Cherri 1

Ali-John Cherri
Daniel C. Boschsler
Organizational Behavior 3310-005
11 March 2013
Road to Hell Integrated Case Analysis
According to the website Brainyquote.com, Abraham Maslow is quoted to have said But
behavior in the human being is sometimes a defense, a way of concealing motives and thoughts,
as language can be a way of hiding your thoughts and preventing communication(Book rags,
Behavior Quotes). Abraham Maslow is famous for his human need based theory called
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. The theory defines how human needs expand and evolve through
different stages of development. The quote stated by Abraham Maslow is relevant throughout the
individual case study entitled: The Road to Hell. Motives and communication are two important
attributes essential for businesses to succeed. John Baker and Matt Rennalls relationship as
business associates can be analyzed for future reference in defining what appropriate language is
acceptable for critiquing a subordinate employee. The central issues of this case can be
understood and interpreted from a human resource perspective. Human resource departments can
analyze John Baker and Matt Rennalls behavior as a measure for proper training protocols. The
goal of this writing is to decipher the case and draw important conclusions about the central
issues between Baker and Rennalls.
To achieve my goal, I have organized this paper into one major section, seven
subsections, and a conclusion. The major section describes the synopsis of the story and the
relevant background information needed to understand The Road to Hell. The first subsection
describes what John Bakers intentions were in the conversation with Rennalls and whether he
achieved his goal. The second subsection describes the non-verbal signals that Baker and
Rennalls portrayed toward each other. The third subsection delves into John Bakers portrayal of
himself and how it affected his impression of Matt Rennalls. The fourth subsection explains the
interpersonal relationship between Baker and Rennalls prior to the conversation that took place
and the consistency of their dialogue throughout their interactions. The fifth subsection will
expound on how Baker and Rennalls could have improved on their communication barriers. The
sixth and seventh subsection will examine the personality attributes of Baker and Rennalls and
the perpetual errors that both of them committed within their interaction. The conclusion will tie
all the lessons learned from The Road to Hell and help clarify any misunderstandings associated
with the story.
Background Information
From the website Dictionary.com, background is defined as The complex physical,
cultural, and psychological factors that serves as the environment of an event or experience; the
set of conditions against which an occurrence is perceived (Dictionary LLC, Background).
Background information for any situation or circumstance is essential when analyzing social
problems that exist in a workplace environment. In the reading, The Road to Hell, the main
conflict exists between two different characters. The first character is John Baker. John Baker is

Cherri 2

the chief engineer of the Caribbean Bauxite Company of Barracania in the West Indies. John
Baker is a 45 year old English expatriate who has served 23 years with the Continental Ore in
East Asia, several African countries, Europe, and for the last years, the West Indies. According to
Dictionary.com, an expatriate is defined as To withdraw oneself from residence in ones native
country (Dictionary LLC, Expatriate). We can assume that he is of Caucasian decent and well
educated based on his years of experience. John Baker enjoys working overseas and according to
his own words, Has an innate knack (Slocum, Hellriegel 559) for this kind of profession. The
second character is Matt Rennalls. He is the assistance engineer of the Caribbean Bauxite
Company of Barracania in the West Indies. He is 35 years old and has Bachelors Degree in
Engineering from the University of London. He is considered a bright prospect for the company
and he is the possible successor for John Baker. John Baker is the mentor and training manager
for Matt Rennalls (his assistant). Glenda Hutchins is the production manager who explained to
John Baker the importance of grooming Matt Rennalls for his existing position. Glenda Hutchins
informed John Baker of the importance of Matt Rennalls political pull in the government. All of
these factors have an effect on the future conflict between John Baker and Matt Rennalls. In the
future paragraphs, we will examine the central issues between these two individuals. Examining
their intentions is essential to defining the problem and finding a solution.
Intentions of John Baker. Intentions of an individual are an important factor to consider
when analyzing confrontational circumstances. According to the website FaithinAllah.org, the
prophet Muhammad stated Verily, deeds are only with intentions. Indeed, every person will get
rewarded only for what they intended. Therefore, whoever emigrated for worldly reasons or for a
woman, then his emigration is for what he has emigrated to (Nawawi, 40 A-hadith). In the
Islamic tradition, Muslims believe that Allah (God) will only accept good actions if they are in
conjunction with a pure intention. In the Arabic language, the word niy-yah means to point
towards an object or to direct ones whole being to a specific goal. This is Islamic tradition can be
an outline for examining John Bakers admonition of Matt Rennalls. What were John Bakers
intentions when he confronted his future predecessor? John Bakers attitude toward Matt
Rennalls is defined as a relationship of mixed emotions. On one hand, Baker realized that
Rennalls was an ambitious person with a strong devotion to his nationalist identity. Both of them
shared the same kind of humor quoted in The Road to Hell as Shaggy Dog (Slocum,
Hellriegel 559). Rennalls and Baker both played tennis together and shared memories of
commonality. The narrator describes the attitude of Baker towards Rennalls when he states He
managed to breakthrough to Rennalls more successfully than any other expatriate (Slocum,
Hellriegel 560). Baker portrayed an optimistic but rational approach while attempting to
admonish Rennalls for certain behavioral traits. The question is then why did Baker fail at his
admonishment towards Matt Rennalls? Miscommunication is defined as To communicate
mistakenly, unclearly, or inadequately (Dictionary LLC, Miscommunication). When
analyzing the speech of John Baker, he spoke ambiguously at times when criticizing Matt
Rennalls. Baker caused confusion and reciprocity when quoting the old traditional saying What
is important is not what is true but what is believed. Let it rest at that (Slocum, Hellriegel
560). Instead of talking to Matt Rennalls, the statement can be interpreted as talking at him. Did
John Baker succeed at his goal of admonishing Matt Rennalls? Matt Rennalls would be the best
to answer that in his resignation statement when he stated At heart, all you Europeans think us
barbarians; as you say amongst yourselves, we are just down from the trees(Slocum, Hellriegel

