Table of Contents
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................2
QUESTION 1 .................................................................................................................................2
QUESTION 2 .................................................................................................................................5
QUESTION 3 .................................................................................................................................6
QUESTION 4 .................................................................................................................................7
QUESTION 5 .................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................11
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Abstract: This case shows how the new managing director of LVV transformed this trucking company from a "fossilized" and "arthritic" minor subsidiary of a Dutch shipping group into a revitalized organization. The case looks at how her own leadership characteristics contributed to the development of an authentizotic culture of trust, affiliation, and meaning for employees, and how the financial situation of the company was turned around as a result. Emma van Nijmegen is a rare example of a female top executive in a typically male dominated industry (Shipping and Transport). This case aims to show how LVVs remarkable turnaround from a loss making company in 1996 to a very profitable market-focused organization, was facilitated by van Nijmegen's focus on a change of culture, a change of image and a drive for open communication.
Case study’s questions
1. Comment on Emma's different approach.
To better understand the case study and the topic (Alice in wonderland? A different approach to organizational change) we quote a lesson which Alice learned in world fame novel “Alice in Wonderland”. Alice learned this lesson when she was searching for a way out of Wonderland and came to a fork in the road. “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” she asked the Cheshire Cat. “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” the cat responded. Alice replied that she really did not much care. The smiling cat told her in no uncertain terms: “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go”. Knowing where you are going and what is the destination needs a clear vision which was the most essential thing Emma did in her different approach. In 1991 when managing director of LVV, moved on from the LVV, Neerlandia’s director of human resources took his position. But in contrast to Van Dijk he was rarely seen on the shop floor, he had no intention to work with management team as he was working on his own, furthermore the management team didn’t seem to be a functional and effective management team at all. Their decision was questionable with focus on volume growth. Employees didn’t believe the work was being done by them, lack of trust among employees in managing director and his 2
team and work under high pressure became a dilemma to LVV as led the company to revenue decrease. In late 1995 the managing director was overthrown and the management team of LVV faced with power struggle among executives and terminal managers which resulted to stop the volume growth measures and do their business the way they were doing in past. The board of Neerlandia sought for someone who is very good both in process thinking and managing people. They appointed Emma van Nijmegen who raised in a shipping family and had joined to Neerlandia since 1986. There was three main point and issues faced Emma by joining LVV. 1.
It was a political organization with no co-operation.
2.
She was too young and a woman.
3.
No experience of what work is all about.
Working environment made Emma a bit nervous because: 1. Employees of LVV as service business was mostly drivers who had been working together for years, it was an example of male dominated industry. 2. LVV was very fossilized and hierarchical 3. Not flexible for change( change resistance) 4. Lack of communication between the head office and the regional offices. 5. Lack of good supervision employees became headstrong and opinionated(do things in their own way) Emma’s main objectives (Emma’s different approach): 1. Gather the right people and to build up a cohesive team. 2. Build an Open communication 3. Change the culture 4. Inspire the creativity and innovation. 5. Establish a clear vision. Firstly A clear vision was the key factor: where to stand in market, what they need and what market needs and where they are. 3
She asked each department to come up with business plans concerning Marketing, Strategy and the Future(MSF). The vision was to be the number one company in the Benelux for parcels and pallets delivery: to not only be a package moving business but also the most reliable and innovative service company in the Benelux. Secondly LVV needed to be more concentrated on the people as there was lack of communication and trust, so what Emma did in LVV was building of trust and teamwork within the management team and the regional management and other employees.
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2. Would you describe Emma's management style unusual? What criteria have you used to make this judgment?
Change and innovation is always unusual at the first. As a woman what she did in such a fossilized and in an industry which is well-known as male-dominated industry was unbelievable. Her management style amazed people from LVV due to her instant impact of decisions and management style. She didn’t think of surviving in the market only, but also went steps ahead to make customers believe and recognized them as the number one in the industry and also make everyone satisfied. In the case, we can notice that even Emma may not be aware of the term Authentizotic Organization, but in her leadership style and guidance and culture change, she is believed to be creating these senses into her subordinates and employees. Authentizotic conveys the idea that organizational
leadership
is
behaving
in
an authentic way.
