MBA 755 Reflections on Module 2 Concepts.

Reflections on Module 2 Concepts.

What long term trends are likely to significantly impact the industry your organization is in over the next three years?
The major and significant trends are the increasing metal melting in China and India (to a lessor degree Brazil). This is a negative trend for the US domestic market for refractory products.

Steel mill and foundry consolidations are another trend. This is somewhat of a positive trend, because consolidations are also incorporating efficiencies and new technologies. Consolidations are eliminating many redundancies throughout the industry and allowing the US domestic players to compete globally or at least against new entrants from abroad.

How could you use the force field analysis tool in your own work life?
This tool would help me map out and reflect what forces of resistance are against and if they were external (management resistance, skill sets, peer resistance, etc) or internal (myself, my attitude, my focus, etc.) It would also help me identify positive forces that are out there waiting to be energized for change and transformational change.

There is a saying that change is only doing the same things, but differently and in effect not really a change. To really make something different it must be transformed or a metamorphosis to really have true change.

How would you go about making a business case for renewal in your own organization?
Allied does do a few renewal strategies or innovation strategies. But these are all marketing/sales based renewal/innovation strategies. True renewal needs to occur from the very bottom to the very top. Making a case for an evolutionary cultural change has already begun and mainly will occur through older employees retiring and establishment of new metrics and reward system. Allied is a loyalty/years of service based culture and not overly competence based. There are no rewards for people who do the work and get things done or merit raises - everyone just gets the same raise.

Training and a swift change in top managements outlook is needed and the ending of secrecy and denial among the management ranks.

The way I am addressing this is to change myself, my department, and everyone who works for me into using a problem solving, root cause identification and strong implementation approach. Execution and doing the right thing are high on my list - make everyone think and act like leaders. Success and "changes" in my department will force people to reflect and acknowledge these approaches, hopefully following and leading me their support and energy. So pretty much a bottom up approach to gain attention while building trust and respect of the floor level employees and supervisors.

What items would show up as being both urgent and important if you constructed an urgency versus importance matrix related to organizational renewal for yourself?
Urgent and important for me is to complete my MBA in December 2007 and focus on finance. I have my BS and MS in Ceramic Engineering and worked in manufacturing for 17 years. I feel it is urgent and important to complete my MBA for further advancement within my own company or to have the ability to enter into a new career path.

For my Company
To me an urgent and important renewal need is the updating of the cultural aspects of Allied. The management styles are of the Industrial wave, old and autocratic. These are the styles of managing by fear and intimidation and not the coaching/mentoring of leadership. As more and more baby boomers retire, supervisor and managers will be from the knowledge and wisdom waves. This talent will be scare and will not put up with the autocratic style of management, causing difficulty in retaining the best and brightest still left in the workforce. Experienced, technically inclined/educated workers will be in tight supply and highly recruited by companies. Need to establish a culture that facilitates all of these positive to remain competitive in the future.

Important but not urgent?
Important is to focus on finance and complete the capstone in Financial Leadership. Finance and its understand will be extremely important in developing strategies and recognizing emerging trends (good or bad). It will also give me important skills to analysis and evaluate complex projects. Additionally, a full understanding of financial measurements allow me to set up balance scoreboards from the bottom up, so the floor worker understands how to positively impact the company's profitability.