Case Study 1

Desmond, a 40-year-old male, had stopped work for a few years but managed to get a post as a supervisor in a steel company recently. Unfortunately, things did not really work out the way he probably would have wanted. He found that he could not get along with his colleagues, and had a hard time trying to work according to schedules. There were a few times he could not complete his tasks within the time stipulated.

Desmond knew that going back to work was totally his decision, but he became very ineffective because he was trying to do things according to past practices. On his first day of work, he conducted a meeting with his subordinates and told them that he had many years of experience and therefore they would have to listen to his instructions. He told them that he could not tolerate subordinates who thought that they could do better than himself just because they had higher qualifications. He insisted that in this industry, seniority was important.

Subsequently, he confronted his colleagues and instructed them on what to do daily. On several occasions, he insisted that the younger colleagues complied with his orders and would not listen to their suggestions or reasons. He would argue his point and use his authority to tell them off. A few times, Desmond’s methods did not work, but he insisted that he was right and would blame the person who did it for not trying hard enough.

Most of his colleagues were unhappy with Desmond’s behavior and a couple of them had contemplated resignation. When Desmond knew about it, he confronted them and told them that the company had no need for employees like them. Desmond’s boss came to know about the situation and called Desmond into his office and told him that he needed to change his style of managing the team. Desmond admitted that he knew that he had to change. He wanted to take up courses but was not certain which one would be appropriate.

Question 1

a) Wagner (2008) identified SEVEN (7) skills that are necessary for someone to stay employable in the 21′ Century.
Discuss why:
(i) Collaboration and teamwork and
ii) Resourcefulness and Self-Reliance
(ii) Managing change and lifelong learning – are skills Desmond needs to stay employable.

Elaborate on these TWO (2) skills and for each skill, highlight THREE (3) points as stated in the case.

b) Define Social Awareness and from the case, identify ONE (1) evidence to show that Desmond is lacking in it. Develop and elaborate on TWO (2) suggestions which they can implement to improve on this competency. (8 marks)

c) Describe ONE (1) method that would be useful to Desmond to help manage his insecurities and anxiety and justify your answer with a rationale for this method.

d) Suggest ONE (1) course you think would be appropriate for Desmond. Justify your answer with reference to the case. (3 marks)

Case Study 2

Alicia has suffered from anxiety for many years and with medication, she has managed to keep her condition under control most of the time. Alicia claims that her boss is very accommodating and encouraging. Alicia reports that her boss generally makes her feel comfortable in her role, and she knows she is respected as an employee. Her boss has told her that she is an asset to the company.

Alicia loves her work but sometimes finds her anxiety affecting her performance. Alicia recalls that a couple of weeks ago, she felt that things were all wrong and that she felt very anxious. Though her boss is very understanding, Alicia still feels very strongly about her mental health and she feels that at times, she is still being stigmatized. Her colleagues are not as understanding as her boss. One of her colleagues, Adam, is prejudiced against Alicia and has openly criticized her a couple of times for being slow at her work.

Question 2

a) Other than medication, Alicia can manage her anxiety by using:
i) Positive self-talk
ii) Rational Thinking
iii) Working on unrealistic expectations and

Define and show how Alicia can apply them using these THREE (3) methods drawing relevant points from the case.

b) Social awareness is an important competency to have in the workplace. Define social awareness, and suggest TWO (2) ways in which Adam could develop his social awareness competency.

c) Elaborate on how Alicia could make use of the following skills to build better relationships with her colleagues:
(i) listen with discernment and
(ii) sincerity.

Case Study 3

It came to the attention of the supervisor of a small company that there was a difficulty between two employees, John and Martin, who have been working together for a year but recently appeared to have major differences in their opinions on a couple of projects. Their conflict has affected the entire department. The supervisor was being approached by the boss to help settle the dispute between these two employees. Before the supervisor spoke to them together, he met up with them individually a few times to understand the situation.

The supervisor thought he could deal with the situation informally by seeing each employee separately. However, John made a complaint of harassment to the boss that he had been treated unfairly. The matter was dealt with internally and the supervisor was asked to stop all conversations with both John and Martin. The rest of the employees in the department inevitably took sides and fell into two camps and relations between staff reached an all- timelow.

