Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear
Executive Summary
Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear is a well-known organization that deals with the assembly and dissemination of apparels used in the sport. It also utilizes logos of perceived brands and logos. Through many years of struggles, the company has had several changes and improvements that involve them in becoming more prominent suppliers than ever before. They have also, expanded their size each time and had more and more new clients. Nevertheless, all has not gone well all the time. The company has had several drawbacks that have at least once in a while, hinder its progress to higher levels. Impart, and coordination of these individuals and the management has not always been smooth and successful but has often harmed the positives opinions that would possibly structure more benefits. Some of the critical matters identified by this study include the wasted practical jobs, organization of the team, and the interdependence structure in question. Also, horrible clashes and restriction in the correspondence are examples of factors that have caused the experienced poor coordination in teamwork development and has incited poor exhibitions. Moreover, from the official management, the practicing of the four leadership types has added to the legal showcase. Thus, the most significant risk that emerges in a team building is the dysfunctions such as the absence of trust, lack of commitment, fear of having conflicts, not paying attention to the results and the avoidance of accountability. These five dysfunctions also happen to be the leading causes of failure of a team. Hence this report is meant to help in the examination of these issues, by use of models and speculations, in order to understand better the matter at hand. In consideration of the issue, the report will also provide proposals meant to grow Blake Sports Apparel. The above will open channels for corresponding, incorporate the structure of interdependency of the various choices involved, contraction of cross practical inwards leaders. It also involves the individual training arrangements and development from the official team. Therefore, the solution provided in this report is expected to boost participation and rationality in a team and eventually unite all the officials involved in that team.
Introduction
Many business organizations today look for employees and individuals who can be team leaders besides the various job qualifications. Getting such people who integrate leadership roles and quality work has proven to be a nightmare for some organizations and business franchises. On the other hand, if such leaders are available, they encounter challenges in their designated roles. Leadership comes with challenges because a leader needs to motivate, encourage, and inspire his or her team towards achieving common organizational goals. The case study of Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear is an example of a case study that shed light on how organizational structure and leadership approaches work in a collaborative approach to glue the executive team towards a common goal. In this regard, it is a vital process to determine and analyze the problems associated with the executive management team of Blake Sports and Switch Activewear. Even though business enterprises encounter various organizational and leadership challenges, a thorough analysis of the structure of the organization is key to identifying its overarching success impediments and consequently providing a blueprint for financial breakthrough.
The Case: Problems and Successes
Barker’s father founded Blake Sports before Barker finally took over. The company licenses fees to leagues to manufacture sports accessories and apparel using their logos, which were sold to retailers. The company is facing problems with management from the executive branch. Before venturing into joint ventures with Cartlock and Howell, the company thrived successfully.
Dysfunctions and Risks to the Business
Barker, the CEO of Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear¬, is having challenges with his executive team. Although he had a competent team, the inability to work as a unit was seemingly one of the biggest impediments. Failure to solve issues was a chronic problem in the organization (Boris Groysberg & Katherine Connolly Aden, 2017). According to the report given by Barker, the organization was also facing issues of miscommunication, and as a result, misunderstandings developed. The colleagues in various departments were not responding to emails from the affiliated departments. The sales director of the organization raises insulation claims. Despite this issue, the executive team did not organize meetings to address such problems, and this led to the failure of the business.
The overarching mistrust in the organization led to the confinement of information. Each department felt they should not share the information they possessed, citing mistrusts. This led to weak communication systems in the organization. An effective organization with effective team leaders will not depend on the CEO to solve minor disputes themselves can solve. The employees of the organization rely much on Barker to solve their problems, thus leading to poor conflict resolution mechanisms (Abbas & Asghar, 2010). This would also mean there was a lack of team leadership because of the independence among the employees. The employees never cared about teamwork, and each of them was focused on individual goals placed before them. Lack of teamwork pulls down the overall goals of an organization.
The executive teams kept putting blames on each other for any gap realized in the performance. CEO Baker also confused the organization by charging his employees with important tasks; thus, the company was unable to meet the global strategies. As a result, there was underperformance in the company and misunderstandings. Most employees did not even understand their designated roles, causing a lack of responsibility.
Successes and Strengths
As the CEO Barker identified various challenges affecting his company and tried to act promptly. He focused on the importance of working as a team among the employees by educating them and bringing them together (Lencioni, 2012). Mr. Backer focused on establishing the mission and vision of the organization and setting the ground for rules that would cover each employee. In this regard, the mission and vision statement spelled the overall direction the organization should take to achieve its goals (Abbas & Asghar, 2010). Barker to address the misunderstandings and miscommunications that emerged in the organization. He improved communication channels and created a platform where a single employee had the responsibility of conveying information to the right people. This was the beginning of progress in the company.
