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Arlene Legaspi CASE ANALYSIS ELEKTRA PRODUCTS INC.

March 7, 2011

PROBLEM STATEMENT

In line with Elektra Product Inc.s campaign for new era of employee involvement and empowerment, I think the top management has done an appropriate job in aligning their initial step to reviving their failing company by hiring a dynamic CEO, assigning selected managers to come up with new ideas in internal improvement, and making these ideas open to all employees by presenting them in a companywide meeting. The selected managers can be deemed successful in working together as a team. At one entry, it says, they thrived and trust blossomed among the members. The ideas they came up with are also innovative and employee oriented. However, two questions arise from this situation:
Problem 1: Employees Defeatism

Why was each idea still resisted by other teams despite its feasibility, innovation, alignment with the companys new campaign and being a product of not just one but various managers?
Problem 2: Constricted Variety in Members of the Team

Why did the selected managers team fall stunned at the apparent consequences of the new ideas raised by different departments?

Management Dynamics KING

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Arlene Legaspi

March 7, 2011

Problem 3: Employees Distrust in the Company and the Management

Why did many employees roll their eyes and think they can do better if management gets out of their way when it is obvious that not only would the company benefit from this new era of trust and cooperation, but benefit them, more importantly?

OBJECTIVES AND COURSE OF ACTION

The problems stated maybe resolved by the following respectively:

1. To remove the employees preset to failure and become open and enthusiastic to new ideas as much as Barbaras team.

Barbaras team should reassure different department s that ideas that came up would do more good than harm to their corresponding departments. Although Barbaras teams new ideas show positive benefits on the side of employees, an explicit report of possible pros and cons is essential while presenting their new ideas in order for employees to see what challenges they are about to take and what are they gaining from these ideas. They were stunned when different departments criticize d their ideas possibly because they were unprepared for the consequences of their

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March 7, 2011

new ideas. Otherwise, they could have reverted to them in a way that can be more acceptable to the departments. All ideas are subject to failure, anyway. However, showing th e employees that an idea can be more beneficial than detrimental to them would win favors.
2. To involve all departments in building ideas on how achieve the companys new campaign.

The criticisms against Barbaras teams ideas show that representatives from respective departments were absent while coming up with the ideas. Otherwise, these issues should have been resolved while discussing the pros and cons of the ideas. The top management team should include department heads to the selected managers team so each department can voice out their concern and can contribute to better inputs. This, in turn, lessens the time spent on criticism in the companywide meeting.
3. To apply Barbaras teams approach in building their team to the whole company

It was shown how Barbaras team has thrived and trust blossomed among the selected managers. Treating the company as a bigger version of this microcosm of members can help in promoting trust and drive to work for the company.

Management Dynamics KING

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Arlene Legaspi

March 7, 2011

A Team Building activity can be helpful. It is also preferable to build small teams composed of different department heads, brainstorming and choosing a person from the team that will represent in Barbaras team. In this way, more inputs can be gained from where they can pick out the best ideas for the companys new era. Martin was right to say that change should come from each one of the employees. At this point, resolving the problem by treating individuals, as part of a large group may not be the right action since distrust issues within the company do not unite the employees.
CONCLUSION

Barbara is left with four options: Keep her mouth shut, take a chance and confront Martin about her sincerity in making empowerment work, push slowly for reform and work from gradual support from the other teams or look for another job and leave the company. Barbara really cares about the company so keeping her mouth shut and leaving the company are not the best decisions for this situation for obvious reasons. A slow reform and gradual seeking of approval f rom other teams may not be appropriate since employees are already actively seeking for jobs and the host of problems including the increasing competition would only set the company to rapid fail. The management has to keep up. Barbara should take the chan ce and support Martin on his vision on new era of trust and cooperation. This decision would favor her sincere concern for Elektra and would favor the company as well. By taking into consideration the
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Arlene Legaspi

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mentioned course of action in her teams resolution, the other teams will find a reason to make a change on their own and tend more toward a common goal.

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