PPT Assignment
Case Study I: The Morgan Company
Senior managers at The Morgan Company had developed a new and inspiring mission statement-one that set a new direction for the company with ambitious strategic goals. Management continually emphasized the new strategy and asked employees what they needed to do to achieve the new goals. Although some employees didn't want to embrace the new strategic direction, most were excited to participate in and support the new strategy. The employees began to make suggestions for improving the organization and identifying the necessary changes. Many of their ideas pointed to a significant change in the culture of the organization. And that was when the wheels fell off. Employees were told to step back; management didn't want to make any radical changes. They were told that they could only change one or two items and then only to a very small degree. No money could be spent, and the actions of senior management implied that employees' ideas really didn't matter. People became disillusioned and disgruntled. At least two people left every month for other positions during the last 18 months of the 24-month "transformation" process. The best people left since they had no voice and no ability to change a broken organization.
Task
1) How did management fail in its strategic planning?
2) What principles and ideas discussed in this chapter might have helped this organization succeed in meeting the new strategy?
Case Study II: Consolidated Metal Works
Consolidated Metal Works Consolidated Metal Works (CMW) was founded in the mid-1940s by Donald Chalmer in a 3,000-square-foot building with nine people as a small family business to produce custom-machined parts. In the1960s, as business grew, the company expanded its facilities and its capability to develop its own tooling patterns, eventually moving into a 40,000-square-footbuilding.However, as technology advanced, small family businesses like CMW met stiff competition. To survive, the company knew it had to listen more to its customers. From surveys and focus groups, the firm discovered that customers were not happy with the quality of the products they had been receiving. In 1985, CMW made a commitment to quality by hiring a quality assurance manager, Paul Levitt. Driven by the Deming philosophy, the company developed a variety of quality approaches and eventually became ISO 9000 certified in 1998. CMW made some substantial improvements in the quality of its products, particularly reducing scrap and reject rates. Paul worked closely with the factory workers directly responsible for the products, asking them what they needed to get the job done and ensuring management commitment to provide the necessary resources. For example, CMW invested in computer-based statistical process control technology, which enabled workers to monitor their processes and adjust them as needed. The success of this project led the company to empower employees to control many other aspects of the system. Business remained steady, but after hearing presentations from some Baldrige recipients, the founder of the company realized that a lot more could be done. In 2005, he hired a senior executive for performance excellence, who saw an opportunity to change the company's culture and introduce many Baldrige principles he had learned in his previous job at a manufacturing firm that had applied the Baldrige criteria for many years. One of the first things she did was to review the current mission statement, which had remained relatively untouched since1985: Our mission at CMW is to improve the return on investment. We can accomplish this by changing attitudes and incorporating a quality/team environment. This will improve the quality of our products, enhance our productivity (which in turn will allow us to quote competitive prices), and elevate our service and response level to our customers. There are several factors which make positive change imperative. The standards for competitive levels of quality and service are becoming more demanding. The emergence of the "World Market" has brought on new challenges. We are in a low-growth, mature market. In order for CMW to improve return on investment, we must develop a strategy to improve quality and responsiveness in all areas of the company. We need to have all employees recognize the importance of product quality and service and move toward more favorable pricing. We need to change thinking throughout the organization to get employees involved, to encourage teamwork, to develop a more flexible workforce and adaptable organization. We need to instill pride in the workplace and the product. We believe that we can best achieve the desired future state by study of and adherence to the teachings of W. Edwards Deming. He did not feel that this mission statement provided a clear and vivid direction, especially in the twenty-first century. Consequently, he set up a planning retreat for senior management to develop a new strategic vision.
Task
1) Comment on the current mission statement. Does it provide the strategic direction necessary for success for this company?
2) How can the mission statement be improved? Suggest a better statement of mission, vision, and guiding principles.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
(1) The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
(2) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
(3) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.