Health Information Technology

Whether at work or home we always must be ready to change and adapt. In a quickly changing business environment one must learn how to change themselves and transform into a good leader.Adapting to the new norms is a hard process for many leaders as it requires a lot of sacrifices. This article takes a look at the new way of adapting to the changes and lists principles required for this change. The new process is very complex, speculative and less understood according to the article. The traditional principles are divided into three categories where as ACT is divided into ten categories. The main idea of change lies in the person who is requiring the change. The change will not transform current system unless the person leading the change has changed. I agree with this article that in order for change to be effective one must change themselves and with that change observable others will follow. It is interesting that the author writes about leaders and catalyst of change like Gandhi and King. The leader must be one that truly believes that the change is a necessity otherwise the change will not be successful. Leading by an example gains a lot of credibility and trust. This is the reason why leaders like Gandhi and King were so successful. Having the right cause and idea for the change, where everyone would benefit and where no one would be constrained my moral and ethical issues is the optimal environment for change. Understanding ourselves and others well before the change is of great importance. For any leader the change is something they must be accustomed to.

Organizational silence affects negatively many companies and organizations. It is very common for employees not to communicate and express their views to the managers. In fact, most employees don’t want to voice their opinions. In an organization where communication and transparency are encouraged, the organization will be very successful at addressing the needs and wants of their employees and employees will be more productive. Also these organizations have enormous trust in their employees and employees trust their managers. Being able to express opinions helps employees feel that they are in control and valuable to the company. However, with this type of work culture come problems in which many managers are not willing to be put under scrutiny of their employees. That is the reason why hiring the right individuals that fit into organizational culture is very important. Accepting the fact that silence adversely affects organization is hard. Not everyone wants to share everything they are thinking or feel needs change. The employees often times feel that even though they will share their ideas about improvement, they will not be listened or their idea will turn into their boss’s idea. Additionally, many managers do not take feedback very well. They may feel that an employee is rebellious, insubordinate or perhaps that employee is questioning their authority and knowledge. Organizational silence has been supported by surveys and research which shows that those employees that keep silent and perform well for their manager will be the ones getting promotion. So, why would anyone be so communicative or share everything they know or think about the company when they will not get any credit for it and no one will take them seriously.  Personally, I think that proper communication at the proper time and place will receive a lot of credit. Also, it is never late to address problems at large companies as they require a lot of time and resources, but speaking too early may lead others to believe that you are just another disgruntled employee. This is very important part of organizational behavior and most companies should offer some kind of training on the topic of organizational communication.

The Treadway Tire Company case study was different from other case studies I read. Most Harvard Business Review case studies I read focused on successes of companies and different approaches they used to better the company. In this case study the focus is on unsuccessful business operations that resulted in a company being in a serious problem. The article is very easy to read and allows reader to easily identify the problems facing the management of Treadway Tire Company (TTC).

TTC is a company that makes tires and is a major supplier of tires to the original equipment manufacturer and replacement tire markets. The company operates eight plants across the nation. The plant read about is in Lima, Ohio. The article lists several issues TTC has been faced with in recent years such as: increased prices of raw materials, competition, high turnover, low job satisfaction of employees and higher crude oil prices. These challenges are real; however, the company has failed to address these challenges by looking for an external cause. The managers at the plants across country do not effectively communicate to other managers, supervisors and employees. They are focused on bonuses and increasing output of the production. The managers fail to recognize the need for establishing the system where engagement, innovation, training and well being of employees are the priority. Giving employees high wage especially line foreman will not result in better job satisfaction and better performance. The employees need to be provided with the training which will in turn raise employee satisfaction. Employees will not be happy if they do not know what they are doing. Providing appropriate training and information will make employees feel more valuable and will result in better job satisfaction. Constant pressure from manager to perform better creates this high turnover. One cannot expect employees to perform without knowing what to do and why they are doing it. Also the company has decided to close one plant and has extended production operating to 24 hours. Closing of the plant signals problems and bring insecurities to workers. By offering high wage, high expectations, pressure from the management TTC hoped it was on the road to successes. Instead the company failed miserably. TTC has to implement new training classes not only for line foremen but also for the managers. It is evident that managers are not doing their job. The managers have a responsibility towards their employees and that is to create happy, engaging environment, offer training and inform employees about company’s successes. Without appropriate culture change and training TTC is certain to fail.

