Reaction Paper Beers At Ogilvy Mather Worldwide HBS Case
Introduction
This reaction paper is based on the “Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (A)” Harvard Business School case (HBS Case #9-495-031) which examines the challenge Beers faces in her new role as CEO of Ogilvy & Mather and increasing the acceptance of the new vision for the organization - and particularly the ‘Brand Stewardship’ business initiative - by employees below senior management level within the organization. The case details the steps Beers takes as she guides her organization through change - an organizational change that Beers’ hopes will position her organization to achieve the goal of recapturing its lost brand-image and clients. This reaction paper discusses the key steps that Beers takes in the change management process; where Beers succeed and where Beers fails. Beers’ ultimate problem – the reason her organization may not achieve its goal - is an inability to unite employees at all levels of her entire organization behind the newly developed central vision.
Summary
Beers’ took over an Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (Ogilvy) that was considered a ‘beleaguered’ company by analysts – a company that was losing key advertising accounts and experiencing declining revenues. Beers’ first key step was to analyze the organization’s need for change. Beers’ spent her first few months at Ogilvy talking to clients and investors and noted the Ogilvy’s organizational departments – Creative, Account, Media and Research – worked as separate entities and clients viewed Ogilvy personnel as “distant and reserved”. Beers, after making an adequate assessment of the organization’s need for change, would have to fill the strong leader role and create a new organizational vision for Ogilvy.
Beers’ effectively played filled the strong leader role. Beers was considered an inspirational leader – different from the other recent leaders Ogilvy had. Ogilvy executives described Beers as a leader who “had the ability to inspire – [and] had
This reaction paper is based on the “Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (A)” Harvard Business School case (HBS Case #9-495-031) which examines the challenge Beers faces in her new role as CEO of Ogilvy & Mather and increasing the acceptance of the new vision for the organization - and particularly the ‘Brand Stewardship’ business initiative - by employees below senior management level within the organization. The case details the steps Beers takes as she guides her organization through change - an organizational change that Beers’ hopes will position her organization to achieve the goal of recapturing its lost brand-image and clients. This reaction paper discusses the key steps that Beers takes in the change management process; where Beers succeed and where Beers fails. Beers’ ultimate problem – the reason her organization may not achieve its goal - is an inability to unite employees at all levels of her entire organization behind the newly developed central vision.
Summary
Beers’ took over an Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (Ogilvy) that was considered a ‘beleaguered’ company by analysts – a company that was losing key advertising accounts and experiencing declining revenues. Beers’ first key step was to analyze the organization’s need for change. Beers’ spent her first few months at Ogilvy talking to clients and investors and noted the Ogilvy’s organizational departments – Creative, Account, Media and Research – worked as separate entities and clients viewed Ogilvy personnel as “distant and reserved”. Beers, after making an adequate assessment of the organization’s need for change, would have to fill the strong leader role and create a new organizational vision for Ogilvy.
Beers’ effectively played filled the strong leader role. Beers was considered an inspirational leader – different from the other recent leaders Ogilvy had. Ogilvy executives described Beers as a leader who “had the ability to inspire – [and] had