CASE STUDY
A new workplace is to be established in the engineering company - a new Czech-German joint
venture, where new automated technology will be introduced. This technology will make it
possible to achieve product quality comparable to European standards, and will remove a
number of stressful elements from production operations.
However, the workers will need to undergo a special three-week training with a foreign
company. The training will be conducted by Czech-speaking instructors. Completion of the
training and the new workplace will allow for an increase in hourly wages. On the other hand,
it should be said that mastering the new job will be quite intellectually demanding at first, even
if it removes the physical and one of the instructors will be on the job for six months to help
with any problems.
Despite the good conditions and a number of positives, there is interest in the job and in training
amongst the company's existing workforce. It was expected that at least 10 to 12. However,
only 4 workers showed interest and after some persuasion 2 others. At the same time, it would
not be appropriate to recruit from elsewhere - some experience with the existing experience of
the current production process is essential for the new job. The workers who have signed up are
mostly younger 30 years of age, two are high school graduates and two are apprentices, with
no interest from older workers.
A group of 44 workers, apprenticed or employed in the engineering sector, are considered male
and female, aged between 18 and 55. It would be good if the applicant has at least two or three
years' experience, bringing the lower limit to around 21 years. It should be noted that, despite
the introduction of the new production line, it is expected that the majority of the workforce
will continue to work in the original workplace. The modernisation is only partial, with full the
transition to automated production is expected to take four to five years.
Until a few months ago, there was a great deal of interest among the workforce in the new
technology. The company's management is very unpleasantly surprised by the unexpected drop
in interest.
Tasks:
1. Identify the strategic, tactical, and operational elements of decision making in this case?
2. How would you yourself proceed in this case?