The company
The Oracle Office Furniture Company is owned by Bill Stevenson and has been supplying furniture to businesses in the city for over 50 years. Although it is a small company, it has gained a reputation for high-quality, sturdy, long-lasting office desks and cabinets. The company is situated in an old warehouse by the wharf but these premises have reached their full capacity. On several occasions the company has leased a building on a distant industrial estate and have used this for finishing, wrapping and storing.
The personnel
Bob Furniss, the manager, has worked his way up from the production floor. He prides himself on his ability to ‘fire up the lads’ when jobs have to be done and he likes to keep company with them on a Friday night in the local pub. He is well liked but is known for his fiery temper, which is getting worse as the company gets busier.
Karen Shirley manages the administration for the company, including all the accounts, purchasing supplies and processing orders. Karen runs the office like clockwork. She has an incredible memory and, if asked, can just about name every customer the firm has on its books. Not only that, but she knows their history and who needs a ‘hurry up’ when it comes to paying their accounts. Karen does not tolerate mistakes, and feels the only way to avoid them is to control everything with a firm hand.
Pippa Johns manages a team of four staff. They distribute the orders and transfer any items that need finishing from the main site to the temporary site. Pippa is considered the ‘bright spark’ of the company, having come straight from university as a graduate in business studies. Eager to use the theory she learnt at university, Pippa was keen to take the first job that was offered. She finds the company very male-oriented, but feels she is educating them in more enlightened practices. Her department is operating well and her management style is appreciated, as she gives the men credit for their experience and lets them get on with the job.
Ginger Roberts manages the production section. Ginger moved to the area from the East Coast about 3 years ago. He is the stalwart of the local rugby team, and his office is plastered with awards and trophies for various sports he is involved in. Ginger is a large man: he is almost 2 metres tall and has an imposing presence. His size is intimidating and often instills fear in his rugby opponents. In the factory, however, it’s a different story. The guys will do anything for Ginger and often work extremely hard for him as the pressure to finish jobs arises. Ginger’s wife, Maire, is very sick at the moment and this leaves Ginger stretched between work, Maire’s regular visits to the doctor, and looking after their five school-age children.
The scenario
Bob arrived at work one Monday morning to find a message on his voicemail from a large company asking if Oracle could supply a single shipment of desks and cabinets for their office refit. After contacting the company, Bob was shaking with excitement. It was the biggest order in the company’s history. In fact, it was their entire normal production for a month. Incredibly, the customised furniture would yield a substantial profit and hugely improve their turnover.
Without any consultation or further thought, Bob accepted the order. He then called a meeting of the managers.
The meeting
Bob opened the meeting with great excitement and enthusiasm. He announced that the company had won the order and that this would `put them on the map´. In the silence that followed, Bob started to feel uncomfortable. ‘What’s up with you people? This is a great job to get. We can really have some fun with this one. You have to take up the challenge and go for it. You know what they say: fortune favours the brave.’
Ginger was the first to reply. ‘ What about our normal production? There won’t be enough time to do that and this order. Have you checked we can get the supplies to make the stuff? Do I get extra staff? I hope you have a big budget for overtime.’
Karen then jumped in. ‘This is so ridiculous. Mr Jones’ order has to go out next week. What do I tell him? The purchasing budget won’t stretch that far. This new company is renowned for not paying on time. It will really stretch us.’
Pippa simply smiled and asked ‘Can we produce a project plan and have critical dates noted? I would like to organise staggered delivery so that I can maximise the use of my team.’
Bob stood up and stared at everyone, his face turning a deep shade of purple. ‘Now understand this, you lot. This deal is final. Get your acts together and start managing the process. Planning is all that’s needed, so show me your worth. If you can’t do it, say so, because I’m sure we can find others who can,’ he shouted. ‘This meeting is now over and I want your action plans on my desk by the day after tomorrow, so get on with it!’
The aftermath
After everyone had left, Bob pulled out a pad of paper and listed each department. He made three columns beside each one. In the first column he wrote what he expected each department to do. In the second he put a target date. Then, with great deliberation, he wrote what he thought would be their biggest problem in the third column.
On his evaluation, the job could be done and the workload handled, but he needed to be ready if anyone let him down. He was determined to push the teams hard. This was his baby and he wasn’t going to let anyone spoil it for him.
