You manage a large retail department store. Your staff comprise various-sized sales/service teams; each of which manages a department's customer orders. You've been concerned about the increasing signs of poor team morale amongst the largest three teams.
What would be the most effective reaction to this situation?
You summon the three team leaders separately to hear their ideas and explanations.
Leave things to settle down a little bit longer, rather than causing anyone distress.
Approach some staff from each of the three teams for an informal chat.
Hold a brainstorm meeting for all team leaders to get some fresh ideas.
Correct answer is A
(A) is the MOST effective solution because you are further enhancing your own understanding of the underlying issues causing lower team morale. This will foster more informed decisions going forward.
The LEAST effective solution is (B). There are clearly important business issues that need to be addressed. Any further delay does not help to resolve the current situation or even try to turnaround the falls in business performance.
Option (C) may or may not reveal useful information. Again, it's hit or miss nature means that the best answer is going to offer a more pragmatic solution.
Option (D)'s brainstorming idea is a traditional solution for generating new ideas. It doesn't address the underlying issues directly so a more pragmatic solution is required.
