Interview Summary

Organization Description
Royce Electronics Sales, Inc. was established in 1988 as a small family-owned business
with only 8 employees. The company began with the sale of wiring, cables, and tubing. Its first
location was in Altamonte Springs, FL where they rented a warehouse. With the passing of the
years, it is still own by the same founder, now with a total of 43 employees. They are the proud
owners of their facility located in Casselberry, FL. The company main line of business has
expanded to assembly and proving raw material in the same industry. Royce provides their
services and products to military and aerospace customers primarily. Their facility is UL
certified which is an advantage within this industry since such a certification makes Royce more
competitive against other organization. Royce, as an organization, shows true success in an
difficult industry by being reliable and trusted to product quality products for government
agencies. I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Andrew Amendolare, the organizations
manufacturing manager. He has been with Royce for almost 5 years thus far having a great
experience and being happy to serve the organization.
The Organization
1. Task and general environments (chapter 4)

• Does this company outsource any products or parts of products? If so, which parts and
why?
Answer: No; the type of assembly line we run here does not require for us to outsource any
parts.
• Is technology, skills, or machinery one of the reasons you have to outsource parts?
Answer: Not at all because we don't outsource any parts.
ANALYSIS: This organization does not need to outsource any of the parts for any of the
products they assemble or work that they carry out. Also, the price they pay for raw material and
manufacturing does not really affect the price they charge for their product.
2. Organizational structure (chapter 7)

• Can you explain what type of organizational structure you currently have in place for this
organization and why?
Simple: no structure or no job description
Functional: broken into different functions
Divisional: different products and each belongs to a particular division
Answer: Vertical structure. This is a small organization with 43 employees; 38 are in the
manufacturing department, and five work in the office including the owner/CEO of the
organization. There is a President, one manufacturing manager, two supervisors, and two lead
managers. Every manufacturing employee knows all the type of work we do here, and
sometimes they have assemble or work on two or three different projects at the same time.
ANALYSIS: Due to the variety of work this organization produces, they need to have a
more flexible structure. Their employees are given job enlargement by giving them several
projects and enrichment by increasing the amount of responsibility they have for completing
each project.
3. Organizational culture/norms/values (chapter 2)

• Do you believe that the culture, norms, and values of this organization are influenced by
the founder, managers, or the employees?
Answer: In my opinion, the founder only. This has not changed since the organization was
founded.
ANALYSIS: Based on the answer given, the founder of the organization is instrumental
to shaping the values, code of conduct and behaviors he wishes the company to have.
4. Code of Ethics (chapter 3)

• Can you explain the current code of ethics this organization has in place and what, in
your opinion, is the biggest influence to this code?
Answer: It is mainly influenced by the customer needs.
• During the period that you have been managing this company, have you made any policy
changes? If so, why?
Answer: No; no changes can be made to any of the policies in place in the organization. The
founder believes that it has worked for so many years and there is no need to make any changes.
• Does your company have an ethics ombudsman? If so, are the employees aware of this
person and how can he/she be utilized?
Answer: No.
ANALYSIS: Customers are one of the stakeholders and have the biggest influence in the
code of ethics for this organization. I can assume that utilitarian rule is used when making a
decision which consequently benefits mainly the customer.
5. Employee diversity (chapter 3)

• Looking at the employees you currently have, how diverse do you think your
organization is? And where is your highest percentage of diversity (age, gender,
race/ethnicity, etc.)?
Answer: Under race and ethnicity our highest percent is Hispanics, but the diversity is mainly in
the age group.
 ANALYSIS: Some diversity exists at this organization. Employee diversity has no
influence in this organization. Everyone is treated equally no matter age, race, gender, etc.
6. Corporate and business level strategies (chapter 6)

• What is your company’s mission statement?

