Case Study ‘Acton-Burnett, Inc.’
1-What were the mistakes made by Ryan and Keene during the whole process?
The mistakes made by Ryan and Keen during the whole progress are fourfold:
1. Formation
Baker is enlisted by commissioning executive Ryan and Keen to do an impossible job, both time and resource wise. Following an initial insight from Acton, the company’s chairman, Baker takes the lead to a newly created, cross functional task force. The idea is cascaded from top to down to him, across two layers of hierarchy. Very little is as well said about Acton’ and Herd’ ideas, except that they ‘feel’ that forecasting is an issue following significant loses in Q1 1975.
Subsequently, Ryan and Keen appoint a task force on behalf of Baker. That Baker had no influence on the appointment of the members will have further knock on effects on Baker’s effective leadership later on (see points 2.1 relative to Baker).
Another issue with both Ryan and Keene commissioning the taskforce to Baker is the multiple objectives incompatibility. Leading the taskforce may prove a good training ground for a tenderfoot like Baker, but at the expense of the success of this taskforce.
2. Selection a. of the team
The taskforce is appointed with no respect to people’ preferences, level of relationship, experience and personal affinities. The taskforce is hand picking a great variety of employees from eight teams. Each team members has a separate line of reporting, level of seniority, age, experience and personal background (old timers, MBAs). While such diversity is to be expected in a cross functional group and may help further in adopting change, the size of the group and the multiple lines of reporting and agendas are surely complicating Baker’s job to effectively and successfully lead the team.
Some choices are also deliberate but incorrect. E.g. Ryan suggested not appointing any market managers due to their heavy workload. On the contradictory, it may have been a good idea to have a market managers
The mistakes made by Ryan and Keen during the whole progress are fourfold:
1. Formation
Baker is enlisted by commissioning executive Ryan and Keen to do an impossible job, both time and resource wise. Following an initial insight from Acton, the company’s chairman, Baker takes the lead to a newly created, cross functional task force. The idea is cascaded from top to down to him, across two layers of hierarchy. Very little is as well said about Acton’ and Herd’ ideas, except that they ‘feel’ that forecasting is an issue following significant loses in Q1 1975.
Subsequently, Ryan and Keen appoint a task force on behalf of Baker. That Baker had no influence on the appointment of the members will have further knock on effects on Baker’s effective leadership later on (see points 2.1 relative to Baker).
Another issue with both Ryan and Keene commissioning the taskforce to Baker is the multiple objectives incompatibility. Leading the taskforce may prove a good training ground for a tenderfoot like Baker, but at the expense of the success of this taskforce.
2. Selection a. of the team
The taskforce is appointed with no respect to people’ preferences, level of relationship, experience and personal affinities. The taskforce is hand picking a great variety of employees from eight teams. Each team members has a separate line of reporting, level of seniority, age, experience and personal background (old timers, MBAs). While such diversity is to be expected in a cross functional group and may help further in adopting change, the size of the group and the multiple lines of reporting and agendas are surely complicating Baker’s job to effectively and successfully lead the team.
Some choices are also deliberate but incorrect. E.g. Ryan suggested not appointing any market managers due to their heavy workload. On the contradictory, it may have been a good idea to have a market managers