DB's Pixnet

Harvard Business Review, June 2012
Page 135, Case Study
How should a business owner handle a conflict between two senior manager?
by H. Irving Grousbeck
When Key Employees Clash

The caller ID on Matthew Spark's phone read "Kid Spectrum, Inc." It was someone from the Orlando office, probably administrative director Ellen Larson. She had been in daily contact with Matthew since he purchased the company, a provider of in-home services for autistic children, eight month ago. He appreciated Ellen's eagerness to help him build the business, even if she was sometimes high-maintenance. Kid Spectrum's previous owner, Arthur Hamel, had told Matthew that Ellen, with nearly two decades of experience in health services, would be one of his biggest assets.

"Matthew, it's Ellen. I don't want to bother you again, but we have a situation down here."

Matthew sat back in his chair and readied himself. The "situation" could be anything from the copier running out of ink to the building catching on fire...

DB, SSN057-86-4042,
June 29, 2012, Friday,
National Central Library,
Taipei City