As
a
workplace
label, authenticity implies that the organization has a compelling connective quality for its employees in its vision, mission, culture, and structure. The issue of Emma being a woman shows how Emotional Intelligence characteristics are integrated with her leadership style. Her leadership style could be considered as a supportive style mainly, but in our opinion it is a combination of different approaches such as directive, coaching and supportive. It is directive because she began by directing the team members for the new policies and working way, but at the same time she was coaching them for developing their communication skills, and supported them by encouraging everyone to feel that he/she is a part of the company and the company is theirs. She supported everyone to do the job his way as long as it is not conflicting with the overall job process. Her mixed leadership style is integrated with high level of emotions that was spread among the subordinates and employees of LVV; she encouraged everyone to put their feelings on the table while discussing issues. This leadership style takes us back to the first point we raised in the analysis, which is the authentizotic organization.
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3. What future developments do you see for Luijk & Van Vaest and Emma van Nijmegen in particular? How do you see Emma operating as part of the management of Post AG?
Emma created a strong solid organization that is meant to be successful under any circumstances, what she did in organization could be viewed as constant and sustainable improvement in culture and consequently in performance. Make all employees believe in organization, mutual trust and set a unanimous vision helps the LVV to be the strongest competitor in the industry. With no doubt by practicing the current management style, a wellstructured management team, trust and respect, open communication and motivated employees, there will be no obstacle on LVV’s way in future although one issue is that all the organization is revolving around her as the inspiring element. Everyone is inspired by her, and if a merger done with the Dutch company and a Dutch manager with the autocratic Dutch management style replaced Emma, then there is a probability that the team spirit and values that Emma created would fade away and hence would affect the continuity of the organization. Particularly Emma’s background shows that she is capable of surviving from difficult situations in which there is a minor chance of prosperity, she is young full of inspirations and energy and a high dedicated person to organization. it helps her to promote and will be offered higher ranks in organization. Her great commitment to the job, innovativeness, skillful in managing the people (soft skills), courage, independent in her way of thinking makes her a distinguished person at the head of the transportation of LVV. Emma as a managing director was so confident and calm to talk about a coming merger with post AG. it shows her ability to work under any circumstances and any leadership style with eyes open on future and thinking globally in organization interest in which she is working for. she stated if the new merger doesn’t go well for her, she will move on something else that shows she looks thing completely different from others. the integration with post AG would not change the operations of LVV, it looks like a very complementary integration so it definitely offers a well-defined future with more certainty for Emma. She certainly become a member of new executive group of the international division of post AG with more freedom and power.
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4. If you had the responsibility to turn round LVV, would your approach differ from Emma's and if so what would you have done?
Any management style has some strength and weaknesses because it’s established and practiced by human beings and there is no unique way to be completely unquestionable. What Emma did in LVV in a short time was an evolution in such a fossilized organization in which there was no communication and employees hadn’t been paid attention as a service company. Poor management style had led the company in a situation no one knows who is who and which is which. Emma did a great job in a short time but if I had the responsibility to be in Emma’s position my management style would differ to some extent. In general, my approach would be based on the Emma’s framework of changing the organization behavior, but in some cases I would act differently. For one who used to work in such working environment for years getting to know to employees and their needs would be easier than someone from outside, if I were Emma, from the first day I was appointed to the position in my communication management I was practicing Management By Walking Around (MBWA) in my management style especially at the shop floor level where the personnel tend to be traditionalists who were wary of letting “open communication”. Management by walking around (MBWA) is a communication technique in which managers interact directly with workers to exchange information (Daft & Marcic, 2004). Managing by walking around does not just cut through vertical lines of communication. It also 1- Builds trust and relationships. 2- Motivates staff by suggesting that management takes an active interest in people. 3- Encourages staff to achieve individual and collective goals. 4- Strengthens ability to drive cultural change for higher organizational performance. 5- Refreshes organizational values. 6- Makes work less formal. 7- Create a healthy organization.
