CASE STUDY - HY DAIRIES, INC.

Case Study - Hy Dairies, Inc

Zhenyu Zhao

Westcliff University

BUS540

07/13/2021
CASE STUDY - HY DAIRIES, INC. 2

Case Study - Hy Dairies, Inc.

This article will examine the HY Dairies Inc. case study. It will discuss the issues that

emerge in an organization following perceptual errors and their resolutions. It demonstrates how

motivation may become demotivation if it is implemented without dialogue and without regard

for the individual's interests. Due to a lack of communication, misperceptions may escalate into

severe problems.

Stereotyping and Social Identity Theory at Hy Dairies, Inc.

Stereotyping is a cognitive process in which we attribute traits to an identified group and then

reflexively transfer those qualities to anybody we think belongs to that group. Although the

assigned attributes (e.g., personality traits and skills) are often difficult to see, they may also

include physical features and a variety of other characteristics (Scheepers, & Ellemers, 2019).

According to social identity theory, the "in-group" will discriminate against the "out-group" in

order to boost their own self-esteem (Singh & Ramdeo, 2020). Additionally, it explains how we

see individuals by differentiating, homogenizing, and categorizing them. It is critical to

remember that "in-groups" are those with whom you identify and associate, while "out-groups"

are those with which we do not often identify and may discriminate (Trepte & Loy, 2017).

What went wrong in this case was that Syd Gilman, Hy Dairies’ marketing vice

president, was overjoyed to find that the marketing effort to boost Hy's gourmet ice cream

brand's declining sales was succeeding. Sales numbers and customer base grew substantially year

on year. This occurred as a result of Rochelle Beauport's efforts to increase sales. Consequently,

Syd Gilman chose to offer Rochelle the job of market research coordinator (McShane & Von

Glinow, 2020). However, she was dissatisfied with the new job given by Syd Gilman, believing

that her previous work was more difficult and rewarding. Rochelle surmised that Syd Gilman
CASE STUDY - HY DAIRIES, INC. 3

believed she would be unable to advance to a management position at Hy Dairies due to her

gender.

Syd Gilman may seem to have stereotyped Rochelle Beauport in this case, but there lacks

convincing proof to support this claim. It is evident from the case study that Syd Gilman was

genuine when appointing Beauport to the marketing research coordinator position. He thinks he

is offering an excellent professional opportunity with the potential for development. If there is

stereotyping in this case, it is attributable to Rochelle Beauport. She portrays Syd Gilman as a

stereotypical prejudiced and close-minded white person. On the other hand, Syd Gilman

believed she would thrive in her new job as the marketing research coordinator as he did

(McShane & Von Glinow, 2020). He assumed that Beauport, also, might benefit from working in

that role. However, from Rochelle's perspective, the job was a demotion, and Mr. Gilman

opposed her promotion to a management position due to her sexuality and racial background.

Rochelle was now confronted with a tough choice: confront Gilman or quit the organization.

Perceptional Errors at Hy Dairies, Inc.

A perceptual error, according to scientific studies, is the failure to evaluate people,

objects, or circumstances fairly and correctly. Examples include discrimination, stereotyping,

and prejudice, all of which have historically led humans to make errors in many areas of their life

(Fischbach & Lichtenthaler, 2018). The Halo effect is among perceptual errors evident in this

case study. It refers to the propensity for favorable perceptions of persons, businesses, brands, or

products in one area to favorably impact one's view or emotions in other areas. As shown by this

case study, when Mr. Gilman proposed that Rochelle take on the marketing research coordinator

position, she immediately concluded that Mr. Gilman was against her taking on a top

management position and that she had been marginalized owing to her gender and race
CASE STUDY - HY DAIRIES, INC. 4

(McShane & Von Glinow, 2020). It is clear that her former employer devalued female workers

and preferred to put women in technical support roles. As a result of this encounter, she believed

that Mr. Gilman had the same mindset. Thus, she was unappreciative of his offer.

