Issuu

jbucci@regent.edu

Redemptive Leadership

jbucci@regent.edu

Joseph J. Bucci

Redemptive Leadership Offering Second Chances as a Value-Added Management Practice

jbucci@regent.edu

Joseph J. Bucci, DBA Assistant Professor, Department Chair Business, Leadership and Management Department College of Arts and Sciences, Regent University Virginia Beach, VA, USA

ISBN 978-3-319-31342-9 ISBN 978-3-319-31343-6 DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31343-6

(eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016948765 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover illustration: © alexandracr / Stockimo / Alamy Stock Photo Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Nature America Inc. New York

jbucci@regent.edu

To my loving wife, Debi. You patiently endured my distracted attention while I worked to finish this project. I am touched by your tenderness and support, and I hope I can offer the same to you as you pursue your own dreams. You are a faithful friend, partner, and love of my life.

jbucci@regent.edu

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My thanks to … • To my kids and everyone who endured my limited input into other avenues of life while I invested myself into this project. • To my teachers, mentors, and friends in the Christian Business Faculty Association and my alma mater Anderson University in Anderson, IN, for allowing me to use my doctoral studies and postdoctoral research to pursue the concepts that ultimately resulted in the development of this book. • To my colleagues and the leadership at Regent University, who challenged me to pursue something I thought was beyond my abilities. • To Dr. Gary Roberts, my colleague and friend, who opened the doors to the wonderful staff of Palgrave Macmillan and showed me the path to achieve this goal. • And especially to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for planting a desire in my heart to pursue this topic and for providing a continuous sense that I must persevere to the end. To Him be all praise and glory forever—Amen! Cover graphic: Matthew 6:26 - Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.” Are you not much more valuable than they?

vii

jbucci@regent.edu

CONTENTS

Do Most Americans Believe in Redemption?

Why Study Redemption in Management?

What Does the Management Literature Say About Redemption?

Eyes Wide Open

Smoothing Out the Road Ahead

The Condition of My Conditions

Moved with Compassion; Acting with Fairness

Making a List; Checking It Twice (as much)

Déjà Vu All Over Again

xxv

jbucci@regent.edu

xxvi

CONTENTS

10 So How Does Someone Become a Redemptive Manager?

11 Is Redemptive Management a Viable Strategy for an Organization?

115

12 A Case Study of Redemptive Managerial Behaviors @ Work

135

13 The Redemptive Effort: Certain Restrictions Apply

153

14 Some Additional Thoughts on Redemption from a Faith-Oriented Perspective

167

Appendix 1: Summary of Managerial Behaviors Identified (Bucci 2011)

177

Appendix 2: Comparing Behaviors of Managers: Traditional Hire vs. Reinstatement (Bucci 2014)

179

Index

183

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 1

Do Most Americans Believe in Redemption?

What would your reaction be to working alongside someone who has publicly displayed a major flaw in character? What if this had occurred in the most recent past, but this person was being given another opportunity? Could you remove yourself from that person’s errors in judgment and work alongside of them and not be critical? Kathleen Parker, a columnist with the Washington Post, was given the opportunity to host a prime-time cable television news program. There was just one catch: she would be co-anchoring this prime-time news program with former governor and attorney general of New York, Eliot Spitzer, a “disgraced” politician who resigned after it was revealed that he had been carrying on surreptitiously with prostitutes. Parker suggested in this quote her feelings about working alongside of Spitzer: I’m not defending Spitzer or condoning his behavior. Ultimately, I decided that his obvious intelligence, insights and potential contributions outweighed his other record. As far as I’m concerned, especially given that he has resigned from public office, the flaws that brought Spitzer down are between him and his family. Like most Americans, I believe in redemption. (Parker 2010)

How would you respond if given a second chance to do something after failing the first time? In a previous career, the author was an HR manager in an inner-city business where there were employees who had completed © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 J.J. Bucci, Redemptive Leadership, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31343-6_1 jbucci@regent.edu

J.J. BUCCI

the Teen Challenge program and had been hired by the firm. These individuals had lost prior jobs, disgraced their families, and, under threat of imprisonment, humbled themselves to move into a group home to participate in structured activities that promised hope to them to overcome their addictions. Now given second chances as employees of this particular firm, these former addicts, once restored and given a second chance, were some of the most loyal and fiercely dedicated employees in the organization. Second chances can give us the opportunity to consider that perhaps a gracious bigger picture is at work, and cause us to reflect thankfully on the opportunity to start fresh or undo some hurtful actions previously undertaken. One manager with a brusque demeanor rose steadily in a large successful telecom company until he began offending managers at senior levels in the firm. Eventually his career trajectory was stunted, and instead of recognizing and acknowledging his offensive temperament, he moved on to another firm (Lancaster 1999). A senior manager in his new organization was aware of the new employee’s formerly toxic management style and wondered if the manager had changed his approach. He soon found out that little had changed. Instead of being fired for his offensive ways with his employees, the senior manager provided coaching and enrolled the manager in an intensive leadership program with a psychologist (Lancaster 1999). The formerly brusque and offensive manager found within the support and honest critiques of his leaders the motivation to change his behavior, and he became a model manager. This story is recounted on the web page of a firm that offers such “management turn-around” counseling, but the point is clear: second chances can help change a potentially good employee with obvious weaknesses into a better, more loyal and effective performer (Lancaster 1999). We often use the word “redemption” as the term for providing secondchance opportunities. Just a quick search of the word “redemption” on a general search engine brings up references to stock redemptions or sporting teams and individuals seeking a sort of vindication. In the former case, the stories associated with redemption align more with debt reduction and stock cash exchanges. In the latter case, stories are of teams and individual athletes seeking to regroup from a surprising loss or embarrassing defeat. In a random review of articles on “redemption” (minus qualifying words such as “coupon,” “red,” and “annual report”) collected using the RSS news reader Feedly, 51 articles discussed the redemption of a character

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 2

Why Study Redemption in Management?

