This is a request for help. I am working on a college textbook on
supervisory management. The target market is this course as taught mainly
in community colleges and state colleges and universities. The book is
unique in that it is based on the systems view of organization, with an
emphasis on process management, continuous improvement, and customer
satisfaction.
Here's the help I need: One of the elements included in these texts is
chapter-end cases. These tend to be about 3-5 paragraphs long, describing
some situation relevant to the chapter, with two or three questions to guide
student analysis. With higher level texts, such as for management, one can
usually find material for these cases from magazines such as Business Week
or Fortune. However, there are few sources of material for cases dealing
with first-line supervisors. Of course, I could make up situations, but
these are never as good or as convincing as cases from real organizations
(for profit or otherwise).
So my request is for you to submit such cases from your organization or
company or consulting experience to me via e-mail (my address is below).
They should especially focus on the relation of supervisors with their
employees and/or managers. The table of contents for the book is at the end
of this message, so you can see the specific areas in which I need cases.
The following is an example of a case from a competing text that will give
you an idea of what I am looking for and the format. Any cases chosen will
be appropriately acknowledged, and I will make sure you get a copy of the
book when it is published (currently scheduled for summer, 1996).
Finally, I am looking for supervisors to interview for chapter opening
anecdotes, so if you can supply me with names of supervisors who might be
willing to talk to me about what they do to facilitate the success of those
they supervise and the organization as a whole, that would be great.
If you would like to participate as a contibutor of a case or want to
recommend someone I can interview, let me know via e-mail (or call or fax
directly), and I will be happy to send you the table of contents (which
covers the standard topics such as planning, motivating, decision making,
communication, and so on, but all addressed from the perspective of managing
systems and processes). I can also send you a sample case so you can see
what one is like.
Thanks very much for your help.
John Woods
jwoods@execpc.com
Madison, WI
(608) 273-3710
fax: (608) 274-4554