Key Questions to Consider

Based on the given case study, it has been seen that Andreas is an ambitious individual who not only wishes to succeed in life but also earnestly desires to perform his responsibilities for is family. He was an extremely earnest and loyal employee from the beginning and this was because he dreamt of reaching the top of the organisation some day. At the start of his career at quite a young age, Andreas was part of an international programme in Frankfurt and the CEO clearly explained that the amount of international exposure which the individuals were receiving in the programme including Andreas would help them a lot in succeeding in their respective careers. Shortly after the programme got over, Andreas was offered a position in the New York Branch of the bank and the potion which opened up needed him to shift to New York for three years including his wife and daughter. Being the ambitious man that he was, Andreas took up the offer and on arrival found that there had been a huge miscommunication. Instead of the corporate finance department, there was a vacancy in the position of a credit analyst. Despite the miscommunication, after proper amount of consideration Andreas took up the offer.

After that it was found by Andreas that the problems which he thought to be immensely severe, regarding staying in a new place and the adjustment with the new people at his office as also the adjustment of his family members with their new neighbours was not as difficult. They were able to mix well with all the people of all the departments. After that situation, there was no looking back for Andreas. He received successive promotions as deputy head of the branch and then as one of the managing directors of the branch made him feel the reality of the positions which he only had dreamt of. He earned a lot and enjoyed success and huge responsibilities at a very young age. This made him happy.

However, there was an immensely serious problem which Andreas needed to look into. This was the task of balancing his family life and his familial responsibilities with his work commitments. Not only was his wife Lina being well read and well qualified becoming impatient and discontent staying at home as a housewife but also the knowledge and mother tongue speaking capabilities of their two girls were also deteriorating. This was a severe issue which Andreas needed to take care of and solve under any circumstances.

Andreas Weber’s International Assignment

After much thought when both husband and wife decided to shift to Germany back, Andreas spoke with the managing department of his company to arrange for a shift and a suitable position in Germany. This decision taken in the light of the demise of Lina’s father and the deteriorating educational conditions of their children was imperative.

However, the position which the management could arrange back in Germany for Andreas after a notice of six months was very low in grade. Despite being promised six months the company took almost a year’s time to arrange for such a subordinate position back in Germany for Andreas. On proper discussion and on reading the details, Andreas found that he would be earning less than half of what he presently earned at New York and in addition to this he would not have any scope of utilizing his experience of so many years as a credit analyst or even his international exposure.

On the other hand, after the demise of Lina’s father, her mother was staying alone and therefore she needed to go to her mother. Andreas also had a responsibility of properly educating his girls being their father. This was also necessary. This caused a tremendous dilemma for Andreas.

With respect to the case study and the above described problem statement, it can be clearly stated that Andreas needed to take the decision of going home to Germany. What seemed lucrative to him at that particular moment would ultimately prove to be detrimental in the long run. Instead of weighing his options in New York, he needed to sort out matters in Germany. He needed to look at the brighter side of things. He was at least employed at the time of financial crisis whereas many people had no jobs. His wife was educated and previously worked, so the possibility of her returning to work after they got back to Germany was also a possibility (Hendry, 2012).

Therefore it was also probable that together, Andreas and his wife could earn much more in Germany than what he used to earn alone in New York. Thus that issue could be solved easily.

Rather than fretting over what he could not apply, he needed to focus on the positives. He needed to give priority to his family over anybody else. The benefits of Andreas returning to Germany were much more than the drawbacks. In case he returned, his girls could be properly educated and they could also get trained in their mother tongue. There grandmother could also take care of them. In addition to this, their mother Lina could also get back to work.

Challenges Faced by Andreas Weber

Regarding the job prospects of Andreas, he needed to speak with the management of his organisation. He could update his CV and mention there clearly, the level and depth of his work and his expertise in the firm. He also needed to make it clear to the company that he should be promoted at the next best opportunity to a position of his calibre in Germany as soon as possible. He needed to mention that he could not continue working at such a subordinate position for much long. He could also involve the higher managers and directors of the company if he considered it to be feasible (Andrews, Pritchett & Woolcock, 2013).

He would surely get benefited from the shift to Germany and if he highlighted the number of years for which he had worked for the company they had high chances of offering him better.

In case all of his tactics failed, he could apply to other companies in Germany and change his organisation in case he found that his desires were not fulfilled. With the stature of his experience, the knowledge which he had obtained at such a young age and the international exposure which he already had, it would not be difficult for him to get a job in any top available company in Germany. The problem which he was considering regarding his salary would be solved (Bratton & Gold, 2012).

In the current situation the management of the Company as well as the overachieving mentality of Andreas are to blame. On part of the management it can be said that they needed to have a proper idea of the positions in Germany and New York and offer positions to Frank accordingly. A minimum calculation and knowledge on their part was desirable.

On the part of Frank it can be said that instead of having given in to temptation, Frank needed to gauge his decisions better at the time the promotions were being offered to him and accept or reject them accordingly.

Conclusion:

All in all it can be said that problems are extremely common in the life of every person. It is crucial to keep one’s cool and choose whatever is right over any sort of greed or temptation. The long term impacts of a person’s decision need to be considered as a priority over his or her short term decisions. Instead of losing hope every person should tackle their life’s goals with suitable amount of responsibility and righteousness. In this case, Andreas needed to think quietly and properly and follow his heart. He needed to utilize his potential to the best if his ability. He could not afford to lose his calm over the problem. He needed to understand that the utilization of his experience would lead him to eventual success.

Thus a letting go attitude does not work in all scenarios. It is desirable that every person take charge of his or her own life and plan long term instead of planning short term. They also need to give suitable amount of attention to their families. Back up options always need to be ready in a person’s life in case his or her life is not going on as planned. Fretting or losing hope never works. People need to use their intelligence and presence of mind to the fullest in problematic situations in their lives.

References:

Andrews, M., Pritchett, L., & Woolcock, M. (2013). Escaping capability traps through problem driven iterative adaptation (PDIA). World Development, 51, 234-244.

Bardach, E., & Patashnik, E. M. (2015). A practical guide for policy analysis: The eightfold path to more effective problem solving. CQ press.

Berman, E. M., Bowman, J. S., West, J. P., & Van Wart, M. R. (2012). Human resource management in public service: Paradoxes, processes, and problems. Sage.

Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2012). Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave Macmillan.

Egan, G. (2013). The skilled helper: A problem-management and opportunity-development approach to helping. Cengage Learning.

Hendry, C. (2012). Human resource management. Routledge.

Van Aken, J. E., & Berends, H. (2017). Problem solving in organizations. Cambridge University Press.