Leading Change in the Good Sport - Case Study Example

3. Write a 2,500- to 3,000-word paper in which you address the following: . Briefly describe Good Sport. What organizational structure is in placeat the organization What type of culture exists In what ways are the structure and the culture related Are the two compatible Explain your answer Good Sport is a company engaged in the manufacture and sale of fitness equipment such as treadmills, bikes, steppers and rowers. Ex-basketball star Jason Poole founded the company 15 years ago and is the current Chairman of the Board. With a keen business sense and an already well-established star image, Jason has been able to endorse his own products for sports and fitness. In keeping with the requirement in the field, Good Sport had been introducing the latest trends while designing and manufacturing sports equipment.(pg1) Other than the Chairman, the company is managed by a CEO and has four divisions: R&D, Production, Sales and Finance. A Vice President, followed by a Senior Manager who in turn oversees Team Managers, heads each division. (pg.7) The culture in the company seems to an open one. Peers and seniors interact with each other and take joint decisions. However, the marketing team is not very open to new ideas as it feels the same might require a lot of concept selling , which makes their task difficult.(pg 5).Similarly, the Production team had to be shown a prototype and working of the new product before they could be convinced that it was worth the efforts. They also had to be convinced that the product would not require any additional investment and could be manufactured with the existing machinery. The structure and culture of the company are related in many ways The decisions seem to follow a top-down approach. If the V.P is convinced about an idea, it is quite easy to pass it on to the Senior Managers and Team Managers who would actually execute the decisions. While each tam works independent of the other, unless the top brass is convinced, the teams are not ready to implement any new idea. The structure and culture of the company are compatible to a large extent. Since the V.Ps are experienced and have seen the ups and downs in the company, they might be in a better position to implement any new decision. Through sheer knowledge and intuition, they would be able to decide what would be good for the company and what would not be good. o Briefly describe the power structures and politics that you see in Good Sport. To what extent are these the result of the organizational structure and culture To what extent do they determine the culture As you navigated through the various power structures at Good Sport, what decisions do you feel could have been made that stemmed beyond the options provided to you within the simulation Power structures and politics are a part and parcel of any workplace. In Good Sport too, they are existent to some extent. As a Senior Manager, I had to make great efforts to convince the production and sales teams to go in for the new product XtendSport designed by Frazier O Donell. Not only did I have to facilitate the presentation by Frazier, I had to speak to Tamara Watkins, V.P R&D to put in a word to the CEO; invite Samuel Olsen, V.P. Sales, along with a few colleagues to discuss the new fitness equipment, XtendSport; and get an approval from the sales team. Also, I had to barter with support to one of the sales team's ideas if they supported the sales of the new product. Thus although the sales team initially felt that the product would require concept selling, which they felt was a tough task, after all the cajoling and ingratiation tactics, they were ready to take up the job and provide all support for the product. Thus, from a low position on the power graph, I had moved to a very high position. Similarly, the production team had to be convinced that production of XtendSport would not lead to higher costs. Initially, the production team opposed the design, thinking that it would lead to higher manufacturing costs. They had to be shown a prototype of the product and impressed upon that the existing machinery could be used to manufacture the new product. Rational persuasion with reason, logic and facts worked well with the team and they were happy that they had been consulted at the prototype stage itself where they could easily give their opinions and suggestions. Also, their participation in planning and decision-making, and changes helped me build a rapport with the Production team. Next, I had to request my V.P to speak to the V.P. Production and appeal to her to influence her team to see the prototype. This helped me gain the support of the V.P. Production who was ready to discuss the production techniques with her team. Thus, coalition tactic worked here. However, my peer in the Production division, the Senior Manager was neither ready for change nor ready to accept my elevated position with the executive management, as both of us were in the same ranks. Probably, using an inspirational tactic and informing the team that the product was a creative trailblazer and none of the competitors had launched a similar product would have had a greater impact on the production team as this division is always in search of creative challenges. In my