Greg James, Global Manager for Sun Microsystems, Inc., intends to meet with his entire 43-person customer implementation team in India, France, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States to resolve a major customer failure, such as It is required to Resolve by means of a service contract. Instead of finding a quick fix to …
This event is scheduled for November 2020. Despite COVID19, Ray of Hope (ROH), a crowdfunding charity in Singapore, has multiplied crowdfunding donations for its clients (those who need financial assistance) of S $ 500,000 (US $ 400,000) in 2019 to S $ 3 million ($ 2.2 million) from April to September 2020, with no staff …
Valve, one of the world’s leading video game software companies, has also become an iconic example of an organization without hierarchies. An organization of 400 people, Valve’s unique organizational form (detailed in the case and in the accompanying employee manual) includes 100% self-assigned time, no managers (and therefore no management oversight), such a fluid structure …
Daniel Oliveira, a young manager of the Brazilian fashion chain Apparel and Accessories, ends up at the bottom of the pool after first successes in a highly selective managerial training program due to moving to a region with weaker sales. Oliveira discovered early on that his business in the Vitória median in southeastern Brazil was …
This case is based on a real organizational crisis and the day-to-day operational factors and latent conditions that led to it. The facts in the case focus on the role of Malcolm Thornton (aka), a newly promoted rides manager at an amusement park. From his early days on the job, Thornton’s ignorance and dishonesty fueled …
This case describes the problems faced by a recent MBA graduate as the CEO of a parent-owned medical device company. It raises questions about cross-divisional relationships and difficulties faced by an inexperienced manager who appears to be receiving little support. This case is a camouflaged and updated version of case 494005 above, reflecting the challenges …
Cameron (Cam) Barker, founder and CEO of Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear, a manufacturer and distributor of sportswear and accessories, faced a challenge with his leadership team. His inability to work together on seemingly simple issues has been a chronic problem. Despite being a competent group of executives, most of whom had been with …
In 1989, Nordstrom Department Stores’ performance measurement systems and compensation policies came under unexpected attack from employees, unions, and government regulators. The case describes the “hourly sales” monitoring and compensation system that many saw as essential to Nordstrom’s phenomenal success. It illustrates how rapid business growth, decentralized management, and relentless pressure to perform can distort …
Martha Rinaldi has been Assistant Product Manager at leading beverage company Potomac Waters since she graduated from Business School. Rinaldi is frustrated with her relationship with her boss and a close co-worker. Although she works hard to please her manager, she received a negative performance rating for the first four months. Should Rinaldi leave Potomac …
Google’s Oxygen project began with a fundamental question that executives posed in the early 2000s: Do managers matter? The topic sparked a multi-year research project that ultimately led to a comprehensive program based on eight key management attributes designed to help Google employees become better managers. As of November 2012, the program had been running …