Ramsey "Ramrod" Stockwell, vice president of production at Benson Metals, is becoming difficult and uncooperative by refusing to provide the sales department with reliable production information. Stockwell is hoarding power over production to make others dependent on his department. Empowering employees by giving them access to operational information and decision-making power could improve communication barriers and end friction between departments. Leadership training could also help managers contribute positively without abusing power.

1. RAMROD STOCKWELL
(BENSON MEDAL COMPANY )
CASE STUDY ON

2. RAMROD STOCKWELL

3. CASE OVERVIEW
This case considers conflict and politics in
organizational settings. Ramsey “„Ramrod”
Stockwell, vice president for Production at
Benson Metals, is becoming very uncooperative
and difficult. Ramrod is having frequent run-ins
with sales, who are exasperated with his
uncooperativeness and refusal to supply them
with reliable information concerning delivery
dates, and production scheduling. The problem
is due to the internal power structure.

4. CASE OVERVIEW
More company revenues come from the
production and specialty steels, only produced
because of skills in manufacturing. Ramrod is
fighting to protect the integrity of his department
by being uncooperative and hoarding power to
make others dependent on him. The case
illustrates the difference between personal and
institutional power. It highlights the need to
analyze the context of behaviour, not just the
behaviour itself.

5. 5 VERTICAL SOURCES OF POWER
Formal
position
Control of
decision
Control on
information
Vertical
sources
of Power
Network
centrality
Control over
people

6. : RAMSEY STOCKWELL’S VERTICAL POWER :
 Control of people: Stockwell has the
power to control the production of the
plant.
 Control of information : By not giving
reliable information to the sales
department and by continuing to make
too many vague promises.

7. : RAMSEY STOCKWELL’S VERTICAL POWER :
 Control decision premises : By not
consistently empowering his employees
to make decisions and act on them.
 Stockwell manages to maintain power
over his people by constantly fighting off
pressure from the sales department for
special orders, changes in
scheduling, and the blaming of production
for product defects.

8. 5 HORIZONTAL SOURCES OF POWER
Ability to
cope with
uncertainty
Dependency
Non
substitutabili
ty
Horizontal
sources
of Power
Centrality
Financial
resources

9.  The Benson Medal Company employees
dependency, financial resources, and
centrality were their horizontal sources of
power.
 Stockwell and the Production department
exploit both dependency and centrality.
 The entire company is dependent on the
productivity and effectiveness of the
production department.
: Benson Medal Company employees Horizontal Power :

10.  Final output of the organization rests within
production, this too gives his department
more power.
 But the recognition is directed toward the
Sales department causing resentment
between the two.
 The power of financial resources rests in the
hands of Sales as they are the ones that
bring in the high revenues.
: Benson Medal Company employees Horizontal Power :

11. : HOW COULD EMPOWERMENT IMPROVE THIS SITUATION :
 Empowering the employees at The Benson
Medal Company would remove the barriers of
communication that now exist giving everyone
full access to operational information.
 Providing knowledge and skills to the
management team through leadership training
would help them to contribute positively to
organizational performance and hopefully, end
the friction between sales and production.

12. : HOW COULD EMPOWERMENT IMPROVE THIS SITUATION :
 Empowering employees to make significant
decisions can directly influence work procedures
and would allow them to exercise initiative which
would free up Stockwell to handle the more
pressing issues like to give reliable information
to the sales department concerning delivery
dates.

13. : WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR THIS COMPANY :
 Empowerment could definitely be a solution
this firms problems.
 The right power needs to go to the right
people and if that is maintained well then
many questions that lower workers have
could be easily answered.
 When the lines of authority voided by giving
orders directly to a manager or even a head
foreman, rather than working through the
intermediate levels, it really does undermine
the power that the managers in between
have.

14. : WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR THIS COMPANY :
 It makes the managers being left out feel less
important and not as valuable , which may
affect their output.
 Power needs to be given to the right people
and made sure that they are using it to the
best of the company's interests .
 Power should be taken away from those who
abuse it.