Introduction
Staples, inc. was a nationwide office supplies super store. Jeanne Lewis joined this superstore during her interim and even after her graduation she went back to this organisation (Suesse & Hill, 2000, p.1). At first she was the head of the sales and marketing department. She joined this department when the sales were low. She believed that this department would only continue to compete with its competitors by building consumer loyalty because when customers are retained a continuous purchase of supplies would be achieved. In addition, the organization had also to meet its short-term and long-term financial objectives so as to continue supplying. Marketing department would increase its sales if employees’ promotion is done appropriately and an effective business strategy is designed and implemented. Due to her ethical behaviors, Lewis landed to many positions and departments to influence employees’ behavior in the organization.
Lewis used some ethical tactics to influence the behavior of the employees in the staples organisation and these ethics are described in the easy. The essay also discusses Lewis ethical behavior in light of her decision to work with her employees until she was confident in the strength of her team.
Lewis ethical tactics to influence behavior
In the operations, Lewis initially made tough choices according to her case and her efforts were recognized in the achievements of her team. She was a good leader because she was able to have a team which had set aggressive standards. In the case it is also evident that, her team launched employee training and this helped in improving their performance in the organisation. Therefore as a leader she initiated the strategies, motivated the employees, planned and also guided her team (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2008, p.210).
The other ethical tactic that Lewis used to influence behavior was her approach to individual. This is evident when she termed her interaction with the team as a professional growth. According to the case, her hard work and determination impressed the other works. One employee commented that Lewis personality motivated them. The employee commented “Jeanne’s charm could be disarming. She worked really hard, and her personality motivated you. She tended to manage tightly at first, and then loosened the reigns. She challenged us a lot, and invited us to challenge each other.” (Suesse & Hill, 2000, p.4). Therefore her approach to individual and also her personality influenced the employees’ behavior and they became motivated.
In addition, Lewis influenced the behavior of the employees by respecting individuals. This showed that, she realized that her work mates were of great importance and this is demonstrated in the case when she loosened the reigns. This was a sign of kindness and courtesy to the employees. This ethical tactic influenced the behavior of the employees and they became motivated by her personality.
Lewis ethical behavior
Lewis ethical behavior which helped her to work until she had confidence with her team was her commitment to the company and the workers. Lewis did not impact change in the company immediately she was hired but it took her some time. She learned all the details of the company with time and she was liked and respected by the other employees. This is evident in the case where a worker noted that,” she began to bring us together as a team, and also to include other departments. When I would hand her a report, she would sometimes say, ‘make sure Rich Gentry gets this.’ I think one of the reasons she wanted to bring -in other departments was because she hadn’t been here from the beginning the way Todd had, so she couldn’t have possibly known everything he did. It helped her to have support.” (Suesse & Hill, 2000, p.12).
According to the case Lewis had a desire for change in the company. By the time Lewis was hired in the company it was experiencing consistent growth and also it had aggressive leadership (Suesse & Hill, 2000, p.3). Despite this, Lewis realized a need for change in the company as she landed in various positions. This is demonstrated where she recommended that “if staples was going to meet its aggressive goals, a more integrative organizational approach was needed.” This shows that she was ambitious and dynamic.
Lewis had a desire to impact people as well as the company. According to the case, she worked hard and was also determined and this influenced the behavior of the employees although at first they thought that her charm could be disarming (Suesse & Hill, 2000, p.4). She also had a personality that workers admired. It is also recorded that she managed tightly at first. This shows she had a desire to impact the company.
Conclusion
According to the case, Lewis had some ethical tactics to influence the behavior of the employees. Some of her ethical tactics were, respect for individual, her approach to individual and her personality and hard work. She used this tactics to motivate the workers. For example her personality motivated the workers and therefore she challenged them and influenced them to challenge each other. Lewis had ethical behaviors such as commitment to the company; desire to impact both the workers and the company and desire for change. Therefore a leader in an organisation should be able to motivate, plan and guide his/her team so as to achieve the goals and objectives of the organisation according to the case.
Reference List
- Kreitner, R. & Kinicki, A. (2008). Organizational Behavior (8th Ed.). Boston: Irwin, McGraw- Hill.
- Suesse, M.J. & Hill, A. L. (2000). Jeanne Lewis at staples, Inc. (A).