MOD 2 DISCUSSION MGT501
Order Description
Module 2: Managing Groups and Teams
Week 1: Fairness in the Workplace
Week 1: Fairness in the Workplace Actions for ‘Week 1: Fairness in the Workplace

Human perception, attitudes, and motivation are of keen importance in managing others. One important Organizational Behavior issue spanning these dimensions is the concept of “perceived fairness” in the workplace.

Fairness is such a common phenomenon in organizations that most leaders/managers typically give it little thought. If an employee says the vacation/leave, or other policy, isn’t fair, he or she might get some attention. Unfortunately, some leaders/managers fail to realize that unfairness may cause overall performance to suffer and can even have severe economic consequences. Just because you are not paying attention doesn’t mean that unfairness isn’t making a big difference to your organization’s product/ performance quality, mission readiness or completion, customer service, and/or the bottom line.
•For 20 years Charlie, a baggage handler, was an asset to his airline. Callous rule changes and harsh supervisory treatment, however, led him to covertly retaliate. For months, he carefully “evened the score” by tearing off a few baggage tags each shift. Each missing tag caused the airline both service headaches and lost dollars (at the time, $55 per bag on average).
•Reflect on the military supervisor who appeared to have chosen “Attila the Hun” as a role model. Upset with what they perceived as a never-ending stream of oppressive behavior, two technicians took a number of particularly expensive silver-lined spare radar batteries and buried them in the boonies. They almost immediately rotated stateside, leaving “Attila the supervisor” to account for (and partially pay for) these items upon his later rotation date.

While such examples may seem a little extreme, more subtle responses may abound; please consider the questions below and engage in a discussion with your classmates.
Have you seen or reliably heard of such behavior? If so, please cite an example. And what kind of costs/losses (financial and otherwise) might be associated with your example?

MOD 2 DISCUSSION MGT501
Order Description
Module 2: Managing Groups and Teams
Week 1: Fairness in the Workplace
Week 1: Fairness in the Workplace Actions for ‘Week 1: Fairness in the Workplace

Human perception, attitudes, and motivation are of keen importance in managing others. One important Organizational Behavior issue spanning these dimensions is the concept of “perceived fairness” in the workplace.

Fairness is such a common phenomenon in organizations that most leaders/managers typically give it little thought. If an employee says the vacation/leave, or other policy, isn’t fair, he or she might get some attention. Unfortunately, some leaders/managers fail to realize that unfairness may cause overall performance to suffer and can even have severe economic consequences. Just because you are not paying attention doesn’t mean that unfairness isn’t making a big difference to your organization’s product/ performance quality, mission readiness or completion, customer service, and/or the bottom line.
•For 20 years Charlie, a baggage handler, was an asset to his airline. Callous rule changes and harsh supervisory treatment, however, led him to covertly retaliate. For months, he carefully “evened the score” by tearing off a few baggage tags each shift. Each missing tag caused the airline both service headaches and lost dollars (at the time, $55 per bag on average).
•Reflect on the military supervisor who appeared to have chosen “Attila the Hun” as a role model. Upset with what they perceived as a never-ending stream of oppressive behavior, two technicians took a number of particularly expensive silver-lined spare radar batteries and buried them in the boonies. They almost immediately rotated stateside, leaving “Attila the supervisor” to account for (and partially pay for) these items upon his later rotation date.

While such examples may seem a little extreme, more subtle responses may abound; please consider the questions below and engage in a discussion with your classmates.
Have you seen or reliably heard of such behavior? If so, please cite an example. And what kind of costs/losses (financial and otherwise) might be associated with your example?