MBA 755 – Reflections on Module 1 Concepts.

MBA 755 – Reflections on Module 1 Concepts.

What's distinctive about the renewal stage of the organizational lifecycle?
The renewal stage is about recreating the business and thrusting the workforce into the excitement of the creation stage. It is a stage that management recognizes the complacency of the workforce and the market has stagnated - needs new products.

The external issues have probably existed for many years and become noticeable during the mature stage. The renewal stage is also about rejuvenation and correcting cultural behaviors of past stages.

What organizations that you are familiar with seem to be in the renewal stage? Why do you think so?
P&G seems to be in a continually renewal stage, using one strategy or another. Most of their renewal strategies include Invigorating and Enhancement Strategies - new packages and new names or spins to the same type of products. I would have to say their best renewal product recently was the Swiffer product line, which is using the Reframing Strategy and has been very successful.

Allied Mineral Products has used three renewal strategies - Enhancement, Reframing, and Invigorating. Additionally, building plant that imitate AMP aboard also thrust the company into renewal stages. The main mission of the renewal process is being there for the customer worldwide. Part of that is having a manufacturing facility close enough to supply the customer in a timely manner.

What characteristics make a leader effective during this phase?
Well the renewal stage leadership needs to embrace the creative stage and the launch stage of the business cycle. So leadership is embodied by a strong vision and compelling mission followed up by relentless implementation. One word about successful leadership in renewal is Mastery of Execution. The leader must be able to plan and have breakout strategies that position the company better than the competition. Still execution and relentless follow-up and strong implementation mark the success of the cultural change needed to be successful during this rejuvenation of the company.

How would you recognize an organization in this stage?
I would say any company over five years old and still growing would be a company that is at least using renewal strategies. Another clue would be a company that is embarking on cultural change and striving to form symbiotic relations throughout the company (internally) and with the outside community (externally). Positive change for the betterment of the company , the employees, all of the stakeholder, and the community in general will probably point to a company in the renewal stage.

Which of the conceptual tools for renewal presented in this module are of particular interest to you? Why?
No exactly sure what is meant by the conceptual tools. The dynamics of corporate strategy chapter was interesting. This is where the leaders must fully engage at many levels. A tool that does interest me and maybe the intent of this question - the balanced scorecard. It seems if properly designed and implemented, the balanced scorecard can be a powerful tool for the leader in any department or role. The balanced scorecard should monitor metrics that quickly give the bad and good to the leader. This is supposed to be the early warning system.

What else do you think that you will need to know in order to use these conceptual tools in your own work?
One needs lots of information and the core objectives of the company in order to properly use these tools. The leader must review how resilient the company currently is and what the threats are in the future. Reviewing the company's offerings or portfolio is also important, because it dictates the resources and they may need to be re-aligned to meet future needs. The leader must also assess the culture or the company and see what change needs to occur before mapping out how to implement the change. Secrecy/denial and blame/scorn must be eliminated from the culture and must be embraced by the leaders.

How could you use the ideas from the renewal stage to help you in your professional life?
The renewal stage is basically about reinventing and rejuvenating the offering of a company. These ideas and concepts would also apply to individuals and career paths. Using the same tools would help reinvent a person's job and responsibilities. It would also force a hard look at the resources being consumed and provided - assessing if they are still relevant and aligned to the current objectives. This would quickly identify gaps and weaknesses. You could develop a professional balanced scoreboard based on personnel goals and objectives and work toward more success.