Answer: Royce Electronics Sales Inc., will provide product on time that meets the requirements
of our customers. It is our goal to continually improve quality by training each employee to do
their job right the first time and every time.
• Based on your mission statement, what type of strategies does your company currently
exercise: a corporate level strategy (choice of industry, vertical integration,
diversification, or even international expansion) or business level strategy (using low cost
or differentiation)?
Answer: Vertical, we produce more than 50% of our raw material.
ANALYSIS: Based on the answer for both questions, this organization has a backward
vertical organization. They produce more than 50% of their raw material for their products
which helps them eliminate problems and speed up the assembly process.
The Manager
1. Title, position in chain of command (chapter 7)

• Please explain your title in this organization and how you play a role in the organization’s
structure?
Answer: Manufacturing manager: I'm in charge and in control of the entire organization’s
manufacturing.
ANALYSIS: Under the hierarchy of authority, he is the second person in the chain of
command. He has the power to make decisions and use all the resources necessary to achieve
organizational manufacturing goals.
8. Span of control (chapter 7)

• Can you explain this organization’s span control (i.e. the ratio of subordinates reporting
to managers)?
Answer: Mainly I want to explain that organization works based on the demands of the customer
needs. Our schedule and demand determines what we work on every week.
ANALYSIS: As a manager of the organization manufacturing department he only has
two supervisors reporting to him. Each supervisor has one line leader, and under each line
leader, the number of subordinates can vary depending on the projects they are working on.
9. Daily task/management skills used (chapter 1)
 • As a manger what skills (conceptual, technical, or human) do you think are important for
you to have when delegating daily tasks (planning, organizing, leading, or controlling) to
your subordinates?
Answer: As a manufacturing manager, and working for this organization for almost 5 years, I
have two supervisors that worked previously with me, and I know their skills and the way they
lead their subordinates.
ANALYSIS: Based on the relationship he has with the two supervisors under his
supervision, he knows their strength in leading, organizing, and controlling the production.
These middle managers have strong core competencies, and their knowledge and experience are
key elements for them to perform their job well.
10. Decision making (chapter 5)

• What are the steps you take to recognize the need when making a decision?
Answer: It is very rare that we have to make changes or make a decision in the way we do
things. Usually if we encounter a problem with a drawing, we advise the client.
• When making a decision, is it a one person role or is it a group of people in the
organization (brainstorming)?
Answer: If we have to make a decision/change to a process of the way we assemble a product,
we usually send a rough draft to the client, and they will be able to give us a decision or suggest
a change.
ANALYSIS: This organization has a programmed decision making process, but when it
encounters a problem, which is very rare, they make non-programmed decision. These decisions
are made by the customer using reasoned judgment.
11. Planning/strategy (chapter 6)

