All good questions. I recall presenting an early version of this case in a class awhile back, and asking people to consider whether Chris or Laurel should be considered the "most" to blame. I was surprised when people wanted to talk more about Jackie, because I really hadn't considered it until then. The current version of the case tries to implicate her more, but I agree that she gets a bum rap. Even if it's true that she wasn't the best person to put into this particular situation, she wasn't the person who had created the situation to begin with.

When I think about Jackie, I think about the difference between "leadership" and "management." Jackie might have had good management skills, but that might not have been what was needed.

Kate asks the big question: what skills and characteristics were needed in the new director? Could the right person have turned it around?

Mark