Cherri 3

561). John Baker failed at his original plan to constructively critique Matt Rennalls behavior.
One word can describe his failure, miscommunication.
Non-Verbal Communication
According to the book, The Social Function of Intellect, N.K. Humphrey asserts his
hypothesis of his writing by stating I argue that the higher intellectual faculties of primates have
evolved as an adaptation to the complexities of social living. For better or worse, styles of
thinking which are primarily suited to social problem-solving colour the behavior of man and
other primates even towards the inanimate world(Humphrey 317). The odd quote from N.K.
Humphreys compares human behaviors to primates. Every species acts according to its own
physical and physiological behavior patterns. This explanation can be attributed to human
interactions toward each other. One social interaction that can be explained and examined is
nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication is defined as The process of sending
wordless messages by means such as facial expression, gestures, postures, emotional tones of
voice, grooming, clothing, colors, and use or type of space(Slocum, Hellriegel 269). Nonverbal
communication can represented by the acronym PERCEIVE. The acronym PERCEIVE
represents nonverbal cues. The nonverbal cues are: (1) Proximity, (2) Expressions, (3) Relative
orientation, (4) Contact, (5) Eyes, (6) Individual gestures, (7) Voice, and (8) Existence of
adapters (Slocum, Hellriegel 269). Analyzing nonverbal cues is essential to successfully grasping
what peoples intentions are to each other. A primary example of nonverbal communication in
The Road to Hell can be explained through the situation between Baker and Rennalls. John
Bakers body language speaks volumes to what he was going to admonish Matt Rennalls about
his behavior. The synopsis starts with Baker stating Would you come in Matt, please? Id like a
word with. As Rennalls entered the room, Baker said, Do sit down, and offered a cigarette. He
paused while he held out his lighter, then went on (Slocum, Hellriegel 560). This action can be
described as an individual gesture. An individual gesture can Convey an image in a persons
mind that is sometimes not spoken (Slocum, Hellriegel 270). When Baker offered a cigarette to
Rennalls, Baker was portraying courtesy for the sole purpose of lowering Matt Rennalls guard.
Actions of courtesy always set a precedent for an easy dialogue between two people. John Baker
also portrayed nonverbal communication when he held out the lighter for Matt Rennalls to light
his cigarette. The action follows the courtesy of the offer. The action established by Baker before
their talk eased the tension that was about to transpire. Late into the conversation, John Baker
and Matt Rennalls were at a point of disagreement. After the semi-racial comment made by John
Baker, the narrator states There was a pause, and for a moment, Baker thought hopefully that he
was about to achieve his long-awaited breakthrough, but Rennalls smiled back (Slocum,
Hellriegel 561). The smile made by Matt Rennalls was the nonverbal cue called existence of
adapters. Existence adapters are Small behaviors that tend to occur when people are stressed or
bored with a situation (Slocum, Hellriegel 270). Matt Rennalls felt disrespected by John Bakers
comments and he tried his best to put a nice face to the awkward circumstance. This smile could
have been misunderstood to an average person. Why did Matt Rennalls act upon this non-verbal
reaction to John Baker? Matt Rennalls conceded in that circumstance to avoid short term
consequences with his superior. This type of reaction is typical when a person feels cornered in a
circumstance that he feels he cannot win. These non-verbal cues portrayed by both of these
individuals exhibit the reality of the circumstance. Baker and Rennalls acted like they were
friends, but there cultures and behavior were dissimilar. This was the main discrepancy of their
miscommunication, portrayed through these non-verbal cues.