On August 13, 2009, partway into their opening pre-season game, fans of the Philadelphia Eagles began buzzing about something more than the game on the field, which matched their Eagles against the New England Patriots with their exceptional quarterback, Tom Brady. Brady was just returning after a knee injury that had knocked him and the Patriots out of contention for defending their Super Bowl title, earned the year prior to his injury. The buzz was expected to focus on Brady and his preparation for returning to lead the Patriots to football’s Promised Land once again. But early in the game, a different buzz swept across the stadium. It seemed that these Philadelphia Eagles, so often known for conservative decision making, for sticking with a plan whether it was working currently or not, for going after “character” types of players after an earlier runin with an egocentric wide receiver named Terrell Owens—these same Eagles were being reported to have signed Michael Vick, former top draft pick and ex-quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, now a disgraced former player just released from prison for bankrolling vicious dog fighting on his own property in Virginia, and who himself had tortured and killed several animals. The Eagles and Vick—people were stunned. Even sportswriters familiar with Vick’s considerable skills, knowing the Eagles organization, were “astounded” (Gonzalez 2009). Reports were that this “second chance” opportunity was personal to coach Andy Reid. A month earlier, when Vick was released from prison after serving time for crimes related to the funding of a dog-fighting operation on his property in Virginia, Reid’s © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 J.J. Bucci, Redemptive Leadership, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31343-6_2 jbucci@regent.edu

J.J. BUCCI

initial reaction (along with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb) was that Vick was deserving of a second chance. Now the opportunity to gain Vick as an asset seemed to be mixed in Reid’s mind with an opportunity to do for Vick as he would want to do with his own sons: offer him an opportunity to overcome his troubled past and start again (Hoffmann 2009). Reid himself had faced personal challenges with his own sons’ incarceration, and the experience seemed to have softened Reid, a tough and stoic football coach. The experienced was reported to have made Reid more human, more sensitive to the struggles of his own players, and it would eventually prepare Reid to consider taking on Michael Vick as a redemptive project for his team (Fahey 2011). During these exciting few days my sons and I, as fans of the Eagles, volleyed text comments back and forth as to whether this deal would even be consummated. I was excited about the possibilities not only as a sports fan, but also as someone who had studied redemption as a management practice in my doctoral studies. I had experienced the redemptive coaching of several managers in my career as a pastor and Human Resources manager. Growing up as a rebellious son of divorced parents, I had made a profession of faith in college but had not yet fully surrendered my own aberrant behavior to a more acceptable corporate demeanor. It was by the patience and grace extended to me by several of my supervisors that I have become the competent and mature man that I am today. Is there a conventional picture of a management practice using a redemptive approach in an organization? This writer has found few management texts in circulation today that address a consistent approach, unless they are Christian authors offering a faith-based alternative to the management of employees. A redemptive approach to dealing with aberrant behavior would need to understand the dichotomy where the need to develop and retain capable employees contrasts with the fact that people are imperfect and can have oddities and eccentricities, which if unaddressed can cause rifts with other employees or be taken as poor attitudes (Furnham 2002). Employees also may be clumsy or slow in mastering work-related tasks after repeated instruction, and managers have time deadlines and must meet performance requirements. There may also be angry or hurt individuals who need a strong hand to guide them through past bitterness and disappointment into finding satisfaction in their current situation. A conventional approach would need to consider the fact that people make mistakes, and even offering second chances does not necessarily cause people to be more loyal or more accommodating—it might actually lead to

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 3

What Does the Management Literature Say About Redemption?

The interest in and the pursuit of qualifying the definition and dimensions of leadership have seen a dramatic rise in recent history. Peter Northouse, one of the most-recognized authors on leadership and leadership theory, in the sixth edition of his book Leadership (2013), opens the book by noting that leadership is a highly valued commodity. Regarding the dramatic growth of leadership theory, Northouse references Rost (1991), who identified an explosion of growth and interest in leadership since the 1980s (Rost 1991); and also Fleishman et al. (1991), who identified as many as 65 different leadership classification systems as being developed within 60 years of his book’s publication for defining facets of leadership (Fleishman et al. 1991). More recent authors also verify the continued proliferation of leadership material into the present day (Hernez-Broome and Hughes 2004). Bass and Bass (2009) state that in the 18 years between editions of their “Handbook of Leadership” (Bass and Bass 2009), there was a 100 % increase in leadership research in the United States; with dramatic increases in leadership-titled journals filled with hundreds of articles describing new leadership research and theory (Bass and Bass 2009). Even with this dramatic rise in resources and theories, several authors suggest that these new theories have not lived up to their proclamations in helping practitioners overcome the problems and challenges that leaders face (Zaccaro and Horn 2003). Zaccaro and Horn (2003) in particular identify a weakness in the application of leadership theory in its accompanying practices. Other authors also have also picked up on this gap and identified a weak application in terms of leadership effectiveness © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 J.J. Bucci, Redemptive Leadership, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31343-6_3 jbucci@regent.edu

J.J. BUCCI

(Fernandez et al. 2010). Mila Baker, Associate Professor and Academic Chair for several graduate management programs at New York University, acknowledged the recent proliferation of leadership books, coaching initiatives, and executive development programs, but questioned the effectiveness of such programs, while at the same time introducing another new leadership theory (Baker 2014). Could it be that even with this burgeoning interest in the definition and dimensions of leadership there might still be room to consider a different approach using redemptive managerial behaviors? Perhaps with the evidence cited that there continue to be gaps between the theory and practice of leadership, there is a dissatisfaction among managers that these new theories do not address the critical issues they face in their daily role of managing various kinds of aberrant behaviors, and how one size of leadership theory just does not fit these exceptional circumstances. Regardless of whether the manager is a person of faith, according to Banks and Stevens (1997), the manager’s role, as previously mentioned, is perceived to be one with a “sacred responsibility” towards their employees, where the manager competently manages and trains the employees for success (Banks and Stevens 1997). What then is the manager’s responsibility should the worker fail to achieve organizational success?