Besides that, while the company had been going up the chart, and losses were all covered by hardworking and team working of employees in such a pressure Emma was talking about plan 7
for the year 2005 and a strong message sent to her that you are going too fast, you need to slow down. If I were Emma I came to think that every change need time to be adjusted especially in such company which undergone many changes in management style and working environment. It was time to get more peace and calm into organization and Emma should have focused on primary goals, like focusing on industry segments rather than to be so hasty and give time to herself and employees to see results.
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5. Would working with Emma be a situation that you would accept? Provide both your acceptance and non-acceptance.
Acceptance: Emma's vision provided her with a purpose, which is to return LVV into profit making organization. And by making the vision clear for her and employees made everything clear on what they are going to do. The values and beliefs she applied to the organization are based on her own set of values and beliefs. These values were the force, energy and fuel for action toward excellence in the accomplishments of the objectives of the organization. Motivation is a force to help people to achieve goals in work. Personally as a person working with Emma her motivational skills are considered good, she used to split her end year bonus with employees, and she goes with employees to the work field, and she's not autocratic or snob, she behaves as any one of us hence, a sense of belongingness is built among employees which help in building mutual respect, understanding, and trust that makes working environment satisfying. One last issue in the case analysis is the corporate culture and corporate transformation. In an age of increasing global and local competition, the ability of an organization to build a corporate culture that attracts and retains talented people is rapidly emerging as the most important criterion for financial success. Executives and employees are searching for organizations that will support then in their personal and professional growth. They want to work for companies that are not only great places to work, but are also socially responsible and embrace sustainable development. This is what Emma created and aimed in LVV and for me as a working labor I prefer to work in such organization.
Non-acceptance: Besides what she has done in LVV and make people to cheer her, there is some weaknesses in her management style that some employees would prefer to quiet job or don’t accept working with her. She is too hasty in his planning, she doesn’t give the time to her people to adjust to change and there is no peace and calmness into organization. She is a person who puts too much pressure and stress on employees. As an Employee with Hardiness personality and change resisting working with Emma in such environment in which everything is undergoing change rapidly with no studies on organizational readiness for change is not acceptable especially with 9
Emma who is a woman in top position of management of LVV and in an industry which is called as male dominated one. In short, her personality characteristics in some cases are not suitable for a manager in high rank like Emma, and make working with her unacceptable. These characteristics listed as below: 1. Opinionated 2. Impatient 3. Conflict avoidance
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REFERENCES Bass, B.M. (1990) Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications 3rd ed., New York: Free Press. Coriat. B (2000), Organizational Innovation in European Firms: The end of fordism and the rise of the Knowledge Economy” Oxford University Press. Damanpour, F. (1996). 'Organizational Complexity and Innovation: Developing and Testing Multiple Contingency Models'. Management Science, Vol 42, No5, pp 693-716. Judson, A (1991) Changing behavior in organizations: Minimizing resistance to change. Basil, Blackwell: Cambridge, MA. Manning, T. T. (2003). Leadership Across Cultures: Attachment Style Influences. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, No. 3, Vol. 9, pp. 20-30. McGuire, J (2003), Leadership Strategies for Culture Change, Journal of Developing Change Leadership as an Organizational Core Capability, pp 1-2. Nanus, B. 1992. Visionary Leadership: Creating a Compelling Sense of Direction for Your Organization.San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Ulrich, D. (1998), A new mandate for human resources. Harvard Business Review, Vol 76, pp, 124-134. Van der Merwe. A (1991), Making strategic change happen, European Management journal, Vol. 9, Issue 2, pp 174-181.
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