Good Example Of Case Study On Bob Iger: Disney's Fun King

In a business, management teams experience numerous challenges while executing their day-to-day tasks and responsibilities. Therefore, individuals in management positions must work hard to acquire the necessary skills to enable them tackle different challenges successfully. While different approaches are essential in performing management tasks, only competent managers can grow a business and ensure its prosperity.
Use the case study material to decide what different kinds of management challenges Bob Iger faced as he took over managing Walt Disney
When Bob Iger took over Disney from Michael Eisner in 2005, it was a collapsing business. The venture was facing critical problems that were threatening its very survival. For example, the interactive division was losing money and had incessant management issues of powers struggle and constant misunderstandings between managers and employees. Bob had to work through all this to restructure the firm and transform its fortunes. It is important to point out that when he started managing Disney, Bob was confronted with the issue of cutthroat competition in the industry, and he had to plan and outline practical business spending strategies (Reingold and Adamo, 2015). On his part as the top manager, there were many expectations from him. His predecessor had poor business relations with business partners like Steve Jobs. Therefore, Bob Iger had to face and overcome this challenge. In addition, Bob had to plan on how to fix the Pixar issue and strategize on how to maintain its cultures as Jobs and co-founders demanded. Furthermore, Bob had to make critical decisions especially on the leadership of the new Pixar under Disney. Finally, he was to chart a new course of leadership in venture investments for the company (Reingold and Adamo, 2015).
In what kind of ways did he respond to these challenges, for example in his approach to planning, leading, organizing and controlling
Bob Iger does more listening than talking and this has helped him know the people he can trust with various tasks. If he cannot trust anyone to lead in any aspect of the firm, then they cannot be found anywhere in the organization chart like it happened to Ross. Disney EVP and CFO Jay Rasulo are of the opinion that through trusting them, Bob Iger empowered them to run their departments. Despite the fact that Disney was in a spending mess, Bob applied sound planning techniques of capital expenditures. While the company’s rivals were retrenching, Bob increased spending during the recession period. Subsequently, acquisition earnings registered during the period double to about $4.85 billion in the year ending December 2011. Moreover, stock prices have risen to about 80% during Bob’s tenure. In fact, Warren Buffet, an American billionaire indicated that Bob as being very effective and efficient manager. Being a rational decision maker and a participative manager, rather than an autocrat, has played a crucial role in Bob’s success at Disney. Besides, he acts more as a brand, thereby improving the overall image of the business. As a manager, Bob learned how to lead other managers. He knew when to work with them and when to give them time and space to work things out by themselves. In addition, while working with the staff, he has discovered myriad techniques of exploiting opportunities presented by their products for the overall success of the firm (Reingold and Adamo, 2015).
Indeed, I can say that Bob is an organized leader who is always prepared and ready for his role. During the first board meeting upon his selection as the CEO, he outlined a strategic plan to acquire Pixar, Disney’s competitor in the animation segment. However, the fate of Pixar after the acquisition was a management challenge that they were yet to address. However, Bob Iger proved himself with the proposal to buy Pixar, an undertaking, which together with his business skills, completely transformed Disney forever. Specifically, he knew whom to appoint to every position as well as the responsibilities to assign them. After acquiring Pixar, Bob appointed Lasseter and Catmull to lead Disney's Entertainment Studios, as well as the Pixar. He made crucial and important decisions on the acquisition of Marvel Entertainment. Therefore, it is only fair to say that Bob Iger is a model manager whom people in management can learn from, especially in leadership and administration aspects of business. In fact, the company’s stakeholders were surprised when he announced that he would be resigning in March 2015. They did not expect a successful manager to leave, but his decision was final. He intends to leave the company at a high (Reingold and Adamo, 2015).

Search the Web. How are Bob Iger and Disney performing currently

Bob Iger remains an excellent Manager in Chief at Disney in 2015 even as his resignation is looming. He has transformed and built Disney into a profitable company within a very short period of time. Superficially, the firm’s stocks rose by about 38% in the 2014 financial year. According to statistics released in January 2015, a combination of stock salary, pensions, and other forms of compensation saw Bob earn $46.5 million in 2014 (Reingold and Adamo, 2015).

References

Reingold, J. and Adamo, M. (2015, January 15). Disney’s Bob Iger Gets 35.5% Raise in 2014 to Earn $46.5 Million. Retrieved March 5, 2015 from http://fortune.com/2012/05/09/bob- iger-disneys-fun-king/