Leading Change

Leading Change Paper - Good Sports

Good Sport is a manufacturing company that produces fitness equipment for the everyday person. They have been in business a bit over 15 years and are marketing in several states. The current CEO is an icon within the fitness world, which is one of the reasons the company was able to compete within this competitive field. He was able to us his being famous as leverage to keep the company afloat. Good Sports sells their product line to clubs, hotels, personal residences, and to hospitals which use the products in rehabilitation. Currently, Good Sport is working on the production of a new line of fitness equipment to help the company keep up with all the latest trends. The interaction of the simulation gets one involved in the involvement and decision processes from becoming a newly hired Senior Manager of R & D to the Vice President of Production, then taking over the CEO's position. While going through this journey, one can run into all the normal and yet feasible scenarios with employees across a company.

Organizational Structure

The overall organizational structure of Good Sports is that of a formal hierarchy, (McShane & Von Glinow, 2004, Chap. 15) they have the traditional CEO which is responsible for the entire company. It has a Vice President of Production, Research and Development, Sales, and Finance which all handle the day to day decision of the departments. A Senior Management Team reporting to there respective Vice Presidents and each have Team Managers for the actual day to day operations of the departments and workers. Informal communication is one used by Good Sports management teams, thus allowing the teams to coincide when making decisions for there group. Centralization is intended with Good Sports from what I can see, but I think it probably works more with the decentralized, by allow more levels of the management teams make the decisions, instead of leveling it to the senior management team. (McShane & Von Glinow, Chap. 15)

Company Culture

Good Sports has a somewhat laid back and independently driven culture within its workforce, with an overall informal attitude. They believe the customer is king and are inspired by and respect their corporate leaders. While departments do not like being dictated to or have interference from other departments, they do evaluate ideas carefully and through the merits of the whole data story and not an overview. Although not easily impressed, they do believe in supportive data, they get this idealism from their leaders, who are constantly leading by example. The Sales department enjoys meeting people outside of the department to discuss ideas and/or issues, and acquire support for the departments own ideas. Several soft tactics are used by the management teams, like rational persuasion, consultation and inspirational appeal over hard tactics. Like by appealing to the production team's creative aspects of producing this unique piece of equipment, and that none of Good Sports competitors have anything like it and the organization as a whole will be creative trailblazers within the market. Unlike coercive and legitimating, which are types of hard tactics which can cause low employee morale or even resentment amongst the employees or leaders, and should not be supported.

Structure and Culture Relationship

The structure and culture at Good Sports kind of go hand in hand as each department area has there own set of values and beliefs. And how they believe they are supposed to work is endorsed by the Vice President of that department in the same manner. The production department all seem to believe that the hard facts outweigh any notions or perceptions the team may have had to start... and they all appear to trust and believe in the leadership teams. When involving several levels of either lateral and / or horizontal leadership within a team meeting, it can and will show support, convince, and possibly persuade the group to move to the positive side of the discussion, particularly since all the employees have such respect for the department superiors. A good example of team connection is; when Tamara Watkins Vice President of R & D was requested to attend the production meeting to appeal to the support of Eartha Simpson Vice President of Production while meeting with the production team about the prototype.

Power structures and Politics

There are three different levels of power structures within Good Sports, and during a partially apparent power struggle after being advanced to the new Vice President of Production; those levels are subordinates, peers, and the CEO. With the promotion to Vice President came some bitterness from Matt, the senior manager for Production, as he thought he would be inline for the position. This also made some anxiety within the production team members who's loyalty to their senior manager and his operating style which could potential be changed. There is also the challenge of going from senior manager of the R & D department, and being a subordinate to the Vice President, to being a peer of the Vice President of R & D in the new role as Vice President of Production. During all these other issues, as if they were not enough, as the new Vice President of Production and being recommended for the job by the preceding Vice President of Production and now the new CEO. You find out that the new CEO is making decision for the Production department without conferring with you first regarding those issues, this make you feel somewhat alienated.

To help overcome some of the indifferences you are feeling as the new Vice President of Production, you try some new tactics to enable you to win over your subordinates, peers, and CEO. In doing so, you take some of the suggestions of your new CEO and put them into action. You share with Eartha your outlined plans for the production department, and while doing so it shows Eartha your initiative and that you value her input as well. You decide to have lunch with Tamara your previous boss and current peer. While at lunch you thank Tamara for all the extra help and mentoring she has given over you over your career, and that she has been a vital part of your growth. This helps build on your relationship with her as a peer, instead of subordinate. With keeping in formation with trying to build on the peer morale, you have dinner with Samuel the Vice President of Sales in a more informal atmosphere. This shows Samuel that you are comfortable with meeting informally which is his cultural style. Lastly, you work on trying to repair a relationship with your senior manager Matt. At the advice of the CEO you create an executive development plan for Matt to follow, thus showing Matt