Bruce is a branch sales manager in a traditional line organization. He decides to assign the sales force based on products rather than geographic territories. He believes this will increase the perceived expertise of the sales force. However, his supervisor approaches him after hearing of the plan. “The problem is that you’ll end up assigning some salespeople predominantly cash cows, others are getting problem children, while still others are assigned only stars.†Bruce replies that he has thought of this and assigned only the most experienced salespeople to stars and the least experienced people to problem children. Some of the salespeople have begun to complain to Bruce after only a few months of the plan.
1. Does this situation present any moral dilemmas for Bruce or his supervisor? Explain.
2. Can any moral issue be resolved without scrapping Bruce’s organizational plan completely?