A REVIEW OF THE MANAGEMENT TRADE LITERATURE TOPIC OF REDEMPTIVE MANAGERIAL PRACTICES

ON THE

There are examples in the management literature from both faith-based and non-faith-based authors of success stories in reinstating terminated employees. First, a faith-based approach will be considered. A faith-based approach would appeal to managers looking to apply their spiritual values to the workplace; the employee-manager relationship in this approach constitutes a “sacred responsibility,” as previously mentioned (Banks and Stevens 1997). Richard Chewning (1990), in his book Business through the Eyes of Faith, tells the story of an employee who stole from a business and was not fired, but given the opportunity to continue working. The manager confronted the employee concerning the theft several times, attempting to salvage or redeem the employee (Chewning 1990). According to Chewning, it is a manager’s role to help employees avoid situations that might lead to failure. Managers also need to help employees accept responsibility for failures that are within their control and offer paths for correction

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 4

Eyes Wide Open

In a story about a jobs program for the homeless in Annapolis, MD (Davis 2012), the writer told of the struggles that returning drug addicts and criminals have in finding work to complete their restoration back into life outside of prison and away from addiction. The program, called “We Care and Friends,” is not a religiously affiliated program. Yet the Program Director actively describes his work as being about redemption (Davis 2012). The program’s purpose is to support former addicts and former prisoners with food, clothing, counseling, and employment, particularly when there is nowhere else for them to turn (Davis 2012). One of the more interesting aspects of this effort is the fact that those who have paid the price through prison time or through surviving a drug treatment program and now are looking for work as a part of their restoration and reintegration, those with criminal records, are generally people for whom the record of past sins having been paid is not enough to allow them to find work. The Society for Human Resources Management conducted a survey of 433 randomly selected HR professionals from SHRM’s membership to determine the extent of background checks conducted on potential applicants (SHRM 2010). 73 % of the organizations surveyed conducted criminal background checks on all job candidates (SHRM 2010). Researchers Blumstein and Nakamura (2009), drawing from the same data tables in the SHRM reports and including in their calculations businesses that always or sometimes conduct criminal background checks, determine that the actual percentage is well over 80 % (Blumstein and Nakamura 2009). © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 J.J. Bucci, Redemptive Leadership, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-31343-6_4 jbucci@regent.edu

J.J. BUCCI

The significance of these background checks has a variable influence on the decision to hire. According to the SHRM survey, the confirmation of convictions can have a very influential impact on whether to extend a job offer to the candidate (SHRM 2010). According to Blumstein and Nakamura (2009), whether an applicant states up front that they have committed a crime or the employer determines this through a criminal background check, there is a likelihood that the applicant will not get the job because many employers are unwilling to hire ex-offenders (Blumstein and Nakamura 2009). These researchers go on to suggest that “most people would probably agree” (Blumstein and Nakamura 2009) that at some point in time ex-offenders who have not continued criminal activity should not be handicapped by their criminal record when seeking employment (Blumstein and Nakamura 2009). This Blumstein and Nakamura research is being funded by the National Institute of Justice (Blumstein and Nakamura 2009). The NIJ seeks to empirically determine whether employers should be concerned about past criminal offenses when hiring a new employee. Blumstein and Nakamura have gone beyond what they determine is an employer choosing arbitrary expiration dates for the revocation of prior criminal records, and they have developed an actuarial model for determining when an ex-offender has for employment purposes been clean long enough to be considered “redeemed”—their term (Blumstein and Nakamura 2009). The Blumstein and Nakamura research is meant to help support one of the stated goals of President Barack Obama’s crime and law enforcement agenda, which is to break down the employment barriers for persons previously convicted of crimes but now free of further involvement in the criminal justice system (Blumstein and Nakamura 2009). The study authors were seeking to change the behavior of managers with empirical data. And the results were admirable, with the researchers finding that there was a point in time in which the risk of recidivism (returning to criminal activity) was no greater for a population of former criminals than it was for a similar group from the general population (Blumstein and Nakamura 2009). In other words, when is it safe for a manager to hire that former prisoner because they are no longer at risk to return to the criminal behaviors that caused them to spend time in prison? The goal of this book is seeking a similar change in behavior among managers. The reinstatement of employees terminated for cause has

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 5

Smoothing Out the Road Ahead

He says that his famous father started him on soft drugs when he was only eight years old (Caddell, 2008). It seemed that his career was over by 2001, after arrests for possession of narcotics, violations of probation, an additional drug sentence, DUI arrests, and serving time in rehab centers. It’s not hard to understand why a movie studio like Paramount Pictures, expecting to invest hundreds of millions of dollars producing a film version of the Marvel comic strip Iron Man, would not want to bankroll a three-time loser in the starring role. For one movie role, the producer withheld 40 % of the actor’s salary until after production was completed as insurance against further addictive behavior (HallenbeckHuber 2010). But someone believed in Robert Downey Jr. and was willing to fight to get Downey the role that would cement his return from what one reviewer called “the dark side.” Actor and director Jon Favreau had a tough sell to get Paramount and Marvel Comics to agree to give Downey the starring role in what would become a blockbuster series (Buffa 2012). Paramount was said to be extremely hesitant to cast the inconsistent maverick in the title role. But Favreau insisted that Downey was exactly was the same man as the character who they were trying to cast—bright, emotional, rebellious, and eccentric. Downey found a lot of his own life experiences in the Tony Stark character he played. Favreau said he spent half of his preparation time trying to convince the studio to cast the talented but mercurial

jbucci@regent.edu

J.J. BUCCI

actor. Now the movie studio is reaping the benefits after Favreau’s argument won the day (Eisenberg 2014). Director Favreau saw two things in Downey that no one else saw: he saw talent that could be developed, and he saw similarities between the eccentric Stark character’s journey and the flawed Downey (Eisenberg 2014). So what Favreau did was similar to what the managers in the research did—he anticpated the organizational issue he would face and addressed it head on. The reports say that Favreau was twice rejected in his efforts to get Downey approved for the role by studio heads (Eisenberg 2014). But he worked feverishly to smooth out the path and address the concerns of all the stakeholders. And the rest, as they say, is history.

