Best Snack Foods

Running head PROBLEM SOLUTION BEST SNACKS INC. problem Solution trump out bits Inc. University of Phoenix Problem Solution dress hat collations Inc. either over the last few years ruff Snacks has been faced with declined sales, decrease securities manufacturing sh atomic number 18s as well as steadily decline communication channel securities labor charges. As a result of these stirs, high hat Snack is on-line(prenominal)ly no longer on top of the bit forage industry. The current chief operate officer Elizabeth Fairchild, has enlisted the assistance of Vice President of organisational teaching Sabrina McKay to help inter limiting the germinal and innovative flori tillage.The purpose of this paper is to provide root words to the issues facing trump Snack that leave behind whollyow the high society to regain the cutting unmatched and only(a) spot in the morsel provender industry. The solutions testament localize on the overwhelming invite for a ret urn to original sentiment and k straightledgeability into the musical arrangement. come to up the Situation Issue and Opportunity Identification The snack food industry is logic both toldy changing and evolving. trump out Snack currently has non been subject to keep up with the competition.Several issues provide bespeak to tot upress in the beginning a turn around asshole begin. The issues with best(p) Snacks be deprivation of creativeness and basis, which has led to the decrease sales, decreased commercialize sh be and decreased profits. The time is now for trump Snacks to adopt a culture that cherishs creativity and invention or jeopardize losing even more. A full synopsis of the issues facing stovepipe Snack is outlined in give in 1. As a result of the gaze, shell Snack has rough(prenominal) opportunities to address with the employees. lots of the research on innovative companies points to the importance of anxiety practices that support creativ e employees and their ideas (Best Snacks, 2009, p 4). Becoming a nurture brass instrument is one of the opportunities for Best Snack. Becoming a eruditeness organization depart encourage the diversitys that the chief operating officer wants to tool. As the employees obtain more skilled and start to intent those skills the creativity and foundation garment completelyow for be reinforced and become a zippy part of the corporations organisational culture. Senges principles for designing a swindleing organization emphasizes the importance of building sh ard fantasy, by which he means building the ongoing frame of reference or psychical type that all organizational members use to frame problems or opportunities and that binds them to an organization (Jones, 2004, pg 379). Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas Each stakeholder has their one ideas of how they relate to Best Snacks. The key stakeholders atomic number 18 the nodes, the heed police squad up, employ ees and the sh beholders.Each stakeholder has some investiture in the success of the company and for each one stakeholder wants a high return on his or her investment. The investment and orders of each key stakeholder is identified and explained in T adapted 2. The management group is looked upon by the employees, shareholders and the customers to chance on the finishs that depart ensure the success of the company. These decisions accept fostering an surround that fosters creativity and innovation to keep the company competitive.The employees are looked upon by the management team to provide creative and innovation ideas that gouge control cost and maintain result lines. The stakeholders look to the management team and employees to work in a manner which uses the Capitol in the outflank manner. The stakeholders want a decent return on their investment and want to inhabit that the management team is managing their capitol effectively. The customers want to know they are r eceiving value for their capital as well as purchasing from an honest and reputable company. class the Right ProblemBest Snacks go out provide all employees opportunities to work and develops skills related to creativity and innovation. As the employees use these recent skills, Best Snack go forth be come an organization that will malarky the snack industry in apply creativity and innovation to materialize the companys strategic aim of join on merchandise share, addd sales and additiond stock prices. Describe the End-State Vision Best Snack has an up(a) climb to becoming number one in the snack food industry over again. Major changes will need to be do and the best method forBest Snacks will be to incorporate stand innovation into culture. The company will need to evaluate twain the clientele model as well as technology to see what changements can be made. This will be a first in the snack food industry and will position Best Snack a unbowed leader in the indust ry. The undermentioned bar is to increase creative viewing and innovational skills on all levels of the organization. By aspect at both cozy and external sources for creativity and innovation Best Snack will dumbfound a consistent flow of creative and innovative ideas for underdeveloped and merchandise overlaps.The need for unsanded products and marking ideas is essential to increase sales, market shares and stock prices. Identify the preferences and Benchmarking Validation Making decisions on a product enhancement requires communications in the midst of many parts of the organization, including R&D, manufacturing, marketing and sales, and finance, as well as processes and criteria for making the decisions (Davila, Epstein, & Shelton, 2006, p 120). Best Snacks R&D department is currently not producing the type of ideas that will lead to sensitive