The Ames Memorial Hospital is located in Canton, Ohio. Because of the tremendous growth of
the Canton area, there have been two additions to the hospital in the last ten years. Two years
ago, it was decided by the Board of Directors of the hospital that another addition to provide
more bed space was needed. Funds were applied for and bonds were sold to finance the design
and the construction of the new addition. Fox Associates, Inc., a small local architectural firm,
was contracted to do the design. Henry Fox, the owner and the only registered architect in the
firm, had designed the last addition to the hospital six years ago. For this reason, Fox was also a
long-time personal friend of the Chairman of the Board of the hospital, Bob Ames, Jr. Ames had
inherited his position from his father. His grandfather had founded the hospital some sixty years
ago.
Henry Fox had been in business thirty years, and at the age of 64, had established his name and
reputation throughout the Canton area. He had a Master’s Degree in Architecture and was a past
president of the local chapter of the AIA. His son, Dick, had just graduated from college with a
degree in architecture. Henry Fox had taken him into the business in hopes Dick would someday
take over Fox Associates. The older Fox had been in failing health the past several years, and
was now having trouble keeping up with his workload. Henry Fox took care of the office work
and had put Dick in the field as his representative. Dick was charged with field coordination and
inspection. Fox Associates had a reputation in the Canton area of being tough, but fair on the
general contractors who built their projects. The Ames Hospital project would be Henry Fox’s
last major piece of design work. When this project was complete, he planned on turning the
business over to Dick. He would remain as a figurehead, stamping drawings and helping the
younger Fox get his registration. As soon as that had happened, he was going to retire.
Dick Fox was a young and willing student and at the age of 25, he appeared to have the makings
of a good architect. He had done a little inspection for his father in the past, but nothing on the
magnitude of the Ames project. On this job, he would be in charge of the fieldwork, the liaison
between the owner and the contractors, and also in charge of quality control. One of his major
shortcomings was his inability to keep his mouth shut at the appropriate time. He had
embarrassed his father by his occasional rude comments to owners and contractors alike. Henry
Fox felt, however, this would disappear as young Dick gained experience. Dick Fox was tall and
lanky and had served three years in the army before going to college.
Henry Fox, with the help of Dick and the rest of the office staff, completed the drawings for the
addition. A year and a half after the sale of the bonds, ground breaking took place. The job ran
smoothly for the first month with the general contractor remaining on schedule and no major
problems arising. Dick Fox had raised the ire of several of the contractors on the site, however.
His over-zealous pursuit of quality had become a joke around the jobsite. The hospital board
began to feel his inexperience might cause problems once the project was in full swing. Some of
the members of the board had complained to Henry Fox, but as always, he managed to alleviate
their fears for the time being, passing off his son’s actions as those of someone just proving
himself at a new job. He assured the board members who called him that he was still in complete
charge of the project and had final say on all decisions that affected the job. Being a good
diplomat, Henry Fox usually smoothed things over with the board.
At the start of the second month of the project, some of the board members began to feel strongly
about the way young Fox was handling the project. He seemed to be doing a fair job, but not as
good a job as the board would have liked. Again voicing their opinions that Dick Fox was too
young and inexperienced to handle a project of this magnitude, enough members were finally
persuaded to ask Bob Ames to hire an outside inspector who would answer only to the board.
Ames tried to defend Fox Associates, but the pressure was too much from the rest of the hospital
board, and with reluctance, Ames hired an outside inspector by the name of Jim Hancock, who
was not from the Canton area.
At the suggestion of one of the board members, Jim Hancock, a 56-year old civil engineer
became the board’s inspector. Hancock was to report the progress of the job directly to the board.
The board also felt that Fox Associates had authorized payments to some of the subcontractors
for work not yet in place. It was Dick Fox’s job to assure the validity of the contractors’ requests
for payment and it would be Hancock’s job to also verify these payment requests.
Jim Hancock had worked in the construction industry for the past thirty years and in the last ten,
he had been in business for himself, as a consultant. He was a registered engineer in Ohio and
while most of his consulting work had been for utility companies, he did consult for hospitals.
Although not from the Canton area, Hancock had a reputation for being good at his work. It was
said that nothing got past him on a job. The local contractors who had worked with him, found
him to be hardheaded and stubborn, unwilling to listen to reason and demanding that the
structure be built exactly as the plans and specifications called for. With the inherent dislike for
architects that engineers sometimes have, he constantly questioned design changes as they
occurred and seemed to take as much delight in being as tough with architects as he was with
contractors.
This of course, cast him in favorable light with owners, after all he was really out to protect their
interests, and the hospital board felt that because he had worked for the city on the recently
completed Water Works, a job Fox had been architect on, he and Fox would have no trouble
getting along on this project. Jim Hancock was hired and Bob Ames called Henry Fox to notify
him of the Board’s action.
