Mpc CaseIn the case of MPC (motor parts Corporation) Bob is the president of the company. It has a full range staff including top level executives as well as a wide variety of regional and district managers. In the chapter covering communication we look at the many forms of communication. Styles of which containing verbal, as well as nonverbal. Different styles of formalities such as informal, formal, gossip and rumor. Also included in this category are upward and downward communication encoding, decoding, and feedback. We also looked at the way communication networks work & their various styles such as all connected network, a wheel network, a circle network. In the case of MPC a breach of communication or lack of communication is putting strain and stress on this organization that could spell a disastrous outcome for one of its employees. Bob has a top level executive named Al Shepherd. Al is Executive Vice President and the top level salesmen. Unfortunately Al is not devoting much of his time towards corporate profits, expansion, or many of his duties he is responsible for. His wife is suffering a dramatic brain tumor that is malignant. For two years his has devoted much of his free time to attending hospitals, doctor appointments, physician care, as well as treatment centers. One would surmise it seems that he is completely consumed in her health and recovery. Bob cannot help but notice the increasing less subtle references by others to the problems that are surrounding Mr. Shepherd. Many of his other executives have problems of their own for example Mr. Unger VP marketing his son is a drug addict and was thrown out of college. Mr. Arnell is in the middle of the divorce, and Bob himself is receiving pressure from the Board of Directors. There is growing concern on whether or not Mr. Shepherd is able to fulfill his duties and roles as Executive Vice President. There been concerns on his management style from going originally from a Y-shaped network delegating
a high level communications to a circle network, but the issue of maintaining the best form of communication is growing in urgency. Mr. Arnell is being very critical of how his organization is handling his health issues. Many of the meetings and presentations are in the direction of his son. A few meetings recently were with Mr. Arnell’s health issues and the issue of his relationship with his wife. One of the discussions discussed was about Mr. Arnell’s son. Mr. Arnell was clearly struggling at a critical stage of his life and was having difficulty communicating a simple concept that was central to him. When one asked him, “What is his problem today?” he simply replied in a calm voice
“There are two problems in business.”
In this one conversation, Mr. Arnell seems to be in the process of making sure it is clear to all, “We need support for the family issues in this situation. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He seems to be at odds with a number of his colleagues who are aware that the family and their organization are being affected by his disease in the same way his son is suffering from it. The most direct examples of the issues that he has been dealing with today are his family’s business situation.
• “What does he expect from me and his family when he grows up”
“I like him a lot, he’s the kind of person who cares about the family.
“I do miss him. I like family too much.”
This same line, along with the lack of communication that Mr. Arnell has been having with Mr. Shepherd over his son’s health, appear to have been part of their relationship. That these two issues are impacting his family business also seems to be part of his concern for his brother and himself.
• “How can you explain what is so really going through my body? How can I describe it in terms of all the pain and stress coming from my body, how can I describe it in terms of being sick? Why am I suffering from pain issues? Am I making an enormous mistake? How can I explain my problems? I am afraid of how to manage my own situation. I am not having any of that. That is why he is trying to come up with a positive outlook of my situation for my brother and also my son. It is very hard to explain how all of the pain, stress and stress and feelings that he has that he is experiencing should really not be reflected in the medical care he is receiving anymore, it should be reflected in terms of the physical and psychological stress that he is dealing with.
• “Where is all my business? Why aren’t I making calls on what I love about my brother because he is just as important to me right now? Why are this meetings going on without me because he is sick? Why