innovation products required to keep the company competitive.By creating an outreach design Best Snack R&D department will be in concern with fresh and innovative ideas. By 2000, it was clear to us that our invent-it-ourselves model was not capable of sustaining high levels of top-line growth. The explosion of virgin technologies was position ever more pressure on our innovation budgets. Our R&D productivity had leveled off, and our innovation success ratethe percentage of refreshed products that met pecuniary objectiveshad stagnated at about 35 percent.Squeezed by nimble competitors, flattening sales, lackluster new launches, and a quarterly earnings miss, we lost more than half(a) our market cap when our stock slid from $118 to $52 a share (Connect and Develop interior Procter & Gambles New role model for intro 2006). This served as a major fire up up call for Proctor and Gamble so the company began looking at university and government labs to take a shit partnerships to assist both parties in product research and design. Proctor & Gamble soon realized that this process was paying(a) off be cause of the best ideas had come from the partnerships outside the company. Lafley made it our goal to exact 50 percent of our innovations outside the company. The dodge wasnt to replace the capabilities of our 7,500 researchers and support staff, simply to better leverage them. Half of our new products, Lafley said, would come from our own labs, and half would come through them (Connect and Develop Inside Procter & Gambles New pretence for Innovation 2006). With this new change in obtaining ideas, it was main(prenominal) that the culture of the company changed as well.As Best Snacks is looking to become changes to product line, the company could acquire from creating partnerships with universities and even individuals looking to sell product ideas. Procter & Gamble has acquired a website in which individuals can log in and provide new ideas. Best Snacks could add a link to the company website that could serve the same purpose. The link on the website could be a cost-effectiv e way to begin to obtain new ideas. If the website generates valuable suggestions, and so the outreach course can be expanded as-needed.The solution of a culture change and using an out reach program is the best solution for Best Snacks as it will lead to proceed growth and organic evolution for the company. Evaluate the Alternatives Best Snack has attempted to use incremental innovation without much success and the CEO see this and is awake of the need for radical innovation and increased creativity. She determined to make Best Snacks the first consumer snacks company to make radical innovation and creativity a vital part of the organizations culture (Best Snacks, 2009, p 1).The company will need to embrace the need for a culture change and work toward more products that will reach the target customers. Innovation and creativity is exactly what Best Snacks call for to regain the top position in the snack industry. The company will need to educate the employees and train the m to think creativity and identify innovative thoughts. This can be accomplished by the management team identifying the behaviors of separate creative and innovative companies. Once these behaviors are identified, the close step is to incorporate these behaviors in the daily routines.These steps rophy the ground work to empower the employees to introduce new products. Narrowed total of Alternatives When looking at the list of ersatzs presented in bow 3, the best alternative solution is to look at gaining outside partnerships to assist the R team in providing new ideas. Before this solution can work the culture will need to shift to encourage creativity and innovation from all employees. The employees need to understand that the external ideas are not to replace the inner(a) ones further to enhance the brainstorming sessions. The next best solution would be to create a breeding organization. alone of these steps are unavoidable as Best Snacks focuses on shift to a company cognize for innovation and creativity. Identify and Assess Risks Best Snacks needs to understand that each solution carries a different set of insecuritys. Its important these seeks are taken into consideration before any decision is made. The current risk that needs to mitigate is the declining sales, declining market share and declining stock prices. Table 4 provides the risk and consequences of the each of the proposed solutions and most important it provides ship canal to lower berth the risk of each solution.The management team will need to have impregnable techniques in place to help the employees more toward the new organizational goals. befuddle the Decision When evaluating all of the solutions provided, Best Snack would pull in from all of the solutions in some manner. By developing the partnerships with local colleges, shifting the culture to foster innovation and creativity by follow throughing the behaviors of that lead to creativity and innovation will help to u nderstand ideas to new product lines. The first step is to contact the local colleges to create internships program.This program will consistently provide the R department access to new ideas. The R team can take the ideas and brainstorm how to implement the ideas. The downside of this solution is that the R department may not take the ideas seriously and not focus enough attention to the development because of resentment. The second and third alternative is change the culture to foster creativity and innovation by identifying the behaviors of former(a) creative and innovative companies. These dickens alternatives are interrelated as before one can occur the other needs to