Miller Case Study

Introduction

This case study is about a man, Miller, who has worked at a factory for 27 years. He is a pocket setter and is able to run two machines in an efficient manner. He is happy with his job as well as happily married to his wife who works at the same factory. He has children but they are raised and moved out of the Miller’s home. He wants to work another ten years before retiring but is rethinking this decision due to the company hiring a consultant firm who has recommend a job enrichment program and his job will be the first to be effected by this program. Right now he just uses the machines and sews but under the new program he will also have to get his own materials, get his own needles, perform routine maintenance on his equipment, and deliver his work to the next station. He believes this will be having him to do three jobs instead of two and that he could go elsewhere and not to have to deal with something like this.

Problems

Individual level

There are several areas that Miller has problems with concerning his job and the current recommendations from the consultant firm. The first problem is that Miller has been at his current for a long time and on the production line for twenty seven years. This shows that he has not had any initiative to promote within the company and may be complacent in his job now. He knows his job and does it proficiently. So proficiently that he is able to run two machines at the same time where most employees may only be able to run one machine. Even though Miller seems content and not burnt out on his job now, these new changes could push him to that point (Greenberg, 108).

Another problem seems to be his morale at his current job because of the new changes that the company is implementing in the organization. Miller seems to be upset over these changes and not willing to change with the company. This has caused his morale to plummet. This could result in not only his morale to diminish but also those employees that look at Miller as a leader as a coworker. He has been there for twenty seven years and there are those that look up to Miller as figure to the company.