Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau

Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau-TAK

Case Summary:

Wolfgang Keller, manager of the Ukrainian subsidiary of a German beer company, faces a managerial dilemma. His subordinate, Dmitri Brodsky, is a talented and experienced commercial director who is not meeting his goals expediently and often requires considerable assistance from Keller. Furthermore, Brodsky's style is causing conflict with clients, other staff members, and with Keller himself. Keller must decide the best course of action to take with this difficult employee in an environment in which the industry is rapidly changing and growing and the war for talent is strong. He must also consider what comprises an effective performance review and how his own behavior impacts on Brodsky's poor performance.

Situation Analysis:

Background

Wolfgang Keller:

He had graduated from the Harvard Business School. His first assignment was with a German manufacturer of food products as a strategic planner. He then went to become the general manager of various subsidiaries, of the food major and also helped turn around two of the subsidiaries. Thus he developed the reputation of being a hands-on manager.

After joining Konigsbrau-TAK also Keller continued to be a change agent, he helped transform their loss making Ukrainian subsidiary to a profit making one.

Dmitri Brodsky:

Brodsky was 10 years senior to Keller. He had held influential positions in two large consumer oriented multinationals. Before joining Konigsbrau-TAK, he was the commercial director of Ukrainian subsidiary of a large U.S based toiletries firm. He believed in a formal form of management, wherein he delegated most of the work and maintained only supervisory control. He did not like to socialize and mix personal and professional lives. Also he was not highly proactive, thus he took time to react to problems.

DISC personality types:

Wolfgang Keller:

He had a high dominance trait, which is obvious from his working style and the title ‘Hands...