Contemporary Organization: Conflicting Values and Management Competencies

This article discusses the conflicting values and management competencies in contemporary organizations. It provides advice on how to resolve the values conflict and highlights the competencies that are important for the 21st century leader-manager in VUCA world.

Running Head: CONTEMPORARY ORGANIZATION 1
Contemporary Organization
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CONTEMPORARY ORGANIZATION 2
Contemporary Organization
Topic 8: Can A strong Culture Be Strong?
What conflicting values are evident in this case?
The conflicting values based on the case study, include strong convictions about ways to
achieve a goal vs. collaboration with different ideas supported by a significant number of
stakeholders. Also, compassion vs. self-reliance and commitment to shared love vs. coldness.
O'Neill, Beauvais, & Scholl, (2016) indicate that organizational culture entails, vision, systems,
symbols, working language, norms, habits, and beliefs. It is organizational culture that
determines how employees interact amongst themselves, with customers and other stakeholders.
But in this case study, it seems that only Indira Pandit, the vice president of HR that has a strong
conviction that the employees who are leaving the organization need to be retained to continue
supporting the company to the realization of its goals. But on the other side, based on the
chuckled, when Kumar Chandra, asked “How long is this list of escapees?” it appears there is a
huge support that employees that want to quit should so (Garvin, 2014). Also, is the only one
who seems to show compassion for the employees the organization, but others like Vikram feel
that as a company they are self-reliant, because he does not see employee retention as a basis for
growth. In addition, it is only Indira Pandit that seems to believe that there is need to show love
to all employees and embrace them as an approach to retain them, while others are cold and
condescending.

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What advice would you give Indira Pandit and Sudhir Gupta about a way forward that resolves
the values conflict?
My advice is to these personalities is that they should root for the people support idea,
because it is an integral part of Parivar‘s culture. The “people support idea” is a culture that is
grounded on community and brotherhood (Garvin, 2014). Therefore, these two personalities
need to realize that the employees leaving voluntarily the organization confirm that
organizational culture of Parivar is failing. But by embracing the idea, the firm will retain some
employees and build a family-like culture to steer their firm to every-increasing success and
profitability. The review of the research of Anitha, (2016), it is apparent that “highly skilled
worker prefer a family oriented participative culture.” However, at Parivar that is not the case,
and that is why other stakeholders are not seeing the need to retaining their co-workers. On that
account, give Indira Pandit and Sudhir Gupta need to realize that they need to call for a crisis
meeting to help them discuss issues that are motivating employees to leave and find an amicable
solution. O'Neill, Beauvais, & Scholl, (2016) agree that organizational culture involves a shared
meaning. But, Indira Pandit and Sudhir need to admit that they have failed to have a shared
meaning and that the reason employees are leaving.
What management competencies do you believe this case highlights that are important for the
21st century leader manager in VUCA world?
The management competencies that this case presents are:
Creating a shared vision, and mission of the organization, creating an organizational culture that
is family-based to enhance cooperation among employees.

CONTEMPORARY ORGANIZATION 4
Human skills in building workplace relationships
Employee retention and human resource and development
Conflict resolution to enhance teamwork and cooperation
Top 11: Welcome Aboard (But Don’t Change A thing)
What conflicting values are evident in this case?
The conflict values include restraint vs. persistent in problem solving, being expedient vs.
decision making to resolve issues. In this case study, Cherly is ambitious and believes that she
can turn around Lakeland and make it more profitable. A majority of the employees are showing
restraint, and seem to distance themselves from the ambitious plan of Cheryl. According to the
case study, “Everyone here is in the slow lane. They’re all wedded to the ways things have
always been done (McNulty, 2002).” This clear implies that Cheryl is facing resistance in turning
around Lakeland. However, Cheryl is committed to make a painful decision to allow the
company to go global and to leverage opportunities in the global markets. The majority of the
employees here want things to be done expediently or want Cheryl to maintain status quo. All in
all, Cheryl needs to make a painful decision, which in her belief will steer Lakeland in the right
direction.
What advice would you give Cheryl Hailstrom about a way forward that resolves the values
conflict?
First and foremost, I would remind Cheryl in this era of globalization, the success of a
business is hinged on growth. Growth is about expanding the market share and sales. Cherly
needs to know that growth starts first with embracing organizational change. In the review of

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Yousef, (2017) research, it is indicated that job satisfaction, organizational, and attitudes
determine the organizational change. Therefore, Cheryl needs to focus on changing the attitudes
and behaviors of employees to bring them on board to support her vision and mission. Ideally,
the change, in this case should be centered on bringing all employees on board to the successful
growth of sales. Thus, what Cheryl needs to change the attitudes of employees towards growth
and changes that come with this move. If the employees will support the cause and have a
positive attitude towards growth, it would be possible to pursue it. Ideally, the point is that
changing the attitudes of the employees to support the changes that come with this growth is
necessary for Cheryl to realize her goal for Lakeland. Beside, Cheryl needs to improve her
communication with employees and top management of Lakeland. Effective communication will
enable Cheryl to share her vision with all Lakeland staff, and put sense in her push for expansion
of the firm to global markets. It is also through communication that Cheryl will create and share
her vision and mission with employees. All in all, if Cheryl improves communication she will be
able to bring all employees on board to support her vision and mission for the firm.
What management competencies do you believe this case highlights that are important for the
21st century leader-manager in VUCA world?
The competencies include:
Implementing Organizational change
Organizational communication
Managing resistance to new organizational culture
Conflict resolution
Effective organizational leadership

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The above competencies are key to leader-manager in VUCA world. Based on this case study,
Cheryl needs to the above management competencies to navigate through the resistance or
opposition she is getting as she seeks to move Lakeland to the next level.

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References
Anitha, J. (2016). Role of Organisational Culture and Employee Commitment in Employee
Retention. ASBM Journal of Management, 9(1).
Garvin, David A. (2014). Can A strong Culture Be Strong?. Harvard Business Review.
Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2014/01/can-a-strong-culture-be-too-strong
McNulty, Eric J. (2002). Welcome Aboard (But Don’t Change A thing). Harvard Business
Review. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2002/10/welcome-aboard-but-dont-change-a-
thing
O'Neill, J. W., Beauvais, L. L., & Scholl, R. W. (2016). The use of organizational culture and
structure to guide strategic behavior: An information processing perspective. Journal of
Behavioral and Applied Management, 2(2), 816.
Yousef, D. A. (2017). Organizational commitment, job satisfaction and attitudes toward
organizational change: A study in the local government. International Journal of Public
Administration, 40(1), 77-88.