RESEARCH FINDINGS 2. Managers sorted through organizational issues with stakeholder groups, but then they carefully considered the proper placement of the returning employee.

SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH FOR FINDING #2 The managers interviewed had a familiarity with the competing organizational interests within their business, and they anticipated some of the differing organizational issues that the reinstatement of former employees would impact. These managers were business savvy; and they knew that this reinstatement process needed to be managed. These managers had to lead people through this process, which for many of them was the first time they had done this. The managers interviewed actively worked with the union where applicable in the reinstatement process. Managers directly addressed the concerns of organizational stakeholders in this redemptive process. The managers anticipated the issues that could arise and they addressed them head on. The managers sorted through the organizational issues of bringing the terminated employees back. Managers were sensitive to the concerns of stakeholders and carefully considered the best placement for the reinstated workers. The workgroup did not want to be burned by inconsistent performance. There was evidence that the managers acted on issues related to restorative justice and reparation in this process of successfully reinstating failed, terminated employees.

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 6

The Condition of My Conditions

Tom Jurich, Vice President and Director of Athletics for the University of Louisville, has a history of putting his trust in coaches who have made errors in judgment. He entered a program at the University of Lousiville that had been inefficient in its finances and non-compliant with the NCAA (Belzer 2013). Not only has Jurich returned the program to greater financial health and internal integrity, but also he has supported an embattled coach who had an extramarital affair and was then part of an extortion plot by the woman at the center of the affair. He also supported another coach who was implicated in arranging for recruits at another university to receive improper benefits. Perhaps Jurich’s most controversial move was the rehiring of a football coach whom he had hired and groomed himself. Jurich rehired Bobby Petrino to coach the University of Louisville football team after this same coach had walked away from an extended ten-year contract to coach at the pro level. This same Petrino later left the pro ranks to coach at another university, where he was fired for not disclosing an inappropriate relationship with a former female fundraiser, whom he had later hired as an assistant. The affair only came to light when the two were involved in a motorcycle accident in which the assistant was riding on the back of the bike behind the coach. The coach failed to mention his passenger when initially reporting the accident, which led to the discovery of their affair, serious conflicts of interest, and Petrino’s dismissal.

J.J. BUCCI

Jurich and his wife Terilynn met with Petrino for nine hours and asked him to convince them that he was a changed man. They next met with Petrino’s wife Becky to ask the same thing. Becky said that their marriage had never been better. This was the same woman who was nationally humiliated when Petrino had engaged in improper behavior with the wife of an assistant coach. Jurich noted that “you can’t fool your wife” when it comes to issues of changed behavior. Petrino for his part expressed remorse and was apologetic about the mistakes that he had made (Spence 2014). Kenny Rogers and The First Edition recorded a song in 1968 describing a drug experience gone bad (Songfacts.com 2015). The song, called “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In),” described someone trying to understand the condition of their condition in the midst of the haze of a drug influence. In this chapter, we consider how one of the findings of the managers who successfully reinstated previously terminated employees required that the managers and employees agree to a structured plan with a set of conditions that acted to protect the company, the employees, and the other stakeholders in this process. It would be important for the employees to continue to be aware of the condition of their meeting the conditions of this agreement. So as a take-off on the song’s title, we consider the third major finding from the research on redemptive managerial behaviors and see how this aligns with Tom Jurich’s conditional approach to the rehiring of Bobby Petrino.

RESEARCH FINDINGS 3. Managers created structured agreements with conditional acceptance, then they communicated clearly and directly about conditions and consequences.

SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH FOR FINDING #3 The managers interviewed were much more structured in the reinstatement process of the formerly terminated employees than would be expected with a new hire. Managers were much more selective in considering those former employees whom they would reinstate. These managers looked for the right match for the potential employees before the reinstatement. These managers knew that they were acting as agents of their firms, and although they expressed a concern for the employees, they also knew the significance of representing the organization. The managers who were successful in reinstating formerly failed or terminated

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 7

Moved with Compassion; Acting with Fairness

It is an unusual and newsworthy story when a crime victim’s family openly forgives a convicted criminal who has mistreated or hurt a family member in carrying out their crime. It is even more unique for this to occur when the family member in question was killed in the process. Could it even be considered when the family member in question had been brutally raped and then killed? This is exactly what happened in a Cleveland County Superior Court courtroom. In an even bigger surprise, the families of the victim and of the man convicted of a horrible rape and murder some ten years prior embraced in that courtroom. The presiding judge said he’d never seen anything like it in all his years on the bench (Shelby Star Editor 2013). This type of forgiveness and redemption is rare in criminal cases, as in life generally. The examples of such selfless forgiveness take our breath away, as we wonder how anyone could forsake bitterness and forgive the perpetrators of such senseless violence. Another amazing example of complete forgiveness in facilitating redemption was modeled in the story of the Amish families that forgave a murderer and his family after he killed five of their children and wounded five others (Associated Press 2013). The Amish families whose children were hurt and killed even attended the funeral of the murder, who took his own life after the incident.

J.J. BUCCI

In the process of reinstating terminated employees, as previously mentioned, there is the issue of managing the reactions of all stakeholders: their coworkers, managers, and others impacted by the previous work history of the terminated employees. Now as the employees are being prepared for reinstatement by the managers, the managers act with compassion for the workers based on their own empathy and history with second chances. But they must also act with fairness as they take and reinstate workers to whom justice was thought to have been served.

RESEARCH FINDINGS 4. Managers were moved with compassion and empathy for the reinstated employees, but then they acted to ensure that the process for reinstatement demonstrated justice and fairness.

SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH FOR FINDING #4 The managers interviewed balanced their own feelings of empathy and compassion with the reality of their role as agents of their firms. So as much as they were moved with compassion for the terminated employees, they had to act protect the firm and through this reinstatement to do this with justice and fairness. Several of the managers reflected on their own personal experiences with second chances, whether in a business setting or in their own families. So the managers interviewed had an empathetic connection with the reinstatement in light of their own beliefs in second chances. The managers’ offers of reinstatement and second chances were not necessarily due to the managers’ faith. The managers acted with compassion; yet they knew that the process needed to be conducted with equity. The managers for the most part demonstrated an empathetic connection with employees, and this in light of their own beliefs in second chances. With an understanding that the perception of stakeholders needed to be taken into consideration, it was necessary that the reinstatement process be perceived as fair and just. The managers interviewed described how they approached this redemptive process with equity, and how they established a fair and equitable process for reinstating the employees. In all things, the managers resisted the opportunity to demonstrate resentment as if they were out to get the employees. The managers acted with empathy and fairness with mercy.

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 8

Making a List; Checking It Twice (as much)

He was the voice of a very successful basketball franchise for three decades (Brewer 1998). His signature call when the ball flew through the basket— “Yes!!” —became universally copied. But in 1997 Marv Albert’s private life became public fodder, and a man at the pinnacle of success ended his career in shame and embarrassment, resigning before being fired from his local sports gig, then being publicly humiliated as he was fired from his national broadcasting job calling the play by play for network basketball games. Albert was arrested for sexual assault and pled guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge. Before the guilty plea, Albert had denied any sexual misconduct (Brewer 1998). There were spurious articles written about the need for Albert to be fired, his need for honesty and contrition, and the sickening act of his public contrition tour (Pierce 1997). But in announcing his reinstatement ten months later, Albert’s boss Dave Checketts modeled a perfect example of the process described thus far for redemptive managerial behavior: he demonstrated compassion and empathy; he had previously spoken to shareholders about this employee’s reinstatement; and he expressed that reinstating Albert was worth the investment (Papageorgiou 2011). But Checketts also did another thing of note, which we also discovered in our interviews with managers of successful redemptive behaviors: he did not push for Albert to return immediately to the status and post from which he had resigned in disgrace. Checketts instead started Albert in a series of

jbucci@regent.edu

J.J. BUCCI

lower-level roles. Albert would be gradually reintroduced to some of the responsibilities he previously had. Albert would do radio play by play and some short television spots at later hours to start. Albert was humbled by the second chance and acknowledged his gratitude for the opportunity, however small, to start. Albert’s employment redemption story could be located in several of the chapters that describe the behaviors of managers who successfully reinstated terminated employees. The story is placed here due to some unique attributes that more closely align with the fifth finding from the research results. As we’ll see with the specific details of this finding as highlighted below, the managers here not only carefully orchestrated the return of the terminated employees, but also they thoughtfully scrutinized the activities of the returning employee. The managers looked to place the employees in situations in which they could succeed. In Albert’s case, there was much scrutiny both from outside the organization by a critical press corps and from inside as well (CBSNews.com Staff 1998). Albert himself went through therapy at the request of his supervisors as a part of the precisely guided effort to reinstate the former announcer (CBSNews. com Staff 1998). Management worked to judiciously integrate Albert back into roles in which he could be successful. For Albert, the work was not broken down into smaller pieces per se, but he received smaller assignments to build his credibility both internally and outside the organization (CBSNews.com Staff 1998). More details on the specifics of this finding with the redemptive manager’s own comments are below.

RESEARCH FINDINGS 5. Managers offered support and encouragement to the returning employee, but then they carefully scrutinized the reinstated employee’s work, with greater follow-up frequency and continued, consistent discipline.

SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH FOR FINDING #5 The managers interviewed for this research here noted that there was much pre-planning and care taken in putting reinstated employees into situations in which they could be successful. The managers themselves took more of a hands-on approach, as compared to delegating this responsibility to someone else within the organization. As in Marv Albert’s case, the managers took special interest in the reinstated

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 9

Déjà Vu All Over Again

The French phrase déjà vu makes reference to something very familiar, and in our culture has come to describe the feeling of something already seen or experienced (Brians 2013). According to Brians (2013) the phrase is used when someone feels that they have been somewhere when this is not the case (Brians 2013). A more garbled usage of the phrase is attributed to baseball legend Yogi Berra in the oft-repeated catchphrase, “it’s like déjà vu all over again” (Brians 2013). The assumption is that hearers would catch the irony of having a sense of something familiar, which they had not yet experienced, yet another time. Familiarity is certainly an obstacle needing to be addressed when seeking to reinstate an employee who has worked in a firm for some time but who has been terminated. When trying to bring this person back, people from across the organization will have their opinions and ideas about just what happened the first time around. As has been noted, this will make the redemptive effort much more challenging. Familiarity was certainly the challenge for Larry Mendte to overcome. Mendte was a household name in Philadelphia, hosting a popular television news program on the CBS affiliate station KYW-TV with an attractive co-host. Mendte himself was married to a successful and attractive news anchor from a competing station in the Philadelphia market. Mendte had distinguished himself as the first male host for a nightly show with entertainment news called Access Hollywood. His insights into and instincts for

