Four State policy, an employee with a sexual harassment complaint
should first go to his or her supervisor with the problem, unless (for obvious reasons) the
employee had to go to another manager. Joan could not control or take any action on, why
Brenda went to Mtombe's boss instead of her own female boss. Joan could take action on
another item in the policy though: the documentation of the complaint. The policy stated that all
com- plaints of sexual harassment had to be documented within 30 days of being re- ported and
the document then sent to Personnel.
"Better late than never," Joan thought to herself.
She dictated to her secretary an outline of what had happened and instructed the secretary to
send the document to Personnel and a copy to Brenda as soon as possible. A few days later,
Personnel notified all parties-Joan, Brenda, and Mtombe-that the report had been received and
would be investigated
Brenda, clearly upset, asked to see Joan shortly after receiving the memo. Brenda's tone was
belligerent and defensive: "Why did you send that report over to Personnel? I just wanted you to
respond in the department."
Joan began to explain that she was required by company policy to send the report over when
Brenda interrupted her: "Well if you're so concerned about policy, why didn't you send it over
when you were supposed to-within 30 days? You screwed that up."

Joan was startled, but before she could respond, Brenda said sharply: "You're just trying to
set me up. You and all you guys in management are just trying to get rid of me because I'm such
a strong union representative. Well, it's not going to work." Brenda left Joan's office.
Before leaving work that evening, Joan sat at her desk, pondering the issue. Her thoughts
turned to Mtombe Akilo. He had been with Four State for over three years, having started there
shortly after immigrating to the United States from Africa. He had become a U.S. citizen two
years ago. As far as Joan knew, he had consistently done a good job for the company, although
his employment had not been without some stresses. For example, when he was promoted to
shift supervisor, many employees in the unit complained because they did not think he was
competent enough to be a supervisor; also, a little over a year ago, he found his tires slashed
after a particularly troublesome disciplinary process with a few of his employees. Overall, he did
not strike Joan as someone who would harass anyone, although she was aware that appearances
could be very deceiving.
The next morning, Mtombe was waiting to see Joan when she arrived at her office she
invited him to take a seat. Even though Mtombe tended to be some- what reserved, Joan could
tell he was upset. He asked Joan to remove the record of Brenda's harassment accusation from
his personnel file. Joan told him that she could not do this because the matter was now in the
hands of Personnel. She did offer to go with him to Personnel to discuss matters, though.
Mtombe thought for a minute, then said: 'Tm really innocent. I never did what Brenda said.
She's just trying to min me." Joan saw that Mtombe was clearly shaken by these events.
"Well, why would Brenda make up such a story?" Joan wondered aloud.
"I tell you," Mtombe answered. "It's because I wake her up." Joan was puzzled by this, and
listened as Mtombe told her his story.
Joan learned from him that Brenda's mother also worked at Four State, in the kitchen area,
where the workday began at 6:00 a.m. Because Brenda and her mother lived together, they also
commuted together, which meant that Brenda usually arrived at work about 5:45 in the morning.
To fill the time, she would go to the dark and deserted employee lounge and sleep until 8:00
a.m., when her own workday began.
When his shift was finishing up for the night, Mtombe would sometimes stop by the lounge
to get a coffee or a breakfast snack from the vending ma- chines. On a number of occasions, he
inadvertently woke Benda up. This usually led to a bitter argument between them, and not long
before Joan held the meeting on the harassment issue, Brenda told him that she was going to get
even with him. Mtombe concluded by telling Joan: "Why would I mess with her? I'm afraid of
her."
The next day, Joan received a letter from an attorney, indicating he was rep- resenting Brenda
in this matter.
Joan stared out the window of her office. She now fully believed that Mtombe was innocent.
One question after another raced through her mind: "Why did Brenda wait so long to bring this
to the attention of management? Why did she first go to Mtombe's boss, a male, rather than go to
her boss, a woman? Why did she just want me to handle it informally in the department? Brenda
obviously knows the company's policy so why should she have been surprised when I followed
it?" There were just too many loose ends.

