CASE STUDY
Tom Putnam, the president of a Boston publishing company, had been working for several months with a French architectural firm that was designing the company’s new printing facility in Fontainbleau, France. However, Tom was becoming increasingly frustrated with the many delays caused by the French architects. When the preliminary plans for the building – which the architects had promised by a certain date – had not arrived, Tom called them to inquire when he would be receiving the plans. The architects, somewhat indignant that he had called, felt that Tom doubted their integrity to deliver the plans. Tom was equally annoyed because they had missed the deadline, and what was worse, they didn’t seem to be the least bit apologetic about it. By the end of the phone call, Tom was convinced that his company’s relationship with the French architectural firm had suffered a major setback.
How might you explain the conflict in this case?
