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Running head: CHATTANOOGA CASE ANALYSIS

Chattanooga Case Analysis


Professor Ardith Bowman
JWI 510: Leading in the 21st Century
February 14, 2014

Abstract

CHATTANOOGA CASE ANALYSIS

This paper is an analysis of the Chattanooga Ice Cream Division where my perspective of three
elements are shared. The elements are centered on the dysfunction of the team and how the
leadership style of Charles Moore contributes to that dysfunction. Additional analysis of what the
group of employees could do to better understand the perspectives of each other and their boss.
Recommendations are provided for Charles Moore and his team to help them work together and
resolve conflicts more effectively applying concepts from the Welch Way principles, DiSC and
TKI results.

Introduction

CHATTANOOGA CASE ANALYSIS

The Chattanooga Ice Cream Division is led by Charles Moore who was promoted in1993
to replace a top member of the management team who started with the company in 1947 (Sloan,
2003). Charles Moore is the divisions president and general manager with a different leadership
style than his predecessor, which may contribute to the dysfunction of the team especially when
he informs the team that one of their third-largest account has decided to use another product
from one of Chattanoogas competitors.
The senior management team members in Moores division were interested only the
success of their own departments instead of the company as a whole. Due to the fragmentation of
the division there is a great deal of dysfunction, challenges with trust and communication, and
the ineffective leadership style of Moores predecessor who rarely relied on input from anyone
else. Moore is now in a position where he is questioning the capabilities of his team and their
ability to work towards a solution to recover the business.
Team Dysfunction
The team was dysfunctional for several reasons which stemmed primarily from the
previous leader who did not rely on others when making decisions using more of an autocratic
style of leadership which conversely may have led to little or no buy-in from the team and a lack
of knowledge as it related to the mission and vision of the organization and division. The team
did not have a clear sense of the direction without a well-defined mission and limited team
members from holding themselves and others accountable for the divisions successes and
failures and answer the question How do intend to win in this business? (Welch, 2005), which
could add to creating more balance and team cohesion. A lack of vulnerability-based trust
(Lencioni, 2012) and cohesion within the team resulted in distrust of each other and personal

CHATTANOOGA CASE ANALYSIS

agendas instead of what was best for the organization. Among the challenges Moore faced as a
leader were the lack of trust and engagement among his team when requesting input (Sloan,
2003), and candor with each other.
Exacerbating the lack of trust was Moores approach to dealing with conflict which
appears to be based more on avoidance despite the importance of finding a solution to the issues.
Charles Moore would take breaks or reschedule meetings whenever conflict arose among the
team members rather than addressing the conflict, which is low in assertiveness and low in
cooperation (Thomas & Kilman, 2007). Moores inability to embrace conflict and explore his
concerns and the concerns of the other team members limits innovation within the team and
creates a false sense of harmony (Lencioni, 2012).
The abovementioned issues led to a lack of accountability, transparency, vision,
communication and resiliency of the organization. Moore also failed to effectively utilize
emotional intelligence to effectively manage the relationships on his team to effectively lead
change (Goleman, 2004). Moores inability to get his team moving in a direction that was
productive and persuade them towards forming a solution showed that he lacked the social skills
necessary to lead his team with his leadership style. Moores leadership style is consistent with
the S style of the DiSC assessments primarily because he is demotivated when dealing with cold
or argumentative people, being rushed to make quick decisions, and his tendency to rely on
group decision making and his avoidance to conflict (Everything DiSC Management Online
Profile, 2008). Moores leadership style as a S contributed to the teams dysfunction due to his
desire for a group consensus rather than evaluating what decisions needed employee involvement
in the decision making process (Vroom & Jago, 1988). Moore relied heavily on the group to
make the decision rather than letting the team engage in healthy conflict, gathering additional

