Jensen shoes Jane Kravitz story
Case Facts
Jensen shoes established in 1953 was a leading manufacturer of high quality athletic shoes and casual footwear. They valued their employees as much as their customers and sensitivity to employee issues both work and personal was a hallmark of Jensen shoes culture.
Being the leading marketer in the United States the company enjoyed a highly profitable position which they held on till 2003. Sales had begun to flatten and the situation arose where they had to diversify their product lines in view of long term viability.
Organisational Structure
Problem statement
Jane Kravitz and Lyndon brooks came into a situation with different motivations and perceptions. Brooks felt that he was being demoted by being taken off the line management and this interfered with his plans of advancing within the company. While, Kravitz also wanted to be a successful manager and prove that as a woman she is a strong leader who can deliver results and motivate her team to complete their task at hand.
Reasons
One of the reasons which led to the disagreement between Lyndon and Jane was because of the lack of proper goal setting. One of the key factors in acquiring desirable results is setting the right expectations for subordinates. For Jane delivering results was the biggest concern and she had the stereotyped belief that men are better managers, she wanted to prove that women can be equally capable and she can excel in the management role given to her. This made her expect a lot from Lyndon. While his colleagues had to work on one strategic operation, Lyndon was given the responsibility to work on two strategic operations while working on an additional report for a special environmental project on consumer buying trends which was handed down over to him directly through Executive VP. His initial concerns of the unrealistic estimates were not taken into account; Moreover Lyndon was also stereotyped to be able to better understand the requirements of the African American
Jensen shoes established in 1953 was a leading manufacturer of high quality athletic shoes and casual footwear. They valued their employees as much as their customers and sensitivity to employee issues both work and personal was a hallmark of Jensen shoes culture.
Being the leading marketer in the United States the company enjoyed a highly profitable position which they held on till 2003. Sales had begun to flatten and the situation arose where they had to diversify their product lines in view of long term viability.
Organisational Structure
Problem statement
Jane Kravitz and Lyndon brooks came into a situation with different motivations and perceptions. Brooks felt that he was being demoted by being taken off the line management and this interfered with his plans of advancing within the company. While, Kravitz also wanted to be a successful manager and prove that as a woman she is a strong leader who can deliver results and motivate her team to complete their task at hand.
Reasons
One of the reasons which led to the disagreement between Lyndon and Jane was because of the lack of proper goal setting. One of the key factors in acquiring desirable results is setting the right expectations for subordinates. For Jane delivering results was the biggest concern and she had the stereotyped belief that men are better managers, she wanted to prove that women can be equally capable and she can excel in the management role given to her. This made her expect a lot from Lyndon. While his colleagues had to work on one strategic operation, Lyndon was given the responsibility to work on two strategic operations while working on an additional report for a special environmental project on consumer buying trends which was handed down over to him directly through Executive VP. His initial concerns of the unrealistic estimates were not taken into account; Moreover Lyndon was also stereotyped to be able to better understand the requirements of the African American