In today’s world it’s all about going in coordination and collaboration with the personnel of the organizations.
Gone are the days when a typical dictatorship style prevailed and was acceptable to all the people who were working in such rigid and closed ended environment. No matter how much concerned you are and sincere towards the firm you are working for but knowing the employees well who are working under you is also very important. Knowing the company’s culture is very imperative.
No doubt the new hired CEO Cheryl Hailstorm of Lakeland Wonders (a manufacturer of high quality wooden toys) had some interesting growth generating ideas and plans but there were some serious issues which she was facing and even other employees working with her or under her were facing as well. Although she had worked with Lakeland wonders for developing best selling products as a General Merchandise Manager and the COO but that does not clearly notify and seem evident that she would succeed with the mission which she set as being the CEO of the company.
In mere six months success cannot be completely guaranteed. It takes time for things to take the roots and speed up. She seems to be a bit hasty in expecting things to change overnight. The existing managers have some serious concerns and are giving indications. Through different ways that there is some sort of reluctance for them to venture into a different market overall.
The CEO on the other hand has this feeling that they are just not interested are laidback and not willing to taken up challenges to let the company expand holistically.
She is totally not accepting the fact that new enticing visions might not entice the existing employees as they have some serious concerns and should be listened to . They have the issues like outsourcing would hamper their brand’s image and hurt their brand and trying out a new design would not be a feasible idea. To a certain extend they are right in expressing their concerns but the CEO is not assimilating their thoughts. It’s always that whatever is in hand is seriously looked into and then other things are focused and worked upon.
Within such a short time such drastic changes cannot be expected and cannot be mobilized. Outsides can be called in later to give their insight and can train the existing employees to achieve the Company’s mission overall. It’s never good to outsource personnel and let them work on a project because it discourages the existing employees. Experts can be called in and outsourced but existing employees should be made equally capable.
Everything cannot completely go your way . Certain things have to be also taken the way others want them to be in which they feel comfortable.
The Senior Vice president is also not willing enough to adapt to what Cheryl wanted as even his manufacturing strategy seemed to be a burden on her mind. The issue was not of imposing a strategy but was of communicating well with each other.
A success at one end does not guarantee success everywhere. A 94 year old company must have been following a set pattern of work standard and a sudden shudder expecting drastic changes cannot be digested that easily. It depicts from the case that the employees were not completely denying to accept the change but they never wanted to rush with it and speedily do it.
All three evident changes which she had laid out of traveling a pounding schedule to visit customers, setting aggressive deadlines for new projects and proposing a bonus plan for the union were taken differently by the others and arguments were being built up against it.
They were not taken or conceived as an attractive package at all by others. It was not that the senior vice president depicted a laid back attitude and was unwilling but we also can deduce from the case that he had helped Cheryl to get new products from prototype to full run. He never compromised on quality and helped Lakeland generate best of products.
Cheryl even while discussing about the Bull-eye Stores demand with the senior vice president didn’t hear his side of the story and threw her rigid statements on him. She even seemed rude with him on getting things done her way.
Her constant nagging on the fact to go in the midmarket was not a breeze it required a great deal of time and commitment. Every deal at any point in time cannot be expected that easily. The report confirmed to the fact to not take up any offshore contracts for atleast a year and this was done after analysis and research.
The vice president wanted more focus to be made on the manufacturing operation that were going locally rather then expanding the horizon and ending up in trouble.
It is always a two way game in a meeting or any sort of discussion . both parties are to be heard and given equal respect and in the end affirmative points are gathered and worked upon. Unions cannot be and shouldn’t be negated at any point in time it clearly reflects from Cheryl’s attitude that she is not interesting in talking it out with the union and instead feels that they are to be blamed.
She thinks that indirectly all her policies add capacity and is not hampering their jobs. The design director even seemed to have some issues against the CEO`s working methodology and didn’t bother to call the company known for best packaging firm in her opinion .
Cheryl thought and was of the opinion that the current design director was expert in dealing and handling with the type of products which the company deals in and should be infact capable of handling larger outfits.
What the CEO doesn’t understand is that its not that everyone at the firm is going in slow motion but instead cannot willingly adapt to such drastic changes that also to be met in such a short time. Just by Thinking that the current employees are dull and the hired employees would work wonders just isn’t that easy. There are certain issues which have to be sensed and sorted out . It not always what we think is right or wrong but also consider what the other party has to say about it and how he or she feels about it.
