Associate Professor Essay Example for Free

Associate Professor Essay education Note Case 1 robin redbreast yoboCase Objectives1. To provide an introduction to the conceptual framework of strategical management using a non- commerce situation. 2. To introduce students to the process of problem appellation and potential solution analysis that result be used in chemise discussions throughout the semester. perk up the table below to determine where to use this caseChapter Use Key Concepts 1 Strategy Concept Leadership for strategic management sustainable competitive advantage vision, agency, strategic objectives external environment inherent environment efficiency vs. effectiveness s coming backholder management Case Synopsis robin redbreast ceiling and his merry men argon now in trouble because laden travelers (their source of revenue) are neutraliseing the forest. As is often common in an entrepreneurial organization, the howling(a) Men were highly motivated by Robin Hoods leadership. Therefore, Robin had pre viously relied on informal communication to organize and implement operations. Robin is pleased with the growing size and influence of his organization. However, growth has meant that specialized duties declare begun taking up most of the mens time, leaving a command vacuum between Robin and the first line recruits. In addition, they are now all located in a large encampment that can be seen for miles. This creates the probability of a surprise attack on their position. accession has to a fault put great pressures on resources, so now they essential harvest the forest more thoroughly. Where will additional revenue come from? recondite travelers are avoiding the forest, so in desperation Robin is considering robbing the poorer travelers, which means his lieutenants must now tell their men to rob their brothers and fathers. What started as arebellion is in danger of being routinized into banditry. Robin must therefore begin to evaluate the Merry Mens accusation in view of the cha nging environment. Should it unagitated be an extension of his private stews and aspirations? Has the organization acquired a new mission, if so what is it? Who are the key stakeholders here? On whose behalf should the organization formulate its missionTeaching PlanMost students are familiar with the Robin Hood story, so its assertable to ask them to read this short case in strain during the 1st or 2nd class meeting. Either use the PowerPoint slides or ask the discussion questions directly. As students respond, either write answers on the board or refer to the PowerPoint slide answers.Its up to the instructor whether or non to assign Chapter 1 prior to discussing the case. If the case is read before the chapter is read, and then the instructor has the option to ask students, when they do read the chapter, to identify the concepts in the chapter that they recognize from the case discussion, and come to the next class prepared to share what they recognized. If the case is discu ssed after(prenominal) students guide read Chapter 1, the instructor can ask students to identify what concepts apply from the chapter.Summary of Discussion Questions here is a list of the suggested discussion questions. You can patch up which questions to assign, and also which additional readings or exercises to include to augment each discussion. Refer back to the Case Objectives Table to identify any additional readings and/or exercises so they can be assigned in advance.1. What is strategy?2. What strategic problems does Robin Hood fork up?3. What is the role of the organizational leader as strategist and articulator of planetary finishs?4. What are some issues in this organizations external environment?5. What is the relationship of the organizations internal structure to its environment?6. How do stem values or culture influence strategy making?7. What strategy can Robin Hood implement?Discussion Questions and ResponsesChapter 1 Introduction and Analyzing Goals and Obj ectives1. What is the occasion of strategy? nab Chapter 1, Exhibit 01 Strategic management consists of the analyses, decisions, and actions an organization undertakes in nine to create and sustain competitive advantages strategy directs the organization toward overall goals and objectives includes twofold stakeholders in decision making incorporates both short-term and long-term perspectives recognizes trade- shoots between efficiency and effectiveness.An interesting question that the instructor can ask at this token is what business is Robin Hoods organization in? Some students might say philanthropy, some might say robbery. The answers to this question will foster students understand the importance of vision and mission the leader must have a clear idea of the purpose of the business, and who it competes with, in order to craft strategy. If the business is robbery, there are different competitors, like highwaymen.2. What strategic problems does Robin Hood have?Robin Hoods organization is in a network squeeze revenue is down and costs are rising. In addition, there are cracks in the culture of the organization. Issues that need to be citationed include How to avoid detection of the growing organization? Has Sherwood Forest go bad too small to sustain operations? What to do about the growing strength of the Sheriffs forces? How to address organizational communications and leadership confusion?Decisions that need to be do include Should Robin Hood kill the Sheriff? Should Robin Hood accept the forces offer to join in freeing King Richard? Should Robin Hood impose a fixed transit tax in order to increase revenue?Consequences to be considered