I’m not a Star but, please, don’t call me a Jerk.

(This article for Veronica's Creativity module's second blog assignment)

Honestly, I never thought before who is a star, who is a jerk I worked with. May be it is because I always think in the positive way that everyone should have two sides, both bad and good side. The problem which has to be solved is how to use people in the most useful way or how to “Put the right man in the right job”.

When I read this article “What a star, what a jerk”, first thing which came in to my mind was “This is the funniest article which I have been read since I arrived Sweden!” I think many students also accept it. The story about how to deal with some people you don’t like, some people who make a problem to organization always attract me. That’s why I choose this article which caught me up the most.

The different between management culture is the important thing I’m thinking about. In western style, it’s easier to fire someone out from your company but, I would like to share, in Thailand, the company where I used to work with rarely fire someone out. Company always keep employee though he is the low performer or made problems to the company.

If Andy is working in the Thai company where I used to, I think the problem “how to fire him out?” will not be raised. Thai people always deal with relationship problem softer than western. We always avoid directly criticism to someone we do not like. So what Jane has to do is to put Andy the other job which has less working in group. He is very great in his work and in individual routine so I agree with Chuck Mckenzie’s suggestion to isolate him in the place that he rarely could poisoning other employees in the company.

This article made me think about my real life experience, I also have a friend who has a top performance but bad relationship with other colleagues. I wonder if I worked with him, we may not be a friend until now. Anyway, his boss really like him because of his works are so great undeniably. Let’s see what the boss deal with him, he places my friend to the position which just work directly to him, no need to work in group and the result is satisfactory. My friend feel so happy that he has freedom to work with full of his potential, the boss still receive a good performance from my friend and other employees never be poisoned from him anymore.

But, if the company is focusing to the job which has to be done in group, unavoidably need team work, what should we do? The answer is we have to change him and I found it from Edward De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats that the process to play the role-playing game can be used like a “Therapy” for Andy. Jane can give Andy the yellow hat, the role to say everything in the positive way, in the meeting. It may be not work efficiently to change him at first but at least he can stop yelling to someone for a while and that is the first thing the team need. And when Andy play this role more often, who knows, maybe he will become the most positive thinking employee for the team!

Either before or after I read this article, I still thinking that firing him out is not the real answer. No one can be all good or all bad. This article just show the good and bad parts of Andy but, what about Caroline? What about Jane? I’m quite sure they have something as the bad parts which never been told in this article. Nevertheless, manager can use this option as the last resort if Andy’s behavior really made company’s overall performance drop and cannot change him no matter how hard the manger try. But , I still insist, that is the last resort.

References

Cliff, S. (2001). What a Star – What a Jerk. Harvard Business Review, September 2001

De Bono, Edward (2000). Six Thinking Hats. Penguin, ISBN 0140296662.