Case Analysis of "bob Knowlton"

Description

This case is about Bob Knowlton, a project head for the Simmons Laboratories and the introduction of a new member of the team that challenges Knowlton. Knowlton was excessively concerned with his advancement rather than with external things which made him an introvert. He failed to discuss his opinions, feelings, and conflicts with his teammates; instead he acted as if things didn't bother him and eventually bailed out on his team by quitting his job. An in-effective leader with poor communication skills, Knowlton did not deal with his insecurities and failed use his authority as team lead when he started to see the team dynamics being disrupted. As a result, his confidence became shaken and he lost control over his project.

Simon Fester, while brilliant, had difficulties working as part of a team and integrating himself into the existing culture. His introduction into the environment created insecurities within the team due to his confidence in himself and ideas, and his inability to tactfully share his knowledge. Fester was very aggressive in his approach to problem solving. He didn't cater to the other team members, which created a perception of being an individualist and not a team player.

Diagnosis

Knowlton's problem is that he was unable to communicate with his boss and teammates. Whether warranted or not, Knowlton felt threatened by Fester's brilliance and challenge to his leadership. While his boss Dr. Jerrold had an open door policy, Knowlton did not communicate his concerns regarding Fester. This showed Knowlton's inability to exercise authority and control when uniformity in team is disturbed. As a result his self-confidence in his capabilities reduced. Knowlton decided to quit his job as photon manager and left the lab, giving Jerrold a false explanation. Had Knowlton simply communicated, he would have discovered that Fester was being assigned to a different project and not there to take over his job therefore altering Knowlton's decision to leave and not impacting the rest of the research team.

Since this case contains two antagonists, is necessary to also discuss Fester. Fester should have allowed himself to slowly integrate into the team culture and been far less aggressive and abrasive. His immediate actions created the perception of a brilliant but arrogant individual who wasn't a team player. He was very confident about himself and judgmental about people and even believed some of the team was less competent or incapable of keeping up. The perception people had created some division in the team and teamwork was affected.

Critical Theory

Personality Theory applies to this case. Knowlton and Fester clearly had different ways of doing business. The two of them had at some point, developed different interpersonal skills which are all the behaviors and feelings that exist within all of us that influence our interactions with others. As a result, interactions the two of them were poor at best and had a residual effect on the rest of the team. Knowlton sided with disgruntled colleagues when, as the team leader, it was his job to better integrate the personnel together rather than take sides. Fester had a low regard for his teammates intelligence and his impatience of the others led him to also make similar remarks to Dr. Jerrold. Visibly, the team all had issues with certain members and instead of discussing them in a proper manner they went behind each other