The article about Men’s Wearhouse is an interesting read since it talks about the industry that has been in a decline over the year. It is unusual to see business growth in an industry that is in a decline. The success of Men’s Wearhouse is largely attributed to the corporate culture created by the founder George Zimmer. While in 1960’s there were number of stores that specialized in men’s clothing, there were none that have taken the road Men’s Wearhouse did. Zimmer founded the company in 1973 and opened the first store in Houston, Texas. Zimmer was an educated professional who had some experience in a retailing business as his father owned a raincoat manufacturing business. He claimed that growing up during the Vietnam War affected his life and his personality. Due to this type of bringing up, his values were centered on the employees. The company he created, The Men’s Wearhouse, was growing tremendously due to corporate culture and strategy that treated employees like kings. Zimmer adds that if you don’t treat employees like kings you cannot expect them to treat customers like kings. During the expansion of Men’s Wearhouse many small business in men’s clothing were not able to survive and were consolidated. The large department stores that had specialty men’s apparel were not offering the service men were seeking. Zimmer recognized the needs of men and offered less expensive, more convenient and a customer friendly shopping environment. While other retailers focused on merchandising and marketing as a strategy to increase sales, Zimmer focused on the employees. It is hard to imagine a CEO of a retailer knowing the names of all store managers and assistant managers. This shows how dedicated Zimmer was with the strategy of treating employees like kings. Zimmer recognized that employees should also remember the names of their customers and if he had remembered the names of his employees, employees would not have an excuse to not remember the names of customers. Zimmer made every employee within the company more engaged and made sure they knew the value of customer service. District managers and regional managers were required to make weekly and monthly visits to the stores and even Zimmer made very frequent visits to stores across the country. Other important strategy in this business was job duties of individual employees. The employees would not be clerks or sales representatives but rather consultants. The company focused on customers by providing exceptional training and mentorship. Zimmer acknowledges that his employees are his customers. The strategy of the Men’s Wearhouse is similar to that of SAS, Southwest and Google. All of these companies were run for a long time by their founders who had a vision that changed the way business is done and became a standard for success. As managers we must constantly be reminded that employees are the customers and those employees are the face of the company. As HCLT article said the employees that work in sales and generate revenues are value zone employees. I’d like to add that all employees should be treated as the value zone of the company and as such will contribute to the success of the business they are in. Clearly, many businesses do not see the value of such a strategy and they must adapt to a soon approaching standard if they are to reach the top.

The case study The Layoffs written by Bronwyn Fryer is a very interesting read as it touches the topic that many of us have felt in the last several years. As the economy shrank over the last decade so did the companies, and many employees found themselves looking for another job. Many of us asked why me and why now? In this article the CEO wants to cut 10%of its workforce to be able to meet company’s estimates. The CEO plans to cut middle management and not “value zone” employees as they are responsible for customer satisfaction. He meets with an executive management team. This article argues different options available for Astrigo Holdings and offers commentaries by experts on this subject. Different options are being discussed in the meeting. The First in, First out option would impact employees that have been with the company the longest period of time. The reason for this is that most of these employees are well off, as they have been with the company for a long time and have accumulated wealth. Also these employees are older, more relaxed and do not offer innovative strategy. Cutting them will also save the company a lot of money as they probably make more money than newer employees. However, these employees would be entitled to a higher severance package. Also, since this cut would involve older employees it would expose the company to lawsuits. The other option was to cut employees based on their last performance review. Doing this would eliminate those that are not performing. Also this option would avoid lawsuits. Another option was Last in, First out. In this scenario only newer employees would be cut. This option would be the cheapest as the company would not have to pay large severance packages. Also it would seem fair to all the employees. Another option was to cut a whole department or unit. The advantage of this option would be that new quality recruits would still be with the company. Additionally cutting the pay by 5% for all would allow for no layoffs.

Experiencing a layoff can be a gruesome experience that is very demotivating and hurtful. No matter how layoffs are done people will be unhappy and it will demotivate those that are staying. In order to do the right thing one must take into consideration all of the above scenarios. Eliminating departments and cutting employees are the quick and easy way to change things around but can be costly. The company that performs layoffs frequently has to analyze its operating. As one that experienced a Last In, First out layoff I did not feel discriminated, my confidence was not shaken and I was able to find a job quickly. Also, employees that stayed felt valued and respected. This is a good way, however the company may have allowed numerous new talented and innovative employees to leave. Also, these new employees bring value to the employer. Performance based layoffs are not very accurate. We learned from many readings that performance reviews are demotivating false reports of performance. They just serve as confirming who the boss is. Taking all this information into consideration the company that is questioning layoffs should first analyze its strategy, goals and priorities. Cutting expenses, reducing turnover and improving productivity of existing workforce can save companies millions. Analyzing performance and productivity, innovation and the value employees bring to the company should be the first steps taken before the layoff. When analyzing layoffs one must look at all the above scenarios and possible use every one of them. Cutting departments or integrating existing ones, cutting expenses, changing  the workforce from the experienced to more innovative over time, as well as cutting pay while offering more free time and increasing goals, could all be used to position the company where it should reach the goal and estimates. No matter what is done, it will be very hard on the employees. Any company has to protect themselves from layoffs by careful planning and placing more value on the employees.

