Offer To The CEO

Friday, continued …

"Gentleman, we are not going to have this argument. Madam Yao is the wife of CEO Yao Tan of XF International as well as being the daughter of its Vice-CEO. More importantly as Director Su indicated she works in the legal department, and has done so for a number of years."

"In my view, is that she is a person who can quiet legitimately hold the proxy for her husband. As I am the chairman of this meeting, my decision in relation to who can hold the proxy for absent board members if the only view that can counts. Now we need to get down to the business of this meeting."

With that the quickly moved through all the agenda items, until the last item.

"Director Su, I have deliberately left the final item on the agenda to now. It was placed on the agenda at your insistence. In my view this is not a matter for discussion at the board meeting, but to be fair I will provide you with the opportunity to justify to the board why you deem the matter of reorganisation of space within a department to be a matter that needs to be discussed. Those matters have always been in the discretion of the CEO as it is on a needs basis."

"CEO Hou., it is not a matter that should solely be your decision. You failed to speak to anyone and simply imposed a new system on staff without consultation. No one agrees to this. It has ruined moral within the department, and I fear that I will loose my good staff, being left with those, who while competent I question their loyalties."

"Director Su, I did not act without consultation. You are well aware that over the last few years on temporary basis we have had lawyers from various firms throughout the world working with us on secondment. All of them have categorically told me that the way the department has been structured for years, is inefficient and not suitable for effective work practice."

"Staff are closed off in their own little worlds, and cannot easily, where appropriate work across various areas within the department. No qualified lawyer is without an office, the layout is simply such that it is about making everyone accessible to everyone else to benefit the company. This will, as of this weekend include access between the floors that the department is spread over with Internal staircases."

"CEO Hou, from what my senior supervisors tell me no one in the department wants this."

Anna by now was annoyed about listening to Director Su. He had no idea, and was a empire building within the department "Director Su, that is a complete and utter lie. Both Madam Yao and myself were at a staff Friday morning tea on the level we work on. I spoke to at least twenty people, none of which were complaining about the new work arrangements. In fact I have heard no complaints."

"Many at this morning tea in fact were excited about the fact that it was easy to collaborate with their colleagues to achieve outcomes for the company. Their only complaint is that it would take time getting use to how easy it was to speak to other colleagues about issues. None were complaining about the work space."

"Some comments were about how this created the opportunities for them to learn about areas outside that specifically assigned to them. You forget I have worked at ANX Lawyers for 5 years. It is a highly successful corporate law firm. If it was not, Hou Enterprises would not have chosen it for its Australian Legal Work. It operates in the same way that is being created. We worked together to achieve outcomes, which is what is trying to be achieved here."

"It was obvious within thirty minutes of my arrival here that the previous arrangement within the legal department was about creating controllable groups, dependant on senior departmental management for cross area collaboration. The company is not first, it is about control, and that does not give the best outcome for the company."

Amanda then spoke "Director Su, today if the first time I have met you in the five years I have been employed here, and until this week most of my colleagues I had only met at functions. In a few days, I have already noticed the increase in my productivity from this arrangement. I can deal with issues quickly for the best outcome for the company."

"Your opinion does not matter Miss Mei."

"Director Su, it is Madam Yao" spat out Anna, angrily.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by a boorish Australian who has no idea of manners and how things operate here."