Power, Authority, And Influence in BrandMaker Company - Essay Example

 POWER, AUTHORITY, AND INFLUENCE Power is ability of a person to influence other and influence is as a result of effect from other people. Authority is power bestowed to a given individual or group. The case study is about BrandMaker Company that faces numerous challenges after the key man who was responsible for the CIM (Corporate Identity Marketing Division) left leaving a vacuum. The company later merged with European Advertising Division (EAD) that needed the building and use of power to ensure the company never fails. Tom Moris the Chief Executive (CEO) of Brandmaker is faced with varied challenges ranging from both internal and external challenges. These challenges are both consequential to the company organization. Tom Moris had to look deeply to both challenges without overlooking the other. For instance the most important factor was to make sure that the employee attention is mainly focused on critical decision making that is vital to the company’s success. His major priority was to focus on the company’s future rather than the views expressed by the employees. The internal challenges Tom Moris encountered ranges from the power vacuum created by John Goodwin retirement. John Goodwin main responsibility was to take care of the CIM (Corporate Identity Marketing Division). When he retired no plan was in place for a suitable candidate to came and where his shoes. The vacuum created by John Goodwin retirement created doubt by employers and no employer was willing to take decision and challenges related to CIM. Due to their lack of experience, doubt and incomplete decisions of the CIM, the employer had varied opinions. The other challenging decision faced by BrandMaker CEO is how to introduce the temporary head of division. Cramer basically took advantage of his power of transition by proposing an integration of the two companies i.e. the BrandMaker and the EAD mainly for the purpose of minimizing costs. The organizational structure between these two companies greatly varies and this brought a clear difference of the CIM and EAD. BrandMaker mainly focused on innovation and creativity that creates a unique measure for the market knowledge. EAD was a European business and it included several departments. It was independent in nature and so it was not a brand name like the BrandMaker. The CEO of BrandMaker Tom Moris was in a limbo on which side he was. Carlos Cramer who worked with a company who were competitors with BrandMaker took over and he tried to blend the CIM and EAD. This caused mistrust amongst employee. His move to integrate CIM and EAD (European Advertising Division) caused turmoil and varied reactions amongst the Brandmaker employees. Tom Moris had to face with challenge of this division or else he will be left with only few employees who will follow the decision. Those who will not follow the decision will be against the performance of the organization. This will also make CEO to deviate from executive committee plans (Banahan, 2007). The external challenge that the BrandMaker faced was about technology. The rise and development of new trends in technology has had a major influenced in the way organization operates and the organization functions. This caused a challenge to Tom Moris because BrandMaker was relying on platform that was not technological routed. They basically used tried method that was successful when the company initially used them. The challenge faced by the CEO was to embrace technology since many customers now embrace technology too. The company also required technology to give it competitive advantage over its competitors. Customers are became a force in the market compared to the past. The technological advancement has brought about change in expectation of customers and the BrandMaker has to change to meet the customer’s expectations. The use of technology made it easier to conduct business and it also made it easier to communicate to customer as compare to the tradition way that the BrandMaker used in the past. If BrandMaker does not do that then it is bound for failure in near future. The major implications of the power struggle inside the Brandmaker and the implication on the CIM is that if the company fails to come up with a suitable strategic plan of ensuring that equitable distribution of authority and power ranks within it organization, it will face an obstacle of establishing it long term goals (Harley, 1991). To add to that, since the management level has no guided decision over the management of the CIM department, it has a ripple effect over the company organizational plans. The mismanagement on the CIM innovativeness and creativity results to poor service offered by the company and this may lead to customers pulling away because the CIM does not certify their preferences and needs. Due to this factor the CIM could be destined for collapse. The top management in BrandMaker lack sense of direction because their ego is guided by circumstances. The Company is involved in variety of activities that will beyond capabilities of top management to determine which direction the company should follow. The business will fail as a result of this particular trend of management. The other implication the CIM can face is that the EAD will become dominant that the CIM. This is due to replacement by Carlos Cramer who has a better understanding with the EAD so he will advocate for it more. This will suppress CIM and at the end it will end up collapsing. Tom Moris can turn conflict into opportunity by putting stringed rules and regulation that will govern the way power is shared and distributed in the company. The rule and regulation should have a clear framework of how decision should be made in the company, who should make such decision and which decisions should be put forward. This will make the company future blossom and maintain its reputations. Tom Moris should create a market segment for his firm. By so doing he will be able to determine the section of the company and the customers the organization will attend to and to add on that it enable the CEO to carry out recruitment of skilled labor who will serve its customers to the fullest according to the company’s performance. References ITworld international. (2000). Ikeja, Lagos [Nigeria: Mosrose Communications. Evans, J. R., & Berman, B. (1994). Marketing. New York: Macmillan Pub. Co. Read More