Cherri 4

The Portrayal of John Baker

The definition of self in relation to philosophical ideals is defined as The ego; that which
knows, remembers, desires, suffers as contrasted with that known, that which is remembered
(Dictionary LLC, Self). What an individual thinks about himself makes a huge difference in
how he communicates with people. John Baker was an Englishmen. Baker had a high sense of
pride about himself. The perception of himself can be described through the statements he told
Matt Rennalls. John Baker stated:
I would like to congratulate you not only on the caliber of your work but also on
the ability you have shown in overcoming a challenge which I, as a European,
have never had to meet. Continental Ore is, as you know, a typical commercial
enterprise-admittedly a big one-which is a product of the economic and social
environment of the United States and Western Europe. My ancestors have all been
brought up in this environment for the past 200 or 300 years, and I have,
therefore, been able to live in a world in which commerce (as we know it today)
has been part and parcel of my beingIn your case, the situation is different,
because you and your forebears have had only some 50 to 60 years in this
commercial environment. You have had to face the challenge of bridging the gap
between 50 and 200 or 300 years. Again, Matt, let me congratulate you-and
people like you-once again on having so successfully overcome this particular
hurdle. It is for this very reason that I think the outlook for Barracania-and
particularly Caribbean Bauxite-is so bright (Slocum, Hellriegel 561).
You can learn a lot about people by the words that come out of their mouth. The statements that
John Baker stated to Matt Rennalls proves that he considered himself above his predecessor. This
human characteristic is called arrogance. Arrogance is defined as Having or showing an
exaggerated opinion of ones own importance, merit, ability, etc.; conceited; overbearingly
proud (Dictionary LLC, Arrogance). John Baker considered himself from a greater ancestry
than Matt Rennalls. Defining Matt Rennalls past ancestry as an environment which lack
commerce and trade is an insult at the highest level. In lament terms, John Baker considers the
Caribbean Bauxite culture as a secondary culture in comparison to European standards. In
analyzing an individual, the best way to understand his belief system is to references his words
and actions. John Baker could have thought he had a prestige to himself, but the way he treated
Matt Rennalls could be defined as being ethnocentric towards his ideas. Ethnocentrism is defined
as Belief in the intrinsic superiority of the nation, culture, or grounds to which one belongs,
often accompanied by feelings of dislike for other groups (Dictionary LLC, ethnocentrism).
How can an intelligent person such as John Baker say these words to a subordinate worker? Matt
Rennalls is the person who would take his place in the organization. He was training Matt
Rennalls to lead the company into a new era. We can assume from the lack of background
information, John Baker has had problems in the past with individuals not from his own culture.
How can I be certain of this if I do not have facts to back up my claim? Actions are what define
peoples point of reference. If John Baker presented an idea that offended someone, then his
frame of reference is associated with the statements he made. These statements inflamed Matt
Rennalls and defeated the intentions John Baker. This circumstance can be summed up with
famous saying You reap what you sow.

