Case Study: Disorganization at Semco Assignment Instructions

Overview

Please read the Integrative Case 1.0 on pages 623-632 of the Daft text and respond to all four questions on page 632.

Constraints to Replication?

Though Semco's radical management practices had indicated that they could result in profitable and sustainable growth, experts were skeptical about the extent to which these tenets could result in similar successes in other companies, genuine though their efforts might be. Their skepticism had its roots in the deliberate strategy chosen by Semco of being present only in businesses that entailed significant levels of engineering/complexity (this ensured that the barriers to entry for other aspirants in terms of technological competence required were high); of being only a premium player in each of its product/service segments; and of carving out a distinct niche in each product/service segment, which ensured that Semco was a prominent player in the concerned industry. Experts wondered whether a company operating in a product/service segment that was easy for others to enter, which was not present in a premium or a niche segmentthis meant that economies of scale could not be ignoredcould afford to bestow similar freedoms upon its employees. Some commentators also observed that Semler, being the majority shareholder in a privately held company, had the luxury of trying out his radical ideas. Would it be within the realm of possibility, they wondered, for a large public company with diffused ownership to embark on such a journey? So, would relinquishing control, described by Semler as Semco's competitive advantage, be limited to just one company?

How would you describe Semco's organization design before and after the changes implemented by Ricardo Semler?

In what ways is Semco's design similar to and different from the holacracy structure described in Chapter 3?

Describe the rather unusual Human Resource policies now in effect at Semco.

How did Semco handle downsizing during a weak economy? How did that approach benefit the company?

Instructions

Please make sure to address the following:

• Identify the key roles and organizational issues through an introduction (this is not the abstract page).
• Evaluate and analyze the issues and problems facing the organization and integrate specific and relevant organizational and leadership theories.
• Provide your personal perspective on the case, applying theories and perspectives.
• Examine the Bible and discuss what the Scriptures say about the depicted organizational issue(s).