OPPapers.com

Good Sport Leadership Change

Founded by former basketball player and Chairman of the Board Jason Poole, Good Sport is a fitness equipment manufacturing company in its 15th year of business. Currently the company is in its prime years of business and with the leadership of CEO Marvin Wallace, has been successful enough to market its products to residential homes, gyms, clubs and hospitals. Moreover, the company has extended its products to neighboring states such as Georgia and the Carolinas. In an effort to keep up with the latest trends and equipment designs, Good Sport is looking to striving members of the company with fresh and new ideas. (University of Phoenix, n.d.) Costs of production and marketing costs play an important role in the products that Good Sport chooses to embrace. However, one of the biggest leadership challenges that management faces is getting the employees to accept changes in the company. These changes include the products that are being marketed, the way that products are produced and marketed, in addition to accepting the leadership that is in charge of selling their ideas to the different departments.
According to Von Glinow (2004), “Organizational structure refers to the division of labor as well as the patterns of coordination, communication, work flow, and formal power that direct organizational activities. An organizational structure reflects the organization’s culture and power relationship.” (p. 46). With a vice president over each the sales, finance, research and development and production department, followed by four senior managers who oversee four team managers, Good Sport operates on a formal hierarchy. This type of functional structure allows work to be completed under direct supervision. Nonetheless, despite the hierarchical organizational structure, the culture differs in each department. For instance, the sales department culture is informal and the employees are easy going, however, the production department has a distinct work culture...