APPL 647: Training and Organization Development

Walk Case 1 1

Michael J. Walk

APPL 647: Training and Organization Development

5 September 2007

Case Study 1: TGIF

Quantum Software has, at the macro level, the issue that their chief interest is producing software, which can be intrinsically painstaking work. In fact, the employees often work 16-hour days and six-day weeks. In order to counter-balance this difficulty, the company’s founders instituted the “beer bust” event. This, of course, creates other concerns—those related to the over-consumption of alcohol and the intentional or unintentional harm that could result from abusing the privilege of a company-provided drinking party.

The drinking party itself would be neither a problem nor a worry if all employees could be expected to act safely and responsibly despite alcohol consumption, but this assumption is usually not warranted. Individual employees who cannot be trusted to maintain (at minimum) safe behavior at the beer bust constitute the micro-level problem at Quantum Software.

The possible causes of the extant concerns at Quantum Software are the extended working hours and frantic working pace and the diminishing organizational norm of mutual responsibility at the beer busts.

Possible ways to improve the organization are: (1) decrease employee stress induced by the overly-demanding work environment (i.e., reduce work hours and/or days of work), (2) provide smaller and more frequent opportunities for “blowing off steam” (e.g., afternoon coffee or one-beer breaks, relaxation or conversation periods that don’t revolve around alcohol, etc.) without eliminating the end-of-the-week beer bust, or (3) impose restrictions on the consumption and behavior of employees at the beer bust (e.g., no driving home after x number of beers, limiting consumption to x number of beers, etc.).

Because reducing the demands placed upon employees if probably impossible (because the demands are inherent in the job itself), I would recommend that Quantum Software should attempt to provide more frequent opportunities for informal association among employees and more work-sponsored diversions during working hours. By implementing a daily or semi-daily event, the company can most likely halt any problems associated with the explosion of work-stress relief that is present at the weekly beer busts.

Implementing these change procedures should alleviate concerns over safety while maintaining the relaxing, rewarding, and informal atmosphere fostered by the company party.