Case Studies
PHIL'S DEMOTION
Phil grew up in a northeastern city, in an environment that respected the large industrial companies in his area. Success to Phil meant going to school, getting a good education, and then rising up through the many layers of one of the large corporations in his community.
At 40, Phil had reached most of his goals. He was a mid-level manager in charge of 150 employees. He had a comfortable income. And his performance evaluations over the years had been very good.
But then the plant reorganized under a different management philosophy that sought to thin out the ranks of mid-level management. Phil was offered a staff position or the option of taking a job at the next lower level with some of the people he used to supervise.
He chose the latter, wanting to remain loyal. But within a week, Phil lost his motivation to work. He overheard a couple of his "new peers" cracking jokes about how the boss got demoted. He felt angry, frustrated, and most of all humiliated.
At home, he became unusually grumpy and angry with his family. Yet he refused to talk about his work situation. In fact, an entire month went by after his demotion before his wife found out about the situation -- through the wife of another associate of Phil's.
Discussion Questions
What does work mean to a person like Phil? Why?
Why do you think Phil did not tell his wife about his demotion?
What factors are involved in Phil's feelings about himself?
Phil's situation is increasingly common. The work world today is in tremendous flux, especially for corporate mid-management. What would you say to encourage a person totally devastated by a change in his/her job?
Have you ever gone through a situation similar to Phil's? How did you feel? What did you do in response?
Phil's Demotion
Phil grew up in a northeastern city, in an environment that respected the large industrial companies in his area. Success to Phil meant going to school, getting a good education, and then rising up through the many layers of one of the large corporations in his community.
At 40, Phil had reached most of his goals. He was a mid-level manager in charge of 150 employees. He had a comfortable income. And his performance evaluations over the years had been very good.
But then the plant reorganized under a different management philosophy that sought to thin out the ranks of mid-level management. Phil was offered a staff position or the option of taking a job at the next lower level with some of the people he used to supervise.
He chose the latter, wanting to remain loyal. But within a week, Phil lost his motivation to work. He overheard a couple of his "new peers" cracking jokes about how the boss got demoted. He felt angry, frustrated, and most of all humiliated.
At home, he became unusually grumpy and angry with his family. Yet he refused to talk about his work situation. In fact, an entire month went by after his demotion before his wife found out about the situation -- through the wife of another associate of Phil's.
Discussion Questions
What does work mean to a person like Phil? Why?
Why do you think Phil did not tell his wife about his demotion?
What factors are involved in Phil's feelings about himself?
Phil's situation is increasingly common. The work world today is in tremendous flux, especially for corporate mid-management. What would you say to encourage a person totally devastated by a change in his/her job?
Have you ever gone through a situation similar to Phil's? How did you feel? What did you do in response?
Phil's Demotion
Phil grew up in a northeastern city, in an environment that respected the large industrial companies in his area. Success to Phil meant going to school, getting a good education, and then rising up through the many layers of one of the large corporations in his community.
At 40, Phil had reached most of his goals. He was a mid-level manager in charge of 150 employees. He had a comfortable income. And his performance evaluations over the years had been very good.
But then the plant reorganized under a different management philosophy that sought to thin out the ranks of mid-level management. Phil was offered a staff position or the option of taking a job at the next lower level with some of the people he used to supervise.
He chose the latter, wanting to remain loyal. But within a week, Phil lost his motivation to work. He overheard a couple of his "new peers" cracking jokes about how the boss got demoted. He felt angry, frustrated, and most of all humiliated.
At home, he became unusually grumpy and angry with his family. Yet he refused to talk about his work situation. In fact, an entire month went by after his demotion before his wife found out about the situation -- through the wife of another associate of Phil's.
Discussion Questions
What does work mean to a person like Phil? Why?
Why do you think Phil did not tell his wife about his demotion?
What factors are involved in Phil's feelings about himself?
Phil's situation is increasingly common. The work world today is in tremendous flux, especially for corporate mid-management. What would you say to encourage a person totally devastated by a change in his/her job?
Have you ever gone through a situation similar to Phil's? How did you feel? What did you do in response?
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