Cherri 5

Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication refers to A limited number of people who (1) are usually
in proximity to each other, (2) use many sensory channels, and (3) are able to provide immediate
feedback(Slocum, Hellriegel 256). Interpersonal communication is an important subject to
address when trying to understand the relationship between Matt Rennalls and John Baker. When
we look back at their relationship before the dispute, there were mix emotions between the two.
The thoughts of Baker were explained by the narrator in the story. The narrator stated
It was, Baker knew, Rennalls well repressed sense of race consciousness which
prevented their relationship from being close as it should have been. On the
surface, nothing could have seemed more agreeable. Formality between the two
men was at a minimum; Baker was delighted to find his assistant shared his own
peculiar shaggy dog sense of humor so that jokes were continually being
exchanged; they entertained each other at their houses and often played tennis
together- and yet the barrier remained invisible, indefinable, but ever present. The
existence of this screen between them was a constant source of frustration to
Baker, because it indicated a weakness that he was loath to accept. It was
successful with all other nationalities, why not with Rennalls (Slocum, Hellriegel
560)?
There seems to be an inconsistency in the interpersonal relationship between Matt Rennalls and
John Baker. They have a similar taste in humor but they do not trust each other on a higher level
of friendship. Rennalls humor was a problem in the organization. Days leading to the
confrontation between the two individuals, John Baker was informed by a coworker about the
unpleasant behavior displayed by Matt Rennalls. This type of behavior caused confusion
amongst Baker and Rennalls. With all of their differences, John Baker still felt he could reach out
to Matt. John Baker stated At least he had managed to breakthrough to Rennalls more
successfully than any other expatriate. In fact, it was the young Barracanians attitude-sometimes
overbearing, sometimes cynical- toward other company expatriates that has been one of the
subjects Baker had raised last year when he discussed Rennalls staff report with him(Slocum,
Hellriegel 560). We can define the interpersonal relationship between Baker and Rennalls
mediocre at best. When people do not speak their mind and pretend they are friends, then the
result will be exactly what happened between these two coworkers. Miscommunication and a
lack of trust were the ending results of these two contrarian characters.
Improving Communication. According to Dictionary.com, Autonomy is defined as
Independence or freedom, as of the will or ones actions (Dictionary LLC, Autonomy). The
question is how could have Rennalls and Baker improved on their communication barriers?
Autonomy in their relationship could have been the source of improvement to their
communication problems. According to the editorial journal Autonomy, Moral Behavior, and The
Self; Lawrence Thomas states Theories of autonomy get in the way of who we are as human
beings if they entail that we need autonomy more than we need one another. This essay
acknowledges the good of autonomy without making that mistake. By abandoning the idea that it
is always better to have more autonomy than less, we are able to see more clearly what is central
to flourishing among human beings as quintessential social creatures(Thomas 17). John Baker
and Matt Rennalls did not have autonomy in their dealings. They perceived that they were

Cherri 6

autonomous in their own mind, but there behavior towards each other proved indifferent to their
own self-belief. Barriers can be defined as Anything that restrains or obstructs progress
(Dictionary LLC, Barrier). Communication between two individuals takes shape in many
different forms of expression. If I raise my hand to your face, you would consider this to be a
form of insult. If I raised my eyebrow at you while looking at you angry, you would be offended
by my nonverbal expressions. In his statement of resignation, Matt Rennalls states It has always
been my practice to respect the advice given me by seniors, so after our interview, I decided to
give careful thought once again to its main points and so make sure that I had understood all that
had been said. As I promised you at the time, I had every intention of putting your advice to the
best effect (Slocum, Hellriegel 561). Matt Rennalls was writing this statement out on a piece of
paper for the sole purpose of his resignation. The statements made by Matt Rennalls seem to
insinuate that he was opened to being admonished for his behavior. These statements proved that
there relationship was based on face to face interactions and not on legitimate respect towards
one anothers opinions. There were many different ways that Matt Rennalls and John Baker
could have resolved there communication errors. They could have spoken more frankly with
each other. They could have confronted each other earlier with their disputations. These
statements can be summed up by N.K. Humphreys. N.K. Humphreys states in The Social
Function that I believe, essentially the same intelligence which has created the systems of
philosophical and scientific thought which have flowered in advanced civilizations in the last
four thousand years. Yet civilization has been too short lived to have had any important
evolutionary consequences; the environment of adaptation of human intelligence remains the
social milieu (Humphrey, 312).
Personality Attributes
What is the definition of personality? Personality is defined as The sum total of
physical, mental, emotional and social characteristics of an individual. The organized pattern of
behavioral characteristics of the individual (Dictionary LLC, Personality). What can be
described about both of these individuals personalities? John Baker can be described through the
statements of Matt Rennalls resignation. Matt Rennalls stated With a facility in the English
language which I, a poor Barracanian, cannot hope to match, you had the audacity to insult me
(and through me every Barracanian worth his salt) by claiming that our knowledge of modern
living is only a paltry 50 years old whereas yours goes back 200 or 300 years. As if youre
materialistic commercial environment could possibly be compared with the spiritual values of
our culture. Ill have you know that if much of what I saw in London is representative of your
most boasted culture, I hope fervently that it will never come to Barracania I feel ashamed and
betrayed. Please accept this letter as my resignation, which I wish to become effective
immediately (Slocum, Hellriegel 561). These statements reveal both of personalities of this
story. From the statements of Matt Rennalls, we can determine that John Baker is prideful of his
culture. John Baker is portrayed as an arrogant person. He considers his ethnicity and culture
above Matt Rennalls. All of these characteristics and attributes make up the personality of John
Baker. We can learn a lot about Matt Rennalls from his comments about John Baker. People
reveal a lot about themselves when they speak about another individual. We can determine from
the statements of Matt Rennalls that he is impatient. Impatient is defined as Not patient; not
accepting delay, opposition, pain, with calm or patient (Dictionary LLC, Impatient). Matt
Rennalls has a high level of pride for his Barracanian heritage. He felt so strong about his culture
that he decided to elevate his culture above John Bakers. The negative feelings between John

