Ridgway Furniture Limited Case Study
The following case is on pages 469-471 of your course textbook: Sniderman, P., Bulmash, J., Nelson, D., Quick, J. (2010) Managing Organizational Behaviour in Canada (2nd Edition) Nelson Education Ltd. Toronto.
Ridgway Furniture Limited Ridgway Furniture Limited started manufacturing on a small scale about 20 years ago but now employs over 700 people, producing a wide range of wood and metal home and office furniture. The firm enjoys a good reputation in the furniture industry, and its products, sold in the medium-to-high price range, are considered good quality products by the general public. The firm is also recognized for its own special furniture styles. To produce its furniture, the firm uses the latest in modern technology. The firm's most rapid expansion took place in its first ten years of operation. However, although the firm has kept on growing since then, the rate of growth is now much slower. Connie Carson, who has been with the company since its start, is the head of the Furniture Design Department. Dick Prindles, who also joined the firm at that time, is now the company president and Connie's boss. The two are good friends and have together witnessed the company's growth to its present size. Carson is regarded as one of the pillars of this organization, because of the many contributions she has made toward the growth of the enterprise. She is well recognized for her creative abilities, which have led to the firm's unique furniture designs, one of the hallmarks of the company. Until five years ago, Carson had a small staff of eight employees engaged in the task of creating new furniture designs, five of them male and three female. They were all handpicked, bright young individuals. They were all highly creative, and most of them had received formal training in the art of furniture design at various community colleges. Carson rated them as "high performers". By last year, Carson's department had expanded considerably, and the number of
Ridgway Furniture Limited Ridgway Furniture Limited started manufacturing on a small scale about 20 years ago but now employs over 700 people, producing a wide range of wood and metal home and office furniture. The firm enjoys a good reputation in the furniture industry, and its products, sold in the medium-to-high price range, are considered good quality products by the general public. The firm is also recognized for its own special furniture styles. To produce its furniture, the firm uses the latest in modern technology. The firm's most rapid expansion took place in its first ten years of operation. However, although the firm has kept on growing since then, the rate of growth is now much slower. Connie Carson, who has been with the company since its start, is the head of the Furniture Design Department. Dick Prindles, who also joined the firm at that time, is now the company president and Connie's boss. The two are good friends and have together witnessed the company's growth to its present size. Carson is regarded as one of the pillars of this organization, because of the many contributions she has made toward the growth of the enterprise. She is well recognized for her creative abilities, which have led to the firm's unique furniture designs, one of the hallmarks of the company. Until five years ago, Carson had a small staff of eight employees engaged in the task of creating new furniture designs, five of them male and three female. They were all handpicked, bright young individuals. They were all highly creative, and most of them had received formal training in the art of furniture design at various community colleges. Carson rated them as "high performers". By last year, Carson's department had expanded considerably, and the number of