Essay on The Vision Failed

In this case, there are few symptoms clearly stated that something has gone wrong for this company. These symptoms can be classified into two main areas; one is the negative feedback from the customers and another one if from its own employee’s job dissatisfaction.

Alison or Cabletronica didn’t do any kind of motivational analysis. Will employees accept the change? What is the predisposition of employees toward the change? Will they support or resist it? This is the single most important question to assess the organization’s readiness for change because high motivation leads people to acquire the needed skills and to exert the extra effort that contributes to success.

I was one of the few employees that were willing to ride the waves and give the new changes time to develop and work themselves out. The leadership could have avoided falling into the same trap of employee turn over, if they had put the effort to provide the necessary support during the stages of change and refreezing. (Nahavandi, p. 284)

Third, there is resistant to across-the-board employee cuts. Many offices were already operating with a very tight staff whereas other offices were allotted a larger employee budget. Fourth, there was strong perception among line workers within the organization that senior management, who were generously rewarded, would not effected by the difficult decisions that had to be made. Last, the CEO of Broadway Brokers was proposing to release a memo to all employees explaining the decisions that had been made. The management teams was asked to look over both the concerns highlighted above as well as consider and prioritize a list of suggestions for change. The team would meeting for the next few days and needed to have a tentative plan in place for top management in three days.

He found out that the company was latent with financial and operational problems which threaten Home Depot’s future. The company was distinct in retail and extremely entrepreneurial based, along with customer focused business. Nardelli was not necessarily a tyrant, he just assumed he could treat Home Depot the same way he would any of his previous companies he worked for. With Nardelli being industrial based versus retail based, he concentrated on overhauling the processes but swept aside the elements that made Home Depot special in the process. Nardelli has a tough-minded approach to changes, which he probably learned at GE, but this set him on a collision course with the free spirited and close-knit culture fostered by his Home Depot predecessors. By the end of this case study, many of the original leadership for Home Depot were gone, whether they retired, were let go, or quit. Of course, Nardelli would still make himself accessible and was comfortable interacting with all levels of an organization, from CEO’s to factory workers. He was firm but still considered to be “a breath of fresh

The recent economic downturn has forced many industries to change the way in which they do business in order to survive. Managers must find ways in which in to motivate their employees to overcome their employees natural resistance to change. Mangers must find ways to communicate a clear intent to diminish unknowns. Once clear goals have been created lay out individual goals to follow and Inspect their progress. Additionally, management must make sure that everyone is part of the plan and honor employee’s success in order to create a smoother transition with minimal

Organizations can face change for any number of reasons. Managers must be the leaders in change in order to influence employees. Complacency is an obstacle to change. According to Organizational Behavior and Management, “It is management’s responsibility to show employees why they should want to change” (Ivancevich, Konopaske, & Matteson, 2014, p. 507). By creating a sense of urgency, employees can recognize the need for change. The ability of employees to recognize the need for change combats the problem of complacency. Kotter, in Leading Change, states

Kotter tells us that “change, by definition, requires creating a new system, which in turn always demands leadership.”[i] In the case of Renfield Farms there is no doubt that Jackson provided the necessary leadership for change. Her change plans started strong with a personal understanding of the need for help and the company wide town halls. In doing this she followed Kotter’s first rule of change and was able to create a sense of urgency, she publicly address the perception of the company, and the need to restore their reputation.[ii] She “hit the ground running” as one her colleagues stated. Jackson outlined changes to the company’s structure and reporting lines and spent time getting feedback from trade partners and consumer groups which she then shared with senior managers and their teams.

Duane has been smart in setting up his company with a transactional and Democratic style of leadership. The Democratic style is an excellent fit in the service industry because of the fast pace at which the industry changes and adapts to the ever-changing ideas and perspectives of consumers. The Democratic approach allows for all employees to be heard and recognized. The leadership style fits well with Duane’s personal belief of how a company should be managed and the relationship between employer and employee. He is able to retain open communication with employees, discuss concerns and issues as they arise, evaluate ways to prevent problems, respect all comments and suggestions, and explain openly and freely why the final decision was chosen. (Leadership Styles, 2014)

Complacency, acceptance of new ideas, poor communication and implementation of change within the department were captured as areas of opportunity. PEC focus groups shared concerns that management does not promote innovative thinking and many times individuals feel the adage of “this is the way we have always done it” only promotes the feeling of comfort and inhibits the opportunity for growth. This feeling of comfort sometimes impedes the department from finding more efficient means and promotes complacency with a status quo mentality. Subsequently, a cycle of complacent mentality is being passed to new employees within the department. Finally, employees mentioned when change is implemented, training is not sufficient and individuals are left to figure out on their own and resultant in not obtaining the full benefit intended. Personnel are left to rely on what is comfortable or simply not changing current practices.

All the while, Robert proved through his influence in the work force and his management strategies that endured the countless changes in the value systems. Each employee brings their individual values to the table. However, through direct leadership and influence those values in conjunction with organizational values make for a prosperous

It is extremely difficult for leaders in large organizations to set aside their own egos and take recommendations from a customers or lesser qualified individual. Michael and Andy decided that the success of the organization was not about their track record, salaries, or qualifications, but had everything to do with satisfying consumers and continuing to provide employment for the hard working individuals in which they employed.

Primary reason that indicates the employee resistance was that vision of change project are not understandable by the employees. Employee did not understand clearly that why this change is happening, nor did they have adequate knowledge regarding the change itself. Employees did not have the answer to the question, “what’s in it for me?” . This could include, "Will I have a job?," "How will it impact my daily work?," "How will I benefit from the change?".

Change can be successful if a company or group within the organization changes the way an individual presents oneself (Spector, 2010). Behavior change is based on how an individual works within the environment. The employees of Concord Bookshop were not consulted therefore did not have an opportunity to verbalize their concerns or provide input to assist the company to move the bookstore in a new direction. The management team was aware of the financial distress and was willing to participate in any financial changes required. The employees of the bookstore had an abundance of knowledge and experience that may have contributed to ending financial turmoil (Schein, 2011).

There are various supertrends that are actually driving H-P to change so as to fit in the future business world. One of the supertends is more competitors in the market. As stated in the text in 2011 there were too many competitors and H-P was not actually prepared fully to compete with them. H-P could take almost three weeks for it to make a well organized sales quote while its competitors could take the shortest time possible. With the growing economy, H-P has to get concerned on how to out compete its competitors and then be on the front line of competition in the future. With this change then H-P will be able to attract many customers hence increasing its sales. Another supertend is the increase of the marketplace due to much segmentation. Even though H-P revenue has been declining since 2011, it decided to lay off some of the employees and then utilize the remaining ones appropriately and then spread them in various markets so as to satisfy their customers and then maximize their sales. Another superntred is taking knowledge as a very profitable idea. With this Whitman had to move most of the customers and then she had very serious meetings with them. Also she ensured that the whole work environment was equalities to all the staff as well as the employees. This would make all the workers to feel