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The Dark Side Of Information Technology Case Study Analysis

CASE ANALYSIS

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The Dark Side Of Information Technology Case Study Analysis

Background and Facts

The Dark Side Of Information Technology a workplace materials seller for small as well as medium sized businesses has actually lately been involved in planning for a merging with its rival House Deport, which has actually impacted performance degrees in departmentswith the senior supervisor involved in lawful problems presented by the government Trade Commission. With the Advertising and marketing Head putting forward the information of his separation from the firm in one year, Jeannie Lewis, the present head of operations has been asked to take the function in the near future. With challenges in the kind of a possible cultural change and reduced staff member spirits, the company needs a complete reengineering effort at the advertising department.

Problem Statement
Porter's 5 Forces Analysis
The potential cultural change at the marketing department of The Dark Side Of Information Technology is enhancing uncertainty in the working environment resulting in different challenges for the Jeannie Lewis who would certainly be replacing the head of the division in one year. nalysis

PEST analysis

Political Factors: Political factors play a major function in influencing calculated choices given that Stapes Inc. needed to desert its plans of combining with Workplace Deport after the Federal Trade Commission's intervention at the same time. Provided the fact that the store has a worldwide visibility with branches in UK, UNITED STATES, Canada and Germany, political consider each of these countries may be able to impact performance or tactical goals. Federal Trade Payment's antitrust suit against the merging used up valuable time of the company's senior administration suggesting that 'political' factors can have significant implications for an international service.

Economic Factors: Economic factors such as the development of small companies in the international situation suggest that The Dark Side Of Information Technology is growing in an atmosphere where there is possible growth of businesses. Fact that store customers are mostly looking for workplace supplies for residence workplaces recommends that the market has an increasing trend of business owners as well as house based services.

Social factors: Social trends in the economic situation show that clients are trying to find benefit along with eye-catching prices. Market research shows how the consumer for The Dark Side Of Information Technology does not have understanding about locating solutions which can provide a combination of ease and also low costs.

Technological factors: Innovation plays a vital duty in The Dark Side Of Information Technology's organisation method especially as the company is piloting Modern technology facilities which would provide technology sales as well as assistance in the kind of memory upgrades, peripheral installations. (Recap of PEST in appendix 2).

OB Issues and also Effects.

A number of underlying Business Behavior issues can be seen in The Dark Side Of Information Technology's case as highlighted in this area.

Worries about social modification: There is worry about a cultural adjustment that would certainly occur as soon as Todd Krasnow leaves from his placement as the Exec Vice Head Of State of Advertising And Marketing with most of the employee currently revealing unhappiness over this potential move. This predicted change has created anxiety in the workplace which has actually been paired with the previous stress of preparing the company for a potential merging with Residence Deport.
Pest Analysis
Difficult Work Atmosphere for Newcomers: There is lack of workers that can match the stressful environment of a fast-paced company. Not only does this cause difficulty in finding the appropriate individuals, it puts tension on brand-new hires as can not endure the speed and pressure that the company anticipates them to birth.

Twin Coverage Lines: Beginners find this organizational society difficult and challenging to manage specifically as dotted line connections are implied to be weak generally as well as objective setting as well as performance evaluation is still done by the strong line supervisor. This means that newcomers can lose quality regarding their particular functions and also purposes specifically as dotted line coverage does not keep them in direct communication with the solid line managers.

Resentment From Cross Departmental Hiring: Krasnow's choice to make Lewis his successor as opposed to Bridget Coles even though it had been speculated that the last would take Krasnow's setting came as a strike to her spirits. Lewis may have been qualified and also suitable for the work however the reality that Kransnow's departure would make Coles a straight record to Lewis might have been the factor for Coles' resignation from solutions.

Worry & Task Instability: Concern as well as insecurity can be identified as 2 major problems that Lewis would certainly be taking care of especially as the merger has actually now be cancelled and also two elderly execs of the marketing department would certainly be leaving. The whole obligation of the department would certainly be dropping on Lewis's shoulders that would certainly not simply be in charge of brining regarding a social modification however would certainly likewise need to confirm herself in her brand-new duty.

