Dear all,

As you read the following case, you will notice that it is a meeting situation, with 8 people at one time attending the gathering. So expect your teams to comprise the same number.

You will get to know your role tomorrow morning. But put yourself in each person’s shoes, and keeping in mind the situation, think of how would you handle the conflict.

All the best.

Santana

A special meeting for an executive committee

Anand, vice president, Systems, ground his cigarette into the ashtray and thought, “Here go those Save-the-Earth people again.” He had just read a copy of a memo that Savitri, vice president, Finance, had sent to Rajiv, CEO, asking that smoking be prohibited throughout the premises of Salient Technologies – both in their Gurgaon and Pune offices.

Savitri cited health dangers, reduced productivity, rights of non-smokers, and damage to company property. Anand knew he would cite some arguments also: the rights of smokers, the unfairness of imposing new restrictions that were not in place when workers were hired, the reduced productivity due to stress from not smoking and the fact that other health-related productivity hazards (such as gross obesity) were not banned. He felt that he could easily get the support of Raghu, vice president, Marketing, and Vinay, general manager, utilities, the other two smokers in the management.

Following these developments, the CEO decides to hold a special meeting of the executive committee, made up of himself and vice presidents (which includes Anand, Savitri, Raghu and Vinay) the following week to discuss and resolve the issue. Following his mail, Savitri writes that she would like to bring to the meeting the Departmental head of HR who also supports the move to ban smoking. Anand writes back saying he would like to include Pranay and Nikhil,

two systems engineers (who he knows have made unsuccessful attempts to stop smoking at office).

Thinking of a tough situation, Rajiv calls in a long time consultant with the company to discuss the issue and possible solutions. Mr Shah immediately suggests a smoking zone. Rajiv is worried. Salient Technologies is on the 9th floor of a 12-storey building in Gurgaon, minus a right to the terrace. If employees are allowed to go for smoking breaks frequently to a zone created outside the building near parking, it might lead to significant loss of work time.