occur.The shift of culture will be hard from several of the employees because of resistance to change. The management team will need to provide change management develop to employees because the future of the Best Snack is full of consistent change. The last alternative is to create a acquire organization. As Best Snack is making the other ad on the buttonments to the business model, the company will have no other choice but to implement organizational learning. The benefit to this alternative is that the company will be consistently looking for new ideas and products that new learning will be required of each employee.As the employees learn and share new skills the company plows to learn and grow and in turn the product line will continually evolve to suffer the demands of the customers. Develop and Implement the Solution Sabrina McKay the Vice President of Organizational Development has a full slate to ensure that all of the pieces are in place. Sabrinas first action item is to identify the leadership behaviors are required to lead the company. These behaviors will be identified within dickens months.Once the behaviors have been outlined, over the next three months the review of the current management process will be evaluated. During this evaluation, the infallible changes will b e outlined. During these evaluations, the management team will be review all polices and procedures to benchmark against the new set of behaviors and processes. The management team will have two months to complete this evaluation. Once the changes have been outlined, a new develop program will be created by Sabrina and this should take approximately nine months to create and provide the training to all associates.While the training is being conducted Sabrina will also be work on the creativity and innovation pattern. This plan will include the partnerships with local colleges. Sabrina will have eight months to create and identify the best college to use for the program. Once the partnerships and training is complete the management team can embrace to outline the strategies for supporting the employees in all of the new endeavors. The support for the employees is vital to the whole plans success. The mould will be reviewed every six months to ensure adequately progress.Evaluate the Results The focus for Best Snack is to become the first company in the snack industry actively using radical innovation in the organizational culture. The plan that was outlined in Table 6 and Table 7 has the project holy within the next 12 months. The changes that will be made during this time will need to be consistently reinforced by management. It is also very important that management support the employees as training and change is provided. This is the time for management to increase the trust factor between management and employees.As the trust increases, creativity will also increase. The employees surveys will be used to measure how well the management team is nurturing the increased creativity and innovation. Once partnership program is in place, Best Snacks will have consistent flow of ideas for the R team to brainstorm and transform into new products. As the R team is brainstorming both ingrained and external ideas this lead to additional ideas. Within a year, the R team will be able to provide more marketing ideas and products in a more efficient manner.Best snacks will a 30% increase in new products in one-year. The increase in products will start to increase company sales, market share and stock price within the year. With the consistent new ideas, increased creative and innovative thinking, Best Snack will see consistent growth over the next few years. Conclusion Best Snack has become very capable on incremental innovation and the low risk factors that when change is urgently needed it is hard to stray from it. Best Snack is trying to become a leader in the industry but is stuck therefore the need to shift to radical innovation. The second level at which systems interact with learning is through their own mendment and the improvement of organizational processes. During the execution of a particular project, there is learning about the process itself that is captured. In other words, there is learning not only about the particular innov ation, but also about how the company can improve its innovation processes (Davila, Epstein, & Shelton, 2006, p 218). For Best Snacks to maintain the new competitive edge it is important to continue to foster the communication as well as the concepts of creativity and innovation.Best Snacks is now in a position to use the knowledge of the erstwhile(prenominal) to create a better future for the employees, customers and shareholders. References Davila, T. , Epstein, M. , & Shelton, R. , 2006. Making Innovation treat How to Manage It, Measure It, and Profit from It, 1e. Jones, Gareth R. , 2004. Organizational Theory, Design, and Change, 1eChapter 12 Decision Making, training, knowledge care, and Information Technology. P&Gs New Innovation Model 2006 retrieved April 10, 2010 from http//hbswk. hbs. edu/archive/5258. html University of Phoenix, (2009).Best Snacks Scenario Inc. Retrieved March 21, 2010 from University of Phoenix rEsource Center. Table 1 Issues and Opportunities Identi fication Issue Opportunities Reference to Specific Course conceit Business Model Change to drive The CEO Elizabeth recognizes the companys need to makeDavila. , Epstein. , & Shelton innovation in the followers areas some innovated changes.The changes to the business 2006, p. 32 Value Proposition model will help Best Snack Foods become more Supply Chain competitive. The first change will be to look at the Target Customer value of the items for sale and make the requisite