1. What impresses you about this company? Is it well-managed—why or why not? Does the management style at Gore match what we in the business school have taught you about “how to manage?”
--What impresses me most about W.L. Gore and associates is how the company has grown from the basement of the Gore’s home to a multibillion dollar company. It shows that it takes more than jus t a good idea to turn a run of the mill company into a well oiled machine capable of vast profits. I believe that it is a very well managed company for a few reasons. The first is that the company is really not led by management at all, all employees are known as “associates.” This allows a more open environment for improvements to be made. In a way, this idea on management goes against what we have learned simply because the actual word “manager” has been stripped from the company’s culture. It also goes perfectly with what we have been taught in regards to the fact that management should be fully transparent and open to ideas from all levels of the organization.
2. How would you characterize W. L. Gore’s competitive strategy? What are the key elements of the strategies employed by its electronics, fabrics, industrial, and medical divisions?
--Their competitive strategy is characterized by the way that they are versatile as a company. Their products are spread out and diversified over a number of different industries. This means that if one industry is underperforming, they have the leverage they need in the other industries to stay afloat. With the differentiation strategy, they also implemented the strategy of delivering the best quality product, regardless of how much it may cost.
3. What are the key approaches W. L. Gore has taken to promote successful implementation and execution of the strategy? How has it gone about building a capable organization? How have rewards and incentives been linked to key strategic targets?
--The key approach that Gore takes in the...