Organizational Development Analysis: Ben & Jerry's Case Study

This case study analyzes Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., focusing on its organizational development. It examines the company's structure, leadership challenges, and the impact of team building efforts. The analysis explores the factors contributing to the company being under-organized, as well as the implications of this status on its operations and employee relations. The paper outlines the implementation of team-building exercises and evaluates their effectiveness in addressing organizational issues, such as lack of clear structure and communication. It also provides recommendations for future organizational development, including training programs and enhancements to company vision and innovation. The analysis draws upon various scholarly resources to support its conclusions.

Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS
ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS
Introduction
The case study that has been taken into consideration for analysis is based on the
organization named Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc. that is mainly headed by Ben Cohen and
Jerry Greenfield. The background of the two founders have also been discussed in the case study
related to the operations of the organization and the organizational development activities as
well. The major goal of Ben and Jerry was related to the manufacture of best quality ice cream
and they had not wished to be businessmen (Cummings & Worley, 1997). The analysis will be
mainly based on the organizational development activities that are performed within Ben and
Jerry’s Homemade Inc. The factors that have an impact on under organized and over organized
firms will also be analyzed in the paper.
Factors that have to be considered to understand whether team or company is under
organized or over organized
Organizing can be defined as the process that is mainly implemented for the development
of authority based relationships within the work place or organization. The process of organizing
is considered to be helpful for increasing the efficiency of organizations and employees as well.
The work is thereby divided into different departments and sections as a part of the process of
organizing (Church & Burke, 2017).
Ways by which Ben & Jerry’s can be considered as under organized
Different characteristics of the firms are taken into consideration for the purpose of
implementing the process of organizing.
Division and specialization of work process – The specialization and proper
division of work is considered to be a major aspect that is able to contribute in

2ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS
effective organizing of activities. The responsibilities are assigned to employees
with respect to divisions that are formed within the organizations (Church, Shull
& Burke, 2016).
Orientation towards the goals – The organization have their own objectives and
purposes and proper organizing is considered to be a function that is mainly
employed for the purpose of achieving the overall goals. Proper organizing is able
to harmonize individual goals of employees with overall objectives that have been
set by a company (Cummings & Worley, 1997).
Composition of the groups and individuals – The individuals aim at forming a
group and groups can form the organization as a whole. The organization can
thereby be considered as a composition of the groups and individuals. The
individuals within an organization are grouped into different departments and the
work process is coordinated as well as directed towards the organizational goals
(Ferdman, 2018).
Continuity – The organization is considered to be a group of individuals who have
been able to develop a defined relationship with respect to which they aim at
working together to achieve the goal that have been set.
Flexibility – The process of organizing has to be flexible in nature so that it is able
to incorporate any type of change. The ability of adapting and adjusting the
activities with respect to the changes that are taking place is also ensured by
effective levels of flexibility (Gillon, 2018).
The under-organized and over-organized companies can be identified effectively with the
help of proper analysis of the division of groups of employees and the different tasks that are

3ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS
assigned to them as well. The objectives that are set by the organizations have an impact on the
individual goals of the employees. In the under organized companies proper alignment of the
organizational objectives and individual goals are missing (Cummings & Worley, 1997). On the
other hand, in the over organized companies the individual goal are not always provided with
maximum levels of importance. The importance of proper achievement of the individual goals
and organizational objectives can play a major role in enhancing the process of organizing. The
proper planning of OD intervention is able to influence the operations and work process of the
employees of a firm (Thanetsunthorn & Wuthisatian, 2019).
Effectiveness of team building to launch the organizational development effort in the case
Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc. had depicted fast growth after the start of its operations
with the help of unique products that are offered to the customers. The manufacture of ice cream
brownie bars, promotions and proper marketing were considered to be major aspects of the
success and growth of the organization (Cummings & Worley, 1997). The dynamic operations,
social mission and attractive wages have also been able to play a major role in ensuring the
growth of Ben & Jerry’s in the industry. The organization was also successful in developing its
funky image due to which it attracted customers as well as employees from different parts of the
world (Cummings & Worley, 1997).
However, the external image that the company had formed was not in sync with the
internal activities and culture of Ben & Jerry’s. This had a major negative impact on the
operations and profitability of the organization in the industry. The company was facing a
shortage of ice cream and pressure of work was also quite high. Henry Morgan, a board member
of Ben & Jerry’s had appointed an organizational development executive for the purpose of

4ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS
enhancing the operations of the organization and improving teamwork as well (Jamieson, Church
& Vogelsang, 2018).
The major goal of organizational development was thereby to improve the innovative
activities of Ben & Jerry’s and aligning the organizational goals with the individual goals. The
different board members of the organization however had different expectations from the
implementation of organizational development program (Cummings & Worley, 1997). Ben
wanted to enhance the positive feelings among employees, Jerry wanted to increase the family
feeling and the feeling of togetherness, Chico wanted to make the company unique among others
and Henry wanted open communication (Shani & Coghlan, 2018).
The major activity that was however suggested to the organization for the purpose of
effective organizational development is the implementation of team building. Organizational
development is considered to be an important aspect related to proper improvement of the
workforce (Cummings & Worley, 1997). The major problems that have been diagnosed in the
organization mainly include the lack of pace in growth of the systems and people, lack of the
clear structure, lack of a common direction, priorities and mission. The team building exercise
that has been suggested to the organization was an offsite retreat where 20 managers were sent
outside the office (Shani & Coghlan, 2018).
Reasons behind implementation of team building in Ben & Jerry’s
The process of team building is considered to be effective for development of proper
relationships between the employees. The work related clusters that had been formed as a part of
the team building process were considered to be a major part of the organizational development
activities. Team building can be considered as an effective process of the organizational

5ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS
development of Ben & Jerry’s. The managers of the organization will be able to take new
responsibilities and will also set the priorities in an effective manner. The responsibilities and
goals of the organization can be fulfilled with the help of proper implementation of the
organizational development policies (Schein, 2017).
Recommendations related to future operations
The major recommendations that can be provided to Ben and Jerry’s for proper
organizational development are as follows,
Development of training programs for the employees.
Bringing changes in the vision of the organization and communicating with the
managers and the employees as well.
Enhancing the levels of innovation in the organization.
Conclusion
The case study analysis can be concluded by stating that organizational development is
considered to be the most important and effective process of improving the organizational
operations. The future growth of an organization like Ben & Jerry’s can also be ensured with the
support that is provided by the building of teams in the organizational development process. The
operations of Ben & Jerry’s can be considered to be under organized in nature and it is based on
the decision making capabilities that are provided to the employees. Team building activities
have been able to play a major role in proper enhancement of the relationships that are formed
between the managers and employees of Ben & Jerry’s.

6ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS
References
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