Detail of the requirements, important notes and recommended
readings for references are all listed as per attached. It is necessary to
follow the requirements stated.

Case for critical analysis: Inter-City Manufacturing, Inc.

The president of Inter-City Manufacturing Inc., Rich
Langston, wanted to facilitate upward communication. He believed an open-door
policy was a good place to start. He announced that his own door was open to
all employees and encouraged senior managers to do the same. He felt this would
give him a way to get early warning signals that would not be filtered or
redirected through the formal chain of command. Langston found that many
employees who used the open-door policy had been with the company for years and
were inadequate policies and procedures. Langston would raise these issues and
explain any changes at the next senior managers’ meeting.

The most difficult complaints to handle were those from
people who were not getting along with their bosses. One employee, Leroy,
complained bitterly that his manager had overcommitted the department and put
everyone under too much pressure. Leroy argued that long hours and low morale
were major problems. But he would not allow Rich Langston to bring the manager
into the discussion nor to seek out other employees to confirm the complaint.
Although Langston suspected that Leroy might be right, he could not let the
matter sit and blurted out, “Have you considered leaving the company?”
This made Leroy realise that a meeting with his immediate boss was unavoidable.

Before the three-party meeting, Langston contacted Leroy’s
manager and explained what was going on. He insisted that the manager come to
the meeting willing to listen and without hostility towards Leroy. During the
meeting, Leroy’s manager listened actively and displayed no ill will. He
learned the problem from Leroy’s perspective and realised that he was over his
head in his new job.

After the meeting, the manager said he was relieved. He had
been promoted into the job from a technical position just a few months earlier
and had no management or planning experience. He welcomed Leroy’s offer to help
him do a better job of planning.

Source: Daft, R.L. (2000), Management. Hartcourt College
Publishers.

Case for critical analysis: Inter-City Manufacturing, Inc.

Answer the following questions based on the case:

1. What
techniques increased Rich Langston’s communication effectiveness? Discuss.

2. Do you
think that an open-door policy was the right way to improve upward
communications? What other techniques would you suggest?

3. What
problems do you think an open-door policy creates? Do you think employees are
reluctant to use it? Why? Use example(s) and literature to support your stand.

4. Henry
Mintzberg’s research indicates that diverse manager activities can be organized
into ten roles. Identify two of these roles that Langston performed in carrying
out his open-door policy.

5. Which
style of leadership is Langston exhibiting based on Hersey & Blanchard’s
Situational Theory? Evaluate its effectiveness in a company like Inter-City.

Important Notes:

1. Application
of theory and practical example are equally important with appropriate use of Harvard
referencing method with in text citation.

2. Recommended
author for this subject is Richard L. Daft and recommended reading is The New
Era of Management 2006 and 2008. And all others related management theory and
practice readings including online, journal and etc.

3. Plagiarism
check is needed via some software so originality is important and no wholesale
copying is allowed.

4. Report
should be in essay format.

5. Sufficient
use of references is crucial.