Frictions began to mount up and tensions within the department made it difficult for employees to complete projects on time. The boss studied the situation for a while and engaged a mediator to help resolve the conflicts within the department. The boss talked to both sides and finally, it was decided that both Martin and John would go for the mediation meeting. On the day of the meeting, the mediator made several arrangements to ensure that the meeting went well.

Question 3

a) When the supervisor used the informal method by talking to the disputants separately, it did not work. From the case study, identify evidence to show that this method failed. In your opinion, why would it not be a good idea to talk to the disputants (in this case, John and Martin) separately?

b) If the mediator used the SOLVED approach to help John and Martin resolve their conflict, how could it be applied? Formulate and discuss the steps clearly in relation to the case.

c) For both John and Martin, they can learn some communication skills. Explain and elaborate on
i) active listening and
ii) empathy and justify – with TWO (2) evidences from the case to show why these two skills are relevant to them.

Case Study 4

Gregory is a father in his mid-forties who has consulted a counselor because of uncontrollable anger. His wife of four years was planning to divorce him because of his frequent angry outbursts. Gregory had a difficult childhood. His grandparents brought him up as his parents have deserted him when he was four years old. His worst anger episode was in his twenties when he almost killed a neighbor who accused him of stealing his bicycle.

Gregory had just started on his new job and was finding it difficult to cope with new colleagues and the demands of the job. He often came to work late as he would stay up late feeling anxious about the next day. This affected his sleep and thus, he had no energy to stay focused on his job. In the workplace, he tried smiling at his colleagues, but most of them did not find him genuine or friendly, and thus they avoided him.

Gregory knew that he could not stay on in this job because he has no one to turn to for help in his current workplace. Gregory thought that his colleagues did not want to talk to him unless necessary. At home, his anger issue was getting worse, and he has started hitting his wife lately for not giving in to his requests. His neighbors also found him annoying as he would shout at the children who were playing outside his house along the corridor. He used to comment that the elderly neighbors in his block were always holding up the lift because they were walking slowly.

Question 4

a) Define what is social awareness and identify THREE (3) instances from the case to show that Gregory was lacking in this competency. Justify with a reason for each instance.

b) Anger seemed to be a major problem for Gregory at home. Define the SOLVED APPROACH and illustrate how you would apply it to help Gregory come up with a plan to deal with his anger.

c) Suggest ONE (1) strategy to Gregory that can help him understand himself better. Explain and justify the strategy.

Question 5

Suppose that you are the general manager of a food manufacturing company and you have been working closely with two managers, John and Jane. John heads up production and is eager to buy a new machine that will increase his department’s output when the pandemic crisis is over.

In addition, the machine supplier is offering an extremely good deal now. Jane heads up the finance department and is keen to reduce costs. She understands John’s motivation but informs him that the organization will not be making any new purchases in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic. This has created conflict and tension that is spreading throughout the workplace.

5a) As the general manager, describe your priority in dealing with any conflict situation.

Explain briefly how you will address your immediate priority when you came to know about the conflict and tension between John and Jane.

5b) Discuss how you would apply the SOLVED approach in this situation. Illustrate the steps taken with specific examples and elaborate on the ways to communicate disagreement with respect.

5c) Define social awareness and explain why this competency is important in the workplace.

5d) Suppose that Jane and John would like to build their social awareness competency in communication. Discuss FOUR (4) skills that can help them become more socially aware and ultimately, better managers.

Question 6

Jessica is having relationship problems with her boyfriend, Joe. She thinks Joe takes her for granted and he does not tell her that he loves her or shows enough affection. They fight about this frequently. Suddenly, Jessica realises that she may be contributing to the problem. She looks inward and realises that she does not show her appreciation for Joe very often. She overlooks the things he does for her, like getting meals and groceries for her during the “Covid-19 pandemic workfrom-home period” and little physical touches and messages that show his affection. Jessica considered her thought processes when Joe missed an opportunity to make her feel loved and noted that she assumed that he purposely avoids doing things that she likes.

a) State and define the social-emotional competency that Jessica needs to improve on.

b) Based on the social-emotional competency you have listed in Question 2(a), identify TWO (2) possible barriers that Jessica is experiencing.

c) Based on the identified social-emotional competency that Jessica is lacking, discuss TWO ways (2) that can help Jessica improve her relationship woes with Joe.