include Does the channelise in the external environment mean that the original mission is no longer valid? If Robin Hood decides to kill the Sheriff, accept the Barons offer or impose a tax on travelers, how do each of those actions link to the mission? If the mission changes, to what degree does Robin H ood have to worry about the loyalty of stakeholders?One other issue concerns the rapid growth of the organization. In the property of two years the organization grew from fragmentation and obscurity to a strong regional presence. Competitive strategy is about sustaining a position in the industry. outgrowth implies that strategy has to be flexible enough to adapt. Does Robin have a sustainable strategy?3. What is the role of the organizational leader as strategist and articulator of orbicular goals?See Chapter 1, Exhibit 06 The primary role of the organizational leader is to articulate vision, mission and strategic objectives. Leaders must also beproactive, counter change and continually refine changes to their strategies. This requires a certain train of ambidextrous behavior, where leaders are alert to opportunities beyond the confines of their own jobs, and are also cooperative and seek out opportunities to combine their efforts with others.Robin Hood involve to evaluate hi s initial vision of the organizations purpose what was the original goal that was massively inspiring, overarching, and long-term, that represented a destination that is driven by and evokes passion? Is the original vision irreconcilable with the present circumstances? Robin Hoods organizational mission may have to change a mission encompasses both the purpose of the company as well as the al-Qaida for competition and competitive advantages. Organizations must respond to multiple constituencies if they are to survive and prosper, and the mission provides a means of communicating to diverse organizational stakeholders. If the vision and mission have to change, Robin Hood must establish strategic objectives to operationalize the mission statement. That is, objectives help to provide guidance on how the organization can fulfill or move toward the higher goals in the goal hierarchythe mission and vision.Therefore, Robin Hood needs to redefine the organizational vision and mission since it may have changed rebellion may have become routinized into banditry. He must also identify the key stakeholders, broadening his focus beyond his own private grudge to include the needs of the district, the region, or the nation. And he must establish new goals. Depending on the stakeholders, these new goals may include replacing the Sheriff or changing the political order.4. What are some issues in this organizations external environment?There are obvious resource constraints. Sherwood Forest has finite resources the inputs into the organization (travelers to rob) have dwindled, especially since the rich travelers have started avoiding it. Robin Hoods band are spending past gains on present problems in the assumption that early revenues will continue to grow at the same pace as in the past. This assumption, one that is often pervasive in successful organizations, may be unwarranted.The Merry Men are reduced to robbing poorer travelers. The poor travelers are their main stay of political support. Here is a common pitfall of success, the tendency of organizations to take their best and most important customers for granted, to extract from them the highest return for least effort in the belief that they have no practical alternative. In addition, trained manpower is scarce.Regarding the physical environment, the current growth of the organization has created a large encampment that can be seen for miles, and is therefore now a target for attack. The nature of the Merry Mens environment and operations requires stealth and flexibility. The current physical facility does not provide for this.5. What is the relationship of the organizations internal structure to its environment?See the Chapter discussion of the trade-offs between effectiveness and efficiency. Given the growth of the operation, Robin Hoods previous structure may no longer be effective. He may no longer be able to get to the goals of the organization. He might need to make trade-offs.His current structure is functional, with each lieutenant a specialist. Communication has been informal, and Robin currently has no direct link to his first line recruits. This structure performed well in the early days of the band. However, with the growth of the organization, this has become problematic, resulting in lack of coordination. His lieutenants could do double time as staff and line personnel fulfilling their staff duties in off-peak periods, but available for line barter during field operations. Robin might want to consider creating a decentralized regional operation, with sub-bands who can operate out of smaller regional headquarters and ruin coordinate movements.This will increase flexibility of the total organization by moving the organizing of operations closer to those who undertake them. This will also reduce the rule of attack because then onlypart of the band might be detected and surprised. Decentralization also pushes food-gathering down the line, thereby eliminating food distribution problems. down in the mouth scale operations can be carried out with greater economy.6. How do group values or culture influence strategy making?During strategic analysis, the leader does advance work to anticipate unforeseen environmental developments, identify unanticipated resource constraints, assess changes in his or her preferences for how to manage. During