Bridging The Two Worlds

Bridging The Two Worlds

Introduction
The author of this case worked as the manager of the customer service group of Aluminum Elements crop. He tells the story of how he started his job with this company. At this company, there is a complete separation between the management and the workers on the shop floor. Management held a daily meeting to discuss the production issues, but no one from the shop floor was invited to it. The managers just consider the schedules, but do not care about the floor employees. As time passes, the shop floor employees become unaccustomed to talking to the managers, and often misunderstand each other. Shop floor employees feel that they do not belong to the company as the management just shows the superficial respect for them. All those small problems are resulting from a main problem which is a lack of communication in this company. The company creates a clear boundary between management and the shop floor, which causes an inharmonic work environment within the company.

Within this essay, “A Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” theory will be used to analyze this main problem. The theory is defined as a motivation theory of needs arranged in a hierarchy, whereby people are motivated to fulfill a higher need as a lower one becomes gratified. It also provides five sets of needs arranged in a hierarchy which include physiological, safety needs, belongingness, self-esteem, and self-actualization (McShane and Steen, 2009: 108). I will analyze the problems by focusing on self-esteem and belongingness.

Analyze
Many of the problems found in AEC are from the lack of communication between management and the shop floor. Management hold a meeting to discuss the production issues and make new schedules for the shop floor employees, but no one from shop floor is invited to those meetings unless there is a specific problem. The workers voice couldn’t be heard by the managers. The office staff simply make the production schedule and assign it to the floor employees...