A Day in the life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at London Care Products
Part 1
Company Overview
Alex Sander is a fresh product manager at “Landon Care Products” that has been acquired by Avant-Garde, a beauty company in Europe. This acquisition is the way to make an entry to the United States market. So far as the overview is concerned, Landon Care Products is an American company that is also in the beauty and cosmetics industry like Avant-Garde. However, both companies are doing business in two different economies. Landon Care Products has headquarters in Connecticut, while Avant-Garde has its operations in Europe (Greiner & Collins, 2008).
The acquisition of Landon Care Products has an aim for the European company that it is now able to make a presence in the United States. The case study under review emphasizes product managers to work hard. Alex Sander is a young product manager who is hard-working and energetic. He is presently working on a brand Nourish that is going to be launched in the US. In 2007, the acquisition materialized, and it raised some issues. The following analysis of the company would help look into these issues faced by the company and its staff.
Part 2
Statement of the company situation and clear statement of the issue/situation:
The company is not having any serious issues that may not get a solution. Rather, the case study presents a challenge or situation that covers different aspects of performance management and motivation. The situation is that Alex Sander is a self-motivated product manager who joined Landon Care Products, Inc. Later, a bigger company from Europe, Avant-Garde, acquired it. There is a difference in motivation and performance management in both companies. Sander does not like feedback, but the vice president of the company’s consumer products division pushes every employee for 360-degree feedback. Sander does not find motivation in this performance management measure. On the other hand, Sander is an energetic person and a precious asset of the company (Greiner & Collins, 2008).
Identification of the causes or roots of the situation:
The causes and roots of the situation are understandable that Sander is a high performing product manager. In a discussion with Sam Glass, who is one of the product group supervisors, Sander showed a confident attitude. He showed his desire to be a powerful and high achiever in that conversation. The first aspect of the situation is that the company has to motivate Sander. He has been performing well for the company. The company has to communicate with him the individual and organizational value for the 360-degree feedback. It would make Sander follow the company’s regulations and policies happily. The second aspect is hidden in the feedback that Sander has received from Glass (Greiner & Collins, 2008).
The feedback contains strengths and areas for improvement. It shows that Sander has to cooperate and coordinate with subordinates. They do not have an excellent work-life balance while doing their job. As a result, they also need motivation and performance management. Every employee wants a say and contribution to the company. It is the cause of the situation that supervisors and the company do not instill motivation among employees and executives. They are not hurting their staff, but they have to take them along in the decision-making process.
Analysis of various alternatives to address the situation, including the benefits and drawbacks of each of the alternatives:
The company can go for different solutions and alternatives to address the situation. There may be many alternatives to the situation while using theory and research on the topic. However, in the following, three alternatives may guide the company to make the situation better and effective. Before presenting alternatives, it is effective to understand the nature and preferences of Sander (Greiner & Collins, 2008).
He wants to achieve more and considers him perfect. He has talent and expertise, so he should be on one page with his supervisors and top executives. Following to be discussed alternatives to the situation is focused on work-life balance, adoption of motivation and performance management strategies, and focus on succession planning for talented executives.
Work-life Balance:
The situation may find a solution if the company adopts a clear and well-constructed work-life balance approach. It is to remember that this option may not favor Sander, who is already a much hardworking manager at the company. The case reveals that he sends most of his emails at 3:00 Am or 4:00 Am eastern time. That shows how hard-working he is. However, it raises concerns for his subordinates and team members. His peers and subordinates complain through the 360-degree feedback that he puts much pressure on the work upon team members. It may make them less equipped with the energy required to do their job. The company can have a better and comprehensive policy in favor of employees that Sander may also follow (Yu, 2014).
On an interesting note, the company may also take steps to make Sander believe in the importance of work-life balance. He has to motivate his teammates and colleagues. A company may not run on the wishes of individuals, whether they are high performers. It is a collective effort, and Glass also emphasized this aspect before Sander. He has to take others along in his efforts, and it is called leadership (Yu, 2014).
Its drawback is that high performers may feel targeted. It may send the message to low performers not to work hard as managers like Sander do.
Adoption of Motivation and Performance Management Strategies:
Motivation and performance management strategies are helpful in problems or situations where human beings are involved. It is exactly that situation that requires these strategies in action. Research suggests that companies have to motivate their employees. Performance management is also a big issue, and it becomes more crucial for high performers (Armstrong, 2019).
Sander has expressed his desire to have a say in the decision-making process. He wants to make his own decisions and actions. It is the reason why he joined the company, according to the interview in the case. This alternative for the adoption of motivation and performance management strategies has two aspects (Armstrong, 2019).
First, it related to high performing employees and executives. Sander is a high performing product manager, and the company should adopt strategies to motivate him. Some theories may help to know the stage Sander possesses. Maslow’s hierarchy needs, and McClelland’s need theory may be helpful. The company may implement one of them or both of them to understand the situation (Bharathy, 2018).
On the other hand, Sander has to understand the importance of these theories. He is after achieving targets, and he gives them a priority. It is a good thing, and it would give him a feeling of self-actualization as well. However, he should understand that he has to delegate authority and power to members of his team. It is a continuing responsibility for him to motivate and effectively manage the performance of his subordinates. This alternative would be very effective and useful for the company to get the situation in its favor (Bharathy, 2018).