Question 7

Joy owns a house and a small shop. Not long before, she faced desperation when her husband was paralyzed and her work as a maid was not enough to make ends meet. She said, “People used to shun us, they might give us food but they wouldn’t lend us any money if we needed it.” She managed to get a sales job that paid a higher salary.

She used to work long hours and went door-to-door to sell the products. Not knowing how to speak English, she attended night classes and forced herself to use the language whenever she could. She got along well with her colleagues and during meetings, she learned from colleagues who performed better than her. When she encountered problems, she asked her colleagues for help.

a) Elaborate on TWO (2) survival skills that Joy had demonstrated in this situation (you need to extract relevant information from the case study to answer this question}.

b) Define TWO (2) social-emotional competencies that have helped Joy to understand herself and relate to others. Give examples from the case study to support your answer.

c) What lessons can you learn from this case study? Illustrate one learning point that relates to your own life.

Question 8

Jim had a plethora of emotions that he could not understand. His wife Jane, who was pleasant in every way, had difficulties getting along with him and they quarreled often. At his workplace, Jim also had problems getting along with his colleagues. He often criticized his colleagues and looked down on them, especially those who had lower educational qualifications than him. To Jim, he felt that some of his colleagues were not qualified for the job, and he was unhappy that the company employed them. He thought of resigning from his job, but could not make up his mind.

a) Explain what relationship management means, and describe TWO (2) obstacles to building harmonious relationships.

b) Based on the information on Jim in the case study, discuss TWO (2) strategies he could employ in developing positive relationships.

c) Identify one learning point from this case study, and support your answer with an example from the case on Jim.

Question 9

a) The following are obstacles that hinder effective communication:
i) Advising and giving solutions;
ii) Name-calling and shaming;
iii) Persuading with logic.

Define them and discuss each of them in regard to how they may hinder effective communication.

b) Responsible decision-making requires an individual to examine various perspectives and thought processes. For individuals with i) sprawling and ii) an oppositional way of thinking, what would you suggest that might help? In your answer, you need to define the two concerned suggest a method for implementation that works for each of them.

c) Describe ONE (1) of your strengths and illustrate with a personal example how this strength has helped you to achieve success in your workplace.

Question 10

a) Effective communication is important in building good relationships with other people.

Discuss how the following obstacles could hinder effective communication:
(i) Judging, Criticising and Blaming;
ii) Warning and threatening;
iii) Praising and agreeing.
(iv) Advising and Giving Solutions;
(v) Moralising and preaching. (12 marks)

b) Define self-awareness, and elaborate on TWO (2) ways in which self-awareness is related to building healthy relationships with other people. Give a personal example to illustrate your answer.

c) Define Procrastination and Back-seat Driver in Responsible Decision-making. Give a personal example for each to illustrate your answer. (8 marks)

d) Describe ONE (1) of your weaknesses, and illustrate with a personal example on how this weakness had affected a relationship you had with a close friend. (5 marks)

e) Describe ONE (1) of your strengths, and illustrate with a personal example on how this strength helped you in dealing with a problem you once had. (5 marks)

f) Using a personal example, explain how you had suppressed a negative mood to avoid an unpleasant situation but, in the end, it affected your relationship with someone.

Question 11

A couple who has been with each other for ten years have been having frequent arguments lately and are very unhappy. They have sought professional counseling to little effect. What do you think the couple should do? Should they separate or should they stay the same way?

a) Discuss how you would use the basic making responsible decisions process to help the couple to select their decision.

b) Identify THREE (3) ways people use to avoid making decisions and THREE (3) things that people who do not avoid making decisions do, that keeps the process from being ineffective and effective respectively.

Question 12

a) Life is meaningful only when a person is driven by a goal. Identify TWO (2) reasons why goals are often not achieved.

b) Identify ONE (1) Social Emotional Competency (SEC) which you would like to improve on and illustrate with a personal example, how you can improve on the identified SEC and work towards excellence in your life.

c) Identify ONE (1) Social Emotional Competency (SEC) which you are strong in and illustrate how the identified SEC has helped you in the workplace.

d) In making decisions, one may encounter ethical dilemmas. Give FOUR (4) examples of the questions we can ask that can help us in making responsible decisions regarding our choice of solution.