strategy formation, depending on the font of organization structure, the leader might include key individuals in a discussion around selecting which strategies might be best to implement at which level at heart the organization. In strategy implementation, the leader must ensure proper strategic controls and organizational design, and establish effective means to coordinate and integrate activities within the firm as well as with suppliers, customers and alliance partners.Therefore, leaders must pay attention to all stakeholder needs, including the groups values and the organizational culture. See Chapt er 1, Exhibit 05 for the diverse stakeholder groups and the claims they make on the organization.Regarding the organizational culture, it was based on founding values that embraced a missionary outreach to the community. The original purpose created unity and a spirit of daring among the Merry Men. Robin is considering abandoning the higher (more affluent) segment of his market for a deeper exploitation of a very large segment with limited resources. Here he runs up against organizational traditions and values. If Robin pursues profit maximization now (robbing all travelers, including the poor), the group will become thieves. Group members will resist larceny from their brothers and fathers. Robin needs to restore the group members need for order and purpose. The Merry Men need to feel that their participation is quasi-voluntary.7. What strategy can Robin Hood implement?The basic question strategic management tries to answer is How can we create competitive advantages in the market place that are not only remarkable and valuable but also difficult for competitors to copy or substitute? Robin Hood must assess how functional areas and activities fit together to achieve goals and objectives.If the organization is still Robins extension of a personal grudge, then displacing the Sheriff should be the primary mission of the Merry Men. If the organization is acting on behalf of the district then replacing the Sheriff with a more benign administration should be the priority. If however the Merry Mens existence is an expression of widespread dissatisfaction with the present political order, then Robin should consider his potential contributions on a national scale. An analysis of the options confronting Robin ought to lead the students to question the criteria by which strategy is judged. Who is the actor in strategy? The psyche executive officer? Top management? A coalition of stakeholders? There is clearly no theoretical answer to these questions. A discussion ough t to set the drop anchor for an appreciation of the political and structural forces under which strategy emerges.Robin should have a meeting with the Merry Men to explain the strategic dilemma and long-term issues. He needs to increase organizational discipline, which could be done by creating a clearer organizational structure with strategic controls that enforce the mission. To do this, he needs to recruit qualified leaders for the new decentralized structure, and involve lieutenants in the solution. It is always an issue which functions should be decentralized and which retained at the corporate level. In this case intelligence gathering and finance should probably be kept centralized.It is crucial for the students to appreciate the contradictory pressures that implementation generates. The new decentralized structure will call for more intricate communication and command systems. It increases flexibility, but also increases the probability of breakdown and mismanagement. In th is case runners must keep the various sub-bands in communication.This is a primitive technology that may be insufficient to ensure coordination. Anopportunity exists here for the students to appreciate to what extent sophisticated organizational forms are made possible by modern technologies which are ordinarily taken for granted.While restructuring is going on Robin must begin to consider other aspects of his strategy. He should examine the possibility of diversifying beyond the confines of his traditional forest territory. This is viable if he is decentralized. Operations can be carried on in the countryside by the self-governing sub-bands. He must also resolve the issue of the proposed transit tax. What should be his relationship to the local population? Should he increase their burden of taxation, or not?Robin must also prepare for the possibility of ceasing operations by providing outplacement training. He should pursue alliances beyond the current band of Merry Men, negotiati ng a possible change in the political order, negotiating amnesty, returning the band to legality. He should probably avoid contact with the SheriffFinally, Robin should recognize that mistakes will occur. Therefore he should anticipate the costs of implementation, especially the problems of extended communication. Robin must familiarize his lieutenants with his intentions and the projected problems. They must actively become involved in the evolving implementation.Ultimately, however, Robin Hood must consider the long-term course of action. If the Merry Men were a profit- maximize organization in the classic sense they would be satisfied with keeping the Sheriff off balance or perhaps work towards his replacement with a more inexperienced man. They are however a missionary organization. To pursue profit maximizing would sooner or later lead them to thievery, pure and simple. It would also undermine their unity and spirit of daring. Robin Hood has little choice but to increase his in volvement in issues that lie beyond his immediate task environment.