This case study examines a situation at the Moss and McAdams Accounting Firm where accountant Zack Olds was assigned to split his time between two project teams led by Bruce Palmer and Ken Crosby. This caused Olds stress as he struggled to balance the demands of both projects and his family life. Despite Palmer and Office Manager Ruby Sands' concerns about Olds' workload, Sands ultimately assigned Olds to work full-time for Crosby's project. The case analyzes the failures of management to support Olds and avoid losing a valuable employee.

1. MOSS AND MCADAMS (M&M)
ACCOUNTING FIRM
CASE STUDY
Presented By:
Vikas Soni, MBA (Pharm.), DOPM-NIPER(M)

2. INTRODUCTION
Moss and McAdams Accounting Firm
Regional accounting firm
160 employees
Six offices in Minnesota and Wisconsin
Primary Services: Corporate Audits & Tax Preparation
Main Office - Green Bay, Wisconsin
Bruce Palmer
Ruby Sands Office Manager
Account Manager
6 Year Experience
Lead of Johnsonville Trucks Audit project
5 Accountants Team
Zeke Olds
Accountant, Former Army Vet
Double Major in Accounting & Computer Science
Expertise in Financial Information System
Consulting
Business
Diversified
40% Growth - 5 Yrs.

3. ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE: MATRIX SYSTEM
Moss and McAdams Accounting Firm
Green Bay Office, Wisconsin
Bruce Palmer
Ruby Sands Office Manager
Responsible for assigning Team Leads & Team Members
Ken Crosby
Johnsonville
Trucks Audit
project
Springfield
Metal Project
Accountant, Team Lead of Special Consulting projects
9 Years Exp. In 5 big Accounting Firms
2 Projects
Zack Olds
Sand’s Decision:
• Split Time across both projects
• Morning time for Crosby’s Project
• Afternoon time for Palmer’s Project

4. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION & ASSUMPTIONS
Mr. Crosby :
• Olds work for all of Thursday on
Crosby’s project: Work demand
• Extensive client’s visits
• Old’s presence for critical assessment
of clients
Mr. Palmer:
• Olds’ Delay in presence
• Crosby’s calls & Emails in afternoon
• Split Time imbalance
• Crosby’s unwillingness to work fairly with
Mr. Palmer
• Crosby is demotivating Olds for Palmer’s
project
• Delay in project deliveries
• Crosby’s Resistance towards complaints
Mr. Olds:
• Make up the time by working hours:
Overtime
• Hurting family life: Work-Life imbalance
• Causing problems on Palmer’s project:
Inefficiency
• Difficulty in switching the thinking: Stress
Ms. Sands:
• Failed to support what leaders and
team members need to understand
about emotions: Lack of Motivation

5. CASE CONCLUSION
• Ms. Sands, Mr. Palmer and Mr. Crosby all failed Mr. Olds as he struggled to balance
both project teams and his family life.
• Olds was the one in the end who elevated the issues to Ms. Sands; it seems strange
that with the office manager and two team leaders involved one of them should have
been able to make the difficult decision without Mr. Olds forcing Ms. Sands to make
the choice.
• Finally, Olds was assigned full time to Crosby’s project by Sands, Concerning his
Interest in Consulting work.
Mr.
Palmer
Ms.
Sands
Mr.
Crosby
Zack Olds

6. QUESTION 1: If you were Palmer at the end of the
case, how would you respond?
• I would justify the necessity of Olds in audit to Ms. Sand again
regarding keeping him in Johnsonville project as he has
expertise in financial information system
• Speak to Olds personally about negotiation if possible to him
• Accept the fact that Olds was not happy doing two different
projects at the same time, even if possible for a part time
• Train or hire someone full time for Johnsonville project as it is a
primary service of the firm and needs a dedicated employee
to be there full time

7. QUESTION 2: What, if anything, could Palmer have
done to avoid losing Olds?
• Objected the suggestions of sharing Olds
• He should have spoken to Crosby and Sands before things got
out of hand.
• Palmer should not have compromised too much on priorities set
for Johnsonville
• Planned schedule for Olds would have been followed strictly.
• As Olds was one of the skilled and demanding employee
Palmer should have built a close relationship by appreciation
and rewarding more.

8. QUESTION 3: What advantages and disadvantages of
matrix type organization are apparent from this case?
 ADVANTAGES:
• Efficient resource allocation:
Resources can be shared across
multiple projects.
• Strong project focus:
Having formally designed project
manager who focuses always on his or
her project.
• Easier post project transition:
Since it works partly on functional
division they can return back once the
project is done.
• Opportunity assessment:
It evaluates an individual’s skills and
knowledge in different divisions, which
makes it easier further to assign the
best person at best place.
 DISADVANTAGES:
• Dysfunctional conflict:
Conflicts between functional managers
in sharing resources, work could be
delayed and focuses maybe changed
time to time, because everyone want
the best to do their project.
• Stress:
Project participants may have two
bosses, therefore two different
commands.
• Inefficiency:
some projects may get bogged down in
decision making.
• Work-Life imbalance:
Failed to prioritize between "work"
(career and ambition) and "lifestyle"
(health, family and self development).

9. QUESTION 4: What could the management at M&M do
to more effectively manage situations like this?
Managing this type of situations from M&M should need to:
• Appoint more staff who can work efficiently
• Apply effective time split between multiple projects
• Arranging training and motivation seminars, whenever
required
• Management must monitor the situation what is actually
happening in the company
• Create open communication between employees and
management
• Provide some small space between work and life for employees
• Offer a competitive benefits or financial rewards to the
employees

10. THANK YOU!
“The balance in your life is more important than the
balance in checking account.”
- Chris Gardner
An American entrepreneur, investor, stockbroker, motivational speaker, author

11. Presented by:
VIKAS SONI
Management Scholar,
Pharmaceutical Management.
NIPER, Mohali, Punjab, India.
Vikas.niper2014@gmail.com
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