Inappropriate Monitoring Design of Leader: Lewis's monitoring design as well as its conflict with the advertising department's function can likewise be viewed as an OB challenge especially as she has actually been used to handling concerns in the operations division where personnel are instructed to focus on processes and also obtain them right. The advertising division on the other hand can be viewed as a group of people who are used to being nurtured by Krasnow that concentrated more on output than procedures.

Interdepartmental Arguments: Interdepartmental disagreements in between three divisions, advertising and marketing, merchandizing and procedures respectively over the allocation of the marketing mix can be identified as another OB concern. Although the marketing division does not share the exact same vision as the various other two divisions regarding the aloocation of the advertising mix twoards promos as well as advertsing, the merchandizing and also operations departments do not agree over the advertising mix allocation among each other either.

Disintegration in Advertising Division: Disintegration in between the marketing and advertising departments can be recognized as an additional OB issue which might require additional focus. The truth that the marketing and advertising sections in the advertising department are detached is avoiding both departments from gaining from each various other's experience and experience. Integration of advertising with retailing and also operations would certainly end up being harder if the advertising and marketing division itself is degenerated which can be another potential OB worry.

The Dark Side Of Information Technology Analysis

Different concepts have been made use of to clarify the scenarios to obtain more clarity regarding the circumstance at hand.
Swot Analysis
McGregor's Concept X & Y: According to Douglas McGregor's Concept X, many supervisors believe that subordinates are easy and lazy, have little ambition as well as withstand modification. The difficult variation of this concept emphasized threat, limited controls, dangers as well as penalties. Gradually it produces low efficiency, subtle sabotage and rivalry (Bargain, 2003). The scenario at The Dark Side Of Information Technology is not totally following Concept X, it can be seen that brand-new hires are finding this atmosphere instead difficult which might at some point lead to a greater disposition of the administration towards Theory X. According to McGregor's supported sight, which he called Concept Y, the essential task of the administration is to set up organizational problems so that individuals can accomplish their very own goals best by directing their initiatives in the direction of business rewards. If individuals locate no fulfillment in their job, the administration would certainly have little choice however to count on theory X and exterior control (Bargain, 2003). Also while analyzing Lewis's administration design, theory X might have appropriated in the operations division somewhat but the Advertising and marketing department would certainly call for reliance on Theory Y to get the creative thinking as well as originality from the groups.

Tuckman's Synergy Concept: As far as Lewis's concern concerning bringing consistency between the advertising and marketing department is concerned, this would originally lead to contrast as talked about by Bruce Tuckman in his 'Synergy Theory'. (Tuckman, 1965). As per Tuckman's concept displayed in appendix 3, throughout the preliminary stage of team development, individuals may not bond, as they are active locating their area in the group. By combining the marketing and advertising division's work, there may coincide first separate which could result in the 2nd stage of 'storming' where the teams test one another. It is just throughout the 3rd stage or 'norming' when they would come together to share concepts prior to the group can bring about harmony in the fourth phase 'carrying out'.

Bridges' Transition Design: As per William Bridge's concept (appendix 4), individuals are fairly uncomfortable with change, which is noticeable by the situation at The Dark Side Of Information Technology The circumstance can be viewed as a typical course of life if is researched based on Bridge's theory where he discusses that people go through 3 stages of change when they experience change. 'Ending, shedding and Letting go', The Neutral Area and also 'The New Beginning' (Bridges, 2004). When individuals exist with change, they get in stage one and so there might be feelings like unhappiness, uncertainty, disappointment, temper, worry, rejection and also disorientation.The circumstance at the advertising division of The Dark Side Of Information Technology is similar so Lewis can obtain comfortable with the suggestion that it is not remarkable behavior. In the 2nd stage, there might be a demand to bridge the void in between the brand-new and old culture so Lewis may need to encounter this ordeal when Krasnow leaves. There may be low morale and also reduced productivity at this stage which need to not be taken as a trouble. It is during this stage that Lewis will certainly have to provide support to the division so that they can discover an orientation. It can be seen just how Krasnow has actually already made this shift easier by making Lewis get associated with the department a year before his real separation. According to Bridges' Design, stage three will cause visibility to discovering, High power and also commitment as individuals will embrace the change (Bridges, 2004).
Vrio Analysis
Maslow's Demand pecking order: The OB problem pertaining to insecurity at the work environment has actually been activated to start with by the adjustment in administration as well as secondly by the fact that the merging will no more be started. Abraham Maslow in his Theory of 'Requirements Power structure' (appendix 5) has goes over the importance of 'protection needs as being a reduced degree requirement of a human for activating inspiration. As seen in the pyramid shared in appendix 3, we can see just how 'the requirement to feel secure and untouched' is at the second degree of demands. Prior to a worker can be made to create emotionally, he requires to have his 'Physiological 'as well as 'Safety' needs fulfilled. This indicates that unless the employees are made to feel protected concerning their current employment status in The Dark Side Of Information Technology they may not get to 'Self-Fulfillment'. (King, 2009).

