Alex is a young man working in a company. He graduated from a well-known university just a few years ago. He has great enthusiasm and ability. He also shows his capability as a leader. So the boss asked him to be the leader of a new project. However, there is another older and much more experienced technician Bob in this project group. Bob has been working for this company for about fifteen years. He has made great contribution to this company for a long time.
Although Bob does not feel that he should be the project manager, he does not feel happy to have a boss that is much younger than him. For the sake of the project, he does not show his dissatisfaction. However, he is always against Alex.
Alex is a humble young man. He usually asks Bob for his opinion as Bob is much more experienced. However, Bob is not honest with Alex. When Alex asks Bob whether his ideas are good and applicable in private, Bob always praise his young boss and says there is no problem with your idea. However, when they conduct a meeting with all members’ and sometimes their big boss’ attendance, Bob points out a lot of problems with Alex’s ideas and usually makes him feel embarrassed. Once they even almost end up in a quarrel.
Now it has already been the most important time for this project. If the big boss just let the conflict continues, the project will probably end up with poor quality. If you were the boss, would you fire Bob or come up with some clever ideas to solve this problem?
Hi Xiangyu,
ReplyDeleteThat is a most interesting scenario. If I were the boss, I would realize that I was a little too hasty in assigning roles to young Alex. This is because he is young and inexperienced, and hence will not garner much respect/trust from the old hand (Bob) at the company.
Realistically, we need to facilitate a friendly working relationship between Bob and Alex. Therefore, I will mediate the situation and ask Alex if he'd be willing to step down and work under the mentorship of Bob. I will inform him that this would help him get on friendlier terms with Bob as well as learn the ropes of the trade.
I will also approach Bob to inquire about the situation. Clarify the issue, and ask him to give Alex a chance to prove himself - as you will be asking Alex to study under his guidance. In setting up this arrangement, it is in best hopes that they'd get to understand each other and respect each other better; hence forging a friendlier and trusting relationship at work. :)
This is the best solution I can come up with. :) I look forward to seeing the rest of the solutions put forth over the course of time! :)
Yours sincerely,
Juncheng Chen
Hi Xiangyu,
ReplyDeleteIn this situation, the big boss need the contribution of both Bob and Alex. Bob has experiences while Alex has enthusiasm and ability.
If I were the boss, I would not fire Bob, because he is loyal and contributed a lot to the company.
I would let Bob be the leader of the team and Alex be the vice-leader. The reason is that Alex is enthusiastic but he doesn't have experience as well as the support of every member. This is a good chance for Alex to learn how to work in a team before he can become a good leader.
I think that Alex wouldn't mind being a vice-leader because he has just joined the company for a short amount of time. I'll also have a talk with both of them to see if they have any opinion.
Your sincerely,
Tuan Vu
Hi Xiangyu,
ReplyDeleteI certainly would not want to be in the boss's situation. It seems like a tough call to make.
However a decision has to be made and therefore I will first identify the problem. The problem is that Bob has an ego and he does not want a rookie to take the lead. I will not fire Bob as he has many years of experience under his belt and its vital to my company.
I will first arrange for a private meeting with Bob. Clarify with him what the problem is and why he always has negative things to say about Alex's ideas. If Bob wants to critisize Alex's ideas, it should be done during the team's meetings and not when the idea is being presented to everyone.
I will use emotional intelligence by letting Bob know that his long years of service are not forgotten and he is a valuable asset. I will also remind him that his actions although may seem affecting Alex for now, will have damaging ramifications on the company later.
Finally, I will suggest that instead of having the same leader throughout, maybe they could rotate. This could be a possible solution to the problem.
Hi Xiangyu,
ReplyDeleteI find this kind of scenario rather common nowadays, as more and more people graduate with a Bachelor degree.
I disagree with Juncheng and Vu about letting the older worker be the leader. Of course, the elder worker, Bob, would feel unhappy to work under a young leader. Yet, there must be a reason for putting Alex as the leader of the team. Maybe Alex has better qualifications and skills to lead than Bob. Therefore, we should not let Bob be the leader just because he is more experienced.
A better way of solving the problem would be to communicate with Bob to find about his views on Alex. If I am the boss, I would try to convince Bob to accept Alex, and tell him to point out Alex's mistakes whenever he sees one. I would show him at Alex is capable to do his work, and it is due to his inexperience that he sometimes make mistakes. Hence, Alex actually needs Bob's experiences to perform well. Since they are a team, they should work together, and most importantly come out with good end-products.
Jing Mei
Hi Xiangyu,
ReplyDeleteIf I were the boss,I would not fire Bob considering the fact that he had served the company for so long.Also I would not make him the boss either because basically Bob seems to have problems working with Alex due to his ego.Here,the boss had chosen Alex as the leader because of his capability and his leadership potential.I would try talking to Bob about the importance of completing the project to the company.However, I would acknowledge his contributions to the company and make him feel that his role is important.I would also try to have a talk with both of them over a cup of tea to settle down things further.Hope that helps!
Cheers,
Meenu
Hi Xiangyu,
ReplyDeleteIf I am the boss, I would not hesitate and fire Bob. This is because Alex is still young and full of potential. And Bob, despite his experience, has shown that he is more cunning and manipulative than he looks. By allowing him to get away this time, it would prove more harmful to the company.
You might say such a solution is not a solution to the conflict at all. However, communication in the earlier stages of the conflict had already failed. Bob had always pretended to support the idea even when Alex humbled and ask for his opinion. Bob actions might have also hindered Alex's growth and potential and deflated his confidence.
Therefore, for the greater good for the company,I would still stand by my action to fire Bob.
Regards,
Junhao Quek, C04e
Hi Juncheng,
ReplyDeleteI think your idea is nice. However, I'm quite concerned whether this will affect the enthusiasm of young Alex. It is not easy for him to get the position as a head. If the boss just asks him to step down and work under Bob, he would not feel happy.
Regards,
Xiangyu
Hi Tuan Vu,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your idea!
I agree with your idea. This not only solve the conflicts between Alex and Bob, but also give Alex a good chance to learn from Bob how to be a leader.
Regards,
Xiangyu
Hi Ganesh,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment!
I think your idea is really a comprehensive one. A personal meeting with Bob is very important in this situation. The boss has to use emotional intelligence to tell Bob that actually he is always very important to the company. This will probably make Bob feel better.
Regards,
Xiangyu
Hi Jing Mei,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments!
I think letting the elder worker as a leader is OK because this not only makes Bob feel better and ensures the project could be finished, but also gives a chance for Alex to learn from Bob how to be a good leader. While Alex is capable of becoming a leader in the future. He is better at the position of vice-head and takes part of the leadership in the team.
Thanks!
Regards,
Xiangyu
Hi Meenu,
ReplyDeleteI agree that talking with them is really important. Without a detailed talk, the boss would not be able to identify the problem and solve it. But I think As Bob has the ability to be a leader, why not let him lead the project and Alex be the vice leader? This could make both of them feel happy.
Regards,
Xiangyu
Hi Jun Hao,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your idea!
Your idea seems to be a bit radical. It might be a solution, but before firing Bob, we might find a solution that won't be harmful for all of them.
Regards,
Xiangyu
After considering the responses from my friends,
ReplyDeleteI think the best solution to this problem is that the boss talks with Bob and Alex first in order to know the problem. Then he might give the head to Bob just to keep him silence. While as Alex has the potential to be a good leader in the future, he should be the vice head and learn from Bob during the project.