Affecting Change

Affecting Change

Leadership is “the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals” (University of Phoenix, 2002, p. 1). The simulation Leadership in Action (2002) focused on a mid-size tele-shopping and mail-order network company called Smith & Falmouth (S&F) that operates in the United States and Canada. The simulation places the individual in a situation in which he or she is the new chief operating officer (COO) overseeing S&F online. S&F online has been in operation for six months and is composed of the marketing manager, project manager, logistics manager, the web development team, and the logistics team. The web development team has six employees responsible for maintaining the online sales channel composed of the website and online payment and they report to the project manager. The logistics team has three employees responsible for managing orders, customer support, and delivery operations and they report to the logistics manager. They are also responsible for reporting order fulfillment status to the marketing manager. The marketing manager coordinates product lines, marketing budgets, and promotional activities.   COO is confronted with a group of unwilling employees to achieve the aggressive targets in nine months (University, of Phoenix, 2007).

Established Methods of Control and Culture

The goals of the new COO are to streamline online operations, increase the reach of the online sales channel, and make S&F online a profitable strategic business unit. The chief operating officer needs to learn and understand the current relationships between the different groups to achieve the goals or she will fail. The current relationships revolve around the project manager, logistics manager, and the marketing manager. The project manager, James, is known for teamwork and building relationships with the other managers. He currently influences and is influenced by the other two managers. He leads by example and has helped his team to achieve...