• Every organization has a plan and a strategy; based on this assumption, does your
company have a plan? If so, has this plan helped you in any way to achieve the company
goals?
Answer: The organization does not have a plan at all. We work based on the customers’ needs
and therefore our plan changes every week.
• What kind of analysis does your company use to formulate a strategy?
Answer: Basically we use our schedule to determine our plan and strategy that we will
implement.
ANALYSIS: Based on the answers form the manufacturing manager, this organization
has functional-level strategy which is a plan of action the organization will implement to perform
tasks to a specific project. Also, their plan of action is based on horizon plans due to their work
being based on a time/schedule.
 12. Career path (appendix B)
• What impact does someone’s career path influence your decision when hiring?
Answer: In this industry, I have to look at work experience; it is the most important thing I look
at. They must have experience in cable wire hardness industry.
ANALYSIS: Looking at someone's work experience and working on the same or similar
industry for many years means that this individual has a steady-state career. This is beneficial for
the organization since it shows the employee has expertise that can be an asset to the
organization.
13. Controls used (chapter 8)
• Does your company have an organizational control?
Answer: Yes; we have two line leaders and two supervisors.
• What type of behavior control does your company have ( i.e. Direct supervision,
Management by Objectives, or Bureaucratic control) and why?.
Answer: MBO; each line leader is given a schedule which they must follow in order to achieve
and meet customer needs.
• Have you had to make any changes to your Organization Control? If so, why?
Answer: No.
ANALYSIS: This organization has a MBO which helps the organization reach and
achieve the customer needs. Each subordinate is evaluated daily to get an update on each
individual project. If the resources are not being used effectively, the supervisors will make the
changes necessary.
14. Motivation used (chapter 9)
• What type of resources or motivation do you offer to your employees so that they have
the opportunity to grow in this company?
Answer: Skill level job training, 401 K, insurance, pay holidays, OT (depending on customer
needs), and end year bonuses based on organization overall performance.
ANALYSIS: Even though the organization has some motivation, they are not based on
the employees’ needs. This kind of motivation can sometimes not be very helpful if the
employee is going through some rough time, and therefore he/she will not be as effective and
efficient to the organization.
15. Leadership (chapter 10)
• What type of power has helped you be a good leader for this organization? Legitimate,
reward, coercive, expert, or referent?
Answer: Expertise and legitimate power. Over 50 years of experience in the same industry and
management work.
• What key traits do you possess to be an effective leader for this organization?
Answer: Self-confidence.
• Do you believe your emotions or moods can influence the effectiveness of your
leadership?
Answer: No, the moment I cross the door in this organization all of my personal problems stay
outside. I'm a manager here; I need to lead by example. If I let my emotions influence my
behavior I couldn't be a great leader.
ANALYSIS: Based on the answer, this manager’s leadership strategy has been effective
in this organization. He uses his power of experts and self-confidence to succeed as a leader. He
is a task-oriented leader with a main goal to achieve and satisfy customer needs.
16. Performance appraisal (chapter 12)
• How often does the organization complete a performance appraisal for their employees?
Answer: We currently don't do them, but we are working to start implementing this process in
the near future.
• Do your employees have the opportunity to complete job satisfaction surveys?
Answer: We currently don't use this.
ANALYSIS: This organization is working towards implementing some source of
performance evaluation. The moment they start with this process I believe the organization will
be able to offer new incentives/motivation to their employees.
Job Design
1. Hiring/Training (chapter 12)
• Does this organization personally recruit their employees or do you outsource your
hiring? Please explain your process.
Answer: Yes; we don't have a high turn around with our employees. We like to make sure we
hire the right person for the vacancy we get.
• What type of training or development do you offer to current employees?
Answer: All of our employees have on the job training; every day they learn something new,
and they all have to learn all the different products we assemble.
• When a higher position becomes vacant, do you offer any type of training to an employee
you believe is capable of taking on more responsibility and giving him/her the
opportunity to grow within the company? Please explain.
Answer: Yes, but we haven't had the opportunity to fill any vacancy under the supervisor or line
leader position.
ANALYSIS: They don't offer any specific training for any certification within this
industry which could be something different to implement and eventually be a motivation for
their employees.
18. Job characteristics model (chapter 7)
• Does your company have a job characteristics model? If so, how are you using it to
benefit the organization and the employees?
Job characteristic Psychological states Outcomes
Skill variety
Task identity } Experienced meaningfulness
Task significant of work High motivation
Autonomy } Experienced responsibility } High performance
for work outcomes High Satisfaction
Feedback } Knowledge of results
of work
Answer: Mainly, we have a skill variety. Everyone knows how to assemble every product, but if
the customer’s needs have to be met before the date we had set up we adjust the resources based
on skill sets.
ANALYSIS: Using the skill variety helps the employee understand the responsibility
they have which consequently motivates the employees to use resources effectively and
efficiently.
1. Job enrichment (chapter 7)
• As a manager do you offer or provide the opportunity of job enrichment (increase
responsibility, empower employees, allowing them to measure their own performance) to
your employees? If so explain how and when; if not why not?
Answer: If any of the subordinates have any questions, they will go directly to the line leader or
supervisor. No one is allowed to make any decisions. Responsibility depends on the work they
are given weekly.
ANALYSIS: Even though the organization increases responsibility, they lack the
opportunity of empowerment. It can be a down fall, but the subordinates appear to not have a
problem with this structure.