Essay on Chapter 2

1. What environmental factors helped to create the situation Jasper Hennings faces? What factors does Jasper need to to consider when deciding on his course of action?

The environmental factors that helped create this situation was how the company relied on consistency as it’s culture. By taking the strict stance in regards to personal use of the company’s computer system, and turning a blind eye to the employees’ usage of personal email, banking, and booking vacations has caused the employees to view the rule as one that was put into place but is never enforced. Jasper had an opportunity to stop this specific incident from occurring when he could have opted to install the technology needed to block these sites from the company computers. If the company would have had this technology this situation would have been handled without any issue. Since we do not know the course of action Jasper took the next morning, there are a few factors that I believe that he should weigh.
One factor is that Henry and the female employee had violated the internet policy that specifically said that the company reserved the right to take disciplinary action. However, Jasper must also look back at how the company has been turning a blind eye to the usage of personal email, banking, etc. By doing this he has created an attitude within the employees that this policy is just ignored. Another factor is the severity of each situation. Henry is a valued employee who appears to be struggling with a personal dilemma, and the female employee (Jane Doe) might have been attempting to steal personal information from a co-worker. While doing this Jasper must attempt to always maintain respect for each individual, since that is what the company values the most. Another factor that the company should take into effect is updating the technology needed to enforce the “strict” company internet policy. By doing this it would allow the company to determine which sites can be allowed on the work computers, and allow for greater control over where the employees go.

2. Analyze Rio Grande’s culture. In addition to the expressed cultural values and beliefs, what other subconscious values and beliefs do you detect? Are conflicting values present? When values are in conflict, how would you decide which ones take precedence?

After analyzing the culture of Rio Grande, I saw that they valued honesty, hard work, and respect of each individual employee. I also saw a culture built on consistency, which believed that if things weren’t broke there was no need to fix them, and because of this Jasper decided not to install the internet filters that would have solved this entire problem. The underlying beliefs and values I saw at the Rio Grande were dishonesty which created clashing values and beliefs between the employees, management, and Jasper Hennings. Jasper believed that the system was in place and functionally well, but that was because he wasn’t being honest with himself. Since he was turning a blind eye to the employees personal usage on the company’s computers, the policy began to lack the luster that be believed it had. The employees didn’t value the policy because of the fact that the managers ignored certain personal usage. When these values are in conflict, I would decide to hold meetings and new trainings on the policies, while at the same time be taking feedback from the employees. By having a meeting with the management team and employees there can be a very diplomatic discussion about how to adapt a policy that is obviously not working. Even though this is a

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Chapter 2 Essay

Chapter 2 Essay