Question 2 [20]

CASE STUDY

THE CASPER MATTRESS ORGANISATION

The Casper Mattress organisation was established by a team of five friends who got together in their Manhattan co-working space in early 2013.The team wanted to find a product with a

traditional model they could disrupt, in the way that Uber transformed the taxi business world- wide. The team explored mattresses because one member had sold mail-order bedding out of

his dorm room at the University of Texas a decade before. That business, the Merrick Group, reached US$10 million in annual sales. The team agreed that the mattress idea was a good one and they started Casper, a mattress that eased customer points on shopping, delivery and sleep comfort. The team members brought different skills to the table and their disparate backgrounds were advantageous. One was a mattress expert and one a marketing expert who knew how to build a brand that could resonate with the public. The third team member was a music student who veered into web design, so he took charge of the online presence he is now chief technology officer. The fourth team member was a stylist and took charge of innovation. All five team members were New Yorkers, so they knew about the problem of manhandling mattresses up the stairs in multiple walk-ups. That lead to the breakthrough idea that they all endorsed: a boxed, compressed mattress that could easily be carried up steps, around corners and through doorways. The organisation generated US$1 million in revenue in their first 28 days of operation, exceeding all their expectations and projections. Adapted from: Smit, P. J., Botha, T. & Vrba, M. J. 2018. Management Principles. A contemporary edition for Africa. 6th edition. Cape Town: Juta. 2.1 Drawing on your knowledge of teams and groups and citing evidence from the case study, evaluate whether the five New Yorkers are an effective team or not. (16) 2.2 Discuss the team type(s) that were created by the five friends to start the Casper company.