Lakeland Wonders: Analyzing Conflicts in Organizational Change - HBR

This case study examines the conflicts arising at Lakeland Wonders following the appointment of a new CEO, Cheryl Hailstorm, and her proposed changes to the company's manufacturing strategy. The core conflict stems from differing values and visions between Cheryl and Mark Dawson, the senior vice president of operations, particularly regarding outsourcing production activities. The analysis highlights the importance of communication, collaboration, and emotional intelligence in resolving organizational conflicts and ensuring successful implementation of strategic changes. It emphasizes the need for leaders to master conflict resolution and foster a change-ready mindset among employees to navigate the challenges of a dynamic business environment. The study suggests that Cheryl should engage in regular meetings to educate employees about the benefits of the proposed changes and improve communication to foster a better relationship between management and staff.

Running head: ANALYSIS OF CONFLICTS IN CASE STUDY
ANALYSIS OF CONFLICTS IN CASE STUDY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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ANALYSIS OF CONFLICTS IN CASE STUDY
Answer to Question 1
The values that were followed by Mark Dawson, the senior vice president of Lakeland
Wonders were quite different from the values of Cheryl Hailstorm who was the CEO of the
company. The CEO felt that the vision that was created for the company was different from
the ways by which the company operates in the industry. The company has around three
plants in various areas of Minnesota and more than 5000 employees were a major part of its
operations. The major driving force behind the growth of the company was Cheryl Hailstorm.
The high energy that was depicted by the CEO of the company was a major reason behind the
successful operations of Lakeland Wonders (Meyer, Neck & Meeks, 2017). The vision that
was created by Cheryl for increasing the growth of the company was not supported by the
vice president of the company. This was the major reason behind the conflicts that had been
created within the organizations. The growth that was planned by Cheryl was mainly based
on the outsourcing of the various activities of the company based on production. The
outsourcing of activities was a step that was planned to reduce the costs related to production
and further to increase the speed (Hill, Jones & Schilling, 2014).
Answer to Question 2
Cheryl Hailstorm had a vision for the future growth of the company in the industry.
The main part of the vision is based on the outsourcing of manufacturing process and
launching a new product line. The team in the company was with the decision that had been
made by the CEO. However, the employees had different opinions about the decisions that
had been taken by the management. The support that is provided to the CEO with respect to
the various steps that has been taken by her was also different. The CEO can thereby hold
regular meetings with the employees so that they can be educated about the benefits that can

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ANALYSIS OF CONFLICTS IN CASE STUDY
be gained by the company with the help of implementation of the different processes
(McNulty, 2018).
Answer to Question 3
The management competencies that need to be mastered by the leaders of the 21st
century are based on the resolution of the conflicts. The managers need to reduce the conflicts
that can occur in the various organizational processes. This can further be helpful for the
successful operations of the company. The emotional intelligence that is possessed the
leaders is also a major management competency that has been a part of the case. Cheryl
thereby needs to collaborate with the employees and the take create an emotional connect
with them. The communication skills of the leaders are another important management
competency that can be helpful for success of the company in the future and the relationship
of the employees with the managers can be improved. The various decisions and the vision of
the manager can be communicated to the employees with the help of the proper
communication skills (Wheelen et al., 2017).

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ANALYSIS OF CONFLICTS IN CASE STUDY
References
Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R., & Schilling, M. A. (2014). Strategic management: theory: an
integrated approach. Cengage Learning.
McNulty, E. (2018). Welcome Aboard (But Don’t Change a Thing). Retrieved from
https://hbr.org/2002/10/welcome-aboard-but-dont-change-a-thing
Meyer, G. D., Neck, H. M., & Meeks, M. D. (2017). The entrepreneurship‐strategic
management interface. Strategic entrepreneurship: Creating a new
mindset, 17-44.
Wheelen, T. L., Hunger, J. D., Hoffman, A. N., & Bamford, C. E. (2017). Strategic
management and business policy. pearson.