With GHI’s primary focus being marketing, it is clear that jobs in this department cannot be cut . At the same time, with the Chief Financial Officer or CFO resigning, the company will not only need to find a competent replacement, but it will also need to retain the experienced staff members of the finance department. This will allow the company to mitigate, to an extent, the risks arising from a swift transition between the old and prospective CFO.
One of the major challenges facing Marvin Ogburn is the aggressive competition between the company’s Eat and West units. In order to bring greater commitment towards common organizational objectives, Ogburn can look to consolidate departments that do not need to function separately within each unit. For example, instead of having two directors of human resources, one for each unit, the position could be limited to one director for both the units. With this Corporate HR Director directly reporting to Ogburn, new employees can be chosen in keeping with the participative, innovative approach that Ogburn wishes to introduce to GHI. Further, with a single department catering to both the units, the HR department itself could be streamlined to minimize the headcount. This will also help reduce the confusions pertaining to the reporting structure and accountability.
As the organization is growing exponentially, it worth noting whether each unit needs to follow a different strategy. Their directors are vastly opposed to each other’s views and have conflicts of interest with Ogburn himself. As the overall operations of the firm are well set, Ogburn can consider eliminating the dual leadership for the units, and bring them under one director who shares the company’s objectives and vision. This move will also provide Ogburn with some leverage to hire a competent replacement for the CFO. This is crucial as the finances and bookkeeping of the company need immediate attention.
Works Cited
Jim, Clawson, New Randolph and Greg Bevan. Goodwin House Inc. Charlottesville: Darden Publishing, 2000.
