The Road to Hell

Introduction 2

Caribbean Bauxite 2

John Baker 3

Matthew Rennalls 3

The Convocation 4

The Meeting 4

Bakers Reaction to the Meeting 5

Rennalls Reaction to the Meeting 5

Analyzing Baker 6

Analyzing Rennalls 7

Solution 7

Action Plan for Caribbean Bauxite 8

Truth and Reconciliation 8

Job Plan for Chief Engineer 10

Racial Training 11

Introduction

Caribbean Bauxite

Caribbean Bauxite Company Limited of Barracania, subsidiary of Continental Ore, is one of the leading bauxite exporters in the West Indies. The company is vastly diverse and has the most Barracanian middle managers of all foreign companies operating in Barracania. However, Europeans still occupy the top managerial positions in the company. Due to various cultural differences between the Barracanian and the Europeans employees racial tension is always present in the working environment. Despite the fact that the company has more Barracanian managers than Europeans, some Barracaians feel that the company has unjust partiality towards the Europeans.

John Baker

John Baker is a European expatriate who holds the position of Chief Engineer in the company. Baker believes he has a knack of dealing with people of color, which can be attributed to his 23 years of work experience of working in 2nd and 3rd world countries. His work ethic and knowledge have earned him a promotion to the position of Production Manager of Keso Mining Corporation in Canada. He is articulate and cautious in his approach when engaging in dialogue with the people around him.

Matthew Rennalls

Matthew Rennalls is an Assistant Engineer and one of the brightest Barracanian prospects of Caribbean Bauxite. Rennalls is a very knowledgeable individual having graduated with honors from London University. His technical skills are further developed by training and job experience at the Caribbean Bauxite. Rennalls is a knowledge worker as his mind is a critical asset to his employers. However, he has a glaring weakness, his racial consciousness. He constantly thinks he is being wronged by the expatriates. He treats foreigners with a different demeanor than his fellow countrymen. He is also very sensitive towards any sign of condescension from the expatriates. Due to his vast knowledge and potential, Rennalls is being groomed for the position of Chief Engineer.

The Convocation

The Meeting

Baker decides to have a final meeting with Rennalls before he moves on to his next position. He wishes to accomplish several tasks during his meeting with Mr. Rennalls. For starters, he wants to complete a final job performance review of Rennalls before handing over his position. Next, he hopes to finalize the preparation of Rennalls for the position of Chief Engineer. Baker recognizes that Rennalls has many good qualities, but still has some negative qualities that he needs to overcome before he takes over the position. He wants to emphasize on the good qualities while making Rennalls aware of the bad ones; he does not want to make Rennalls upset nor disappointed. Baker, however, feels it necessary to educate his successor with his own personal experiences. Baker sees himself as a superior, more experienced man. Rennalls, on the other hand, considers himself perfect, partly because of his political influence and vast knowledge. Both men think themselves to be right and superior, making them unable to bond with each other. In addition, racial and cultural differences between Baker and Rennalls complicate the relationship further, consequently making Baker unable to accomplish his goal in the meeting.

Bakers Reaction to the Meeting

Baker feels that Rennalls is technically qualified to do the job but has concerns about his work-related interpersonal skills so he decides to raise these issues in a final interview. Baker already holds judgments against Rennalls’ racial consciousness before their meeting. He believes he is more knowledgeable and has greater experience than Rennalls, and is willing to help Rennalls professionally develop to take over as Chief Engineer.

When Baker calls Rennalls into the office, he puts Rennalls in a very awkward position. Baker’s manner of approach, although professional and direct, makes Rennalls tense and defensive. Baker states that certain workers in the office have a particular problem with Rennalls and even names them. Baker addresses other issues with Rennalls and is doing most of the talking. Up to this point, as a leader, Baker is doing his job, but he should have also addressed the personal feelings of Rennalls. Depending on which cultural perspective one takes, on the surface this appears to be about interpersonal problems between Baker and Rennalls, but the root of the problem is racial differences between them.

In Bakers mind, he feels as if the meeting was straight and to the point. He is convinced in his leadership abilities and this form of egocentrism is a large contributor to his high level of confidence and lack of providing room for his own personal development.

Rennalls Reaction to the Meeting

During the meeting, Baker mentions Godson and Jackson speaking to him about Rennalls’ behavior and attitude towards them. Rennalls misinterprets Baker’s objective and accuses Baker of being partial towards the Europeans. After the meeting, Rennalls is convinced that Baker was trying to insult him, which leads to his prompt and unnecessary resignation. It is apparent that he overreacts and lets his ego get the best of him. He feels the need to show Baker that he is not underneath him and that he is in fact better than any European because of his families’ political power and his vast technical knowledge. The meeting, as it turns out, is a disaster. Although many key points were brought up, for example Rennalls’ “plus and minuses”, the root of these issues were not thoroughly addressed, therefore leading to a complete misunderstanding between Baker and Rennalls.

Analyzing

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