Jim Donovan's Stereotypes

It is important for a new manager to make a successful first impression and unfortunately, Jim Donovan scheduled a quick meeting with little preparation so he found himself in a hostile environment. He should have been more sensitive to the situation considering the present manager, Don Bird, had been in the same position for twenty-two years and the Omega company acquisitioned Famous Products, thus creating, perhaps, a hostile merger. Confronted by Bird’s hostility, it forces Donovan into a defensive position to save his image (Uhl-Bien & Schermerhorn & Obsorn, 2014).

People react to situations according to their perceptions of reality and since these perceptions are based on the political environment, it will influence the way they perceive

The text does not discuss Jim’s race or ethnicity but one can assume since he grew up on the ‘wrong side of the tracks,’ and the text describes an environment of experienced, conservative, and older men who are good friends. Due to the homogeneous group, some stereotypes and assumptions about abilities, traits or performance could be misconstrued (Uhl-Bien & Schermerhorn & Obsorn, 2014).

Another distortion is age and ability. The text says Jim Donovan is 37 years old; however, the management team is described in their early 60’s. These could be points of conflict based upon age stereotypes. The older men might see Jim Donovan as not having the same values or work ethics as they do, they might think he has a sense of entitlement and not be as hard working (Uhl-Bien & Schermerhorn & Obsorn, 2014).

Many such attitudes are deeply entrenched, and they are often supported by self-interest. Members of groups that have enjoyed privileged access to certain jobs will not want to relinquish their advantages. Moreover, identities are often linked to attitudes towards other identities. Removing the bias towards others will undermine the identity

Giuseppe Labianca in his paper, Social Networks and Perceptions of Intergroup Conflict, discusses how “perceptions become increasingly inaccurate and tend to fuel further conflict.” He goes on to say these shared perceptions develop into the ‘enemy,’ and branded with unaccomplishment labels to the point where the in-group may develop a ‘moral image.’ Labianca found the more friendships that existed among the group, the higher percentage of shared bias and the halo effect could have occurred.

Jim Donovan could have better managed the situation through better planning, leading, organizing and controlling of it. He knew he was walking into an uncertain environment so he should have attempted to reduce the perceptions by putting effort into more communication, inspiring the team, and ensuring that fair decision-making procedures were in place (Chen, 2008).

A way he could build his image is through impression management by dressing appropriately and using business etiquette. A way of managing his impression is to demonstrate he possesses characteristics and behaviors that make him a person of worth, a leader, and a contributor to the organization. Dubrin outlines these characteristics in his book, Impression Management in the