MBA 755 – Reflections on Module 3 Concepts.

MBA 755 – Reflections on Module 3 Concepts.

How could you use a Renewal Options diagram to better support the mission of your present organization?

Based on doing my 3-1 paper on my organization, there are several renewal options that AMP does not explore. They do use several renewal strategies, but most or simplistic - but effective. The most important renewal strategy was going into global markets with strategic positioning and the last one being the most profitable - China. If AMP had not approached this strategy in different market years before - I wonder if the planning, implementation, and execution, which has lead to record profits and growth, would have occurred in this incident???

When thinking about your own organization, which renewal choices seem to the most relevant?

I have been at AMP for 10 years. When I started the main mode of renewal was through using the enhancement strategy and somewhat the Invigorating strategy. They had just started embracing the Reframing Strategy and this has been the predominate strategy that has been used in the past 5 years. Taking the products of mature and declining markets and positioning them into new markets which are in need of the quality and service (customer are needy for these services and being unmet) - using these core competencies as a differentiation and competitive advantage against the current market suppliers.

Note to our market - This strategy can also be used against AMP by new entrants in their current markets.

What factors define a realistic renewal choice for you?

This largely depends on your current market and companies size and presence in the global market. If the management style is open - exploring the workforces ideas, etc, and great at execution - then the factors that define renewal can be more believable.

To explain - the most simplistic approach is the enhancement strategy. This is basically about developing the customer-sales-R&T-operations-shipment channels. As simple and critical (yes all about accountability and execution) many managers, departments, and companies struggle to make this simple. If they can not make this happen with ease - how can they ever enter into more complex strategies that require better communication, accountability, implementation, and execution of what needs to happen. All of the silos need to work together and become horizontally integrated into one execution machine.

So factors that define renewal in most companies are defined by the few people and departments that can execute - serving as the anchor for the strategy. Most manager - including upper management - discount that success comes from the few - many of the ones taking credit for success usually had little to do with it and may have been the road blocks that the strong overcame. The people who execute are typically busy doing such and not bragging to top management - so maybe they should!!

What could be the best way or ways to communicate renewal options to organizational leaders so that they are really heard? The best way is to have a top management structure that is not in denial and regularly interacts with all levels of leadership - bottom up - and not just their VPs. Being allowed to be sheltered and not fully involved allowed them to enter into deep denial and also not recognize emerging issues. Renewal options may also occur at lower ranks that will be discounted by controlling and autocratic immediate supervisors. All levels of management and supervision need to be accountable and responsible for mentoring and coaching renewal options and strategies within their groups. Additionally, they need to fully accountable for corresponding and developing interdepartmental teams.

The most risky and the most rewarding strategy, transformational, will always avoid most companies due to ignoring the talent right below their noses due to egos and prejudices of education levels and company title/stature. Top managers that stop avoiding the confrontation of open communication among all titles and ranks will be rewarded above those that hide behind the denial of delegation.


What practical uses do you see for situational analysis in your life?

I guess the best thing to do is to not be in denial and listen to many different perspectives as well as approaches. Once all sides and "market" knowledge has been accessed - sculpt a strategies or strategies that attack your needs. It basically comes down to stop talking and start doing. Only way to make it happen is to act and that is execution. Nothing happens if you only talk and plan about how to - must know how and do it.

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.

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.

MBA 745 Module 6 Reflections

What are the key leadership characteristics needed to sustain a business initiative?
There are various characteristics that are needed to sustain businesses. Based on research and knowledge of a few successful leaders in a mature industry is the financial leadership. Several companies, including one we bought some intellectual property from, went bankrupt due to incompetence in financial leadership. Making all the wrong decisions for the wrong cash reasons and all due to ego and past history destroyed SHV of many refractory companies. To sustain a business, a leader must understand that increasing sales at a losing margin is destructive to the business as a whole.

The other issue is to stop being autocratic in the management style and empowering the employees to become leaders at every level. Top management and management "want to bees" beg and enjoy being coached and mentored to greater and better decision making. This is an industrial wave mentality. As the leader enters the judgement wave, one needs to put ones ego and self interest aside and think about developing employees at the lowest level. Point being, what these "managers" or future leaders of companies need to realize that they need to be servant to the needs of the employees and not the oppressive "boss" of the "taskmaster" of the undereducated, etc employees.

To sustain with ease, the leader must capture the experience of each and every employee, digest this into useful information, and fully exploit all of this into powerful knowledge that aligns to the company's objectives.

How will your focus of study (Assignment 6-1: Capstone Experience Paper) impact your professional development plan (PDP)?

I would say that it would impact my PDP slightly. Leadership is leadership and a strength in finances would help me to develop more in depth company goals and measurements. My goal is to train and empower the current workforce by working back wards within the planer workforce. This workforce is defined as hourly and using my skills to proactively exact and exploit their cumulative experiences into a powerful inter community knowledge base. Granted this will take time but it will work with my energy.

My point being that greater financial insight will allow me to become aligned better to the company's objectives and develop "better" goals for my responsibilities as a manager. These are all goal of my PDP.

MBA 745 – Reflections on Module 5 Concepts.

How comfortable are you as a leader in a mature organization?

I am comfortable as a leader in a mature company. There are always processes that need to be improved or revived back to life. Also employees need to be trained and motivated, so they contribute more to the bottom line. Hopefully the turnover is low and all of these employees are long-term employees. This allows you an opportunity to revive these employees and have them use their knowledge and experience to improve the bottom line - and have more fun doing it. The mature stage is more stable as long as you are sustaining and not declining. There should be more time to plan and organize actions to be executed for the good of the company.


Did you feel that you could concentrate on improving efficiencies while remaining flexible to the ideas of your team members?