J.J. BUCCI

the news business enabled him to build an organization with a strong following, which led to an anchor position at the NBC affiliate station in Philadelphia WCAU-TV. In a major move in a significant television market, it seemed to station executives at their CBS rival station in the Philadephia market that he was worth the investment (PRNewswire 2003). But in 2008, the FBI visited Mendte at his home, announcing that they were investigating his role in the dissemination of information and leaks caused by his reading the e-mails of his female co-host on the KYW-TV news program and leaking personal and embarrassing information about his co-host to various news outlets (Dougherty 2008). Mendte eventually pleaded guilty to these charges, was fired from his news anchor job, and spent six months under house arrest (Darrow 2012a, b). As toxic as his situation seemed to be, once his house arrest period was over Mendte received calls to cover a number of news events, to write a Broadway musical, and several other odd requests. None of these, however, could come close to making up the difference in the loss of the significant salary he earned as a news anchor in the nation’s fourth-largest media market (Mendte 2011). Mendte connected with Ray Murray, a former co-host of Evening Magazine in Philadelphia who described himself as a “recovering TV talent” (Mendte 2011). Murray was empathetic and saw Mendte’s talents as worth the investment. Murray saw Mendte’s public apology and connected with it: “Nobody takes responsibility like that anymore” (Mendte 2011). Developing a media project around the theme of “Coming Clean” with Murray, Mendte contacted Bill Carey, who was a weekend anchor in New York. The concept resonated with Carey as well, who had been arrested after a car accident in 2007 but was later cleared of any charges against him. Carey would become the news director at the Tribune Broadcasting station in New York, and opened the door for Mendte to host news commentary spots. One redeemed broadcaster would offer an opportunity for career restoration to another. We had previously mentioned in Finding #4 (Chap. 7) that it was discovered in the manager interviews for this research how the managers themselves had been given some measure of a second-chance opportunity or had seen this in their family. For several of these managers, this was a point of reference that helped them in the process of reinstating former terminated employees. What became distinctive in this final finding was the observation that these managers, acting in their roles as agents of their firms, needed to be conscious of balancing their own empathy to offer a

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 10

So How Does Someone Become a Redemptive Manager?

To many, the turnaround magic performed by Steve Jobs in his return to Apple, the company that he founded, but from which he was released ten years prior, was nothing less than one of the greatest events in modern business history (Lashinsky 2013). Jobs was always charismatic and visionary. Yet upon his return to Apple he could well be credited with changing not only one but several industries and how they could no longer do “business as usual”: for example, cellular phones, music distribution, personal computers, and movies (Lashinsky 2009). As remarkable as his achievements in changing entire markets were, those who knew Jobs personally often spoke of his bullying of employees, his creating an environment of fear and manipulation, and his limiting input on his designs and systems through centralized control (Tate 2011). The initial choice would not have been to include Jobs’ story in this book, although the redemptive journey of his separation from Apple and his subsequent return are noteworthy. Jobs did experience many of the same feelings of other terminated employees who had the opportunity for reinstatement, as recounted by the managers we interviewed for this research. In his commencement address to the graduating class at Stanford in 2005, Jobs described how he was deeply moved by his termination from Apple (Jobs 2005). Jobs recounted his remorse for failing to successfully lead the company he founded; and how he sought out other leaders and tried to apologize for having screwing up so badly (Jobs 2005). This

J.J. BUCCI

is similar to the response of some of the reinstated employees as recounted by the redemptive managers we interviewed (see Finding #3 in Chap. 6). There were also similarities to other behaviors mentioned by the managers, like the clear understanding given to Jobs of the requirements for what would be expected of him upon his return to Apple. The circumstances for the termination and the subsequent opportunity to begin again were more clearly laid out. Jobs was not necessarily mentored into his reinstatement, although many on the Apple Board of Directors behind the scenes lobbied for his return. Some saw his reinstatement as an error of omission by the then-CEO of Apple Gil Amelio (Lashinsky 2013). But similar to the stories we heard from the redemptive managers, the reinstated Steve Jobs gained quite a bit of empathy in going through his transition out of Apple and then his journey prior to his return. It seemed to make him a different person, even though some of the reactive tendencies were still there. He much more appreciated the second-chance opportunity as it was given to him, similar to what the managers discussed when they rehired previously terminated employees (Jobs 2005). It was hard medicine to leave, but it made his return that much sweeter and more reflective. So there is a lot of synergy between Jobs’ journey to reinstatement and the stories of those who are reinstated with the help of a caring redemptive manager. But another reason to include the story here is mentioned in one article on Jobs’ return (Wilcox 2012). There is a “Horatio Alger” quality to the Jobs reinstatement story, and it inspires those who envision limitations in their own lives and who through coaching and reflection after a termination experience will choose to live for something greater. Here is man raised by adoptive parents with a brilliant mind but excessive paranoia, who overcame being rejected by the company he founded and with a second chance chose to invest his life back in this former company, and in the process transformed not only his former company but entire industries (Lashinsky 2009). Wilcox (2012) writes that there is something appealing and universal about these redemption stories—and we agree (Wilcox 2012). But someone like a Steve Wozniak had to take the brilliance that was Steve Jobs and channel it, and mentor him in his initial venture into corporate life. Then there needed to be a reckoning in Jobs’ later life before his return to Apple could be so satisfying. This mentoring of troubled but talented personnel and the willingness to offer second-chance opportunities to those who have struck out previously takes people of courage to do this in the lives of those seemingly troubled and irresponsible employees who work for them. Would you

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 11

Is Redemptive Management a Viable Strategy for an Organization?