When Ames told Fox the board had insisted he hire an outside inspector, Fox seemed
unconcerned. Fox told Ames, “…it is your money. If you want to pay twice for the same service,
why should it bother me?” It was not until Bob Ames told Fox the name of the consultant, did he
notice a change in Fox’ s attitude. Henry Fox became quite upset and told Ames, “You have
made a very bad move!” Fox went on to say he had nothing but trouble with Hancock at the
Water Works. Fox would not elaborate on the trouble, however, when pursued by Ames. Fox
ended the conversation by telling Ames he would regret the decision to hire Jim Hancock Ames
pondered what Fox had said, but figured there was not much he could do about it now.
Figure 4. Organization Chart for the Ames Memorial Hospital Project
After his conversation with Henry Fox, Bob Ames called the Superintendent of the Water
Works. Curiosity had gotten the better of him and he wanted to know what problems had
occurred between Fox and Hancock on that project. The Superintendent told him that Hancock
was continually questioning the design. He went on to say that most of Hancock’s complaints
were unfounded. He recalled an incident with the cast-in-place concrete water tank walls. The
reinforcing designed by Fox was spaced too closely and would not allow the larger size
aggregate to pass through. Fox changed the design mix, reduced the aggregate size while
increasing the cement content. No strength was lost, but Hancock said the new mix was
unacceptable and that the concrete walls would never withstand the water pressure inside the
tanks unless they were built as originally designed. He convinced the board members to deny the
change. Both the general contractor and Fox Associates warned the concrete could not be
properly consolidated and the walls would leak from honeycombing in the concrete. From the
first time the tanks were filled to the present, they had leaked.
The Superintendent went on to tell Ames that Hancock was a good man. Except for his rigid
interpretation of the plans and specifications, he made sure the job was built as designed. His
unwillingness to bend, however, caused several problems during construction. Ames thanked the
man for his time and hung up. Ames wished he had called him before he had hired Hancock.
That night at the Fox dinner table, Henry Fox told his son what the hospital board had done. Dick
Fox was not unfamiliar with the problems between his father and Hancock at the Water Works,
but because his father seemed upset, he did not ask for any specific details. Henry Fox told him
to expect trouble from the first day Hancock was on the job until the project was completed.
The project is now at the end of its first year of construction. The $6,000,000, five-story masonry
building has a roof on it and the building is enclosed. Most of the interior work has started, with
the mechanical contractor’s ductwork now entering the critical path on the project schedule.
During that year period, Hancock had questioned many of the change orders written by Fox
Associates. It had now become a constant battle between Fox and Hancock over the validity of
many of the post-contract changes that have been made in the drawings. Dick Fox and Hancock
were constantly bickering over these changes, along with schedule conflicts, and how the job
should be run in general. The board had, of late, been getting conflicting reports from Hancock
and Fox as to exactly where the project is. Hancock says that many of the trades are falling
behind schedule and that Dick Fox had been covering this fact up to the board. Fox denies this,
but admits the job is slowing down. Hancock also accused Fox of becoming too close to the
general contractor and his subcontractors. Hancock reported to the Board that it appears, “…that
Fox is looking out more for their interests than for yours.”
Henry Fox expressed his concern over the situation to Bob Ames, but Ames laughed it off. He
told Fox “things are not really as bad as they seem.” Besides he and the board would not let
things get out of hand. Ames, furthermore, in a more serious tone told Fox,” …besides you are
both professionals and should be able to resolve your problems as such.”
The following week the general contractor, D & M Construction Company’s superintendent
came to Dick Fox with a problem. He told Dick Fox that his mechanical contractor is having
trouble getting enough galvanized sheet metal to make the ductwork for the project. Fox
arranged a meeting with his father and the contractors involved for that afternoon.
During this meeting, D & M’s superintendent and the mechanical contractor’s foreman explained
in detail the situation. It seemed that an unforeseeable shortage has hit the Midwest in galvanized
sheeting. Because of this short supply, deliveries were four to six weeks behind schedule. The
mechanical contractor asked whether he could use painted sheet metal in areas where no
moisture could penetrate. This would be in lieu of the galvanized sheet metal specified. Both D
& M’s superintendent and the mechanical contractor’s foreman agreed. If they waited on the
galvanized sheet metal, the whole project could be delayed by as much as two months. The
mechanical contractor’s foreman went on to explain that if they used the painted sheet metal in
these “dry” areas they should get a shipment of galvanized sheet metal in time to finish the job.
He also added that there should be a sizable credit to the owner.
Henry Fox agreed to this change because he knows how important it is to finish this job on time.
He issues the mechanical contractor a signed order, authorizing the use of the painted sheet metal
in the “dry areas.” He told the mechanical contractor he would get some prices from a local
supplier and then issue a formal change order. Henry Fox tells his son to inform Bob Ames and
Jim Hancock about the change the following day. He isn’t worried about getting the board’s final
approval at their next meeting, especially with a credit as part of the deal.
The following day Dick Fox gets tied up at the office and never makes it to the hospital jobsite.
His father’s orders of the previous day seemed to have slipped his mind.
