Power and Politics
Fran Gibson was placed in an awkward position when Jennifer Chung, a financial analyst in Ken Hamilton's Department came into her office at 6:45 a.m. to complain about Ken's 'off-color' comments made her when they were alone within a month after Jennifer joined Thompson. According to Jennifer, the situation worsen. Jennifer told Fran that Ken would leer her, put his arm over her shoulder when they were reviewing reports, patted her rear. Jennifer stated that every time one of these occurrences happened, she would ask him to stop it and not to do it again. However, according to Jennifer, it fell on deaf ears. Fran had to decide how to respond to Jennifer's complaint since sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination that is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC's guidelines define two types of sexual harassment: "quid pro quo" and "hostile environment." Being the highest ranking woman at Thompson, Fran understood that unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute "quid pro quo" sexual harassment when (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or
Calhoun further stated that sexual conduct becomes unlawful only when it is unwelcome. Also, if Fran address this issue, she may be alienated from management, since the case noted that Thompson's management was "old fashioned. The investigation should determine whether the victim's conduct was consistent, or inconsistent, with his/her assertion that the sexual conduct was unwelcome. The victim does not have to be of the opposite sex. The basis for legitimate, reward, and coercion power is typically the organization; the basis for expert and referent power is the individual. Also, Fran appears to strong commitment to being a role model and mentor to other women. " According to Chandra Calhoun, Director of Human Resources at the Jackson International Airport, the EEOC look at the following factors to determine whether an environment is hostile: (1) whether the conduct was verbal or physical or both; (2) how frequently it was repeated; (3) whether the conduct was hostile or patently offensive; (4) whether the alleged harasser was a co worker or supervisor; (5) whether others joined in perpetrating the harassment; and (6) whether the harassment was directed at more than one individual. According to the authors, individuals or groups who help others reduce or cope with uncertainty, those who are central to the resource or information networks, and those who cannot be replaced easily gain power. B) Ethically, I feel that Fran has a moral obligation to be loyal to Thompson, preventing possible lawsuit, since she has been there 15 years. If these methods are ineffective, the victim should contact the EEOC as soon as possible. Fran considered Ken as a friend and asked him if she could use him as a reference. The authors further stated that the more personal the source of power that is used, the more it is likely to lead to commitment rather than compliance or resistance. After a series of interviews, the recruiter informed Fran that she was one of the two finalists for the job. To that end, she may want to discuss this situation with Ken. Reactions to power range from acceptance and commitment to compliance to resistance.
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Acceptance Essays