adjustments to provide more value to the consumers. The next step is to look at the supply chain and make the necessary adjustment. The changes should provide product to Best Snacks at a quick and lower price so that cost savings can be passed on to the customer as well as increased margin for the company. The final step is to determine the target customer for the new product or the enhanced product. Best Snack foods to look at what areas that they have no presence and what a reas they need to increase product presence.This will determine which customers they are not stretchability and then can determine value of reaching out to a new demographic. Technology Change to drive innovation The CEO Elizabeth recognizes the companys need to makeDavila. , Epstein. , & Shelton in the following ways some innovated changes. According to the survey the 2006, p. 5 Product and proceeds offerings associates count that management does not quick Process technologies decision regarding new products. The company has Enabling technologies introduced only five new products in three years. The company needs to determine what products they want to improve on or, which new items to produce.This new products could also require some changes in the technologies. The company has just implemented an automotive packing system and will need to stick other technologies that will help decrease cost associated with production.The nest step will b e for Best Snack food to look communication between vendors. The close relationship can also help to crop cost. Organizational The executive team should begin to outline the learningJones 2004, p. 376 learning The process for the individual through the University.Once the through which managers learning continues with the individual, the new seek to improve knowledge will begin to have an come to on the group and organization members when the group is learning the whole organization is capacity to understand learning.Best Snack needs to outline training classes and manage the organization for all levels of the company. As the company and its environment continues to learn the groups and individuals will so that they begin to look deeper into process to determine ways to can make decisions streamline and reduce cost.This is creating an with continual organizational environment that fosters creativity. This will so help effectiveness. The following are to d ecrease the solicitude of taking risk within the company. types of organizational learning Exploration victimisation Organizational decision making is the This is what the executive team is currently working Jones 2004, p. 368 process of responding to a problem by on.The CEO has outlined the problem, which is the hard-hitting for and selecting a solutioncompany is not as competitive and innovated as the or course of action that will create competition. As a result of these issues the company value for is beginning to suffer financially. The executive team organizational stakeholders. is working to find the proper solution that will This type of decision model has five provide increased profits and margins for Best Snacks. different models Rational Model Carnegie Model Incrementalist Model Unstructured Model Garbage Can Model Decision making drives the operation of an organization.At the core of every organization is a set o f decision-making rules and routines that bring stableness and allow the organization to reproduce its structure, activities, and core competences over time (Jones, 2004, p. 375) Learning in a innovative organization Sabrina will be able to provide this characteristic to Davila. , Epstein. & Shelton has the following characteristics Best Snack foods once she is has undefiled her new 2006, p. 212 Process learning is linked to assignment. The first step that she has completed of strategy the employee survey is an excellent start to determine Systematic rise to complex the current state versus the new look of the company. organizational kinetics She is also looking at the values and the mission of Shared vision the company.Both of these will more than likely be Flexibility and high spirits updated to reflect the new strategy. Once the new Timely anticipation of challenges and strategy is determined the company will be working threats toward a sp ecial K goal and will be able to foster a collaborative and challenging creative environment. The company currently has a Best environment. Snack University for the students but the courses are not mandatory.The company should look at requiring so many hours a year so that each employee can continue to improve upon there skills. Table 2 Stakeholder Perspectives and Ethical Dilemmas Stakeholder Perspectives and Ethical Dilemmas Stakeholder Groups with Competing value The Interests, Rights, and The Ethical Dilemma Based on the Competing List Group X Values of Each Group Values versus Group Y executive Management vs. Employees Fairness, accountability and social responsibility The employees completed a survey and it is up The interest of employees revolves around Best to the Management team to make the right Snacks ability to provide chisel security, market sharedecision with the answers. It is important the security and on the job training to impro ve job management use the information to provide the skills.The Executive management has the necessary program to the employees and support responsibility to implement the organizational growth and development. changes in order to maintain competitive. Executive Management vs. Shareholders Increased return on investment, The main interest is the history of innovation, Loyalty, respect, responsibility and reputation of market shares, stock performance, operating company. profit, return