Wisconsin Boat

Case Study 1 Wisconsin Boat

1. Which of Fayol’s 14 universal principles of management in Table 2.1 are evident in the Burger Boat Case?

a) Division of work – The employees of Burger Boats are highly specialized craftsman.

b) Unity of direction – Auth created a unity of direction; so much so that nearly half of Burger Boat’s employees sought to revive the business after it was shut down.

c) Equity – Auth obviously created and equitable work atmosphere. At the closing of the business the employees acted as gentlemen and went out with the same respect that they displayed in their work. Another example of the loyalty created is evident in the fact that half of the employees returned when the gates re-opened, and in one case, after finding a good job elsewhere, an employee decided to return to Burger Boat to finish out his working career.

d) Initiative – 18 employees crawled through a hole in the fence to gather the tools required to finish a boat they had been working on. Auth and others also attempted to establish a shell corporation in an effort to recover the business.

2. Mary Parker Follett would probably approve of David Ross’s management style. Follett was an advocate of motivating employees to get the work done through cooperation and a spirit of unity. Ross tries to establish trust, cooperation and unity by moving to the area to be “hands on”. In addition, he flew Auth, whom the employees of Burger Boat implicitly trust, to meet with Ross’s former employees to witness first hand, the respect they had for Ross.

3. David Ross is a Theory Y manager. What made the Burger Boat business attractive to him were the people who made the boats. Following the closure of the facility, the employees showed a tremendous drive to keep the business alive. Building boats was a natural fiber of their being; it was a natural activity, and something they took great pride in doing. The employees also demonstrated self-direction and commitment to their craft...