The stories in this book of transformation fill this author with gratitude for those offering these redemptive work opportunities and for the changed lives they evidence. Zablocki suggests that man’s work can be a redemptive force in bringing this broken world more closely into alignment with the plan of God (Zablocki 2011). Wong and Rae (2011) reference theologian Miroslav Volf in describing how Romans Chap. 8 integrates the work of the Spirit in equipping mankind with gifts and eliciting a desire from both man and creation to be freed from the corruption of sin in the transformation and restoration of the earth (Wong and Rae 2011). For this culmination, man waits and hopes expectantly (Romans 8: 23–25 NLT). Here we see a glimpse of how man’s work is intimately linked to the restoration of creation, and this embodies the full scope of the redemptive plan of God. Man was designed to work as God works, to tend to His creation, to steward His resources (Genesis 1:28). Our work has the potential to fulfill our destiny and affect the destiny of others as we work in communities of gift expression, often known simply as “places of employment.” A small nondescript article emanating from a small news feed and cited in several papers highlights an actual picture of the redemptive power of work providing man’s release from the corruption caused by the ravages of evil (Nepal National News Agency 2012; also APF 2012a, b). It is a story about redemption and people with hope and expectation seeking a new life—a “normal” life, as they said (APF 2012a). The men in the story

115

116

J.J. BUCCI

realized that they had chosen the wrong path by being involved in gangrelated activities. Now they were seeking and finding pride in leaving the path of violence behind. But would their desire to change be met with an equal or greater reception by empathetic managers in an environment of support and understanding? In this case, in this story, the answer was an emphatic “Yes!” At a Salvadoran factory making T-shirts for a Pennsylvania company, plant manager Rodrigo Bolanos was quoted as saying that he firmly believes gang members can be rehabilitated, and he prefers to employ the ex-criminals “that nobody wants” (APF 2012b). The researcher believes that God uses circumstances at our places of work and persons with whom we work to test and challenge us to live a life that reflects the glory of God in a changed heart. But there seems to be more going on here than just an offer of work for a reformed gang member. There is a forsaken person here seeking to find a new life away from destructive behaviors and violence. But there is also a motivated employer seeking persons not found of worth to others but in whom an investment can be made (Gang Rehabilitation Program n.d.). “Many in the country find it difficult to believe in us and it hurts. But we have to put up with it,” said Sergio Rivera, an ex-gang member who works in the factory Bolanos manages (APF 2012b, p. 16). Ricardo Martinez, another leader cited in the article, was quoted as saying that his company decided to set up a non-profit organization called “We work for peace” to encourage and support the rehabilitation of gang members throughout San Salvador. “We in the business community have to play our part,” Martinez was quoted as saying. “We can’t just see that there is a problem and not try to do something to resolve it. The gangs spread precisely because of this attitude, because of the lack of social attention,” Martinez noted (APF 2012b, p. 16). Here we face this paradox: no one wants the gangs to exist, and yet no one wants to help these gang members. The challenge, as plant manager Bolanos was quoted as saying, is that someone needs to believe in them. Someone has to employ those people “that nobody wants” (APF 2012b, p. 16). As much as the recent economic climate buffets us with claims of high unemployment and worker fears of layoffs, Human Resource professionals still discuss carefully managing talent (Sullivan 2002) and improving the systems to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of talent development programs (Boudreau and Ramstad 2004). There may be extra workers available in the general population, but the management of human capital

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 12

A Case Study of Redemptive Managerial Behaviors @ Work

REDEMPTION AND RESTORATION AS A HIRING STRATEGY: AN ORGANIZATIONAL CASE STUDY In the social sciences literature, the term “redemptive organization” is noted by one author as referring to politically motivated groups that seek to enact social change while at the same time seeking personal transformation (Couto 1989). Another author wrote of “redemptive communities” in referring to indigenous groups that maintain inherent knowledge systems, as distinguished from modern knowledge groups, in the management of ecologically sensitive tropical forests (Browder 1995). So the descriptive term “redemptive” is used to describe two unique groups that have one thing in common: the renewal of some system by painstaking investment in people and process. Earlier, the term “redemptive organization” was linked to the author Tumblin (2002). Tumblin seems to echo the research of the colleagues noted from the social sciences. Tumblin writes that a redemptive organization seeks to maximize value to internal and external stakeholders while fulfilling the organization’s mission with excellence (Tumblin 2002). This transformational leadership approach affects more than the organization. All of society experiences the repercussions of these redemptive activities (Tumblin 2002). So all three authors seem to suggest that a redemptive organization can have an impact not

135

136

J.J. BUCCI

only on the social or environmental ecosystems in which they operate, but also on the greater society. Is there an actual example of an organization that by demonstrating these redemptive managerial behaviors might have an impact not only on its own workforce but on the greater culture? One organization in an industrial park northwest of Pittsburgh, PA, was part of a series of interviews by the author that laid the foundation for the later work interviewing managers demonstrating redemptive behaviors, leading up to this book’s publication. This organization was found to have a strategy in place actively offering redemptive opportunities for employees previously terminated for cause to be restored to their former status. In order to gain exclusive access to the data support needed for the research, the organization requested anonymity. At this organization, employee reinstatement has become a viable staffing option in light of the high turnover of first-time employees. The organization truly seems to operate along the lines of the description of a redemptive organization as proposed by Tumblin (2002). This particular organization is a full-service direct marketing company, which offers its client companies data processing and personalization of mailings, printing, database management, and lettershop services, with support services such as trucking and logistics. There are about 400 employees working at this organization out of a single location. Half of the employees work in an operations capacity, the remaining employees work in various sales, service, and professional roles. For this research, the author was given access to a series of management interviews and additional data through the permission of the Vice President of Human Resources (heretofore referred to as VP of HR), who is a graduate of the college where the author was employed. The author was also given access to termination data, from which a cross-sectional analysis was conducted. The number of employees terminated and rehired by this organization over a ten-year period was 128. The focus of this research was a particular three-year period: 58 employees were terminated and rehired between March 2007 and March 2010. On the following page is a table highlighting reasons for termination (Table 12.1): According to the data, over a four-year period (2007–2010), of the 58 employees terminated by the firm and subsequently rehired, there had been 14 persons terminated for cause and rehired. Four of the 14 were still employed with the company during this research. In this particular

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 13

The Redemptive Effort: Certain Restrictions Apply

Billy Cannon was a cocky and self-assured football player on the Louisiana State University football team who famously returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown that sealed LSU’s national title in 1958. Cannon won the Heisman Trophy as the best player in college football in 1959 and found success playing professional football. After his pro football career, he became an orthodontist and an almost mythical figure in his home state of Louisiana, and seemed to be successfully at everything he touched. This legendary status continued until the US Secret Service arrested him on charges of counterfeiting in 1983 (Thompson 2009). After serving time in prison for his part in a counterfeiting ring, Cannon struggled to find any work, and no other dentists would refer patients to him. He was an outcast and abandoned by friends and colleagues alike. It was a desperate warden at the Angola Prison, Burl Cain, who hired Cannon at the prison. The dental program at the prison was in shambles, and the warden figured that Cannon had something to prove (Thompson 2009). Cannon revitalized the dysfunctional dental program, and then the warden gave him even bigger challenges. All the while, Cannon began to change his focus from living under the expectations of the legend he had been to becoming a dedicated hard-working dentist committed to serving the needs of men like himself who had failed their families and their communities (Thompson 2009).