Summary

Joan Lloyd managed the Information Systems Division of the Four States Medical Supply
Corporation. There were 36 people in her department and they were organized into three groups:
planning, data entry, and operations. The operations group worked round-the-clock shifts, while
the typical working day for everyone else was 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The non-management
personnel were members of a union, and their shop steward was Brenda Upton. Brenda
aggressively represented employees before management and was disliked by many in
management and elsewhere. Brenda worked in the data-entry group.
One day, Brenda asked to talk with Joan privately. In the meeting, Brenda accused Mtombe
Akilo of sexually harassing her. Mtombe, a recent immigrant from Africa and a newly
naturalized U.S. citizen, supervised the midnight to 8 a.m. shift in the operations group. Brenda
told Joan that when he would see her at her workstation next to the operations center, he would
get her attention and make sexual gestures. Brenda indicated this began about six months ago.
She initially told Mtombe to stop, then went to his supervisor to complain. Mtombe's supervisor,
Matt Williams, dismissed her complaint. When Mtombe did it again two weeks ago, Brenda
decided to tell Joan.
The next morning, Joan called a meeting with Brenda, Mtombe and both of their supervisors.
She told them that the harassment had to stop. For the next six weeks, she heard nothing further
and assumed the matter was closed.
At that time, Joan attended an internal management meeting, where she learned that she had
not followed company policy on dealing with harassment matters. When she returned to her
office, she filed a report on what had happened and submitted it to Personnel. Shortly thereafter,
Personnel notified all parties-Joan, Brenda, and Mtombe-that they would be investigating the
mat- ter.
Brenda met with Joan again, angry that Joan brought the matter to the attention of Personnel.
She accused Joan of not following procedure and of trying to pressure her because of her union
position. Later Joan received a letter from a lawyer whom Brenda had hired to represent her.
The next day, Mtombe Akilo met with Joan. He was upset about the situation and asked Joan
to remove the harassment accusation from his file. When Joan explained she could not do that,
Mtombe claimed to be innocent and presented his version of events. According to Mtombe,
Brenda came in early to work every day because she commuted with her mother, who worked in
the cafeteria and began her job at 6:00 a.m. Brenda would go to the employee lounge and sleep
until starting time. Near the end of his shift, Mtombe would go into the lounge and inadvertently
wake her. An argument would ensue. Not long before the big meeting with Joan, Brenda
threatened to get even with Mtombe.
Joan thinks back over Brenda's story and has questions about it. Why did she wait so long to
say something? Why did she go to Mtombe's boss rather than to her own? Why did she want the
matter kept within the Department? Joan now believes that there are too many loose ends, and
that Mtombe is innocent.

Questions

How should Joan have handled the first report of sexual harassment from Brenda? Should she
have called the meeting?
Joan's first obligation was to find out what kinds of internal procedures regarding sexual
harassment existed within the company. She should have followed those procedures in this case.
Even without clear or specific organizational procedures, there is a standard routine for
investigating sexual harassment claims which Joan could have profitably followed in this case.
/. Obtain a full account of what happened according to the aggrieved.
Joan should have made a written record of Brenda's claims, seeking specific dates and times
of the alleged incidents. She should ask for
names of witnesses. Mtombe's exact behaviors should be detailed, as well as how Brenda
reacted
Joan should make it clear in this context that she will need to talk
with others about this matter, and that even though she will do her
best to be discreet, some aspects of this situation will likely become
common knowledge in the department
Ascenain whether the behaviors were really unwelcome and olTensive to the aggrieved, or just annoying and tolerable.
Joan should have Brenda clarify her reactions to the behaviors.
Sexual conduct becomes harassment only when it is unwelcome,
and Brenda's reactions are integral to determining the degree of
the offense. Joan might also ask if there were any preceding discussions involving others that might have created a sexually oriented group atmosphere.
Interview the alleged harasser and any witnesses.
Joan should give Mtombe a chance to respond to Brenda's allegations. This can be done without implication of guilt by stating:
The nature of the claims against him
That Joan is gathering facts and that no decision will be made until all parties have had a
chance to present their sides of the
story.
Joan should give Mtombe an opportunity to make any general reactions, then should probe about specific events. She should take
careful notes of his replies.
Joan should also talk to any witnesses. If no witnesses are named,
she may want to talk with co-workers of both Mtombe and Brenda
to inquire if there is any evidence, that supports the accusations,
including past incidents or a context that might have influenced
events. For example, did Mtombe and Brenda ever date, or were
they dating at the time? Was there a general climate at the workplace that encouraged the discussion of sexual matters, and what

role did either Brenda or Mtombe play in the discussions? Were

there any other conditions at play that might prompt one party or the
other to lie? Joan could ask any other women in the area if they have
ever been sexually harassed by anyone at the worksite.
Remind all parties that the interviews are confidential and should be
kept as such.
4. Review the evidence.
Does the testimony hang together? A claim of harassment will be
more credible if Brenda's story is internally consistent, its specific
details supported by the work schedules in the department and the
reports of others. A story loses credibility to the extent that there are
loose ends, vague and contradictory details, conflicting reports, and
other external facts that do not conform to the story as presented.
Extenuating circumstances may also downgrade a story's credibility.
Don't hesitate to interview people again to seek clarification to any
anomalies in any of the reports.
5. ee a decision based on the best available information. Match the discipline to the
severity and likelihood of the OBease.
Write a memo to the harassing employee explaining the outcome of the investigation and what actions will be taken in response.
Execute that discipline, which could take any of the following forms:
Reminding the employs to avoid making suggestive comments
.
Cautioning a work group to avoid a sexually explicit atmosphere
.
Restoring lost benefits or wages to the employee
.
Transferring the harasser
.
Taking formal disciplinary action against the employee, ranging from a
reprimand to full discharge
In this situation, Joan should reprimand Brenda's boss for not taking
Brenda's claim seriously and acting accordingly.
Based upon this general procedure, Joan was not well advised to call a
meeting of all parties without a prior investigation.
Given the situation as it stands, what should Joan do now?
The wheels are now in motion, so Joan may have a difficult, if not im- possible, time pulling the
plug on what has happened. Hence, she should work closely with Human Resources from this
point forwardc
Given that Brenda is not represented by an attorney, Joan may not have any further options other
than documenting what Mtombe told her and her new opinions about the matter and forwarding
that document to Hu- man Resources.
Even so, Joan is left wi certain questions that necessitate further state- ments from Brenda.
Again, with the concurrence of counsel and Human Resources, Brenda might want to
reinterview Brenda to determine how she would explain many of the anomalies in her story.