Analysis
Impact of Early Entrepreneurial Success
The reputation of the company was initially good, and the CEO created a good relationship with various sports clubs. There was working as an agent with the sports club until when the product inquiries from the organization stopped (Boris Groysberg & Katherine Connolly Aden, 2017). Until the time when the contracts began to deteriorate, the company was performing well in the market. When the company distributed more than sports business, the clubs began seeking for similar products elsewhere at lower prices, and this led to dysfunction.
Trust, Communication and Information Sharing
The executive team did not embrace trust, communication, and information sharing. Each department was mean in sharing information for lack of trust. Consequently, there was miscommunication within the organization (Abbas & Asghar, 2010). This communication approach requires changes. First, Barker should ensure there are a bottom top and horizontal communication strategies. This communication system will ensure there is an information sharing with protocols adhered to and thus building trust, and collaboration. Communication increases the strength of the pitch. This would be a strategy to facilitate the buy-ins. Additionally, communication brings transparency, which is also another way to facilitate buy-ins.
Impacts on Team Performance and Cohesion
A slogan usually says, “When we come together, great things happen” (Abbas & Asghar, 2010). Good performance is an indicator of coordinated teamwork. Putting differences aside and putting ideas together for the executive team would make the business thrive in both domestic and global markets. Working towards achieving the vision of the organization is key to achieving both the short-term and the long term goals. Cohesion brings information sharing and thus, a development that can result in the creation of better products and services. Lack of alignment towards a common goal compromises performance and cooperation. Barker advised the executive members to focus on teamwork rather than self-centered work when dysfunctions set in the organization.
Team Structures and Decision-Making Processes
Team structures are changed and aligned by the desires of the top executive members. Cameron Barker decided to rectify the problems in the organization. Employees started working as a unit, and the structures in the company changed. In this way, consistency among the departments in times of decision making is key (Boris Groysberg & Katherine Connolly Aden, 2017). The approach to realizing this is by using the Vroom-Yetton Decision Model. The company was stuck in the decision-making processes, and effective conflict resolution approaches (Abbas & Asghar, 2010). The Model helps in identifying the best approaches in decision-making and hence, effective in conflict resolution through a consultative approach.
Consultation across departments is witnessed in today’s running of a business in the company that influences decision-making processes. From Jack’s eight essential rules of leadership, team leaders must convert the encounters into opportunities, coach, and build self-confidence in the team members (Abbas & Asghar, 2010). By this, Barker would make an executive team not only to see the vision but also live it, thus the second essential rule. By making the employees more engaged in achieving the missions or vision, Barker would have every employee exuding positive energy and optimism. Thus by participating in decision-making processes, they contribute to the overall development of the company by giving ideas. An example is where Cameron decides to delegate the duties to departmental heads without providing guidelines on what should be done.
CEO’s Leadership Style
Recommendations
For Part 2, you will add the Recommendations section.
In this section, you will be acting as a leadership consultant to Cameron Barker and will be applying the principles and practices from this course as you make recommendations. Using the following sub-sections for guidance, you will provide recommendations for improving teamwork and resolving conflicts more effectively. If you choose, you may include a paragraph here under the main heading “Recommendations” that provides some brief context for the recommendations that will follow. Alternatively, you may choose to just begin with the sub-sections. However, keep the main Recommendations heading in place.
Increasing Trust and Improving Communication
Recommend what Barker can do to increase trust and to improve communication. Cite specific examples and integrate course material to support your recommendations.
Incentivizing Team to Improve Alignment and Meet Goals
Recommend how Barker might incentivize the teams to improve alignment and to meet their collective goals. Cite specific examples and integrate course material to support your recommendations.
Improving Team Meetings
Explain what can be done to make team meetings more effective. Be specific and substantiate and support your recommendations.
Making Team Changes
Make recommendations as to whether Barker should change the teams either in terms of team leadership and members and/or overall structure. Explain and support your recommendations.
Identifying CEO’s Need to Change
What, if anything, does Barker need to change about his own leadership style and his behaviors in order to make his Executive Team more effective? Explain and support your recommendation.
Taking Additional Actions
Recommend additional action that Barker should take to improve team dynamics and performance and to ensure that both Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear improve collaboration and thrive in their market segment.
