New Orleans Audubon Zoo - Case Study Example

Case Analysis for the Audubon Zoo Project This case analysis is presented to the boards of directors of the Audubon Park Zoo to supply all the information for which I was commissioned to analyze together with recommendations for actions to insure the continued positive development of the zoo. Problem Identification: After more than fifteen years of development, the New Orleans Audubon Zoo has gone from a failing eyesore which was considered a cruel place for animals in the 1970s to a thriving city attraction in 1990. However, new directions must be established for the zoo to prevent stagnation of the project and insure its future in New Orleans. Park personnel need new challenges and the zoo needs to be constantly improved to prevent falling into a pattern that could lead to a decline. Issue Identification There is a lack of land for expansion. The aquarium is doing nicely connected to the waterfront, the brewery and the French Quarter, but the main zoo grounds need to be expanded due t the successful breeding plan With two locations now, something else is needed in order to continue attracting visitors outside the local area The zoo competes with the local Jazz community, the French Quarter and its restaurants and the Mardi Gras. This needs to be countered. The zoo may need reorganization in light of the recent political decisions to allow the city jurisdiction. The vertically hierarchical structure will not work well for a large and growing organization SWOT Analysis Strengths Well developed staff Well designed central location Nearly self sustaining financially Aquarium is successful Fundraising committee is well developed with a large variety of activities Concessions are financially profitable The membership is interested and committed to sustainable development of the zoo. Memberships have risen steadily Weaknesses Though entrance fees are still quite low, paid attendance has steadily declined since 1986,from 916865 to 725469, a factor of about 20%. Membership admissions have also declined, but by a lesser factor from 239718 to 219668 over the past year, a factor of about 10%. The vertical hierarchical structure of the governing body: the Audubon Park Commission is not really flexible enough for such a large body There is no place to which the zoo can expand in its current location There are no programs for the months of November and December. Opportunities New Orleans is a thriving tourist attraction Other attractions within the city is well developed and there are opportunities for cooperation and mutually beneficial partnerships. The recent political decision to give control to the City of New Orleans offers an opportunity for reorganization towards a more learning organization which would be flexible enough to make future adjustments as needed. The organization is actually getting too large not to be flexible. The Internet offers a cost effective way to market the zoo Public sentiment is turning toward environmental and conservation issues. The recent successful documentaries and TV shows provide an excellent platform to market our brand Threats High unemployment and a depressed oil market have caused economic problems in New Orleans There are many other attraction in New Orleans vying for the leisure dollars The French Quarter Jazz Clubs The Superdome Mardi Gras Financial Data Currently, the Audubon Park Zoo operates within the revenues it generates, which is actually a plus, since most such projects require more public support. Financial data is found on the graph below. A questionable suggestion to lease the concessions to third party vendors needs to be examined. The concessions operated at a tiny fraction of current volume before the Friends of the Zoo took it over. While the fact that the labor is volunteer may account for some of the profit, giving up control is probably not advisable. Financially, the zoo is doing well, but it any improvements or expansions are done the funding needs to be developed. New projects are needed in order to maintain momentum. Anything that does not move forward stagnates. Company Structure The vertically hierarchical structure has worked for the park until now, but the park has grown and will continue to grow, and large organizations which stick strictly to this kind of structure sacrifice flexibility for a sense of stability due to the efficient nature of this organizational structure. In the beginning of a company or during the time when it is being revamped, efficiency is of prime importance. However, as an organization matures, it must become a “learning organization” so that it can make changes as needed in response to changes in the marketplace. Becoming a learning organization is essential to the bottom line, as Hanvanich et al proved in their study. “Specifically, under low environmental turbulence, learning orientation and organizational memory appear to be related to performance and innovativeness; however, under high environmental turbulence, only learning orientation is a useful predictor. (Hanvanich, Sangphet, Sivakumar, K. and Hult 2006) It is important to note that mature organization tend to share information horizontally and power is not top down, but the company operates more on the level of work groups or teams. It appears that many companies successfully manage with a hybrid of the two, with some hierarchical structure, but the top people are more like facilitators than dictators. These key leaders know their teams and the people on them, and they simply make sure that information flows smoothly and that the teams have what they need in order to function. The organic nature of the multiple teams environment promotes creativity and innovation. Internal Analysis Structural and Contextual Dimensions The Miles and Snow Analyzer structure fits best for the life cycle of the Audubon Park Zoo, since there is both a need to protect the current state and status, with all the progress