Treadway Tire Case Study

The Treadway Tire Company Case Study looked at the factors affecting the foreman leading to their high level of dissatisfaction. Ashley Wall, Director of Human Resources, was dealing with several concerns including a lack of proper training, a low level of morale, and a high turnover rate. Many of the concerns that Wall was charged with handling are closely associated with those that we face as administrators today.

It appears that Ashley may need to reexamine the condition of the Treadway Tire Company using the temporal lens placing a focus on performance and training within the company. According to Skinner and Beckham, foreman who were recently promoted to their positions were receiving very little training from their supervisors as they were told to "keep their eyes open for trouble makers and let them know who is boss" (2008). Many come to the position with very little knowledge of specialty areas or how to handle personnel concerns including working with the union. Although the company recognized the problem and developed a training program, they were unable to follow through due to budgetary restraints.

Additionally a low level of morale was noted through employee surveys and exit interviews. Again many felt unprepared to accomplish the duties of their job and saw few opportunities for advancement. Employees noted a high level of dissatisfaction with their working conditions and supervisors. There was also mention of a lack of communication and respect (Skinner and Beckham, 2008).

Wall is forced to find an answer to a complex issue with the use of minimal resources. She is aware that the turnover rate is a multifaceted problem, and the recommendations that are made will require a great deal of analysis with an overall goal of staffing a productive tire plant.

According to Coghlan and Brannick, in order for Wall to manage her superiors, peers, and colleagues, she must first consider the ten key power relationships (129). She is in a position within the company where an action research process would be of great benefit to help provide an in-depth analysis of the problem existing within the company, a procedure for constructing, planning and implementing a plan for intervention, and an evaluation to determine the outcomes of the actions. One of the most important pieces for Wall as she takes the necessary steps to complete the action research process is developing relationships with those that can help her begin to solve the problem existing within the Treadway Tire Company.

One of the first relationships that Wall should begin to focus on is the relationship of executives with each other. Those who are noted to be on the same level as Wall are the controller, operations director, and industrial engineering director. The cooperation of these individuals may deem to be significant as cooperation is needed through the action research process (129). A second important relationship to