Describe what Beers Is trying to accomplish as CEO of O& M.
Beers intend to adjust O&M structures and systems to create organizational change that will suit the needs of customers. By instilling passion and focus on the employees, she would achieve greater desire to utilize the firm’s assets for overall success.
a. Why was O & M having problems when she took over?
Industry Context
The advertisement industry was transforming as clients demanded reduced fees for advertisement and improved services. These demands posed a problem for the company as the top management failed to make adjustments.
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Internal organization
The company’s management did not fully understand the “Brand Stewardship” concept (Ibarra & Sackley, 2011). Consequently, the employees lacked the passion for steering the company to success.
b. How would you evaluate Beers' first few months?
What were the biggest challenges she faced?
When Beers was appointed to his position in the company, he did not receive a warm reception owing to the employee's negative attitude towards outsiders.
What was her "taking charge" strategy?
Beer initiated a unique leadership style that endeared him to the company management and employees alike. She solicited for ideas about the change from the company's senior management; thus the implementation process was supported by all stakeholders.
How effective has she been so far? Why or why not?
Beer's strategy was undoubtedly efficient. Within two years, she managed to transform a company that was often described as beleaguered to a success mega advertising agency.
What is your assessment of the vision that Beers created?
The vision adopted by Beers was exactly what the company required to lift it from the challenging position.
What exactly is her vision?
The vision of “Brand Stewardship” aimed to transform the approach that O&M utilized in serving its customers.
Is it a good vision? What makes a "good vision"?
A good vision is composed with a focus on the needs of the organization. It should state the short-term and long-term ambitions of the company.
Is it original? Is it stating the obvious? How important is originality?
Originality is tied to the unique needs of the organization. Since the needs comprise challenges and issues, originality for the vision is a necessity since it outlines the important aspects of the company operations.
Does it make sense strategically?
Beers' vision for O&M is hinged on the strategic need to create organizational change and restore the company to its initial status or even better.
Does it meet the needs of internal and external constituencies? Who are they?
The internal constituents of O&M are the employees and the management while the external components are mainly clients. Creating a strong brand for O&M will be beneficial to all parties with regards to the company success.
Why are most company vision statements so uncompelling?
Uncompelling visions are created without a focus on the company unique needs.
3. What is your assessment of the process Beers and her team went through to create the vision?
Was it a high involvement process or did she formulate the vision primarily on her won?
Beers’ vision was created in consultation with other managers at O&M.
Did she involve the right people?
The senior managers were in a better position to understand the challenges of the company, therefore, curve out a plan for improvement.
Why not a larger group earlier?
Finding a large group with the same shared ambition as the chairperson would be challenging.
Were all of the meetings necessary? Why or why not?
Meetings created a clear path for organizational change hence were necessary for the success that was realized.
How did she get "buy in"?
Beers’ strategy to transform the attitude of the employees towards her before then consulting the senior management on the right strategies to apply.
How effectively did she deal with resistance to the vision?
Beers devised a plan to bring on board only the most passionate individual to implement her vision.
What is her leadership style? How effective is it?
Beers’ transformative leadership style incorporates the ideas and efforts of different organizational leaders.
Are there gender issues related to her leadership style? Discuss.
Gender issues are apparent throughout her leadership. Some managers disagree with her style just because she is a woman.
4. Discuss the key challenges facing Beers at the end of the case.
The problems related to the Brand Stewardship concept. Employees below the senior management positions did not fully understand the idea while the few managers who did not understand the concept could not fully meet the needs of customers.
Which are most urgent? Most important? Why?
The most urgent need was the executives who did not understand the concept (Ibarra & Sackley, 2011). This affected the quality of service offered to clients.
What, if anything, should she do differently? Why or why not?
The success of her leadership strategy within the short period implies that her style had very few flaws.
What are the trade-offs?
Getting the most creative people to support the idea required a little compromise to the constructs of the "Brand Stewardship" concept,
5. Look at Exhibits #1 & 2. Discuss the importanc e of good leadership qualities in creating change effectively.
Effective leaders are master communicators. They need not propose an original or innovative vision as long as the direction is clear and aligned with the needs of the organization and its relevant constituencies.
Gaining alignment and support for change is not just about communication; it is also a political change . Outsiders to an organization who have large knowledge gaps must leverage their strengths and power sources to build credibility quickly. As beers demonstrated by taking Brand Stewardship first to clients, external "buy-in " can drive internal alignment. Leaders must achieve short-term successes to gain the credibility needed to affect long term change. Sequencing is key ( see Exhibit #2)
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Did you enjoy reading about Beers and her leadership style at O& M? Want a final paper topic?
If so, do some research to discover what Beers was asked to do by the Bush administration after she left O& M.
She was charged with a remarkable, ambitious and worldwide challenge. However, she is no longer in that position.
Find out what happened and how she dealt with (or was unable to deal with) the challenge she faced.
Then, you can analyze and compare her leadership style as a CEO in the private sector (O & M) vs. that of a public servant in the State Dept. for the White House.
Beers took up the position of Under Secretary of State in charge of Public Diplomacy and Public Affair in the Bush administration. She was tasked with building a positive image for America worldwide. She, however, opted for propaganda videos showing America as a prime destination for Muslims after the September eleventh attack. The project was a failure. Beers’ success in the private sector was not replicated as a public servant since she failed to understand that her new position required her to act as an inspiration and motivator to others as opposed to the CEO position which enabled her to exercise significant control over the organization.
References
Ibarra, H & Sackley, N (2011). Charlotte Beers at Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide . Harvard Business School.