CHATTANOOGA CASE ANALYSIS

information about the problems with the team and the product line, and clarifying the overall
goal.
Employee Perspectives
The employees on the team would benefit from an off-site team building exercise and the
use of tools such as Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the DiSC assessments to gain a better
understanding about themselves and others they work with. Using the assessments could
eliminate some of the communication barriers they have with one another and begin to build
trust within the team. Once the employees gain a deeper insight about each other they may be
less-likely to misattribute the behaviors and personalities of each other (Lencioni, 2012). By
taking the time to understand each persons background, experiences, preferences and intentions,
they may become less judgmental and more trusting and understanding of each other.
Seeking clarification from Moore on his expectations of the team and individually may
also be beneficial and serve as a signal to Moore that he needs to establish more clarity. A more
direct approach would be to express to Moore individually their concerns about working with the
team. Moore could then assess any staffing changes or adjustment that need to be made within
the team. This does not necessarily mean that Moore would have to fire anyone but additional
training opportunities may be needed for the team to build cohesion, clarity and expand
knowledge where there may be some gaps.
The employees should also place the focus on the needs of the organization rather than
their own departments. They currently operate in silos only concerned about their immediate
areas of responsibility rather than the organization as a whole. This disconnect prevents them
from operating as a collective unit for the benefit of the organization and can manifest into a lack

CHATTANOOGA CASE ANALYSIS

of commitment and loyalty which ultimately could affect buy-in accountability. When they are
able to work collectively as a unit they will be able to establish a similar mentality and place a
higher priority on the team rather than their departments (Lencioni, 2012).
Recommendations
First and foremost, Moore should ensure that his team has clarity about the mission,
vision and goals of the organization and that each person feels connected to the overarching
principles of the organization. Hyper communication of the goals, mission and vision may
restore passion or commitment and reinforce loyalty to the organization. Without a clear
understanding of the mission, values and goals, the employees have no direction of where they
are going and how to accomplish it. An effective mission statement will help to balance the
possible and impossible; and they will feel that they are part of something important (Welch,
2005).
Moore will need to help his team with building trust and understanding each other
including his leadership style. Communicating his expectations of the team would be a great way
to emphasize his preferred method of decision making but with a caveat that not all decisions
will be made in an authoritative or democratic manner but any input or recommendations would
be considered either way and their input is valued and not be afraid to make unpopular decisions
and trust his gut on occasion (Welch, 2005). Moore should also take the opportunity to stress the
importance of each of his employees being able to work together without the fear of conflict. He
should evaluate with the team what is considered to be healthy conflict and why it is important
when working together as a team.

CHATTANOOGA CASE ANALYSIS

Moores leadership style contrasts the style of his predecessor and he also has many
different leadership styles within his team. It would be beneficial for Moore to have an off-site
meeting with the team to focus on the mission, vision, and goals and incorporate personality and
leadership assessment tools such as conflict indicators, Myers-Briggs and DiSC assessments.
Encouraging his team to learn more about themselves and others may help to build a more
cohesive team and reduce the amount of assumptions and false harmony that exists on the team.
Moore should leverage his leadership style more effectively to develop cohesion within
his team. Based on the S-style for the DiSC profile which Moore mostly demonstrates, he should
utilize the Vroom-Yetton model as a tool to help him determine when he should involve
employees in the decision-making process. It would still be necessary to engage them to gather
requirements, feedback, and information to make the appropriate decisions but he should not
base decisions solely on group decision making and delay progress. As the leader, Moore should
not be afraid to be vulnerable to the team, celebrate whatever successes they may have as a team
during the off-site to recognize them and exude some positive energy (Welch, 2005).

CHATTANOOGA CASE ANALYSIS

References
Everything DiSC Management Online Profile. (2008). Resources Unlimited (3rd edition). Inscape
Publishing.
Goleman, D. (2004). What Makes a Leader? Harvard Business Review.
Lencioni, P. (2012). The Advantage. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Sloan, C. (2003). The Chattanooga Ice Cream Division. Harvard Busines Review.
Thomas, K. W., & Kilman, R. H. (2007). Thomas-Kilman Conflict Mode Instrument.
Vroom, V., & Jago, A. G. (1988). The new leadership: Managing participation in organizations. .
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Welch, J. (2005). Winning. New York: HarperCollins.

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