Call Number
HF 5549.5 .P35 P47n 2002d
Summary
The program is set in the offices of a district council, where an oversight in preparing for a meeting leads to the rejection of a sensitive planning application. The planning officer concerned shrinks from confronting an otherwise efficient assistant until a stern memo from the chief executive forces a rethink. But rather than establishing what had happened and taking action to put it right, the officer makes a series of clumsy attempts to discipline the assistant, including: a telling-off in front of junior colleagues, failing to agree on what had gone wrong, and criticizing the assisant personally. Learning how to handle the situation correctly means understanding how the problem arose. The assistant is able to suggest a means of avoiding such mistakes in the future.
This program demonstrates that constructive criticism is an essential part of a manager's responsibilities, and gives seven rules for ensuring that criticism is both effective and non-judgmental.