Organization and Situation

For my case analysis, I felt it was best to use an organization I was already familiar with. I
worked in a management role with Southwest Parking Service ( the name has been changed for
confidentiality) for over a decade. Southwest Parking Service is one of the largest valet and
parking companies in the western United States. It started as a valet service in Phoenix, AZ, in
1981, with two employees working at a single account. It has grown to be a full-service parking
company offering valet service, parking lot management, traffic direction, shuttle service, and it
owns several parking garages. As its services have expanded, so has its footprint. Southwest
Parking Service can now be found in locations across six states and employs over 600
individuals.

Because of the length of my employment, there were many possible situations from which to
choose. However, the obvious choice seemed to be the situation that changed the entire
company. In the spring of 2010, Southwest Parking lost its largest client, a property
management company with malls in four states. This client's loss meant losing over 40% of
Southwest Parking's business and millions of dollars in revenue.

Reflection
Looking back, I can see that Southwest Parking did some things right but also made many
mistakes as they dealt with the situation. Through my study of Organizational leadership, I can
see how the situation could have been handled differently. I now understand that reframing the
situation allows it to be analyzed from different perspectives. Each new perspective offers a
different approach and possibly a different outcome.