Mini-Case: the Task Force

Essay

Mini-Case: The Task Force. On July 12, you were hired as a manager of sales for a company that sells human resources information systems (HRIS) software. During your first meeting with your sales staff, you determine your sales force is in shambles. It is evident that morale is low so you ask your employees to provide you with a list of their most pressing concerns via e-mail by the end of the week. It is now 5 p.m. Friday evening, July 16, and you are in your office summarizing the complaints. The most pressing concerns voiced by your sales staff include lack of resources in the field, commission rates (compensation) are too low, and support and follow-up from the customer services department are lacking. As a former salesperson yourself, you know how critical the sales force is to the company's success. To address your employees' concerns, you decide to form a task force to generate ideas to resolve the problems. To encourage creative, innovative solutions, you have decided not to monitor the progress of the task force. Therefore, your influence on the suggestions of the task force will be minimal. You charge the task force to provide you with three specific suggestions, along with the strengths and weaknesses for each suggestion, by July 30.
-Is your decision to form a task force and to not participate in it the best approach to this task?
Apply the questions in the "model for deciding when to engage an individual or a team" (Figure 8.2) to demonstrate what relevant factors should have been considered in this decision.