Overview

The case study in this exercise helps participants explore the ethical issues associated with credit earned and credit due. When credit is stolen, trust begins to erode. This exercise deals with handling the stolen-credit situation in order to restore an ethical balance.

Purpose

To encourage thought and discussion regarding trust-destroying instances that may require employees to challenge a manager’s action.

To develop positive approaches for handling situations when such a challenge is necessary.

Group Size

Any number of individuals can participate. The group should be divided into subgroups of four or five.

Room Arrangement

If possible, arrange table groups for four or five participants each.

Materials

Handout 33.1, “Case Study”

Procedure

1.Ask participants how they would interpret this statement, one that a government employee says he would like to deliver to his supervisor one day: “That feather in your cap came out of my tail!”

2.Discuss possible reasons to explain why some supervisors take credit that isn’t rightfully theirs and why others are more inclined to acknowledge their employees’ contributions.

3.Distribute Handout 33.1, Case Study, and ask table groups to discuss the real-world scenario and discuss the related questions.

4.On conclusion of the discussion, begin a flipchart list of “10 Commanagements”—”commandments” that supervisors/managers would ideally follow to create the best of all management worlds. Call on one spokesperson from each group to contribute one recommendation, stated as a “shall” or “shall not” sentence related to valuing employees’ contributions.

Variation

Compile several lists of “Commanagements” related to various issues that arise during the course of a training session. Participants will often contribute to discussions their thoughts related to management or inequities or the culture. Encourage participants to compile these lists with co-workers upon their return to the workplace or to add to those already started in the classroom. Then encourage novel approaches (in the form of “commanagements”) to some of the problems and issues identified.

Discussion

What prompts some supervisors to steal credit from others?

The Quality guru, Dr. W. Edwards Deming, believed the workplace should be a source of cooperation and harmony, so that workers would feel comfortable sharing their ideas about improvement. When hostility and autocratic behavior dominate the workplace, he believed, employees are reluctant to participate fully in the improvement process. How can you relate Dr. W. Edwards Deming’s insistence on “driving out fear” to events in the workplace?

Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, often speaks about confidence. Explore the effects—both positive and negative—of confidence and a lack of confidence.

Quotation

“Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him.”

–Booker T. Washington

Points of Interest

In The Power of Positive Thinking in Business (The Free Press, 2001) author Scott W. Ventrella lists these characteristics associated with positive thinkers:

Optimism

Enthusiasm

Belief

Integrity

Courage

Confidence

Determination

Patience

Calmness

Focus

Correlate these to the case study presented.

REGINA ROBERTSON is a management and leadership director. She has been employed by the federal government for 24 years. She also owns and operates her own business and training media company, Bells and Whistles.

HANDOUT 33.1