Managing Change: Cox’s Container Company Case Study

The organization in question is a large manufacturer and has almost four hundred employees. Its status as a family owned organization relies heavily on the benefits of their leader Harold Cox. Since two third of the employees are within production, most of the jobs are realized by minority workers. More than half of these individuals have worked for the company in excess of ten years. Senior positions and promotions for floor employees relate to autonomy and production benefits from work completed at will.

Problem Identification

Within this case there are several problems facing Cox’s Container Company (CCC). Presently the Founder and Managing Directors are approaching retirement age. The issue of handling staff is paired with high market competition and reduced margins. A survey was conducted for accounting and Erica Wilson yet only performed financial viability. Meanwhile, employees have fears of job cuts as well as cultural compliance issues within each department. The tacit non-cooperative nature of managers and employees require the addition of a new consultant in order to bridge the burgeoning gap. These problems speak to an overall need to use the best practices of leadership to create a better corporate environment.
Further information is needed in order to assess the causes of these problems. This includes an understanding of the management and workplace dynamics that are contingent to the way that the organizational flow is managed. Since financial accountability was the initial problem that elicited review it would be beneficial to understand these aspects well and over time.

Analysis

There are elements of decreased profitability indicated which lead to a review of company operations. It was found by an analyst that the company did not have operational cost controls to meet the needs of rapid growth. There was a void developing in management and financial accounting contributing to this problem.
John Straw was designated as an accountant for an entire new department of administration in order to streamline cost control and identify areas of risk management or success. According to his recommendation there are further phases that illustrate beneficial action the company can take. These include implementing budgetary systems that replace the existing informal methods of operation. Systematic review of operational procedures are also integrated in the information systems that exist throughout the organization.
Other personnel were included, the budgeting section manager and an operational manager. In the first meeting organized to explain this setup there were relatively few objections raised. Still, managers were not entirely aware of the way that this reorganization would impact their work. Steering committees were utilized to guide the implementation of this control mechanism. Nevertheless emotional and personality differences began to arise in this context.
This process of review eludes to a variety of problems and areas of concern that impact the way that information and progress within the company can happen. Information systems project failures are the result of poor technical implementation and ineffective leadership. A variety of interconnected systems will contribute to the inefficiency experienced within an organization. Some examples include resource failure, requirement misrepresentation or the impedance of goals. These can be caused by conflicts between people or project scopes. Minor dilemmas such as ineffective specification of requirements or goal management can lead to the inefficacy of software, personnel and overall business processes (Sumner, 1999). These were exemplified throughout the case to at least a moderate degree. Since the information systems were lending towards disorganization and lack of accountability it is no surprise that there was a need for change expressed amongst the management and other personnel. However, the misguided viewpoints of select employees could have also cultivated the problem further. In analyzing the case it would be beneficial in future endeavors to address these issues from a strategic management, infrastructure and employee perspective.
Theories and concepts that have been covered may help to explain what is transpiring. Leadership style and related theories in management are also significant to the way that organizational workflow can be balanced. When people work in an interpersonal way the organizational caliber of leadership can be attributed to various people and resource management systems. One thematic concept within human resources and conflict resolution are the differences between men and women regarding situational practices. Hierarchical authority and control for leadership creates different standards for emotional and analytical problem solving. Generalizations about stereotypic leadership allows for managers and social scientists to understand that cooperation, collaboration and management of subordinates differs between men and women. This has an impact on the way that interpersonal relationships happen within an organization as well as the subsequent methods necessary to create successful conflict resolution (Eagly, 1990).
The theories used in this explanation help differentiate what is going on in several ways. These concepts and paradigms of leadership reflect on CCC as well as the personality differences between staff members. It is efficacious for individual perceptions to be used in light of the overall client understanding so that a consistent and beneficial understanding can be promoted throughout the organizational culture. This further inculcates a diversified sense of value for each employee despite negative trends or disproportionate business structural deficits.
Other concepts and theories are needed to analyze the problem in different ways. It is possible for employee and employer conflicts to be discussed within an organizational context so long that there is effective conflict resolution and directionality for implementations of corporate culture. Further it is necessary for developmental procedures to help resolve conflict in order to expand on the protection for employees as well as adaptation of rights amongst corporate policy to benefit conflict resolution. This creates objectives and values while allowing a balance between procedures and means of resolution (Aram, 1981). Triangulation can be used to bolster different parts of analysis. This is useful in the overall way that systems are evaluated as well as to pinpoint the specific nature of employee requests pertaining to the organizational and infrastructure related decisions.
Strategy implementation is an important aspect of the way that large or multinational businesses can effectively recognize value and create corporate interest. In pursuing administrative mechanisms the way that personnel handle situations is different and implies unique aspects of theoretical development. By providing effective standards of management it is possible for the maximum value to be derived from any organizational creation as well as to benefit the best practices of business and accountability (Govindarajan, 1988). Similar to CCC, administrative aspects of business could be bettered in order to create a diverse employee experience based in recognition and careful attention to matters as they arise. In this way the standardized way that centralization could be implemented in the future would deter negative employee reactions while allowing for an easier management functions.
A centralized network and management protocol for staff is integral to streamlining information process flow as well as the way that people work through collaboration. Since human interactions are valuable in the establishment of basic services and security it is important that the nature of emotional values and environment be established through corporate culture (Feeney, 2001). Identifying key areas of improvement and techniques that can benefit the universal performance of integrated job functions. It would also enable better collaboration even amongst members who do not immediately get along with one another.

