Leading Change Analysis
University of Phoenix
MBA 520
Dr. Linda Chavis
November 10, 2008
Introduction
Diagnosing a company success encompasses more than their sales numbers, their stock price and new products. One must look at the heart of the corporation, and understand the organizational structure and culture it represents, the difficult political standings of senior executives, and the power structures that are set up to keep the company successful.
Good Sport
Every company has at one time or another experienced change, whether it is in its infancy, or at the end of the company's life. Good Sport (GS) was founded by Jason Poole (a former NBA star). GS primarily manufactures exercise equipment and fitness based products. Piggybacking off of his popularity as a basketball star, Jason had little difficulty overcoming the usual difficult beginnings that a small start up might incur. His business sense has helped the company stay abreast of the latest trends. Jason is the current chairman of the board.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Marvin Wallace lead the company through four years of prosperity by putting significant capital on increasing performance various teams including research and development, sales and production. Pioneering the use of GS equipment in hospitals, Marvin has taken the company towards solid growth and expansion. GS's products are also sold in hotels and fitness clubs.
Organizational Structure
"Organizational structure refers to the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, work flow, and formal power that direct organizational activities."(Mcshane & Von Glinow, 2005, 446) What kind of structure does GS represent? Is the structure formalized (where the product is adhered to based on exact standardizations, much like McDonald's) or non-formalized (where every product is made to specification at that time, or customized)? Does the company have centralized power (where the power...