Black & Decker - Eastern Hemisphere and the ADP Initiative (A)
1. What are Lancaster’s concerns for the future of the Eastern Hemisphere Organization? What problems does he hope to address with ADP?
In 1995 when Bill Lancaster was appointed the President of Black and Decker Eastern Hemisphere his initial impression about the organization was depressing. There were some major concerns one of them is the management style that was followed. The current managers were using the Management by Objective (MBO) type plan which is believed to be outdated system that had been replaced in the US some time ago. There were some bad managers and some bad management styles. It was obvious to have lack of growth and development. These concerns led him to see a dark future. These problems require immediate attention and correction to save the organization from its negative impact.
ADP means Appraisal Development Plan. Lancaster wants to use ADP to overcome above stated problems and move to the path of development. The expectations of Lancaster from ADP are that it would be able to address the problem of getting the ill informed MBO reviews, as in MBO the managers only see very few aspects of their employee’s job performance. In MBO managers meet with employees on an individual basis but it was not fruitful as managers would be ill informed and just make up a list of suggestions. It is expected that new ADP system would solve some if not all the management problems.
2. What concerns do Asian managers have about ADP?
Asian managers such as Anita Lim who had been with Black & Decker for six years were opposed to the introduction of the U.S version of ADP in the Eastern Hemisphere. Her first concern was that Asians might not willingly open up the way Americans do. They might not give critical feedback about their bosses. She also challenges the confidentiality of the ADP system - No matter what a boss says about the feedback being anonymous an Asian might not believe it. Lastly she thinks that a change from MBO to ADP is quite radical
In 1995 when Bill Lancaster was appointed the President of Black and Decker Eastern Hemisphere his initial impression about the organization was depressing. There were some major concerns one of them is the management style that was followed. The current managers were using the Management by Objective (MBO) type plan which is believed to be outdated system that had been replaced in the US some time ago. There were some bad managers and some bad management styles. It was obvious to have lack of growth and development. These concerns led him to see a dark future. These problems require immediate attention and correction to save the organization from its negative impact.
ADP means Appraisal Development Plan. Lancaster wants to use ADP to overcome above stated problems and move to the path of development. The expectations of Lancaster from ADP are that it would be able to address the problem of getting the ill informed MBO reviews, as in MBO the managers only see very few aspects of their employee’s job performance. In MBO managers meet with employees on an individual basis but it was not fruitful as managers would be ill informed and just make up a list of suggestions. It is expected that new ADP system would solve some if not all the management problems.
2. What concerns do Asian managers have about ADP?
Asian managers such as Anita Lim who had been with Black & Decker for six years were opposed to the introduction of the U.S version of ADP in the Eastern Hemisphere. Her first concern was that Asians might not willingly open up the way Americans do. They might not give critical feedback about their bosses. She also challenges the confidentiality of the ADP system - No matter what a boss says about the feedback being anonymous an Asian might not believe it. Lastly she thinks that a change from MBO to ADP is quite radical