Sundown Bakery

Chapter 1
Question 1
Regarding the resentment of employees over the dress code and the employee manual, most of it
comes from the fact that the communication is too formal for these employees. Most of them
come from cultures were there is a closer connection between the boss and the employee. To
further create a feeling of detachment, the use of memos creates a higher level of impersonality.
In addition, as we see the rapid growth of the company these changes were incorporated too
soon and by a new employee who had even less of a relationship or knowledge of the previous
employees or their ideas. The way the memos were carried down a line of authority resembled
more the government than a family which was the original appeal of the company. The
employees resenting the changes had in mind a stereotype which explains their negative
decoding of the message. One of the things that I caught my attention was the diversity of
cultures in the company. The wide variety of cultures, costumes, languages and the personal
proficiency level of each ESL employee only complicates the decoding of downward messages
and the lateral communication. On top of that there is a wide range of minorities who carry
their own personal perception of other groups. I believe that a better way to introduce the new
changes would have been a company wide meeting directed by Bruce; then a memo to reinforce
the concept and reminding the reasons why changes were made. Input from the employees
about the uniforms would have been appropriate, after all they are the ones directly affected by
the change.
1
Question 2
The original communication channel was oral. Then it shifted to written. It changed from being
directly from the boss to being trough 2 or 3 lines of authority. Perhaps originally there was
more upward communication which eventually declined as the communication process went
from informal to formal. Sundown bakery should incorporate an anonymous employee comment
box to insure upward communication and foment open communication with out retaliation.
Most changes have a reason why they happen, so to insure everyone is on the same page, some
of those reasons should be disclosed. Supervisors should hold periodical meetings with
employees, or have a small daily meeting briefly outlining what needs to be done, as well to
highlight any positive improvements or to give personal recognition for outstanding
performance, thus creating a sense of team work or belonging.
Question 3
Employees at Sundown dwelled on the idea that the company was becoming a bureaucracy.
Generally speaking bureaucracies carry negative conations; therefore employees assumed the
company was becoming more driven to pursue larger profits which would require the employees
devoting more to the company, which in turn would give less to the employees. As the business
owners spent less time at the work place, that would send the message that now thy are t a
higher level, which would start defining the hierarchies even more. I assumed this since at the
beginning Bruce and Carol were practically working shoulder to shoulder with their employees,
which would create a sense of we are in the same level, we understand each other very well.
2
Question 4
As the company shifted from informal communication, most employees felt left behind or felt
less valued. As the numbers expand and multiple locations open up, the more formal it becomes.
But also little gestures can transform or minimize the formality. For instance, instead of a memo,
it could be an email or a letter sent from the management. Or the fact that the owners could visit
more frequently the different location so new employees can know who they work for. In the
other hand employees need to realize that as the company grows, more standardize procedures
come into play to ensure efficiency and consistency. The fact that most employees were used to
the informal communication made the transition to a formal system harder which led to
complaining. They lacked adaptability and resented change. As the management takes a more
active role in establishing more informal communication with the employees, the delegation of
authority would be more apparent to the employees thus lessening the resentment towards the
new formalities.
3
Chapter 2
Question 1
The demographics make up of Sundowns bakery reflects the current rising trend of immigration
and integration of other cultures globally into companies. As globalization increases so does
tolerance for other cultures, facilitating ethnic and cultural diversity at the work place. In turn the
services or products can become better suited to a larger audience or modified to adjust to other
markets.
Question 2
Since so many cultures, languages, races, sexual orientation and disabilities come together in one
company; each instance must be respected to preserve individualism, but in general they have to
come together and create a new workplace culture or community that would allow everyone to
be in equal grounds and create collectivism. Probably one of the biggest obstacles is the clash
between low and high context styles, since there are many Hispanic and Asian employees,
compared to the number of North Americans. That clash of not only language but decoding
creates confusion or can truncate messages as the process of communication takes place. The
power distance principle becomes problematic as one group sees itself as better that the other,
thus minimizing or often defying orders or authority from other groups. For instance the
confession of Jose about his struggle with seen a woman with a higher authority level crated an
inner conflict within himself since it was culturally shocking to him.
4
Question 3
Sundown went from high sociability to low sociability. It shifted from general duties to more
specific task. It became more structured. At the beginning the employees felt rewarded since they
felt as part of the company. Later on that sense of pride vanished.The company definitely grew to
the point were it could provide opportunities of growth since a many different types of jobs were
included; thus allowing someone to start at the bottom of the company and advance to other
duties. Originally the company had an easier way to maintain emotional support, but s it grew it
became increasingly hard to care for each individual (for example introducing the manual meant
general training instead of personalized); many employees implied that management wasnt
aware of them. The company still lacks a system to deal with conflict. At the beginning it might
have been easier but eventually no attention was devoted to it.
Question 4
I would advise the management of Sundown to motivate and help the employees see how their
combined efforts bring a quality product that can satisfy the costumer. Basically the
management should help the employees feel part of the success of the company and encourage
pride for that accomplishment. They need to let know employees that despite their differences
they all work for one purpose. In my personal experience, when management takes time to
incorporate or work on suggestions from employees they show that they value their opinions,
and that creates an environment that promotes idea exchange which further improves the
quality of the product of service and the moral of the employee.

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Chapter 1

highlight any positive improvements or to give personal recognition for outstanding

performance, thus creating a sense of team work or belonging.

inner conflict within himself since it was culturally shocking to him.

have been easier but eventually no attention was devoted to it.

quality of the product of service and the moral of the employee.

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