which has been made, and to create new structures so that the state remains fluid. This type “Balances efficiency and learning; tight cost control with flexibility and adaptability. Efficient production for stable product lines; emphasis on creativity, research, risk-taking for innovation.” (Miles and Snow 2001) Internal Strengths Of The Company Leadership: the leaders during the last decade have been innovative and flexible. They managed difficult problems and made things work. Their key talent was the ability to inspire cooperation among various factions. Personnel mixture of 60/40 paid and volunteer workers. Volunteers are an important part of this organization and need to be cultivated. Internal Weaknesses Of The Company The internal weaknesses can bee seen in the financial data: the company maintains a balance income versus expenditures, but there is nothing for External Analysis The local environment is already geared to entertainment as a staple of culture. In addition, the population welcomes improvements in the way things are done. Especially hot right now are issues of global warming and conservation. These ideas should be leveraged to create an educational and research program for the zoo. Local schools and universities will be interested participants. Problems in the external environment are mostly economic and political. The current economy of New Orleans is depressed, and the political will is changeable. Alternative Analysis Identification of alternatives: Reorganize the structure to create a more organic flat structure to promote creativity and innovation Involve the groups which compete for the leisure dollars in New Orleans to cooperate in mutually beneficial programs: Jazz in the Park, Food Festivals in the Zoo etc. Create teams for brainstorming alternatives for expansion and then create ameans for public participation…contests? Focus groups? Decision Criteria The final choices for new structure and projects will depend upon their viability with current resources, their fit with the mission of the zoo and the risk to current programs. All projects must fit with the organizational goals and be good for the surrounding community. Reorganization of the structure of the organization fits well with the goals, as this will move the organization toward a more learning stance and provide the transition from hierarchical to team based flat structure. Recommendations Various groups will meet over the next 90 days to discuss alternative internal structures. While an overall hierarchical structure at the top may be necessary, the people who lead should be mentors and team managers. Each department should discuss all issues facing the company. Then a designated member is selected to help form the top team. In this manner, there will be cross pollination of ideas and functionality will be maintained at the same time. The teams will be mandated to present two new ideas for development. Implementation Plan 90 days for trial and error reorganization and recommendations for projects The director should set up meetings to discuss reorganization and establish the goals for the next 90 days. Projects will then be created by the new functional teams and changes to this structure will be discussed as necessary A management consultant should maintain control over this process in tandem with the director Money Money matters must be considered with all projects proposed, plus plans should be discussed for how to create an expansion fund. Results Each recommendation should be accompanied by proposed methods for measurement of success and time schedules expected. Controls The process must be monitored by the outside management consultant in close cooperation with the director. Periodic meetings with the teams will be used to troubleshoot problems and monitor progress Periodic reports will be distributed to all teams for consideration and recommendations After 90 days a review will be conducted to identify problems, point out progress and recommend future actions. Contingency Plan Reorganization can take the form thought most useful by the group Reorganization may take place before projects discussions begin The outside management consultant will confer with the director often to maintain communications lines and to monitor progress and implement resolutions. Conclusions This organization has been working well for an extended period of time, so any change must be made incrementally and with the full cooperation of the membership and employees. These recommendations are made in an effort to maintain the profitability of the zoo and protect what has been created over the past fifteen years, while opening the door to new innovations and projects and while encouraging a change in the organizational structure more suited to the current needs. It is hoped thatr the organization can create for itself a hybrid of hierarchical and workgroup team based structure in order to reap the benefits of both: maintained effectiveness and efficiency coupled with renewed strategic thinking and innovation. Maintaining the status quo is a dangerous plan, so we need to look at ways to expand it instead. In looking at the threats to the company, innovative ideas are definitely needed. New partnerships in the community need to be created and plans must be implemented to create an expansion fund. New educational projects and projects involving the environment and conservation should be created and implemented to form a stronf bridge between the organization and local educational institutions. It is too tempting to rest on one’s laurels when success has bee known. However, that success is past and the future is unknown. References Hanvanich, Sangphet, Sivakumar, K., Hult, G, Tomas M. 2003 . The Relationship of Learning and Memory With Organizational Performance: The Moderating Role of Turbulence Xavier University. Lehigh University . Michigan State University http://www.msu.edu/~hult/publications/JAMS06.pdf Read More