opinion, instead of speaking to my V.P and her appealing and influencing her peer i.e. V.P Production, who in turn influenced the team, if we had had a meeting with all V.Ps and Senior Managers before they spoke to their teams, the process would have been more ethical and justifiable. Frazier O Donell too could have given his presentation at the same time. That way, all peers would have had an equal chance of voicing their opinion and decisions would have been made then and there instead of my running around from division to division. o In today's environment, change is a constant issue for organizations. Given the organizational structure, culture, power structures, and politics that you have identified at Good Sport, what specific strategies would you develop to manage resistance to change In today's environment, change is a constant issue for organizations. To keep pace with new trends, developments, changes in consumer tastes, organizations have to constantly be on their feet and think about new products and means and ways to market them. At the same time, they also have to keep the morale of the employees high and think of unique ways to retain talented employees and beat the competition. Specific strategies to manage resistance to change : The most common solution to a company's woes is a happy and satisfied workforce. To boost the morale of the employees at each management level, the top executive has to ensure optimum power distribution and empowerment of employees at all levels: junior, middle and senior. This process could be divided into 2 broad heads: involve and empower. Involve: As the CEO of the organization, having moved up from a Senior Manager and later a Vice President, I have seen the organization and the people for the last 9 years. I have a fair idea of the working of the divisions and the nature and profiles of most employees. I am familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of each employee's personality. To reduce the resistance to change, I will firstly try to involve as many people as possible in planning and decision-making, irrespective of their level in the organization. Involvement in the decision-making process makes people happy and gives them a sense of belonging. Thus, this would help quell jealousies and resentments, if any. Involve the middle level management in recruiting design engineers for the Production division. Empower: Training Programmes and Managing conflicts Nominate a long-serving, middle level manager, (who might have some resentment about a colleague being promoted) who is held in high esteem by his subordinates for an executive Development Programme Reduce individualism, Encourage Team spirit Abolish cash incentives to individual employees; maybe award the whole division for their team effort. This would strengthen their team spirit and boost individual morale. Outline plans for the organization, division-wise Display my own production knowledge wherever required. Grant budget setting authority to each division Establish information sharing between divisions Set objectives and permit mid-cycle evaluation of objectives. Incorporate changes, if required. Flexibility in policy implementation Permit Open-door policy with top brass of company Encourage weekly review meetings at divisional level and monthly meetings at organizational level Establish bottoms-up feedback. Access to key and sensitive information to all Vice-Presidents. Freedom along with responsibility. Giving independence in decision making would infuse a sense of responsibility in the managers. Vision and Mission statements of the company to include the middle management too. While experience of senior managers is recognized, new ideas of junior and middle management should also receive recognition. I hope to achieve my goal of employee and customer satifaction by implementing the above strategies. o If Good Sport was going to implement a major change initiative, what leadership style would be most effective in ensuring the success of the change Why would this style be more effective than other styles What strategies would you develop to manage the different groups What conflict management methods would you recommend to enhance performance The previous leadership seems to have followed a semi-autocratic approach and had resulted in passivity of the middle and lower managements to some extent. According to McNamara, "the autocratic leader dominates team-members, using unilateralism to achieve a singular objective. This approach to leadership generally results in passive resistance from team-members and requires continual pressure and direction from the leader in order to get things done. Generally, an authoritarian approach is not a good way to get the best performance from a team." In my opinion, if Good Sport was going to implement a major change initiative, the leadership style most effective in ensuring the success of the change would be the democratic style. Again quoting McNomura, "the democratic leader makes decisions by consulting his team, whilst still maintaining control of the group. The democratic leader allows his team to decide how the task will be tackled and who will perform which task." This style would be most effective as involvement of the staff in planning and decision-making