The drawback is the fact that motivation and performance management strategies may not be comprehensive enough to do the job. They must accompany other actions so that the implementation of the solution may get an organizational level approach.
Succession Planning for Talented Executives:
The situation also relates to leadership skills that a talented executive wants to excel in his career. He wants to add more performance to his credentials because any achievement takes him to more heights. Therefore, the company should understand this aspect by focusing on succession planning in the company (Tamunomiebi & Okwakpam, 2019).
Talented executives like Sander need a path towards leadership and higher designation in the future. Sander expressed in the interview included in the case that he wanted to own decisions. He wanted to have a practical impact on things. Therefore, the company should consider succession planning a path for ensuring motivation and performance management for high performing executives (Tamunomiebi & Okwakpam, 2019).
Its drawback exists as it is not sure that the person chosen for succession planning would not leave the organization. Managers as young as Sander have a long career to come and taking them for succession planning may be costly in the end.
McClelland’s need theory relates to the case:
So far as the case is concerned, Sander is the central personality being discussed. McClelland and Maslow’s theories may help understand him and his way of dealing with things. However, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory may be simple and descriptive to shed light on Sander. On the other hand, McClelland’s need theory is more applicable to the case. This theory is also called three need theory because it has a need for achievement, need for affiliation, and need for power. In this case, Sander shows the need for achievement and power. It seems quite surprising to know that he has both needs at the same time. He reflects the need for achievement because he is after the launch of the product (Rybnicek, Bergner, & Gutschelhofer, 2019).
He wants to achieve that target, and in so doing, he does not give importance to organizational rules. He does not violate the rules, but he gives less important 360-degree feedback. Therefore, it shows that he wants achievement. But high achievers tend to work alone or with other high achievers. It is not the case here because Sander has to work with others. Thus, he also requires power so that he can have control over things. Subordinates and peers complain that he does not delegate authority. It is a sign of the need for power by Sander. Therefore, the case is more related to McClelland’s need theory (Rybnicek, Bergner, & Gutschelhofer, 2019).
The article relates to the topic of Motivation and Performance Management:
The case or the article related to the topic of motivation and performance management. Motivation takes a person along the journey with a broader organizational picture. Self-motivation and self-actualization are important concepts in motivation literature. High performing individuals have these attributes in them. It is true in the case of Sander.
However, his supervisor has to motivate him to value the feedback. The feedback outcome shows that he has some areas of strength, but he requires improvement in some areas as well. Therefore, he should get motivation from the organization. The company and supervisors have to motivate him to follow organizational policies and concerns. It is also relevant to the concepts of performance management (Armstrong, 2019).
Performance management has a link with motivation because the management of performance requires it. Performance appraisal or management requires different components that lead an employee in an organization. This case is about the performance of a high performing member of the organization. A good organization should devise ways to manage the performance of such talented members in an organization. On these grounds, the article or case related to motivation and performance management. It is more important after the acquisition of a company by another company. It has happened in this case. Therefore, these issues become more impotent in this case (Bharathy, 2018).
Conclusion and Identification of 3 recommendation
The above analysis of the case study shows that Landon Care Products/ Avant-Garde does not have a very challenging or difficult situation. It concludes that the company has to incorporate theoretical and practical measures to get rid of the identified situation. It recommends first abiding by three alternatives presented in the above section of this paper. Incorporation of motivation and performance management strategies, developing a work-life balance culture, and succession planning strategies can bring the company culture effective for all employees, including production manager Sander. It also recommends that the company has to study the work climate to introduce new strategies. For instance, the analysis of the situation of McClelland’s theory opens up the discussion and brings forth many possibilities.
Similarly, the company should understand the situation through different perspectives. The paper recommends the situation related to motivation and performance management strategies. Therefore, it should adopt strategies in this regard. As a result, issues related to these important issues would get resolved.
The paper recommends following these alternatives and suggestions so that the company can work on improvements for its top employees and executives. The best thing for the company is to come up with the expectations of high performers so that they can see they are heard. Moreover, these high performers have to understand the value of other colleagues in getting things done. The scope of motivation and performance management should expand throughout the organization.
References
Armstrong, R. (2019). Revisiting strategy mapping for performance management: a realist synthesis. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 68 (4), 721-752.
Bharathy, A. (2018). Impact of Motivation Strategies on Retail Job Performance. Sumedha Journal of Management, 7 (4), 39-46.
Greiner, L. E., & Collins, E. (2008). A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products. Harvard Business School, 1-12.
Rybnicek, R., Bergner, S., & Gutschelhofer, A. (2019). How individual needs influence motivation effects: a neuroscientific study on McClelland’s need theory. Review of Managerial Science, 13 (2), 443-482.
Tamunomiebi, M. D., & Okwakpam, J. A. (2019). Effective Succession Planning: A Roadmap To Employee Retention. Kuwait Chapter of the Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, 8 (2), 1-10.
Yu, S. (2014). Work-life balance – work intensification and job insecurity as job stressors. Labour & Industry, 24 (3), 203-216.