The next perceptual error evident in this case study is a case of a false consensus effect. It

refers to individuals' propensity to exaggerate the extent to which their ideas, attitudes, and

actions are shared by others (Welborn, Gunter, Vezich, & Lieberman, 2017). Because our own

perspectives, ideas, and attitude are common and acceptable, others must feel the same way. For

instance, few individuals in this case study were aware that Giman's career had been boosted

many years before while working as a marketing research coordinator at Hy Dairies (McShane &

Von Glinow, 2020). Syd Gilman believes that Rochelle Beauport should have the same

experience and that she would like the job since it would advance her career and provide her the

opportunity to be like him in the future. However, Beauport thinks Mr. Gilman gave her that

position because he did not want her to take over a management position since she was one of

Hy Dairies' few top women and minority brand leaders.

How Organizations Can Minimize These Situations

One approach to reducing misperceptions in these circumstances is for an organization to

familiarize itself with perceptual biases, which requires awareness of their existence. If an

organization follows this procedure, it will be better positioned to reduce prejudice; furthermore,

it helps educate the employer about systematic discrimination (Casad & Bryant, 2016).

Awareness of perceptual biases has the potential to mitigate these biases by increasing people's

awareness of their thoughts and behaviors (Scheepers, & Ellemers, 2019). For instance, Syd

Gilman could arrange diversity training sessions and demand participation from everyone at Hy

Dairies. Diversity training programs can assist the organization in combating workplace
CASE STUDY - HY DAIRIES, INC. 5

prejudice. This is mainly because participants in this program are encouraged to appreciate

different genders and racial differences (Fischbach & Lichtenthaler, 2018).

The next step is to enhance mutual understanding. Syd Gilman should be more receptive

and accepting of Rochelle Beauport's background. Syd Gilman reasoned that giving Beauport the

marketing research coordinator position would provide her with an opportunity to

gain experience. He also concluded that Beauport would like the job. Contrary, Beauport

suspected that Sys Gilman believed she would be unable to advance in brand management at Hy

Dairies because of her race. This presumption is based on her prior employment experience.

There lacks of mutual understanding in this scenario; thus, if the organization improves mutual

understanding, misperception in these kinds of situations will be minimized.

Finally, companies should prioritize communication between team members and leaders

in order to avoid these types of situations. Effective communication is critical for team cohesion

and a pleasant work environment (Jenifer & Raman, 2015). In this case, it can help Beauport

express her feelings about being sidelined with other workers; if Beauport speaks with them,

they may be able to explain her misunderstanding about the marketing research coordinator.

Beauport may also pursue other avenues, such as confronting Gilman and speaking with him

about her promotion.

Summary and Conclusions

Before making any choice, the organization should consider the employee's interests and

requirements in order to inspire them. The existence of perceptual errors such as stereotypes and

misperceptions can create problems inside the company, which may result in financial loss.

Employers and employees should communicate to ensure that no issues occur. The organization
CASE STUDY - HY DAIRIES, INC. 6

should place a higher premium on collective decision-making than on individual decision-

making.
CASE STUDY - HY DAIRIES, INC. 7

References

Casad, B. J., & Bryant, W. J. (2016). Addressing stereotype threat is critical to diversity and

inclusion in organizational psychology. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 8.

Fischbach, A., & Lichtenthaler, P. W. (2018, July). I’m no lady; I’ma leader: When gender

stereotypes of anger do and don’t matter in leadership. In Academy of Management

Proceedings (Vol. 2018, No. 1, p. 17207). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of

Management.

Jenifer, R. D., & Raman, G. P. (2015). Cross-cultural communication barriers in the workplace.

International Journal of Management, 6(1), 348-351.

McShane, S., & Von Glinow, M. A. (2020). Organizational behavior (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill

Higher Education.

Scheepers, D., & Ellemers, N. (2019). Social identity theory. In Social psychology in action (pp.

129-143). Springer, Cham.

Singh, R., & Ramdeo, S. (2020). Group-Level OD Interventions. In Leading Organizational

Development and Change (pp. 67-97). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Trepte, S., & Loy, L. S. (2017). Social identity theory and self‐categorization theory. The

international encyclopedia of media effects, 1-13.

Welborn, B. L., Gunter, B. C., Vezich, I. S., & Lieberman, M. D. (2017). Neural correlates of the

false consensus effect: evidence for motivated projection and regulatory restraint. Journal

of cognitive neuroscience, 29(4), 708-717.