153

154

J.J. BUCCI

In returning to prison to serve as a dentist, Billy Cannon found the peace and redemption that had been so elusive. It was the opportunity to work and apply his talents to a meaningful task offered by an empathetic and understanding warden that opened the door for Cannon to begin this redemptive process (deGravelles 2015). One of the threads running through this entire review of redemptive behavior is of a manager or leader offering a second opportunity for someone to put to good use the skills and abilities they have working and earning a living for themselves. We observed this with gang members in South America trying to find a path towards social normalcy by working and earning a living instead of destructive behavior and violence. We have observed it with prisoners coming back into society, seeking job opportunities to return to a life that contributes to their own growth and provides for their families—one that does not follow a path of destruction and crime once again. We have seen with the research from the National Institute of Justice an effort to provide support to employers in encouraging them to consider hiring persons with a criminal background because the data suggest that the possibility of them returning to a life or crime is minimal, if present at all. What they desperately need is an alternative to crime, and being able to use their talents through productive work provides this alternative. But much of this comes down to a philosophy of work and the meaning of work. According to Zablocki 2011), man’s work can be a redemptive force in bringing a broken world more closely into alignment with the plan of God (Zablocki 2011). Work, according to Wong and Rae 2011), is not a necessary evil, but a way that God has designed for mankind to fulfill a part of its destiny (Wong and Rae 2011). Man was challenged in the Garden of Eden to take responsibility for stewardship and careful management over creation (Genesis 1:28, 2:15 NASB). This commission seems to be renewed in another passage in the New Testament, in Romans Chap. 8, In the Genesis passage, man’s free choice to actively work and reflect the Creator’s glory was unhindered by sin, while now the passage in Romans reflects a much greater dependent relationship, evident in the mirrored groaning experienced by man and creation under the bondage of sin (Romans 8:22–23), and also in the marvelous blessing of the Holy Spirit through our cooperative effort at restoration (Wong and Rae 2011). Our work releases us and creation to pursue our prescribed spiritual destiny in full redemption. This does not simply affect our personal redemptive story, but also has the opportunity through the providence of God to affect the lives and destiny of others (Wong and Rae 2011).

jbucci@regent.edu

CHAPTER 14

Some Additional Thoughts on Redemption from a Faith-Oriented Perspective

IS ANYONE BEYOND REDEMPTION? According to a news source in Australia (Akerman 2011), a judge found that a father who threw his four-year-old daughter off Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge was not “beyond redemption” despite murdering his fouryear old daughter in this fashion. Victorian Supreme Court judge Paul Coghlan said that although the father’s actions were “horrible,” nothing in Freeman’s past history would make the possibility of parole inappropriate. So the sentence given to this father for this gruesome action resulted in a 30-year jail term, but not life in prison for his act. At first the thought of this horrible action by this father is completely disturbing. Just because he and the child’s mother were at odds, the father’s response in anger was horrible and revolting. Yet the piece that struck out in the article was this bold headline of the phrase used by the judge in issuing his decree. This father, acting with insane foolishness, without remorse or thought of consequence (his one other son observed this action)—could this despicable man be “not ‘beyond redemption?’” While the heinous actions of this enraged father are in no way connected to workplace violence or any employment situation, it does beg the question whether anyone is beyond redemption? At what point in the employment relationship do we determine that a person’s actions

167

168

J.J. BUCCI

are not redeemable? The employment agreement allows for employers to work to correct aberrant behavior to get all employees moving in the same direction. Those who do not comply are given reasonable opportunity to reconsider their actions and behavior, and make adjustments prior to termination for cause in an at-will environment (Termination Procedures 2005). Employee discipline techniques are taught in management training programs to guide managers in handling employees who display aberrant terminal behavior and performance problems (Noe 2007). Our discussion has looked at employees who have performed so poorly or demonstrated such aberrant behavior in the workplace as to require termination for cause. This is the way that employee discipline typically works; employees are taken through a disciplinary process but ultimately terminated for not performing to the established standard either by omission (not trying to meet standard) or by commission (deliberately violating the standard). There is a sense in employee disciplinary proceedings that behavior can be corrected but the onus is on the employee to change. The difference between employee discipline, where the employee is the one who must correct their own behavior, and redemptive action by the manager, is that of advocacy; a redemptive manager recognizes that an employee who has fallen so low in performance and/or behavior needs an advocate, someone to help facilitate their change of direction. After a period of time, a company may agree to take back the terminated employee and give them a “second chance” to perform to the standard. The research considered the process taken by managers who were successful at reinstating workers terminated for cause and some of the consistent behaviors found in their approaches. In these cases, the manager believed that there was potential in the previously terminated employee. Managers in successful reinstatement cases believed that the employee was “not beyond redemption.” A short search on Google for the phrase “not beyond redemption” led to several stories about prisoners sentenced to death for their crimes, but whose lives were miraculously transformed and who became examples to others (One example— Beaudoin 2014). Many of these stores are written to contend that the death penalty sentence is cruel and unusual punishment and may bring additional harm to persons impacted by the crime (Morgan 2015). An ecumenical group of clergy in Nebraska recently worked to influence the state legislature to override the governor’s veto of a bill to repeal

jbucci@regent.edu