SCENARIO:
The IT director of a research organization has created an innovative software application that enables researchers around the world to conduct research more efficiently. The application has been a great success; it has won several awards and has received recognition from industry leaders. Over time, the IT director has bragged about the success of the program, stating that no one else could have come up with this idea.
Even though the organization's mission is to be a learning organization with a strong commitment to knowledge sharing, the IT director has refused to share knowledge of the application with anyone else in the organization for fear of losing power and control. The organization's leadership won't confront the IT director about this because there is no contingency plan if the IT director were to get upset and quit. While the IT team reports to the IT director, the IT director has no direct supervisor.
Recently, the HR manager received a verbal complaint that the IT director openly yelled at the IT team during a meeting—intimidating staff and making them feel worthless. Upon examining the issue, the HR manager learns that the IT director constantly overworks employees and treats them in an intimidating manner. The HR manager discovers that the IT director has created a culture of being uncollaborative by explicitly telling the rest of the IT team not to share any of the department's secrets. Furthermore, the IT team has been told to lie about the status of certain projects by stating that work is being done when in fact it is not.
1. How should the HR manager report these findings to the organization's leadership?
2. Which solution should the HR manager suggest to reinforce the organization's commitment to being a learning organization?
3. Which strategy would help assess and correct the collaboration issues the IT department is facing?
4. Which key problems affecting the IT department should the HR manager present to the organization's leadership?
5. Based on the initial discoveries of the HR manager, which action(s) should be taken against the IT director?
6. Which approach should the HR manager recommend to the organization's leadership to address the IT director's behavior?