One day, in the middle of March, Mr. Yamamoto happened to bump into Mr. Fujita on the train home. Mr. Fujita works in the construction unit and graduated from the same high school as Mr. Yamamoto did. Mr. Yamamoto questioned Mr. Fujita about the atmosphere in his division over the creation of a new plan. Mr. Fujita explained that the quarrel between Mr. Nishimoto and Mr. Kawada had a negative effect on other staff. Nobody dared to mention, yet alone think about, a plan for next year.
After due consideration, Mr. Yamamoto spoke up about this at the unit chiefs' meeting on March 18. "As for the new plan I asked you to make, you appear to be finding difficulty in putting one together. I have drafted a plan of my own. I would like every member of staff to think it over, and free comment from all."
The meeting was immediately opened to one in which all staff members attend. The director's plan was distributed and every member of staff was invited to express their opinion： Little was put forward, however, except a few questions to clarify the meaning of particular sentences in the draft. Mr. Yamamoto took this as a sign of approval and the meeting was adjourned.
Not enough time was allocated for staff to make concrete plans. Mr. Yamamoto, concerned about the creativity of his staff, formulated a concrete plan of his own, a few days later. Following this, he issued instructions to each unit as to its implementation. He believed it inevitable that his own plan would be adopted over Mr. Kawada's plan. He also convinced himself that the way in which he had handled this was completely democratic since he had asked everyone to comment on his draft at the meeting.
Immediately after this, an uneasy atmosphere descended on the entire division. Sensing this, Mr. Yamamoto held social gatherings and attempted to converse informally with individual members of staff to soften embarrassment. The bad atmosphere eased a little as a result, and good relationships resumed among staff.
The positive attitude that he desired to instill among staff, however, failed to materialize. Although relieved to see a good atmosphere return to the office, he still felt somewhat dissatisfied with the situation.
(Discussion Points)
・What do you think about Mr. Yamamoto's action in this case ?
・What measures do you think appropriate to encourage a creative approach among staff ?
