The Consolidated Life Case: Caught Between Corporate Cultures

The behavior of employees is the key to achieving effectiveness. Throughout this analysis of The Consolidated Life Case: Caught between Corporate Cultures, I want to explain the issues that arose for Mike Wilson upon his return to Consolidated Life, why I think these issues eventually caused him to quit the company, and finally, the ideas and concepts that I believe would have helped the individual managers create a positive working environment.

When mike Wilson left his division of Consolidated Life to manage an office across town, he didn’t realize the changes that would be waiting for him when he returned. Mike was confident that his management style had led his team to produce remarkable results, and according to his Vice President, Rick Belkner, there would always be a job waiting for him if he wanted to return.

After six months away, Mike returned to his original division and quickly realized things had changed. The organizational culture had molded into something other than the laid-back, no rules atmosphere. Employees no longer worked in a casual ambiance; instead, the environment was now task-oriented and serious. It was immediately clear why things had altered, and his name was Jack Greely.

Organizational culture, defined in the text, “is the pervasive system of values, beliefs, and norms that exists in any organization. The organizational culture can encourage or discourage effectiveness, depending on the nature of the values, beliefs and norms.” (Ivancevich, Konopanske, &Matteson, 2011) Jack had gone into the division and completely changed the atmosphere in a matter of six months, which created a hostile working environment for the employees.

It was obvious that Mike’s flexible management style hadn’t been carried over through his previous boss, Rick. Instead, Rick conformed to the managing styles of the newcomer, and focused on using power to drive results. The emphasis Mike had put on working on individual characteristics and finding...