Conclusion
Write a summary paragraph that brings the essential elements of the case, your insights, and recommendations together in a clear and concise way. This conclusion ties your paper together—reminding the reader the essential points of your analysis. This is the last section of your paper. Do not introduce new information in your conclusion.
Be sure to include your References list on the page following your conclusion. See the end of this document for a sample. The suggested length of your paper (including part 1 and 2) is 8 to 10 pages excluding your cover page and your reference list. Also note, you must integrate some of the course material from weeks 1-10 to support your paper such as course readings, videos, lecture notes along with DiSC, the TKI, the Vroom-Yetton decision-making model, Goleman’s model of EI, Goleman’s leadership styles, Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Jack Welch’s Winning, etc. Outside resources are also welcome. In the body of the paper make sure you properly format the in-text citations. See the JWMI Writing Standards Guide for more information about citing.
In-Text Citations
Within the body of the paper, when concepts from specific sources are used, a citation containing the author’s last name, and the number of the citation in your reference/source list is included. The number corresponds with the entry on the References page, allowing readers to look up the source of the citation. We do not recommend the use of footnotes. Following are two examples of using in-text citations. The first example includes a citation in which the author’s name is already mentioned in the text of the sentence, so only the source number is needed in parentheses. The second example includes a citation in which the author is not mentioned in the sentence, so the last name needs to be included in the parentheses with the source number:
Example 1: Jack Welch noted that when you become a leader, the focus is on growing others (1).
Since Jack’s name was mentioned in the sentence, we only need the source number in parentheses. In this example, Jack’s Winning is going to be the first citation listed in your References or Sources list; hence, the number 1.
Alternatively, if you don’t reference the author’s name in the sentence, you must include the last name within the in-text citation as shown below:
Example 2: As a leader develops, the focus becomes more about developing the skills and talents of others (Welch, 1).
Say the next source you used in your paper is Goleman, then your citation is (Goleman, 2) or simply (2), if you have referred to Goleman earlier in the sentence. If you were then to use Jack again later in the paper, he remains (Welch, 1) when he is cited, and so on. If you use two sources in the same sentence they can be cited at the end of your sentence, like this (Welch, 1; Goleman, 2). They are separated with a semicolon.
References or Sources Page
Every source that you cited within your paper will need to be listed on your Reference page or Sources Page . Your Reference page is at the end of your paper and is not included in the page count.
The format of the references varies by the type of entry. For examples, please see the sample References page at the end of this document. References are numbered according to the first time you use them in your paper. Sources are only listed once on your References page even if the same source is used/referenced again in different parts of your paper. You continue to use the same original source number for your citations throughout the paper. Your References page should only include sources that were applied in your paper. You may also refer to the JWMI Writing Standards document and/or work with a Communication Coach for further guidance.
Course Lectures and Media
For Assignments, use formal citations and references for course lectures and videos:
- If the material is from the current course: (JWI510, 3). The three at the end indicates the number of this source on your reference list. Then, we know we can go to the third source on your reference list for more information about that source.
- If the material is from another course: (JWI505, 4). We can then look at the fourth entry on your reference page for more information on locating that source.
For the reference section in a paper, simply list:
JWI510. Week 3. Lecture 1. Lecture Title
See the References list at the end of this template to view examples.
Quotations
Originality is an important aspect of graduate writing. To ensure original thinking, “quoting should be done only sparingly; be sure that you have a good reason to include a direct quotation when you decide to do so” (Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing, 5). Notice the placement of the quotation marks, citation, and final punctuation after the citation. Keep your quotes to approximately 25 words or less, and no more than 1-2 sentences. Paraphrasing, putting the information in your own words, is much preferred as it shows your application and knowledge of the material. You must cite when you paraphrase, but quotation marks are not required.
References
- Jack Welch. 2005. Winning
- Daniel Goleman. 1998. What Makes a Leader. Harvard Business Review
- Week 3. Lecture 1. Your Leadership Style
- Week 3. Video. Lorenzo Simonelli. Improving Communication
- Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing. d. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/01/
- Boris Groysberg and Katherine Connolly Baden. 2017. Blake Sports Apparel and Switch Activewear: Bringing the Executive Team Together. Harvard Business Review
- Everything DiSC Workplace. 2012. http://blackboard.strayer.edu
- Jon R. Katzenbach. 1993. The Discipline of Teams. Harvard Business Review
- Patrick Lencioni. 2002. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
- Michael Smith. 2001. Writing a Successful Paper. The Trey Research Monthly
- Name of a Website. n.d. website address
- Week 3. Video. Jim McNerney. Characteristics of Successful Leaders
- JWMI Policy & Procedures Guide. This is the policy at my office.