Feels threatened by outside contractors, may have relatives who he has done favors for that may lose their job. Harold may have the ability to influence the rest of the board and sway their opinion through his strong opposition.
Other board members - Must decide whether hiring ServiceMaster is the correct or incorrect decision for building maintenance problems. Board members must decide whether to go with political ties, or financial concerns. Ultimately, the decision is in the hands of the Board, as a whole. They must decide what to do, after hearing the arguments of both sides. The other players can attempt to influence these players, but ultimately, it is their choice.
I- Central Problem
The central problem in this case is that old dysfunctional organizational must be changed to one that is efficient and that will take the organization into the future. Change management is never an easy task. There are many issues involved with this process. John Lowell is a newcomer to the system with new ideas, ones that challenge organizational culture. Custodial problems would appear to be the central issue, but they are only a symptom of the real underlying problems in the school district.
Organizational culture appears problematic at the very beginning of the case and continues to be an underlying theme throughout the case study. There is an underlying culture of fear in the school system. The entire community appears to be stuck in the past and afraid of change. The board members hold grudges against those that they did not vote for in the beginning. They are unable to let go of their losses and have a functional relationship. Busby states,
We've had a history of appointing principals and administrators in this county not necessarily on merit, or attitude, or performance ability, or on being pro-education, but on whom you knew, and on how well you were in cahoots with the superintendent and board members... It could be kinfolks, could be a political bloc of votes out there that several board members needed, or some big political muckety-muck in the county who wanted that particular person," (Cornwall Case, p. 4).
Later Busby states,
It was a dynasty that was set up, and you just didn't knock it....They could get on a telephone and run right back to that board member... The board member would either be so bold as to get up in board meetings and complain about it, or put someone's head on the chopping block because of it, or go to some office and take somebody down a notch or two: which is of course entirely wrong, but not uncommon."
These two statements summarize the prevalent culture of the school system. It is an authoritarian system, with a club of dictators at the top. Everyone else feels no choice, but to do as they are told, and not to raise a complaint. This group of self-serving individuals has no sense of team. The attitude is contagious and spreads throughout the rest of the school system. Lowell must develop a sense of teamwork among the board member, teachers and janitorial staff. He must find a way to get them going the same direction in order to make the improvements necessary in the school system. However, in order to do this, he must change the fundamental organizational culture to a more cooperative and functional one. This will not be an easy task.
Developing team-oriented culture within the school system will place the board in a problem-solution mode of thought, rather than a protectionist position, which presently characterizes the board. Developing a sense of team and commonality will allow the board to be proactive, instead of reactive. They will be able to develop solid long-term strategies, instead of reacting on an emotional level to a problem.
Core Concepts
Lowell realizes that one of the key difficulties that he faces with the board is political. He knows that his position as an outsider places him automatically at odds with key board members. However, rather than attempting to resolve the central problem, he charges into the custodial issue full force. His methods to gain board support are largely unsuccessful with the group. Up until this point, Lowell has focused on the maintenance issues, rather than working on changing the attitude of the board members to one of cooperation and solidarity. He should have recognized the problem as one with organizational culture, rather than the superficial symptoms associated with the maintenance department. If Lowell focuses on the core cultural issues within the school,...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now