Toby Butterfield worked his way upward in the Montclair Company until he became assistant plant manager in the Illinois plant. Finally, his opportunity for a promotion came. The Houston plant was having difficulty meeting its budget and production quotas, so he was promoted to plant manager and transferred to the Houston plant with instruction to “straighten it out”. Butterfield was ambitious and somewhat power-oriented. He believed that the best way to solve problems was to take control, make decisions, and use his authority to carry out his decisions.
After preliminary study, he issued orders for each department to cut out its budget 5 percent. A week later he instructed all departments to increase production 10 percent by the following month. He required several new reports and kept a close watch on operations. At the end of the second month he dismissed three supervisors who failed to meet their production quotas. Five other supervisors resigned. Butterfield insisted that all rules and budgets should be followed, and no exceptions. Butterfield’s effort produced remarkable results.
Productivity quickly exceeded standard by 7 percent, and within five months the plant was within budget. His record was so outstanding that he was promoted to the New York home office near the end of his second year. Within a month after he left, productivity in the Houston plant collapsed to 15 percent below standard, and the budget again was in trouble. Questions 1. Discuss the models of organization behavior Butterfield used and the kind of organizational climate he created. 2. Discuss why productivity dropped when Butterfield left the Houston plant.
3. If you were Butterfield’s New York manager, what would you tell him about his approach? How might he respond? Answers 1. Toby used the Autocratic Model of Organizational Behavior where he used his authority to carry out his plans and decisions. He put some rules and regulations in the Houston Plant. He instructed to all departments to increase their production of 10% and those who will fail to meet their production quotas will be dismissed from the job. In this case, the employees become depended on their boss. They only obey what Butterfield told to them to do.
The approach that Butterfield used is based only on power and authority. The employees have no voice in the organization. Because of this, Toby Butterfield created an organization where the employees were filled with fear to commit a mistake. The employees are doing only their job because of that fear and not because they are motivated properly. 2. Productivity dropped when Butterfield left the Houston Plant because Butterfield was the only one who took control on the production. By his command, the employees are forced to do their responsibilities. In short, without Toby, they cannot move.
They are only depended on their boss. 3. If I were Butterfield’s New York manager, I will tell him that his approach is good but I think it is better to use another model of organizational behavior. For me, a manager should be a good leader rather than a powerful boss who will motivate his employees to perform their task responsibly, willingly and properly. Beside of making the organization more productive, it is also necessary to enhance the ability, skill and behavior of the employees. A good manager should give them trust, confidence, care and support. These factors will mold them to be more productive individuals.