SWOT Analysis for The Dark Side Of Information Technology Case Study



Effects of Analysis.

The OB analysis has looked at numerous concepts to recognize how to cope with the existing circumstance handy. The following three alternatives have actually been recommended to help Lewis manage the organizational challenges in the advertising department. Each of these alternatives has been recommended for relieving the transition required to bring the marketing department in accordance with the requirements of the marketplace and for making the social modification that would comply with as soon as the present leader leaves.

Integration of marketing and advertising features. Dividing Adverting as well as Production functions. Integration of Advertising with Workflow.

Assessment of Alternatives.

Assimilation of Marketing & Marketing Functions: The internal advertising firm of The Dark Side Of Information Technology is currently toughness for the company in terms of saving up on expenses related to advertising and promotion. Considering that no brand-new employment has been done after Bridget Cole's departure with the reporting line being directly assigned to Krasnow for the marketing feature, this is a positive possibility for integrating the advertising and marketing functions. Judith Shapiro that has actually earlier been interviewed by Lewis during the earlier merger days has knowledge in business-to-business advertising and marketing along with company as well as retail advertising experience. As soon as Krasnow leaves, Lewis can employ Shapiro as an EVP for advertising and marketing to deal with both advertising and marketing features.

The advantage of this technique is that it will certainly incorporate both features while lowering the demand for hiring an extra source for marketing. In addition to this, Lewis would be heading the marketing division and in any case her replacement would be needed for the existing function that she is carrying out. The negative aspect of this option is that external hiring might produce animosity from internal personnel that might be considering the setting of EVP after Lewis takes over Krasnow's setting.

Dividing Adverting and also Manufacturing: Given the competitive pressures as well as high quality job called for from the marketing firm, it is recommended that Lewis needs to allow the production system to be a separate function from the marketing system. Since a lot of marketing firms had these two features as separate systems, it makes more feeling to comply with the standard.

Combination of Advertising And Marketing with Procedures: Given that Lewis is already looking after the marketing as well as operations departments concurrently; it makes good sense to integrate both functions since she has actually been efficiently dealing with both ends. The fact that both departments currently have significant differences over allowance of resources recommends that this combination might have the ability to cause consistency especially as Lewis would be heading both ends.However there are different negative aspects of this step particularly as it would certainly put way too much worry over Lewis's shoulders. The reality that Lewis has to adapt her management design for the advertising department suggests that these 2 departments would certainly be culturally diverse. Lewis might not be able to apply one kind of management design to both departments which might result in inadequacy in either one of the two features.

Suggestion.



An evaluation of the 3 options suggests that assimilation of marketing as well as operations would not be a feasible move due to the substantial differences in between the 2 departments despite the fact that currently Lewis is dealing with both. While splitting up of the manufacturing feature might have been a beneficial step for the advertising department, the fact that it would certainly suggest putting a 3rd function under Lewis's wing implies this ought to be avoided.

Action Plan.
Recommendation
Lewis will certainly take over the duty of EVP Marketing after Krasnow leaves.

Advertising and Marketing features would be combined.

Judith Shapiro will be worked with to take Lewis's place as SVP of marketing and advertising.

Production feature will certainly stay component of marketing under advertising function.

Lewis will certainly divide herself from operations.

An autonomous leadership design with worker empowerment will be used in advertising and marketing department.

Open door plan and also focus on cross departmental communication will be targeted at removing disharmony.

Backup strategy.

If the integration does not work out as intended, a contingency plan would certainly follow which would divide the manufacturing feature from the advertising and marketing feature to decrease the load on the SVP of advertising and marketing. In case Judith Shapiro does not obtain worked with, Lewis will be heading the marketing department without an SVP. Because case the manufacturing feature will absolutely be divided by placing it under an SVP production.