Alex Sanders

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM * How can Sam Glass channelize and bring out ’s competencies so that he can contribute more effectively to the progress of his product team at Landon Care Products? * In what ways can Landon Care Products Inc. restructure its 360 ° performance review such that it can help employees achieve their highest leadership potential? SWOT Analysis

STRENGTHS * enthusiastic in his work and never wears out * talented and highly qualified * driven by his sense of achievement and brings results * good learning ability and grasping power * undaunted by new challenges * appreciative of good work| WEAKNESSES * pushy and demanding * short tempered * inflexible at work * expects everyone to work according to his style of working * creates a stressful work atmosphere by asking people to work overtime| OPPORTUNITIES * Has entrepreneurial ability, is a go getter, identifies and implements tasks within the given time frame and has passion for learning new skills and filling any gaps in knowledge. Using this skill, he has the opportunity to start his own successful venture. * Possibility of improvementTaking his 360 degree feedback positively, Alex may try to improve on his working style and motivate and mentor his team to help them work effectively. This will aid in creating a high performance team and would result in success of the rebranding project of Nourish. THREATS * Can lose his jobDue to his continued arrogance and over confidence, his 360 degree feedback could turn unfavorable to his cause; he may lose a possible promotion or would have to leave the organization. * Efficiency of the team could be hampered Alex’s team could crumble under constant work pressure and hostile work environment as created by Alex and would become lax or inefficient in their tasks. This might hamper the successful rebranding of the upcoming and crucial project of Nourish| Economical condition European companies entering into the American skincare and beauty segment. Cultural condition The takeover by a European company brought in changes in the work culture Detailed Analysis of the problem We can look at this from the perspective of Herzberg’s two factor theory,

Alex Sander accounts for almost all of the context factors such as Salary, supervision, etc. , but does not satisfy the content factors of motivation which involves recognition of achievement, responsibility and advancement. The absence of these caused de-motivation amongst the team members. Alex has high task orientation but low people orientation. But he was able to prove himself with successfully re-branding two skin care products. Problems in working style of Alex * He always used to come up with the right answer without involving the team which undermined a lot of people * Aggressive in nature * Expects the same output from his reportees and thus creates stressful atmosphere at workplace. * Glass’ concerns for Alex

Alex asked Glass that he wanted to get into broader planning areas of the organization -“ making strategic decisions ” where he wanted to learn how the division’s products were formulated and building on that knowledge he wanted to understand the global market as well as the relative importance of the U. S. market. After a week Glass mentioned about this to Alex in a conversation where he mentioned to him that his feedback is contradicting in what he says and what he is doing. This problem was could turn into a very big challenge for Sam where he has to find ways to deal with Alex’s attitude issues which is creating a lot of problem for other team members (as reflected in some of the inputs mentioned by his own team members in feedback) as he was aware about Alex’s potential and wanted to retain him .

So, he had to come up with a way to channel Alex’s talent in the right way which would ensure success for product group in the long run. Problem with 360° performance review This was being conducted for the first time in the organization and a lot of people in the division are not clear on how this feedback is going to help with development or performance appraisal. There is a possibility that the results will be tainted in some way or other. Even Alex was least interested about this feedback and didn’t want to waste his time on this exercise as he was aware as who would Sam ask for inputs about him. When he was hired by Sam he was asked to shake up the product team and launch products quickly. Decision Criteria and Alternative Solutions Option 1-If company fires Alex?

This option is not suitable because Alex is known to bring results to the projects and at present the company is at a crucial juncture, where successful launch of Nourish is very much needed. A new hire would take up time to get adjusted to the organization culture and may not bring results as quickly as expected. Option 2- If Alex starts his own entrepreneurial project (start-up), which gives him complete autonomy. Alex is known to demonstrate entrepreneurial instincts and work tirelessly on his own. He expects same level of commitment and performance from his team and does not suffer inefficiencies. He might do well in his start-up initially but this is not a sustainable option because if Alex’s working style does not change; he is bound to create hostile feelings with his colleagues sooner or later.

Option 3- A personality development and team building program for Alex 1. Alex should be made aware of the importance of the feedback process and needs to take his feedback in good light. 2. Alex should undergo some training in team building activities and should be encouraged to interact with his teammates more frequently. He should be trained to give some autonomy to his team and respect his fellow mates, which will result in high performance teams. 3. There should be continuous interactions between Alex and Senior level managers whereby he can take up any grievances and also look for challenging opportunities that will keep him motivated and satisfied. Recommendations

We recommend company should choose to go for option 3 in the light of all the pros and cons mentioned above. Even Sam Glass knew that Alex was someone who would create waves in the organization but he had hired him because Alex was a potential candidate and therefore Sam was ready to compromise on this. Agreed, Alex has attitude and behavioral issues. But nevertheless being the youngest product manager he had proved his mettle by successfully rebranding two national skin care products. These issues can be resolved if Alex undergoes some training in team building activities. He is competent enough in technical skills but lacks in attitude, which can be set right if he is mentored accordingly.