Jackson 1
Traci Jackson
Final Project Milestone One
Southern New Hampshire University
5/29/2018
Jackson 2
Introduction
From the case study, the GM Company is described as a firm faced with reluctance in raising
issues as a result of poor communication (The GM Culture Crisis, n.d). Messages from
employees and junior managers do not reach the senior managers on time. Nevertheless,
some leaders who have got crucial information are irresponsible and take no action to inform
top management for action to take place. The firm is portrayed as an organization with a poor
communication culture system and slow in acting towards solving the crisis. For instance,
taking too long to act on the ignition switch crisis. This is an indication of a dysfunctional
organization culture despite its achievements in the global environment. The GM Company
has several strengths and weaknesses. Some of the strengths include having leaders who
accept and acknowledge the failures of the company and ready to take action. Mary Barra
accepts the failures and is ready to move on to implement the best possible strategies to
overcome similar challenges in the future. Some of the weaknesses include the existence of a
poor functional culture as well as leadership. The communication platforms are also not taken
seriously, thus leading to delayed decisions. This is a weakness that has led to the existing
problem in the scenario.
Organizational Modeling
The custodial model is employed in the GM organization. This model is characterized by
passive cooperation whereby the employees and other junior managers do not participate in
the initiation of action plans to counter prevailing challenges. They only rely on the top
management to initiate and respond to issues. Employees are just concerned with job security
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and production. The model relies on economic resources which is well elaborated from the
case study.
Other models employed in other industries include the supportive, autocratic, and collegial
models. In the Autocratic model, authority is the managerial orientation unlike in custodial
whereby financial resources are the managerial orientation. Nevertheless, in autocratic,
employees’ psychological results rely on the manager (Barjis, p.21). What about the
supportive model? The orientation is support and relies heavily on the leadership style. In this
model, employees receive support from their leaders to accomplish various tasks. In the
collegial model, teamwork is the orientation to management. Employees depend on
teamwork to meet the objectives of the organization as well as making decisions. There is
more focus on the social organization of the employees. For the model to work out
effectively, an employee’s self-discipline is essential. With discipline, it is easy to work in
teams with minimal conflicts.
Different companies make use of different organizational models due to factors such as
environmental factors, size, strategy, and age. When it comes to environmental factors,
culture plays a very big role. How do the locals conduct themselves? If the people working in
the firm like working in teams, then it will be effective if the firm will bring in a model that
supports teamwork. Nevertheless, the objectives of the organization will determine the kind
of model to adopt. Every firm will select a model that best suits its number of employees. A
model that they can employ with much ease.
The current impact of culture on organizational models is very high. GM Company is trying
to bring in a supportive model. First of all, it is good to understand that culture is an
industry’s way of doing things. Most industries have employed the use of technologies which
were not used in the past model. Culture has interfered with communication, both negatively
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and positively as far as the organizational models are concerned. For instance, reducing the
gap between the senior managers, junior managers, and the employees. Organizational
models accommodate all these individuals and information communication technologies have
reduced the distance between them. Ideas can now be shared very fast just through the click
of a button. On the other side, social work has been reduced with these new cultures. People
no longer come together to discuss issues like they used to do in organizational meetings.
They depend on online platforms which are not as reliable as face to face communication.
The past models emphasized on teamwork while the current ones are majorly based on
specialization.
GM was not operating according to its model due to the communication breakdown. Upward
communication was broken down since it is evident from the scenario that it took long for
Barra to know that GM was in a crisis. Being a multinational company, GM needs to develop
a model which will encourage more consumers. To do so, they need to improve the quality of
their products by addressing issues on time. The best model for this firm would be the
supportive model. If leaders start supporting the employees, then problems will be identified
in time and addressed before escalating to new levels. The supportive model makes
employees feel recognized and it supports all communication lines: horizontal, downward,
and vertical. With the changes initiated with Barra, GM will be able to operate to its model.
Motivational models have not shifted as much as the organizational models have. This is
because motivational models just have the same objectives which include increasing effort
among the employees. On the other hand, organizational models focus on several unique
objectives which lead to them changing every time to meet them. They thereby drastically
shift.
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Works Cited
Barjis, Joseph. Enterprise and Organizational Modeling and Simulation: 11th International
Workshop, Eomas 2015, Held at Caise 2015, Stockholm, Sweden, June 8-9, 2015: Selected
Papers. , 2015. Print.
“The GM Culture Crisis: What Leaders Must Learn from This Culture Case Study.” Switch &
Shift, 4 Aug. 2017, switchandshift.com/the-gm-culture-crisis
Discussion Rubric: Undergraduate
Your active participation in the discussion forums is essential to your overall success this term. Discussion questions are designed to help you make meaningful
connections between the course content and the larger concepts and goals of the course. These discussions offer you the opportunity to express your own
thoughts, ask questions for clarification, and gain insight from your classmates’ responses and instructor’s guidance.
Requirements for Discussion Board Assignments
Students are required to post one initial post and to follow up with at least two response posts for each discussion board assignment.
For your initial post (1), you must do the following:
Compose a post of one to two paragraphs.
In Module One, complete the initial post by Thursday at 11:59 p.m.
Eastern Time.
In Modules Two through Eight, complete the initial post by Thursday at
11:59 p.m. of your local time zone.
Take into consideration material such as course content and other
discussion boards from the current module and previous modules, when
appropriate (make sure you are using proper citation methods for your
discipline when referencing scholarly or popular resources).
For your response posts (2), you must do the following:
Reply to at least two different classmates outside of your own initial
post thread.
In Module One, complete the two response posts by Sunday at 11:59
p.m. Eastern Time.
In Modules Two through Eight, complete the two response posts by
Sunday at 11:59 p.m. of your local time zone.
Demonstrate more depth and thought than simply stating that “I agree”
or “You are wrong.” Guidance is provided for you in each discussion
prompt.
Rubric
Critical Elements
Comprehension
Exemplary
Develops an initial post with an
organized, clear point of view or
idea using rich and significant detail
(100%)
Timeliness
Engagement
Writing
(Mechanics)
Provides relevant and meaningful
response posts with clarifying
explanation and detail (100%)
Writes posts that are easily
understood, clear, and concise
using proper citation methods
where applicable with no errors in
citations (100%)
Proficient
Develops an initial post with a
point of view or idea using
adequate organization and
detail (85%)
Submits initial post on time
(100%)
Provides relevant response
posts with some explanation
and detail (85%)
Writes posts that are easily
understood using proper
citation methods where
applicable with few errors in
citations (85%)
Needs Improvement
Develops an initial post with a
point of view or idea but with
some gaps in organization and
detail (55%)
Submits initial post one day late
(55%)
Provides somewhat relevant
response posts with some
explanation and detail (55%)
Writes posts that are
understandable using proper
citation methods where
applicable with a number of
errors in citations (55%)
Not Evident
Does not develop an initial post
with an organized point of view
or idea (0%)
Value
40
Submits initial post two or more
days late (0%)
Provides response posts that
are generic with little
explanation or detail (0%)
Writes posts that others are not
able to understand and does
not use proper citation
methods where applicable (0%)
10
Total
30
20
100%
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