Karen Leary Case

If I was Leary, I would engage Chung in a negotiation in a formal setting, and take a firm stance of not giving him his office. I would refocus my approach to problem solving and ask Chung questions about what he really wants and the steps he can take achieve his demands. If Chung is unwilling to willingly listen to me, the only other option would be to fire him.

If I was Leary, I would first assess whether or not Chung’s actions gave first priority to Merill Lynch’s long term goals of customer oriented focus and his performance standards. Then I would assess how well Chung fit into the company’s culture, assessing his attitude towards his peers, towards me, and towards company norms. Chung’s performance has been stellar so far for 1 client, but his track record does not show long term credibility. Chung did not climb the same corporate ladder that Leary did and because of cultural differences, he does not understand that there are circumstances to be met to receive his own office. However, since Ted will be critical Karen’s goal for developing the Taiwanese market, she must find a way to take down the cultural barrier. Because of this I would give Chung a list of requirements/achievements that he must complete and succeed in before he is able to be considered for a private office.

Chung was in tune with Merrill’s core value of forming of a tight bond with his client, while generating substantial revenue, he is a rising star in the corporation. Because of this, he needs to be rewarded for his hard work. Chung views himself as a champion because of all the praise he is getting by his peers, but he is not getting the reward he feels he deserves. However, in spite of him doing his job correctly, he does not understand that the office is treated as a family and needs to learn the protocols that must be met before having an office.

Karen Leary did a fine job of building an effective branch office. The obstacle that was holding her and