Alternatives 20

Ultimately the establishment of a centralized administrative department is not effective according to the way that employees are interested in performing tasks. This is in addition to the complexities of creating new systems as well as the personnel and conflict resolution that is integrated in the way that implementation standards are used within the business model. There are a variety of alternative courses of action that differentiate the way that problems can be identified and solved (Feeney, 2001). This is a difficult yet pertinent reality within the context of the CCC Company. Since the members of staff have different opinions about the nature of a centralized information distribution system there are benefits to cultivating a sense of mutual benefit and understanding regarding the overall scope of production from each functioning department.
Each alternative can be seen in light of specifics pros and cons. Since the major conflict that is presented by Aziz at the end of the case represents the validity of scope and progress amongst business functions with the use of a centralized system. It is clear that his efficiency is separate from the performance of other departments because of the great adversity with which he presents his case. The benefit of decentralizing production and accounting systems would be that less time would need to be spent integrating objectives amongst the various groups and organization members. These are contingent to the possibility that there are mutually beneficial practices that each department has in them which can promote a lasting value to the company. Cons of decentralization would lead to the initial disputes and lack of clarity that CCC faced. While greater financial accountability do present several reasonable methods to prevent such obstacles, it is definitely useful to the overall service value that the company has.

Recommendation

There are several things that need to be done in order to resolve the case study problem. The most important value that can be created within the business environment is a sense of collective unity and value for each individual’s contribution (Belbin, 1999). Since introverted and extroverted personalities are so different in their nature and fundamental approach towards organizational culture, it is beneficial to have the right type of people involved at every level of management.
Research efforts that can improve efficacy for teams and individuals are a factor of leadership and the way that effectiveness is garnered. Performance relates to the way that a single leader manages to distribute the authority for a maximum value throughout the enterprise. Since it is always beneficial for a group to be led rather than left to manage themselves it would be advisable to create sections or modules for work to be cultivated and created. This would allow more authority amongst employees as well as within the community (Henry & Stevens, 1999). These principles are efficacious within the business environment at CCC. Because of the diminished clarity and lack of employee competence that was experienced in their past, it is evident that performance and personnel interactions are necessary to the best value that is created for individuals within the management staff and in other areas of performance.
Additionally, it is clear that these resolutions are relevant to the theoretical analysis necessary for this case. Since the personalities exhibited amongst management staff are relevant to the overall success of an organization, it is imperative that positive decision making and valuable emotional insight be placed within job functions and the interactions amongst peers. Several factors play a key role in this identification and assimilation process. They include extroversion, openness, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism. While these are integral to the personality of an individual they manifest in conflicting ways based on integration, obliging, avoiding and compromising policies throughout the management setting (Antonioni, 1998).
A more specific recommendation would be to create a department that liaisons between Aziz’s group and the other organized individuals. This appointed individual or individuals could facilitate better communication between the groups as well as retail and distribution. Additionally, a group of HR representatives can create the maximum impact through training courses for interpersonal affairs. This would mitigate the risks of adversity and generate more interest in good communication throughout the group. This would have the most lasting impression in terms of anger management and conflict resolution.

Plan of Action

Certain people will be involved in the final procedures to change the case. These include leadership from each department as well as the continued support structures put in place throughout a centralized standard. These are effective individuals that will empathize with the goals of each business function and establish them through the right thought process and patience. Since there have been a high turnover rate for people throughout the budgetary analysis and financial management aspects of this organization, it is possible that the existing employees will have limited faith in the appointment of new executives or leadership. Therefore, it would be beneficial for existing members to be consulted and evaluated in terms of their personality and the ways they interact with the work unit as a whole. Then, the selection of a team member who is mutually cooperative and benefits the way that business happens would allow for a creative and insightful method of dealing with human issues in the larger market context.
This process will take a significant amount of time and is dependent on several factors. The best implementation of new leadership would require time sensitive integration that deals with the value that individual staff need without necessarily detracting from the work flow or existing business structures. As Aziz mentioned, the way that standardization or centralization was performed led to an overall discomfort amongst his staff because they had higher core values and business integrity than the mutually dependent new system. Therefore, the use of employee time towards a connected yet inherently separate scope of business function would lead to the best practices within the enterprise and maximize efficiency.
Parts of the organization that are affected include the accounting department, and managerial specialists. Since these staff are integral to the workflow and profitability through effective management strategies it would be possible that their support will increase the quality of work output by the organization altogether. Further these changes would allow for better interactions amongst managerial staff and subsequent decisions made about the quality of business ethics. These are changes that are contingent to the best appropriation of staff, resources and business construct towards a realistic and mutually beneficial working relationship. While this has been the fundamental problem within CCC the suggested changes will allow for more retention and clarity amongst purpose and acknowledgement in the business environment.
Meanwhile, side effects are expected within certain areas and may affect subsequent progress. Since management changes of any kind can yield a dichotomous example for the clients and existing employees, some side effects of this change would be less employee autonomy. By dividing managerial level tasks and creating subsections or modules for activity to take place, each unit would be responsible for the progress and scope of projects being performed. This is alternative to one or a few management staff answering to one another where each individual employee has more control over their daily function and interfacing. While this side effect can be both positive and negative, based on the personality of the individual, it is still a beneficial choice with respect to the overall clarity of infrastructure that would be provided.

References

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