Cherri 7

Baker and Matt Rennalls got the best of both of them. We can learn from their disputation that it
does not matter how old you are, you can still act immature when solving problems. Both of
these individuals have been portrayed in a negative light. With properly dissecting these two
guys personality, we can truly understand what types of behavior not to portray when we dispute
with our fellow coworkers.
Perpetual Errors
The perpetual process may result in errors in judgment or understanding. An important
part of understanding individual differences in perception is knowing the source of errors. First,
we examine the notion of accuracy of judgment in person perception. Then, we explore five of
the most common types of perceptual errors: perceptual defense, stereotyping, the halo effect,
projection, and impression management (Slocum, Hellriegel 114). Perpetual errors are the
source of major problems between two people. Throughout the story, The Road to Hell, John
Baker and Matt Rennalls committed many perpetual errors toward each other. The first perpetual
error that John Baker committed was stereotyping Matt Rennalls. John Baker stated to Matt
Rennalls My ancestors have all been brought up in this environment for the past 200 or 300
years, and I have, therefore been able to live in a world in which commerce(as we know it today)
has been part and parcel of my being. It has not been something revolutionary and new that has
suddenly entered my life. In your case, the situation is different, because you and your forebears
have had only some 50 or 60 years in this commercial environment (Slocum, Hellriegel 561)
These statements show the stereotypical nature of John Baker. He associated Matt Rennalls with
all the people of his ancestry. This type of thinking is a fallacy at the highest level. You can never
associate present behaviors of a person to the past actions of a group of descendants. This creates
a bad impression towards the person you are speaking to. Impression management can be
another perpetual error committed by two co-workers associated with each other. Impression is
defined as A strong effect produced on the intellect, feeling, and conscience. A notion,
remembrance, belief often of a vague or indirect in nature (Dictionary LLC, Impression).
Management is defined as The person or persons controlling and directing the affairs of a
business, institution (Dictionary LLC, Management). Putting the two together, we have an
error associated a feeling managed by a person. The two disputants did not manage their
impressions towards each other well. Matt Rennalls stated With a facility in the English
language which I, a poor Barracanian, cannot hope to match, you had the audacity to insult me
(and through me every Barracanian worth his salt) by claiming that our knowledge of modern
living is only a paltry 50 years old whereas yours goes back 200 or 300 years. As if your
materialistic commercial environment could possibly be compared with the spiritual values of
our culture (Slocum, Hellriegel 561). These consistent perpetual errors committed by John
Baker and Matt Rennalls are an example how not solve problems in a work environment. By
analyzing these perpetual errors, we can understand how to fix our own problems when
encountering similar circumstances.
Conclusion
In the book, The Social Function, N.K. Humphreys states I believe, explores the
transactional possibilities of countless of the things in their environment and sometimes,
Pygmalion-like, the things have come alive. Thus many of mankinds most technological
discoveries, from agriculture to chemistry, may have had their origin not in the deliberate
application of practical intelligence but in the fortunate misapplication of social intelligence.

Cherri 8

Once Nature had set up mens mind the way she has, certain unintended consequences followed
and we are in several ways the beneficiaries(Humphrey, 314-315). One aspect of the reading,
The Road to Hell, we can analyze is the importance of understanding the people around you.
John Bakers intentions towards Matt Rennalls were not based on a bad premonition. His lack of
understanding the behavioral characteristics of his coworker was his major downfall. One
business ethic we must hold sacred is the ethic of not offending our coworkers. John Baker
forgot this ethic and that is why he was not successful in admonishing his coworker. As
individuals in the workforce, we can learn a lot from this story. I enjoyed this reading and I
learned a lot about human behavior depicted by the two characters in this writing.

Cherri 9

Works Cited
Hellriegel, Don, and John W. Slocum. Organizational Behavior. 13th ed. Mason: South-Western,
2008. 559-62. Print.
Behavior Quotes. Book Rags Media Network, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.
Thomas, Laurence. Autonomy, Moral Behavior, and the Self. Unpublished (2006):1-12. Web.
15 Mar.2013.
Humphrey, Nicholas K. The Social Function of Intellect. Cambridge University Press, 1976.
303-317.Print.
Defines words and assists on grammar syntax. Dictionary.com, 1. Jan.2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.
Nawawi, Imam. Forty Hadith. Faith in Allah. http://www.faithinallah.org, 1 Jan.2013.Web.25
Mar. 2013.
Hellriegel, Don, and John W. Slocum. Organizational Behavior. 13th ed. Mason: South-Western,
2008. 256-285. Print.