The article The End of Management by Alan Murray is a very interesting read and one that touches many topics and nontraditional way of management. Murray is convinced that the management as we know it is becoming obsolete and that with the invocation and new technologies management guides have to be revisited by many companies. We have seen many start-ups with this new nontraditional management approach become very successful. The best examples of these are: Google, Facebook, Foursquare, SAS, HCLT. These companies are hugely innovative and provide great work and learning experience. In addition their compensation is very attractive, benefits immaculate and work schedule one that anyone would love to have. Google explains their culture as one similar to that of a graduate student with lots of money. You can leave whenever you want or go to work whenever you like as long as you are contributing to the team and the company. A lot of research supports this culture as employees that work in traditional setting just go to work for one thing – money. In traditional setting there is no innovation, productivity and employees are not happy. Buy putting employees first the company is creating this trust and transparency that results in more innovative products and happier workforce. When a person is happy they are willing to undertake any challenge and are willing to work harder. Another great example of corporate culture change is HCLT that made transformation from a mediocre company to that of a leader in the IT industry. The accomplishment is attributed to working and willing employees that were stimulated by new corporate culture. Many companies focus on information technology as it helps them achieve the goals, lower costs and due to these advancements large corporations are no longer needed as transaction cost are so low compared to those of 30 years ago. Competitive advantage is found in products, innovation and people. Why focus only on one when you can easily be successful at all.

The story of Lt. Withers is a truly remarkable and one for the right cause. The story is very emotional as it relates to past not many want to remember. Lt. Withers was a black soldier in the US Military that was on a mission in Europe. At the time the country and military were segregated and Lt. Withers was in an all black unit. While in Europe he run into two boys, two Jewish boys, that were lost and left without family or anything in the life as they ones knew. Lt. Withers fell close to the boys and offered them help by providing shelter, food and clothes. Even though Lt. Withers knew that if he was going to let them stay he would encounter opposition and could potentially be discharged from the military. The boys were Holocaust survivors from Dachau and Lt. Withers decided to help the boys. The article talks about the time they shared, the bond they had which was strengthened by the fact that both of these groups experienced discrimination.  The actions taken by Lt. Withers were truly humanitarian and with the right cause and as such should be evaluated by military. By not following orders,  offering resistance and encouraging change can be of great importance to all, as leaders are born from the events like one described in this article.

The article “How Marine Lost His Command In Race To Baghdad” is about Col. Joe Dowdy a 24 year veteran of US Marines who lost command in the midst of a battle in Iraq. Col. Dowdy was relieved of command and sent back to the United States. For a leader who had aspirations of moving up in ranks and perhaps one day becoming a general this was devastating. Col. Dowdy said himself that he would rather take an enemy bullet than be dismissed from command of his marines. He believed in his people and would set an example for them. As an officer he could have enjoyed many more privileges but instead he refused, as his soldiers could not have the same. He was close to other marines and all the marines trusted in Col. Dowdy. Col. Dowdy was on a mission toward Baghdad when he was ordered to go through the town of Kut. His orders were to go either through the town or around it. Col. Dowdy knew that Kut was a dangerous place and if he was to go his crew would run into resistance and his crew could experience losses. As a Colonel he was entrusted by his general to make tactical decisions. The decision he made will hunt him for the rest of his life. It appears that the decision Col. Dowdy made was only in the interest of his soldiers. Col. Dowdy cared about his soldiers and decided to protect them by not going through the town and waiting. By waiting he jeopardized the mission as the operation in Iraq had to be quick and the main strategy was to surprise the enemy and do not allow them to regroup after initial attach. Actions of Col. Downy ware seen as a weakness and he was relieved of command. Col. Dowdy was a true leader and as such he cared about his soldiers. Even though the orders were to proceed with speed he exercised his power and made a good decision by protecting the soldiers. It is sad to see that rare leaders like Col. Dowdy are not appreciated more. It seems that empathy even though a core competency of a leader in business is not seen as one in military.

The article Level 5 Leadership reviews the topic of what catapults the companies from merely good to great. The article is supported by a 5 year research that searched for the answer to the question of how companies achieve greatness. The companies that went from mediocre to great were researched as well as the management teams of these companies. The most powerful indicator for the transformation of these companies and success were the managers.

The article talks about level 5 leaders and characterizes them as individuals who possess a paradoxical mixture of personal humility and professional will. Additionally, these leaders are timid and ferocious. The article clearly describes these successful leaders as shy, fearless, rare and unstoppable.

The level 5 leadership hierarchy:

Level 1: Highly Capable Individual

Level 2: Contributing Team Member

Level 3: Competent Manager

Level 4: Effective Leader

Level 5: Level 5 Executive

This hierarchy shows development progress and how just an ordinary individual becomes a level 5 leader. In order for one to achieve this greatness they must go through 4 levels of hierarchy. The article further assesses the personality traits that level 5 leaders possess, such as humble, modest, reserved, quiet, gracious and mild-mannered. Level 5 leaders channel their ego needs and focus on a larger goal that is a great company. One of the crucial ingredients for level 5 leaders is their humility and will. These individuals do not see themselves as greater than life and they do not credit themselves for the success but rather credit individuals working for them. They are loyal to the company and their ambitions are centered on the success of the institution they are working for. The article looks at the former CEO of Kimberly Clark and his personality. Darwin is seen as a true level 5 leader who transformed a failing company into a leader in paper business and outperformed all of its competitors. He possessed the traits described above. Also the article briefly discusses the success of the drugstore giant Walgreens. Being able to recognize what one may be doing wrong and being able to evolve is essential of level 5 leaders. In my opinion the article does not address anything new. It is known that individuals that are modest and perform superbly surprise everyone pleasantly and receive the most credit. When something is unexpected it is credited with greatness.