Ben and Jerrys Case

Introduction

Team building has got to do with the performance of tasks and activities that seek to promote the ability of teams to work together in an effective manner. It would be prudent to note that in the past, team building has been used in efforts to rein in organizational bureaucracy or rigidity that comes about as a consequence of an over-organized system. Ben & Jerrys Homemade Inc. (B&Js) sought to deploy team building as a way to provide structure to its under-organized system. This write-up assesses whether this was a good move, and what other measures/steps could be implemented going forward.

Discussion

a) Determining Whether a Company is Over-organized or Under-organized

From the onset, it should be noted that for a company to be able to continue being relevant in a highly competitive business environment, the relevance of optimal organization of human resources and processes cannot be overstated (Black, Bright, and Gardner, 2023). When entities are over-organized or under-organized, they are likely to find it difficult to navigate the challenges of modern business environment. They may also fail to pursue and take advantage of available opportunities.

Various factors could be taken into consideration in seeking to establish whether a team or over-organization is over-organized or under-organized. In as far as over-organization is concerned, in seeking to determine whether a team or organization is over-organized, one could take into consideration the hierarchy of power and the extent to which it contributes to rigidity and inflexibility across the organization. In an over-organized organization, there is an established and well-entrenched mechanical way of doing things (Poole and Van, 2021). In this case, regulation and rules are prioritized and activities tightly compartmentalized. The said mechanical way of doing things may result in failure to effectively capture the emotions and/or needs of employees. Yet another characteristic of an over-organized organization happens to be slow decision making that ends up getting in the way of effective performance of tasks and could in some instances results in inordinate delays. Cheung-Judge and Holbeche (2021) also point out that over-organized entities happen to be more reactive as opposed to proactive. In such a case, the authors point out that change may not be anticipated and/or appreciated. As a result, an over-organized enterprise is likely to be caught flatfooted in a rapidly changing business environment, and may therefore be unable to thrive in a business environment deemed uncertain.

When it comes to under-organization, an under-organized organization could be characterized by unclear structures and roles. Here, the duties of each member of the organization is not defined in clear terms, and regulations with regard to work behaviors appear imprecise and arcane (Poole and Van, 2021). Next, an under-organized organization could be marked by poor teamwork. Here, employees lack a common goal and do not work towards the same ends. According to Cheung-Judge and Holbeche (2021), weak working relationships are also a prominent feature of under-organized organizations. In essence, failure to embrace collaborative efforts in this case and inability to build strong working relationships could result in individual workers being stretched to the limit. Most of the factors highlighted in this case were apparent in the case of B&Js. This is more so the case when it comes to lack of clear and well-defined structures and roles, and poor teamwork. The lines of responsibility and/or authority were clearly blurred. For instance, as has been indicated in the case, no unit or department at B&Js took responsibility for the broken freezer door. Thus, it remained unfixed. Further, workers in this case worked long hours and were under constant pressure.

There are various OD interventions that could be deployed in efforts to rein in the problem or over-organization or under-organization. To increase chances of success, the OD intervention selected should be organization-specific. As has been indicated above, under-organized and over-organized organizations have certain unique and distinguishing characteristics. No organization presents with an identical set...

…new culture aligns with the need for the organization to introduce a defined structure to its under-organized system, B&J will need to set a new vision with regard to where it wants to be and how it intends to get there. It will also need to come up with the organizational elements that ought to be adapted to help the company move in the right direction. This could be followed by the institution of the relevant change efforts, i.e. i.e. in relation to changes in administrative procedures, job structure, management system, etc.

c) Further Recommendations

To ensure long-term success, there will be need to measure and monitor the impact that team building has in solving the concern of under-organization at B&Js. This will help establish whether there is need to modify or adapt the primary approach. In this case, there may be need to highlight the relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) to establish whether B&Js has achieved certain well-defined goals.

Next, there will also be need to gather the feedback of all the relevant stakeholders going forward. These are inclusive of, but they are not limited to B&Js owners, managers, and employees. This could be gathered by way of periodic company-wide surveys. Insights gathered could be used as a basis for further adaptations going forward, so as to enhance chances of success

Conclusion

In the final analysis, it would be prudent to note that team building proves to be an ideal way to plan systematic change in the presented scenario. This is more so the case given that in addition to helping employees interact in more effective formats, team building will also help unite employees towards a common goal and enable those in various positions of responsibility to adopt a proactive format in the assignment of tasks and scheduling of various activities across the organization. There is no doubt whatsoever that the provision of structure to B&Js under-organized system will help the company better handle the challenges it encounters in an increasingly competitive…