Reference no: EM132186145

Question: Refer to the "Sloan & Harrison: The Associate Challenge" case for this case.

1) Communication- There is a lot of mention about miscommunications that the associates have with the partners. Describe ways that they could improve their communication. Among the problems are the performance reviews and performance appraisal systems at Sloan & Harrison. How would you implement a more effective performance appraisal process that was fair and that gave more direction to the employees? Is there a certain system you would use (or combination) for assessing performance (e.g., forced ranking, management by objectives, etc.)?

2) Socialization of Employees - Sloan & Harrison appear to have problems with the socialization of their new associates by lacking mentorship and also not giving new employees a chance. How would you change the onboarding process to try and retain some "underperforming" associates such as Hagen? Do you think that it is worth it to try and retain associates such as Hagen or do have a similar feeling as Darrow does when he has the questions of "should the firm try to save them at all? If the partners were right, and cream simply rose to the top, then maybe lawyers like Hagen didn't make it very far in the firm for a reason. Was it really in the firm's best interests to make an effort to save them?"How will your socialization of new employees affect the culture of the firm?

3) Motivation of Employees - What are some of the motivational challenges that the associates face? Think of the motivation theories that we have discussed in class and describe how you could redesign the job to enhance the associates' motivation.

4) Negotiation - Imagine that you are one of the associates, Mary McDeere, who is a Tax Attorney. She is a fourth-year Associate who is about to experience the toughest stretch of the job-years five through eight. Assume that Mary started looking for a job and received a job offer from another firm that compensates about the same as what she is currently making with Sloan & Harrison. Mary wants to stay with Sloan & Harrison but feels that some things have to change for her to be happy. Describe how Mary should approach the negotiation process with Sloan & Harrison and how she could come to more agreeable terms for her working conditions.

5) Leadership/Culture - How can a company's culture that revolves around hard work to the point of unhappiness be detrimental to the company's profits and performance at large? Do you think a culture that promotes long hours and a "work is life" mentality is a culture that can raise profitability/productivity, or lower it? How? What would be the best culture shift for Sloan's long-term sustainability, profitability, and growth?

Case: Sloan & Harrison: The Associate Challenge (By Boris Groysberg and Eliot Sherman)