Leadership Case

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ........................................................................................................

History of Gentex and Essilor of America......................................................................

Leadership team and style ..............................................................................................

Personality type and Leadership Style -Dawn manager..............................................

Company Culture; TURA awards, safety, national grid..............................................

HR rules and the low morale of factory workers.........................................................

Poor Communication on all levels...................................................................................

Need to develop systems- systems software; MRP & ER............................................

History of AAA Southern New England .........................................................................

Corporate Culture of AAA ..............................................................................................

Proficiencies and difficiencies of current management ............................................

How others react to difficiencies of currnt management .........................................

Poor communication ......................................................................................................

My view as a Manager and what I feel needs to be change .....................................

Work Cited .....................................................................................................................

Executive Summary

Essilor International, is the world leader in ophthalmic optics, and was recently named to Forbes magazine's list of "The World's Most Innovative Companies." Essilor, which was ranked 25th on the list, was recognized for its innovative eyeglass lens production that has upended the optics industry.

AAA Southern New England currently serves 2.1 million members. AAA Southern New England currently has forty-one braches in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and various parts of Connecticut. In Rhode Island seventy-one percent of the vehicles on the road are Southern New England members. In Massachusetts fifty percent of vehicle on the road are Southern New England members and in Connecticut twenty percent of the vehicles on the road are Southern New England members. Today American Automobile Club (AAA) is one of the largest public services (paid member organization) in North America. AAA remains strong due to our commitment to our members and our wide range of services, which we continue to grow.

Leadership is a way to bring out all of our employees their full potential of creativity, innovation, productivity, motivation and commitment. Employees are the most important assets to a company. Over ninety-percent of the average workers are followers. For this reason, a superior leadership strategy is important.

I have recently assumed the position of Shipping & Inventory Manager at Gentex Optics. Gentex Optics is the largest manufacturer in the Dudley Mass area. At Gentex we produce corrective lenses and coatings for the ophthalmic industry worldwide. Gentex optics was acquired by Essilor in 1995, our Dudley facility was transformed with new buildings and equiptment including automation. Gentex Optics currently employees over 400 people and we run on four shifts,12 hours intervals, seven days a week. Essilor International, is the world leader in ophthalmic optics, and was recently named to Forbes magazine's list of "The World's Most Innovative Companies." Essilor, which was ranked 25th on the list, was recognized for its innovative eyeglass lens production that has upended the optics industry. Essilor's approach to innovation relies on an extensive network of international partnerships involving, universities, industrial groups and innovative subject matter experts, including the CNRS (National Scientific Research Center) in France and SERI (Singapore Eye Research Institute), the world-famous ophthalmology and visual sciences unit in Singapore.

Essilor adapts technologies employed in different scientific disciplines in the design of its new products. This process of continuous renewal guarantees optimum visual quality and comfort for wearers. Iconic products, such as "Varilux", the world's first progressive addition lens, and "Crizal", the leading No-Glare lens, symbolize Essilor's capacity for innovation. Always on the cutting edge of science, Essilor has three R&D centers in The United States, France and in Singapore. The company recently broke ground on a world-class innovation and technology center at the Essilor of America headquarters in Farmer's Branch, Texas, scheduled to be completed in April 2012. By relocating the R&D Center from St. Petersburg, Fla., to Farmers Branch, Essilor has created an innovation and technology center that represents the company's continued commitment to take full advantage of the most recent scientific and technical advances and stay alert to emerging fields. Essilor also has two R&D centers under the responsibility of the joint ventures "Transitions" in the United States and Nikon-Essilor in Japan. The major portions of all the polycarbonate lenses are produced in the Gentex, Dudley facility. We are a word-class, multi-billion dollar organization with many layers of leadership from Dudley to France. I will focus my paper on the Dudley leadership team.

The head of our Leadership team at Gentex is Bill Van Weiren, he is the Plant Manager. He has seven direct reports, one from each department: Human Resources, Automation & Shipping, Manufacturing & Operations, Quality Control, Process Engineering, Continuous Improvement, & Information Systems. I report directly to Amit Agarwal the head of Automation & Shipping. He also runs the Production Control department as of very recently. My boss is a very good leader and a visionary, he