Abstract:
When Denise Fleury left the insurance industry to become head of the Minnesota Office of State Claims in June 1984, she knew the job would be challenging. Recent changes in state law had changed and broadened the mission of the state claims office, which administered workers' compensation benefits for all state employees. Fleury soon found herself scrambling to cope with day-to-day crises while trying to take on a host of new tasks. Through Fleury's eyes, students will see the dilemmas that confronted the young manager and how she tackled them during her first year. This part of the case is a good introduction to how a manager creates organizational capacity. They will also see that at the end of her first year--despite significant progress--internal office procedures remained frustrating and confusing. The case ends here, giving students the chance to discuss what Fleury should do next, and how she might use various resources strategically in State Claims. This case provides an interesting counterpart to Striving Toward Excellence in the State of Minnesota (C16-87-737.0). In the Denise Fleury case, from the perspective of a mid-level manager, students can take another look at STEP as it was actually developed, to see whether it looks like a useful and attractive resource.
