When Ronald Ostertag took over as CEO of General Semi-Conductor, he attempted to turn around the company7's corporate culture. He started by replacing g almost the entire top management team. He wanted a culture based on teamwork, mutual respect, cooperation and innovation. He had the top management team bond while developing the new list of values for the company. These values were then disseminated to all the workers in the company. Unfortunately, despite all his efforts, Ostertag could not fend off a takeover by the Pennsylvania-based firm, Vishay International.
Vishay International has grown. It now has manufacturing plants in 6 countries and sales offices in many more countries. They have combined General Semiconductor's abilities with those of researchers in holdings in other companies resulting in to recent patents
1. In your opinion, what actions taken by Ostertag stood the most chance of changing General Semiconductor's culture?
2. Do you think requiring everyone in a multinational firm to carry around a card with the firm's core values on it can change a company's culture? Why or why not?
3. In your opinion, was Ostertag managing the cross-cultural operations effectively in the process of trying to change the firm's culture? Explain.
4. Did Ostertag appear to have a global mindset? Why or why not?