Kay Sunderland: Making the Grade at
Attain Learning
1. Describe Sunderland’s management and work style. What are her sources of power?
A. Sunderland had a lot of experience in managing large high profile accounts which contributed to her management style. It was these experiences that built her expertise.
She is a professional through and through. Sunderland is investigative and is gifted with a strategic mind-set. She is viewed as a source of knowledge and client insight.
Her insightful critique is admired by even her own subordinates. Conventional and production-oriented, Kay Sunderland is known for speaking her mind out. She has a single minded approach that aims at delivering everything that the client asks for, just as they
Sunderland, likewise, values Mike’s creative touch and enthusiasm about sales.
However, the current problem threatens to dent their relationship, as Mike’s persistent efforts at convincing Nunez have become infuriating for Sunderland. It threatens their very business relationship with Gramen, a prospective high profile client for Attain. Sunderland now seeks to address this issue with a colleague she has worked with for two years and really values.
5. What should Sunderland do? Please be specific about the approach and tactics she should use.
A. The kind of working relationship that Kay and Mike share suggests that Kay would be better off using direct one to one tactics in approaching the problem at hand. Despite differences of opinions, they are known for having long conversations and working together well, which is suggestive of the fact that persuasion, assertion, bridging and attracting could help in working out the solution. To convince Mike of the criticality of understanding the client’s requirement, she should arrange for a face-toface meeting and assert to Mike that it makes business sense for the client to dictate his requirements and expect them in the first program. However, as the business proliferates and the client’s trust in Mike’s ideas builds up, Mike would be able to display his creative talents, that too on a