helps boost employee confidence and instills a sense of belonging in them. While as a head, I will still be setting objectives and budgets, each manager will have his say in the same. Opinions, ideas and grievances will be discussed openly and there will be no room for resentment or low self-worth. By setting high standards for myself, I will be motivating the rest of the staff to work hard and involve themselves in all aspects of planning and decision-making in the company. You generally give in your best when you feel respected and at home. This is what I will introduce in my company. A suggestion box will be put up in each division to know the feedback of the employees. Involving the families in some activities would also help employees get rid of their guilt pangs while working late. Introduction of regular get-togethers, crches for babies and play homes for children might go a long way in gaining the support of the family too. This would be a welcome support for the employees. Thus, this style of leadership would have no room for passive resistance, sycophancy or politics. A happy and content workforce will perform more efficiently and profits and bottom lines are bound to go up. Strategies to Manage Different Groups According to David Honour in Workplace Recovery Strategies For A Changing World, "The challenge for business continuity managers is to ensure that day-to-day practices stay ahead of the curve. In no area is this truer than in workplace recovery. In order to remain at the cutting edge of workplace recovery, to ensure maximum protection for the organization and to reduce recovery time objectives to the absolute minimum, three areas need to be considered. These are: - Threat trends - Technology changes - Human resources." Threat trends could be in the form of threats from competitors or well-established bigger players. This would have to be dealt with diplomatically without compromising the company's objectives to providing the latest sports and fitness equipment at the most competitive prices with excellent after-sales service. Adoption of new trends in technology, searching for new markets and new lines of business would be the goal of the groups. Each group could come up with new ideas that would be translated into reality by the production and sales teams. Human resources are an organization's richest resources. A motivated, happy, yet ambitious workforce would contribute to a great deal to the success of the organization. To manage different groups, I would first sit with each group, discuss and chalk out the goals and budgets for that particular group, discuss the same in detail with each group and then finalize the plans. Each manager would be given a chance to express his opinion and the decision of the majority would be binding. There would be flexibility in achieving these targets and there would also be mid-cycle reviews of these objectives. In case new targets are to be outlined, these would have to be done when all the teams i.e production, sales, R&D and finance are present. Thus, there would be knowledge sharing and adoption of new ideas. While I would take the final decision, it would have the consent of all concerned. Strategies for conflict management Depending on the situation, I would adopt one of the following strategies as described by Howard Culbertson in his article Conflict management strategies and Styles: 1. "Collaboration: Fundamental premise: Teamwork and cooperation help everyone achieve their goals while also maintaining relationships Strategic philosophy: The process of working through differences will lead to creative solutions that will satisfy both parties' concerns . Compromising : Fundamental premise: Winning something while losing a little is OK Strategic philosophy: Both ends are placed against the middle in an attempt to serve the "common good" while ensuring each person can maintain something of their original position 2. Accommodating Fundamental premise: Working toward a common purpose is more important than any of the peripheral concerns; the trauma of confronting differences may damage fragile relationships Strategic philosophy: Appease others by downplaying conflict, thus protecting the relationship 3. Competing: Fundamental premise: Associates "winning" a conflict with competition Strategic philosophy: When goals are extremely important, one must sometimes use power to win 4. Avoiding Fundamental premise: This isn't the right time or place to address this issue Strategic philosophy: Avoids conflict by withdrawing, sidestepping, or postponing." Thus, depending on the members, time, place, delicacy of the situation, I would adopt one of the above strategies for conflict resolution. This would surely enhance the performance of each and every employee and the profits and reputation of the company. Refernces 1.McNamara,Carter, Overview of Leadership in Organizations http://managementhelp.org/ldrship/ldrship.htm#anchor282848, retrieved on 22nd June,2009. 2. Honour, David. Workplace Recovery Strategies For A Changing World http://www.continuitycentral.com/feature0613.html, retrieved on 22nd June, 2009. Howard Culbertson, Southern Nazarene University, Conflict management strategies and styles http://home.snu.edu/hculbert/conflict.htm retrieved on 22nd June, 2009 Read More