Answer & Explanation:Richard Purvis started the
Jordan Shoe Company in Boulder Colorado. The company is known for its great
specialty tennis shoes at moderate prices. The company designs and
creates fun shoes for young children, mostly girls. Catering to the age
group of 1-12 years, the shoes are popular in Colorado. The shoes have
been growing in popularity and Richard is thinking of expanding into other
states. Business has grown steadily in the last seven years and the
companys future looks bright. If Richard expands the company he would
have to set up two plants in other states and will have to reorganize the
Colorado plant.
The staff has always gotten
along well because Richard has been able to keep things on an even keel with
his personality and concern for their each employees personal welfare.
Richard would have to find someone to take his place to run the plant in
Colorado. He wants to set in place a structure that will continue to grow
the business while ensuring quality, reputation, and the happiness of its
employees are maintained.
Purvis has set up his factory
with a horizontal collaborative structure. He has four departments;
design, the production department, sales and marketing, and administration.
Each department has a manager that acts as a team head. Purvis
meets weekly with all the heads together and individually off and on during the
week.
Purvis currently employs a
plant manager who heads the production department, which has 12 factory
workers, two salesmen one of whom is the team head that also handles the
marketing aspect of the business. The administrative head is the general
manager, and there are two office workers and a bookkeeper. Finally, the
design team has three employees one of whom is the head designer who leads the
team.
The cost of expansion could
be done effectively
if the current profit level remains stable and that can
only be done if the Colorado plant continues to run smoothly.
The current vision for the
company is: to produce the best childrens specialty shoes.
The mission is: to produce
quality, stylish shoes that are known for their durability, style, and
contemporary kid fashion. The kid must be in every shoe.
Purvis believes strongly that
his employees must be free to create the best shoes possible. He wants
them to work together happily and with a commitment to the development of the
vision. He also wants them to continue to work together as they do now
and to encourage creativity among them all and not just with the design
department. He wants to empower them but the shoes have to be completed and
shipped promptly.
Learning Activity #1 $15.00
Tasks for this activity are as follows:
Using
the case scenario from week 3 (above) identify the existing culture for
Purvis company and identify the desired future culture.Complete the OCAI assessment (http://www.ocai-online.com/)
for Purvis company. Use information from the case scenario to
identify the two cultures. Then, assess both the current cultural state
and identify gaps between current and desires cultures. (Hint make sure
to remember the purpose of the business and how to keep a competitive
edge in making your selection)Learning Activity #2 $15.00
Explain
how structure and culture interface to make the organization work
toward the accomplishment of the vision and mission. How can it going
to work in the case of Purvis? Give examples of what Purvis can do to
make sure everything flows together. Include in your answer the ideas
of artifacts, espoused beliefs, basic underlying beliefs and assumptions
(external adaptation issues, assumptions about managing internal
integration and deeper cultural assumptions).