Thomas Green: Power, office Politics, and a Career in Crisis

Power, Office Politics, and Career in Crisis

In this essay I will attempt to answer why the actions of Thomas Green were so different than what his boss Frank Davis expected of him. I will also address the individual agendas of the two bosses and how each person wants to be treated. In identifying the power bases that were used by each person, I will go to French and Ravens personal bases of power to see how each could have used them more effectively, while also identifying if any of those powers were abused. An old Yugoslavian Proverb states, "If you wish to know what a man is, place him in authority!"

Actions Differ from Expectations

From the information given Thomas Greens promotion given by Shannon McDonald was one that put him in a very difficult situation from the beginning. His new boss, Frank Davis, was promoted out of the very position that Green just assumed and Davis had not wanted to promote Green to this position in the first place.

Then Thomas spent most all of his time during that first week reviewing the old sales reviews, after which during the following week, Frank Davis gave Tom a whirl wind review and tour of all the major airline clients he had contact with for the company. After which Frank told Tom that their meetings had gone good and the clients really liked his ideas. At which point Frank said, "I think we would have been more effective if we had been able to provide the clients with some market data." (Sasser & Beckham, 2008)

Frank even gave Tom some very specific things he needed to do like; spending a lot of time preparing to meet the clients and have proposals with supporting details that can be given to the clients. He also tasked him with developing the Market Strategy for his assigned area of responsibility. The back ground of Tom was that he is a guy that is able to keep it all in his head and this makes a great salesman, but his new position is one that requires him to have the documentation to back up what he is presenting, so that these companies have spreadsheets to take to their bosses for approval.

It does appear that Frank does have a problem with Tom being in this position, especially after the budget planning meeting in which Tom vocally disagreed with Frank on his projected growth of double digits in a time when the economy is showing a decline and he had not asked for Toms input prior to the meeting. From this point on each took on a whole new stance towards one another, which was the downfall to their professional relationship. Since Frank had just been promoted out of Tom's new position, he had used that knowledge to formulate the projected growth he saw and Tom used his current meetings with all the clients to make his judgment call. So it is easy to see from the outside how they were at an impasse on this projected growth number and why each was holding his ground.

Individual Agendas

The agendas of Davis and McDonald were very different and on totally opposite levels. McDonald had promoted Green based upon the facts that he had super strong numbers and he had great rapport with all of his clients. Green had gotten the attention of her and Mary Jacobs, who was the national sales director in the company and at a meeting that was held at Headquarters, they got to know him really well. Come to find out, Green and McDonald were both Graduates of the University of Georgia and both were from Georgia as well. McDonald had many informal meetings with Green during his visit and that is when he became aware of the opening of the senior market specialist.

Davis on the other hand had a whole different approach that he wanted to take in filling the open position, but seeing as how McDonald was his boss, he didn't really have much of a say when he was told that Green would be filling the senior market specialist position. This is where it started to cause the tension that built between him and Green.

Treatment and Power Bases

It is safe to say that each person wants to be respected for their current position and points of view. Tom being the new guy on the block wants to prove himself just as much as Frank does in his new position as Marketing Director. The huge problem that I see, is that Tom started talking to others in the office area about how he totally disagrees with Franks numbers in projected growth.

A week after this meeting took place Frank set Tom up with an appointment in his outlook

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