Jeri Caldwell at Moex, Inc. (A)

Abstract

This case and its B companion case (UVA-OB-0693) explore the challenges facing an African American executive trying to manage organizational responses to diversity problems. Jeff Fairbanks, vice president for Strategic Human Resources at MOEX Corporation, had received a call the previous day from Jeri Caldwell, who related the details of what she called the "Friday blowout." She had been passed over for a promotion--the third time. During a meeting with her manager, she found herself yelling in frustration and then storming out of his office. She asked Fairbanks to meet with her to discuss what she should do next. Normally, Fairbanks would not meet informally with an employee at the center of such a volatile situation but instead would have one of his subordinates take care of it. However, Fairbanks didn't feel these were normal circumstances. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to handle the situation.

Excerpt

UVA-OB-0691

JERI CALDWELL AT MOEX, INC. (A)

The church sermon had been inspiring. The choir had most of the congregation rocking and clapping in their seats. But Jeff Fairbanks was less focused on the discerning of the spirit than on the activity that was to follow. He approached his next stop with some trepidation. Fairbanks had been the vice president for Strategic Human Resources at the MOEX Corporation for two-and-a-half years. The previous day he had received a call from Jeri Caldwell in which she relayed to him the details of what she called the “Friday blowout.” She had been passed over for promotion—a third time. During a meeting with her manager, she found herself yelling in frustration and then storming out of his office. She asked Fairbanks to meet with her to discuss what she should do next.

Under normal circumstances, Fairbanks would not informally meet with an employee at the center of such a volatile situation. Within the hierarchy of MOEX there were three layers of management between Fairbanks and Caldwell's manager. It would have been more appropriate to have one of Fairbank's subordinates manage the situation. But Fairbanks didn't feel that these were normal circumstances. He felt compelled to meet with Caldwell out of a sense of responsibility for her well-being and success. Because he had lived the story before with countless other employees, he knew the tale Caldwell would reveal, and he knew he supported her. But he didn't know what to do about it.

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Keywords: diversity, management of, human resources, management of, leadership, organizational management