The Case of Julie and Susan

Introduction
The case of Julie and Susan demonstrates how a breakdown in any component of the MARS Model affects individual behaviour and performance. The questions facing Dr. Griffiths are; how did this breakdown occur, and is there an effective way to fix it? Using organizational behaviour theories, it is possible to analyze the symptoms, problems, and causes. From this analysis, a recommendation on how best to fix the situation can be developed. Given the facts of the case, it is clear that the main problem is that, Julie and Susan do not have a clear understanding of each other’s expectations.

Analysis
A symptom that has arisen from this problem is that Julie and Susan have engaged in a verbal …show more content…

This is an internal factor that she has failed to consider as a result of self-serving bias. Susan essentially places all of the blame on Julie. Susan fails to consider that Julie may require additional time and feedback to successfully complete her work. Susan, like Julie, has fallen to self-serving bias by placing the blame on external factors and failing to consider internal factors that may have contributed to the situation. Dr. Griffiths needs to be aware that self-serving bias has played a role in the descriptions given by Julie and Susan. This awareness will allow Dr. Griffiths to differentiate the true cause of the problem from the causes given by Julie and Susan.
The main cause of the issue at hand is that Julie and Susan do not have an understanding of what each person expects of one another. Julie expects Susan to provide her with more time and feedback, while Susan expects Julie to finish her assigned work in the time given, without any additional feedback. This has led Susan to lack an understanding of her true role perception, given Julie’s expectations. At the same time, Julie has had to deal with external factors for which she was not prepared for, and that Susan feels Julie should be able to cope with, given the fact that Susan has no issue with the other secretaries. Taking this information as the cause of the conflict between Susan and Julie, Dr. Griffiths should follow the proceeding recommendation.

Recommendation
Dr.