Going to the X-Stream Case Study
Case Study 2: Going to the X-Stream
Tamara A. Scott
MGMT 3600 Sec. E02
Spring 2013
Professor Emily Lane
Gil Reihana is a smart, young, ambitious, and educated entrepreneur. After graduating college with an information technology degree, Reihana inherited a substantial amount of money. With investments from multiple family members & coupled with his inheritance, Reihana launched X-Stream. X-Stream is a technology company that assembles personal computers and sells them through chain stores & independent retailers throughout New Zealand and Australia. The company gained a reputation for having “quality hardware, customized products, excellent delivery times, and after-sales service” (McShane &Von Glinow, 2013). In six short years, X-Stream has grown into a top technology company and was growing fast.
“Gil believed that major decisions should be made by consensus and that individuals should then be empowered to implement these decisions in their own way” (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013). Initially meeting with his staff and discussing their current job status, performance, goals, ambitions, and future plans was something he made a point to do at least once a year. As the company continued to grow, it became increasingly more difficult for Reihana to continue conducting these one-on-one meetings with his staff, so senior management was put in charge of this task for their individual departments. Unfortunately, Reihana did not keep encourage his senior staff to perform the meetings regularly; he was not even sure if they actually performed the meetings at all or if they were working. In an attempt to keep in contact with his non-management staff, he would occasionally eat with them in the cafeteria. Reihana’s senior management team was made up of various professionals with varying ideas of how their department and the company should be run. Much of the staff was extremely headstrong and more boisterous than other members. Denise
Tamara A. Scott
MGMT 3600 Sec. E02
Spring 2013
Professor Emily Lane
Gil Reihana is a smart, young, ambitious, and educated entrepreneur. After graduating college with an information technology degree, Reihana inherited a substantial amount of money. With investments from multiple family members & coupled with his inheritance, Reihana launched X-Stream. X-Stream is a technology company that assembles personal computers and sells them through chain stores & independent retailers throughout New Zealand and Australia. The company gained a reputation for having “quality hardware, customized products, excellent delivery times, and after-sales service” (McShane &Von Glinow, 2013). In six short years, X-Stream has grown into a top technology company and was growing fast.
“Gil believed that major decisions should be made by consensus and that individuals should then be empowered to implement these decisions in their own way” (McShane & Von Glinow, 2013). Initially meeting with his staff and discussing their current job status, performance, goals, ambitions, and future plans was something he made a point to do at least once a year. As the company continued to grow, it became increasingly more difficult for Reihana to continue conducting these one-on-one meetings with his staff, so senior management was put in charge of this task for their individual departments. Unfortunately, Reihana did not keep encourage his senior staff to perform the meetings regularly; he was not even sure if they actually performed the meetings at all or if they were working. In an attempt to keep in contact with his non-management staff, he would occasionally eat with them in the cafeteria. Reihana’s senior management team was made up of various professionals with varying ideas of how their department and the company should be run. Much of the staff was extremely headstrong and more boisterous than other members. Denise