Yes, because the way to make true improvements and gains in efficiencies is through the team. The leader needs to mentor and facilitate ideas and problem solving among the team. It is best to keep the team focused and ensure they have the proper resources to execute. The leader is the driver and energy behind the team and must always remain flexible. The leader will want to shape and form the ideas, but not steer them toward the way they would do it. Concentrating on improving efficiencies is the mission and driving the team to this end is the success of the leader.

Are you attempting to expand your knowledge base with or increase your depth in the focus you select to study?

Yes, I am looking at Financial leadership and want to understand financial strategies and more about balanced scorecards. Better understanding of the financial concepts will help in the aligning of objectives and goals for the overall benefit of the company.

MBA 745 – Reflections on Module 4 Concepts.

MBA 745 – Reflections on Module 4 Concepts.

What is your belief concerning one person performing the multiple roles of creator, accelerator, and sustainer?

It is my belief that one person would have great difficulty in performing well in all three roles. It takes different preferences to have superior performance in any one role. The creator role is about the vision and enthusiasm of something new and not overly detailed orientated. During the accelerator role the leader must really pay attention to all the fine details, so the company does spiral out of control and go bankrupt. The sustainer is all about developing your people into leaders and focusing in on the inefficiencies that exist. Negotiating skills become important in this role. It is difficult for a visionary and dreamer to ever feel like diving into the mundane details. The creator and sustainer roles could mesh, because the sustainer role is about an overview or big picture details and ways to recreate the company. The accelerator role is best left to people who are successful in that environment. Does not mean the CEO, etc has to be that type of person, but they do have to let that type of person run with it.

Do you feel you are capable of performing all of these roles?

I feel I could perform the accelerator and sustaining role well. The sustaining role is probably where I have the most experience. I have been involved in the start-up or launch of product lines and geared up production/inspection etc. The creator role is more about creativity and my skills are more into improving and enhancing what is already there and not creating it from nothing.

If not, which do you think fits you best?

I fit best in the sustaining role. Working on improving processes and making them more efficient is the engineering side of me working. Also developing people through teaching and mentoring needs to take place in order to sustain the business, which is another talent I continually develop.

Do you think it is possible to avoid making the decision of whether to rejuvenate the business or close it, indefinitely? If so, how? If not, why?

I do think it is possible to avoid making a decision for a long time - but not indefinitely. Indefinitely is a very long time. My guess is that this happens more than not. If the business has been around for many years, many companies will resist closing it and also resist pouring more money into it. If the business is losing significant amounts of money, then the decision will be forced upon management to do something.

MBA 745 – Reflections on Module 3 Concepts.

MBA 745 – Reflections on Module 3 Concepts.

In mature organizations, there is quite often a need to reduce labor surpluses. What would you suggest as other means by which to accomplish this objective rather than with layoffs?

Reducing the labor surpluses via layoffs should only be done in extreme cases. If the industry took an unexpected downturn, emerging technology replaced the companies product lines, and various other unforeseen events, then layoffs would be appropriate. Unfortunately many companies are not lean and mean, resulting in labor surpluses. This is due to mismanagement of resources, which will eventually catch up with them. When competitive forces catch up to them, they have no choice but to layoff these extra employee quickly. The better objective is to effectively manage the human resources and ensure surpluses are minimized or eliminated throughout the company. It is better to be in this position, so attrition will eliminate the surpluses. Early retirement and retirements is also a great way, but is heavily dependent on the age of your workforce. Additionally, people leaving also take valuable knowledge and experience with them that can not easily be retrieved by the company.

If by chance your mature organization established a “no layoff” policy, what advantages would this provide the company? Are there disadvantages? Which would you advocate and why?

A "no layoff" policy would be an advantage in terms of employee motivation, morale, and commitment to the company. Additionally, talented people will want to come work for the company, giving the company a valuable advantage in resources. The disadvantage is the potential for complacency. This policy needs to managed and expectations and accountabilities need to be set. No Layoffs does not mean that the company will not fire someone for incompetence, chronic tardiness, and absenteeism. It is easy for management to allow this policy to control them and allow poor performance to be discounted due to employee loyalty. I would be for this policy, but I would not be for having this policy being public or communicated to the workforce. I would have be an objective or an unwritten rule that is informally known throughout the company. It could be publicly stated that company has never laid employees off and strives to ensure business is kept at a level that prevents this action from ever happening. It is dangerous to broadly state we will never lay people off - because if it does happen, then the morale would tank drastically.

We know that fast growing companies need more working capital than those growing more slowly or not at all, as in mature companies. What strategy would you use to ensure sources of cash as incoming cash flow is delayed, and fixed costs continue, and paydays come every week?

I am going to assume that the word NOT was left out and you want to ensure incoming cash flow is improved and more timely. Keeping fixed costs from changing is an on-going battle and only can be controlled if you have a strong position with your supply chain. Also need help from the workforce to continually control waste and thus cost. Strong cash flow strategies can start with positioning yourself with your customer base. Working on 10 to 15 day net terms is much better than 30 or 60 days. Additionally, controlling your inventories allows the maximization of cash. Single most important part of improving cash flow is to minimize raw material inventories through just-in-time inventories and the same with finished product inventories by improving your responsiveness to customer orders. Need to gear the operations to just-in-time delivery. This allows the company to have accounts receivable equal collections or even have accounts receivable payable after collections come in.

Payroll is always demanding. Typical manufacturing/operational groups have hourly paid weekly and salary paid bi-weekly or even monthly. It would probably be best to streamline the process and engage the workers to have both hourly and salary paid on a bi-weekly basis.

As discussed in the readings, a company must project quarterly cash flows monthly for at least a year. This takes in account capital projects and other planned cash outflows that may have been missed, since they are atypical events.