Don't Let the Future Pass You by

everybody in the organization knew that the change had commitment from the very top. I

Harvard Business Review case, The Nuclear Tube Assembly Room, is an excellent example of how managing and leading a team effectively can make a substantial difference in terms of results and goals achieved, all the while creating new ambitious expectations for workers. This particular case revolves around Ralph Langley, general foreman of the process department at American Radiotronics Corporation. Within the first 24 months of being promoted to general foreman, Langley has swiftly changed the mentality and efficiency of the workers in the nuclear tube assembly room. He has changed their terrible reputation into one of the most

have confidence on this car because they did not know that it us safety or not.

2) The information given about the jet car includes “the breaks came from a transit van” “the fuel pump came from a cement mixer” “…the steering wheel came from a robin reliant…”. I think the author included this information because he wanted to give us a background of the car and, to tell us that the car is not from a sports car dealership.

In 1908 Henry Ford had constructed the Model T; the time it took him to create this automobile was 13 days. Now eager to achieve more, Ford knew that he needed a place to construct these cars. He also knew that to sell mass amounts he would have to sell cheap, and buy parts and supplies even cheaper (Douglas, 25). The construction of the first Ford Motor plant used the world’s only conveyer belt. This was part of the Fords plan to build fast, when he constructed the assembly line cars were pumped out in as fast as 15 minuets, this was down from 19 days. Ford was able to make the automobile a car for everyman, a working man with a family.

Examples of leaders, managers, and organizational change are often portrayed in cinema. The film Tucker: The Man and His Dream, is no different. The 1988 movie is an intriguing film that depicts a man, Preston Tucker, armed with a vision and passion for innovation that leads him into highly competitive and political industry of the automobile during the 1930s to the 1950s. Armed with experience and a wild fascination for automobiles, Mr. Tucker seeks to design a futuristic car furnished with advanced safety equipment and an innovative motor design. Facing adversity from a crooked political system, stiff competition, and an exhausted steel reserve which followed World War II, Preston aims to drive on a complete his dream and produce an innovative vehicle.

With a great start Leslie Firtell seemed untouchable with her new striving business. But much to her surprise, the crashing economy was going test the abilities of the President and CEO of Towers Legal Solutions yet again. Two of the Towers clients comprised about 60 percent of the firms business were closing the doors. Firtell knew she had to innovative and start to rebuild her clientale to survive even as the economy was declining

Once Mr. Ford recognized the challenge, he had to offer a solution to the problem and introduce it into the marketplace. A solution that created value and satisfaction. This meant creating successful relationships with his

High Performance Tire is a family owned business that was founded in 1952. The founder’s daughter, Jane Wallace, ran the company before turning over management responsibilities to her son, William Wallace in 2001. Since then, the company’s performance has declined. High Performance Tire’s reputation in the industry has turned to negative and employee turnover rate have increased. Jane Wallace is concerned of how the business is running. Her intention of keeping the company within the family is threatened with her son’s inability to run the business effectively. This case is important to look at because it demonstrates the importance of having a strategic plan prior

By closing the gaps in the global operations, putting accountability in place and delivering on what customers wanted, One Ford and Mulally have been a success. Mulally had the vision, understanding of the contextual variables, and the ability to compile it into an organizational design. This was the backbone of his success. Mulally is aware that succession planning is the key to Ford’s overall strategy and tactics and has announced his successor COO Mark Fields (Taylor). One really needs to understand what Mulally really accomplished with One Ford fourpoint business plan. He was able to keep Ford out of the bailout and focused on growth and opportunity. He brought a company that looked doomed for Government ownership into profitability and success, and is still one of the leaders in the industry. Mulally might have said it best when he said, “But we stuck with the plan, we stayed on the plan, and we’re very pleased that today we have a foundation now.” “Not only have we fixed the fundamentals of the business, but we kept investing in the product.” This type of leadership and message can only encourage everyone around him. Mulally’s business cards read, “One Team ∙ One Plan ∙ One Goal” and that sums up a power strategy and something from which all leaders should learn.

David Neeleman originally worked for South West Airlines and helped increase there business, but wanted to venture out on his own. Neelemen experienced set backs because his prior employer made him sign a no compete contract for five years. During those five years Neeleman was able to complete a solid business plan, which would use South West Airlines business model but with better marketing strategies

There was strong competition for Ford in the American small-car market from Volkswagen and several Japanese companies in the 1960’s. To fight the competition, Ford rushed its newest car the Pinto into production in much less time than is usually required to develop a car. The regular time to produce an automobile is 43 months but Ford took 25 months only (Satchi, L., 2005). Although Ford had access to a new design which would decrease the possibility of the Ford Pinto from exploding, the company chose not to implement the design, which would have cost $11 per car, even though it had done an analysis showing that the new design would result in 180 less deaths. The company defended itself on the grounds that

Collins, J.C. & Porras, J.I., 1995, ‘Building a visionary company’, California Management Review, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 80-100.

David Fletcher is a portfolio manager with many years of experience and success under his belt. He currently is a limited partner managing an Emerging Growth Fund for Jenkins Fletcher Partnership or JFP. The company was small when David started and consisted of a CEO, Paul Jenkins, CFO, 2 financial assistance, 4 research analyses, 1 research assistant and a receptionist. David first started with JFP he hired an Administrative Assistance, Whitney to help organize his calendar, contact companies and take messages, etc. Whitney proved to be capable and eager to learn. Under David’s guidance she received her MBA and

The story of Enterprise began with Jack Crawford Taylor’s vision. Jack’s character was shaped by his naval experiences as an officer and pilot where he learned the importance of honesty, hard work, dedication, collaboration, and doing things correctly, is the only way to succeed. After the war, Jack was a successful Cadillac salesperson at Lindburg Dealership in St. Louis Missouri, which gave him financial security and knowledge about the car industry. During a visit to Chicago, Jack observed the ease and convenience of Cadillac’s leasing options and recognized the opportunity for growth potential in this market, since few companies offered car leases. Jack approached his boss about starting a leasing company on the premises of Lindburg Cadillac. In 1957, Jack invested $10,000 and Executive Leasing Company was established with seven cars and one employee. Jack’s investment paid off and today Enterprise is a global business operating in forty countries, with 8,600