The following week, the mechanical contractor arrived at the site with a truckload of painted
sheet metal ductwork that had been fabricated in the mechanical contractor’s shops. The foreman
and his crew began to unload the material, when Jim Hancock approached and asked what they
think they were going to do with the duct made of painted sheet metal, The foreman related the
events of the proceeding week in Fox’s office and showed Hancock the authorization to proceed
with the painted sheet metal signed by Henry Fox. Hancock asked why he was not informed of
the change. By this time D & M’s superintendent joined the discussion to defend his
subcontractor as did Dick Fox, who happened to be on the site. All three explained the reasons
for allowing the use of the painted sheet metal to Hancock. Hancock asked Fox if the owners
have signed a change order and Fox admitted that they have not. Jim Hancock became very
persistent and began to quote sections of the specifications on changes. He informed the three,
“…that as the owner’s representative on the site, I will not allow the job to be cheapened with
unspecified materials. The owner has not approved the change, therefore, you are not going to
use it!”
Tempers flared and for several minutes a heated argument took place between the men. The
mechanical contractor’s foreman made it clear, someone was going to pay for the $5,000 worth
of painted sheet metal duct work fabricated and sitting in the mechanical contractor’s shop. Dick
Fox called Jim Hancock, “…narrow-minded and unreasonable…” and told him he is going to
inform his father of this and leaves.
Dick Fox hurries back to the office and relates the morning’s event to his father. Henry fox
became visibly angry and said he was going to the project, “…to straighten Hancock out as to
who’s project he is on!” Dick Fox asked to go with him but is told instead to take some just
approved and badly needed shop drawings to a project out of Canton. With that Henry Fox
grabbed his hat and rushed off to the hospital.
When Henry Fox arrived on the jobsite, he could not locate Hancock. D & M superintendent told
Fox that after Hancock told them the mechanical contractor could not use the painted sheet
metal, the mechanical contractor’s foreman loaded his truck and left. Fox told the superintendent
to call the mechanical contractor that afternoon and to have him back on the job in the morning.
He also made it quite clear that he was to use the painted sheet metal as agreed on. It is very
evident to everyone who saw Henry Fox that afternoon that he was quite upset and angry. As he
leaves he is heard to mumble he would get Hancock.
Dick Fox returned to the office around three o’clock that afternoon to find his father lying on the
sofa in his office. Henry Fox was pale and having trouble breathing. The secretary tells him she
has called an ambulance. On the way to the hospital, Henry Fox suffered a serious heart attack.
Dick Fox spent the rest of the night with his father in the hospital.
The first thing the following morning at the Fox Associates’ office, Dick Fox asked the secretary
what had happened to his father. She told him that he came back from the Ames Hospital project
very upset. A little while after that she found him lying on the sofa. Without saying another
word, Dick Fox immediately left for the hospital project.
Jim Hancock was showing Bob Ames and the rest of the board members around the site. They
were standing at the new entranceway, when the screeching of car tires startles them. Dick Fox
jumped out of his car and quickly approached the group. Bob Ames moved to meet him to give
him his regrets about his father’s condition. The young Fox almost bowled him over and before
anyone can stop him, he had Jim Hancock by the collar.
In a very tense voice, Fox told Hancock he was “an incompetent and a trouble-maker.” He went
on to blame Hancock for his father’s condition and all the trouble that had been going on between
the two on this project. He blamed him for the trouble at the Water Works and in a rising voice
he told Hancock that he never wanted anything to do with him again. He stared Hancock in the
eye as if to dare him to try something and then released his collar and stormed off.
Hancock, Ames, and the board members were in shock. Hancock was visibly shaken and
excused he. He apparently left the job for his motel. Most of the board members quickly voiced
their displeasure over Fox’s actions. Bob Ames was bewildered. He had known the young Fox
since he was a child, and never expected this from him. The board decided to hold an emergency
meeting that evening to discuss the day’s events and how to deal with them.
That night at the board meeting, everyone was still upset over what they witnessed that morning.
Some of the members expressed their sadness at allowing relationships between the two to have
deteriorated to such a point. Some felt that hiring Hancock was a bad decision, while others felt
that Fox should be defaulted because there is no registered architect in the Fox firm, now that
Henry Fox is in the hospital. Members agree that Fox would need someone to approve drawings
or changes, and since Hancock was a registered engineer, he should be allowed to take over the
project. Some of the members expressed concern over the mental stability of the young Dick Fox
and whether he could handle the project without his father’s guidance. Ames wondered himself
whether Dick Fox could finish the project, or he was he too emotional, hotheaded and
inexperienced. Maybe letting Hancock finish the project would be the safest thing to do.
The board members argued for several more hours with no one agreeing on what to do. Bob
Ames realized the final decision would be his to make. Ames felt the board would follow his
recommendations. Ames brings the meeting to order and suggested they adjourn until the
following evening. He told the members he would have some recommendations ready by then.
They all realized that something must be done swiftly to resolve the situation and agreed to meet
the following evening. With that the meeting was adjourned.
Question:
1. You are a management consultant to the board and must make recommendations to Bob
Ames, Jr. in the morning. What do you tell him to do about the situation?