Ebrahim El Kalza Case

Executive Summary

Ebrahim El Kalza is a bright entrepreneurial intern at Matthews Management Consulting, a well respected international firm with many fortune 500 clients. El Kalza has requested the opportunity to work on a project in Abu Dhabi. While his past projects been well received by management he is facing challenges working on the current project under the supervision of Mahfouz. On three separate occasions El Kalza has been reprimanded by his superiors, and as a result he is contemplating whether he should remain in the field or pursue other opportunities,

Looking at issues face by El Kalza through the lenses of organizational behaviour theories, it's clear that El Kalza's problems are stemming from two issues, power and conflict. In the interactions between El Kalza and his superiors, El Kalza is faced with misuse of coercive and reward power. In essence his superiors are threatening his future with the organization if he does not comply and work harder to meet their objectives. While to some extent their actions are justified by use of legitimate power, their lack of willingness to communicate or provide clarity is causing unnecessary conflict. Conflict within organizations is common. Conflict can at times have positive results. This is not true of conflict between El Kalza and his superiors. The lack of clarity on organizational rules, as well as inability for Mahfouz and his superior to communicate properly and El Kalza's unwillingness to continue communicating has created a situation that can lead to undesirable outcomes.

To avoid experiences undesirable outcomes our recommendations are as follows:

• For El Kalza to request implementation of specific job descriptions, including the requirements for completion of projects, the number of hours of work necessary, and any requirements surrounding the standards of report creation.

• For