on investment, and profitability.The shareholders are fearful about their investments not increasing and the shareholders want to know that the capitol is being managed properly. If the capitol is being managed properly then there should be a return on their capitol. Executive Management vs. Customers Customer is interested in cost and quality. The CEO Elizabeth Fairchild has meeting with The customer is also wanting accountability and customers to talk about values and how they candidly from the executive team. compare to the competition. The customers are expecting that the company to take their answers and work to make the necessary changes. Table 3 Analysis of Alternative Solutions pic Table 4 Risk Assessment and Mitigation Risk Assessment and Mitigation Alternative Risks and Probability Consequence and Severity Mitigation Techniques and Strategies Identify and individual and ineffectual due to lack of According to the survey results, Management team will communicate organizational behaviors that participation and rejection by the employees do not believe that how creativity and innovation will foster creativity and employees high alter innovation and creativityassist the company to reach the new innovation There is littler or no growth low is doable high goals Inadequate management of strategies leave alone not have present(prenominal) impact on structures, or cultures low product improvements, fina nce or The management team will also need reputation-medium to understand all of the dynamics that affect growth. Create organizational learning Employees are hesitating to follow the Increase turnover as employees The CEO and organizational learning system- high will not make necessary changes management team will need to medium define and communicate the organizational learning process. Adapt a culture that focuses onCreation of goals for employees to haveWill not address all of the The management team will focus on creativity and innovation continuous learning medium important issues. high creativity when outlining the new The major issues will still need vision of the company to be addressed Create partnerships with Current employees will resent the ideasThis will generate new ideas that The management team must(prenominal) colleges to generate new and from the outside -high can be implemented by the current communicate the program and foster creative ideas. R&D team with the necessary the culture to accept the ideas as modifications to fit the needs of if they were generated from the the company. Low inside. Table 5 Pros and Cons of Alternative Solutions Alternative Pros Cons Create organizational learning All departments will be on the same rail The training can be costly and be hard for some toward the new goals. employees to make changes Adapt culture that focuses on creativity and come with will operate more efficiently due to The current culture may be too strong to allow innovation all of the new changes in operating models and the shift in focus and implement the new ideas technology and concepts Identify individual and organizational Increased competences for employees that can Products are not improved behaviors that foster creativity and innovationimprove product lines Products may no longer meet the needs of the and implement the necessary changes customer Create relation ships with colleges to generate New ideas that are not bound by boundaries fromCurrent team members might feel jeopardise by new ideas the culture of the company ideas The customer is provide suggestions to improve Students that create ideas may not be involved value or products in whole process. Ideas that are generated can be modified by the R&D team to fit the business model Table 6 Optimal Solution Implementation Plan Action spot Deliverable Timeline Who is Responsible Proposal for new employee training 9 months Sabrina McKay, VP of Organizational Development Organizational strategies for supporting the 12 months (continual) Executive Management aggroup employees Creation of Creativity and Innovation Plan 8 months Sabrina McKay Review of all policies and procedures 2 months Executive Management Team Identify leadership behaviors 2 months Sabrina McKay Identify management process 3 months Sabrina McKay Table 7 evaluation of Results End-State Goals Me trics Target Best Snacks will be the first snack company to Innovation and creativity will become a With in a year, radical innovation will be implement radical innovation and creativity asintegral part of the companies ongoing back up regularly. part of the companies organizational culture processed Best Snacks encourage creative thinking on all Best Snack will now be known as a cutting edge All employees will be trained on creativity and levels by using new skills innovation organization innovation skills within one year. The development of new products will be more With in a year, Best Snacks will see an The will be a 30% increase in new products innovative resulting in an increase in sales, increase in development of new products as a within one year. market share and stock prices. result of new ideas from both internal and external sources The executive management team will create an The results of the discernment show that Full employee involvement with in 4 mon ths. assessment to increase creativity and management is following the new organizational innovation throughout the company plans for the company. Best Snacks will become number one again and Best Snacks leads the industry with creative Within one year, Best Snacks will have will remain competitive due to organizational and innovation products and will increase increased profit margins and increased changes revenue and operating incomes creativity.