KATE

Strolling around the gym one day, Kate, the head of BFGym, was surprised to have
overheard several of the employees talk about quitting their jobs. Knowing how crucial her
employees are for the effective functioning of the gym, Kate took the remarks seriously and
decided to look further into the issue. She wanted to gain more information in an attempt to
keep her staff from quitting. After all, turnover costs are high and Kate did not want to
disrupt the atmosphere at the gym. She started off by talking directly to the employees and
found out several issues among the class instructors that need to be addressed.

Kate noted these viewpoints and wondered how to address these complaints. One of her
main objectives is to keep the gym smoothly running and ensure customer satisfaction. She
knew very well that to realize her objectives, she needs to have a motivated workforce. One
of the ways in which she set out doing so was asking her staff members to come up with
solutions to their problems. Kate thought that by gaining ownership to potential solutions,
she will have the gym ‘back on track’. Kate summoned the 5 trainers to a meeting where she
tasked them with presenting their solutions in a week’s time, at the upcoming management
meeting.

PHILIP
Philip, a 32-year-old class instructor, has been working in BFGym for the past 4 years. Philip
is a spinning instructor and while he enjoys teaching and interacting with others, he
reported being very bored and ‘un-inspired’ for having been assigned the same spinning
class for the past year. He also complained that the attrition rate in the classes is quite high
which deters him from forming effective instructor-trainee relationships. Philip was also
upset with the new changes at the gym – particularly in changing the trainers’ breakout
room to a 2 workout room. He felt that this massively affected the amount of quality social
interaction that he gets. At many points during the day, he felt drained and out of energy.

Group Meeting: Philip, Jo, and Nick, Jane, and Robin

Three days prior to the management meeting, Philip asked the rest of his group members to
meet up to discuss potential solutions. While they all did not find it ideal to hold the
meeting after working hours, they had no choice given the full schedule they had at the
gym. Being dominant as he is, Philip instantly assumes the leadership position to organise
the task at hand. He kicks off the meeting by asking group members for their desired
solutions. As everyone tries to contribute, Nick’s input is somehow discarded. Although Nick
felt bad during the meeting, he refrained from voicing his opinion. Nick felt that he did not
belong to the group; the remaining members have known each other for quite some time
and felt left out. He remained silent for the rest of the meeting. While Philip noticed that
Nick was not contributing anymore, he felt he had neither the time nor the energy to deal
with the issue and left things as they were.
On the other hand, Robin and Jo did not really have much to bring to the table. Whatever
Philip suggested, they adopted. Throughout the meeting, they appeared agitated and
wanted to get it done with. They thought that they have already had a long and tiring day at
the gym and would just want to make it home to their families by dinner time. Philip was
quite unhappy with Robin’s and Jo’s attitude – he also wanted to go home but felt
responsible for finishing the task at hand. When Philip confronted Robin and Jo that they are
being negative and impeding the group’s progress, both parties exchanged some harsh
accusations that were only settled down when Jane interfered.
The main contributor in the group meeting was Jane. Being enthusiastic as she is, she
actively tried to come up with creative solutions to their problems. She not only considered
her own preferences but was also keen on giving suggestions that would benefit the other
trainers. The rest of the team members respected Jane for her ideas and for her initiative.
Jane was generally bothered with the strict structure at the gym and jumped at the
opportunity of providing suggestions and being heard. Philip was very pleased with Jane’s
input; he took her points on board and displayed them in the group presentation.