Celeritas, Inc. Leadership Challenges in a Fast-Growth Industry Case Solution

Similarly, during the offsite exercise all the SVPs showed extreme resistance to change. Not wanting to discuss and coordinate in anything, blaming others for their division’s failure and staying confused about organization goals and yet not voicing concerns show that each member of the senior management was content with his or her own performance. In the third stage when Reese presented the new strategies to all the VPs the very first comment that rose was how to tackle those who don’t want to change. This clearly proves that the entire management whether in junior or senior positions was not willing to admit their mistakes and were very content with the existing state of affairs. If this had not been the case, such problems in company performance would not have occurred.

2. Alternative solutions

The three alternative solutions in their order of preference are:

Re-engineering the processes

This alternative requires a company wide effort to bring transformational change into the systems, structures, staff, shared values, skills, strategy and style of leadership and management. This alternative will change the dynamics of work within the organization and will also help them in coming out from the period of low growth where market share is being lost.

Pros

• It will bring transformational change in Celeritas

• SVPs, VPs and others will begin coordinating between divisions

• It will unite the entity as they work for single purpose

• This level of commitment should translate into superior results for sales and company profitability

• It will change mindset of employees at junior and senior level in accepting and welcoming change

Cons

• The effort will require substantial amount of time and resources otherwise it will not work

• SVPs, VPs and Managers will have to trust their subordinates in carrying out the tasks

• If effort is half-hearted then this alternative will not yield superior results

Take a rational approach to change

This alternative requires that Reese and Boyer take a more rational route of bringing change within Celeritas. To do this, they will have to adopt a persuasive yet informative route where the main job will be to tell all employees at junior and senior level why change is good. For this to work, the message has to be presented in such a manner that it fulfills the self-interest of employees.

Pros

• This is a rational approach and will appeal to those employees in Celeritas who are also concerned about organization’s performance

• It does not require constant supervision once the message of change has been given with conviction

• Those employees of Celeritas who make decisions based on logic will readily accept change in this manner

Cons

• If employees are concerned about vested interests they will not agree to change even for benefit of Celeritas

• If basic principles of business practices are not working in the organization then such a strategy will not create difference