Power and Politics - Zone of Indifference

Power and Politics - Zone of Indifference

Zone of Indifference

Situation/Case

Tony is new to the team and tries to become fully immersed in the culture of the team. The team is made up of individuals who have been in various positions within the organization over an extended period of time. They have proven their ability to manage their assigned tasks with no escalations. Long lunches and extended period from their desk is the norm. Casey had made it clear to Tony that he need to find his groove before jumping in and doing as the other members did-No walking in late, no shopping no being away from your desk for extended periods. Tony however, disregarded this advice and in so doing earned the displeasure of his team lead.

He was constantly late, away from his desk for hours, and had at least seven (7) escalations per week. He had further issues with his team lead when she questioned his relationship with a fellow team member, and he in turn openly questioned her relationship within the team. His team lead became more critical of his work and time spent working. He received several verbal warnings, and one (1) written warning concerning his tardiness which he ignored and instead became non responsive to requests from his team lead.

Concept

It is believed that each person has a zone of indifference. That is the range within which the individual willingly accept instructions or tasks without questioning its validity to the organizations success. It is up to the organization to provide adequate motivation to extend the employee’s zone of indifference so that orders will be adhered to. According to Organizational Management (2012), what is contained inside the zone of indifference indicates what is agreed to as a result of a perceived psychological contract embarked upon at the acceptance of employment. A breach of this contract can lead to disobedience, loss of loyalty, higher turnover and less job satisfaction. The following strategies can be used to extend the employee’s zone of indifference.

1. Establish and maintain an effective communication system

2. Hire and retain effective personnel

3. Motivate those personnel

These strategies should be a part of the employee’s training. In a Laura Vanderkam article (Fortune Magazine 2013), it is stated that when employees are trained exclusively for an organization they are less likely to quit as quickly as their untrained counterparts. It is argued in Vanderkam’s article that banks find it useful to employ companies such as “Training The Street” to train future employee’s instead of exhausting the expensive time of senior members of staff.

Organization Researched

JPMorgan Chase & Company is one of the oldest, largest and best-known financial institutions in the world. JP Morgan has been doing first-class business in a first-class way for more than two hundred (200) years. They have been a leading player in helping companies grow and markets develop since their inception. They work in collaboration across the globe to deliver the best solutions and advice to meet their clients' needs anywhere in the world. JP Morgan operates in approximately one hundred and fifty (150) countries, and holds global leadership positions across the financial sector. This firm is built on the foundation of more than 1200 previous institutions. JPMorgan Chase & Company major heritage firms — J.P. Morgan, Chase Manhattan, Chemical, Manufacturers Hanover (in New York City) and Bank One, First Chicago, and National Bank of Detroit (in the Midwest) all had close ties in their time, to innovations in finance and the growth of the United States and global economies. As JPMorgan Chase & Company does today, these firms also made significant contributions to their local communities. JP Morgan has an exceptional team of employees who work hard to do the right thing for their clients and the firm every day. This could be seen as the reason why they are one of the most respected financial institution in the world, and why they can offer an outstanding career.

In JP Morgan Chase 2013 Code of Conduct “Integrity: It starts with you”, CEO Jamie Dimon indicates that as an organization “We are all responsible”. He went on to further state

At JPMorgan Chase, our strong reputation is our most fundamental asset and one that can only be preserved by each of us and what we do every day on behalf of the Company. We act with integrity because it’s the