Karen went back to her office and slammed the door. She, too, pulled out a pad of paper and proceeded to list everything that would need ordering. She also calculated costs and how much money was needed to pay for everything.
She had several immediate worries. Firstly, there was ordering the supplies. She grabbed her phone book and listed the numbers of the 12 suppliers she would need to deal with. She spent considerable time analysing the accounts to see who she could ‘hurry up’ to get some bills paid to help the bank balance. She then worked out a possible wage bill for the next month, including a sum for extra temporary workers. After this, she looked up and saw it was 8 p.m. She had a splitting headache. Her staff had gone home ages ago and she had not noticed.
Pippa was deep in thought as she returned to her office. She recognised that most staff were going to be unhappy about this contract and doing her job properly would take some serious planning.
She cleared her desktop and started to lay out some graph paper. She then created a detailed Gantt chart and a critical path analysis for the whole operation. When complete, it was a work of art. She could see every step of the process and where all the bottlenecks were going to be. She had covered all the personnel and resources that were needed and when they needed to be on hand. She could also see that her department would not be busy until at least the 25th of the month. There would be plenty of time to prepare and organise the crew so that they were ready to handle the extra work. She even had a copy for Bob and was sure he would be impressed with her efficiency.
Ginger sat quietly at his desk and thought through his plan of action. He made some notes on a piece of paper and then called all of his team together.
‘Right people, here’s the whole picture. We’ve been dumped on again. Management have taken on too much work and it’s up to us to pull them out of the mess again.’
Ginger then explained the predicament as he saw it.
‘So I’ve got us all together to work out our strategies and get a plan of action underway. Who wants to start?’
Ginger allowed the team to let off some steam, and then they got down to the details of how they could handle such a large increase in production. Willing volunteers came forward for overtime and a list of possible temporary workers was made. Everyone contributed to the action plan and at the end they all understood what was going to happen.
Ginger went back to his office satisfied that his team would cope and, if necessary, he could roll up his sleeves and help out.
Bob shook his head as he studied Pippa’s charts. He wondered what on earth they all meant. Still, at least she was on his side. He had told her gently that he would look at them when he had time and she wasn’t to worry her little head about such big things. After all, there was still a lot for her to learn.
As he slipped the charts away into the drawer he wondered how everyone else was coping.
The job
Week one had been fine. Bob had assurances from everyone that they were coping. He did notice that Karen wasn’t looking too well but put that down to a ‘touch of the flu’.
Then things happened fast.
Karen rushed into Bob’s office and exclaimed that she had just had a huge argument with Mr Jones. One of her staff had spent some time trying to explain the delay of his order and she had taken charge of the situation. She had simply told Mr Jones that he was not a priority this month and he would have to wait until they got to his order. ‘He has been very rude,’ Karen said. ‘There was no need to attack me like that. I was only doing my job.’
Production had ground to a halt! Ginger was nowhere to be found. Bob then discovered that Ginger had not been in for 2 days. He had been looking after the kids during the school holidays and would be back tomorrow. When Bob rang him at home, Ginger simply stated that his team knew what to do and would sort out any problems. He didn’t need to be there all the time as they worked like a well-oiled machine.
When Bob explained that the ‘machine’ had stopped, Ginger sighed and asked to speak to one of his lead workmen. After a short discussion, the workman hurried off and things started up again. It turned out some extra lacquer supplies that Ginger had ordered could not be stored in the factory and he had arranged for them to be kept at the leased site. He had forgotten to tell anyone.
When Bob visited Pippa’s crew he found them sitting around a table playing cards. There was a lighthearted chuckle as Bob started to get angry over their laziness. Pippa arrived just in time to explain that if Bob had looked at the charts he was given he would see that there were times when her crew would be flat out and times like this when little was happening. She felt the one balanced the other. She resented Bob’s approach to her team and defended them strongly.
The next day, when Ginger came back to work, Bob walked out onto the factory floor and, with a great deal of finger pointing and screaming, really told him off. Everyone stopped work to watch but when it was over quickly turned away so that they did not make eye contact with either of them.
The last 2 days before the order was due were hectic. A full crew worked a 24-hour shift and completed the production with hours to spare. Pippa’s team did two full loads per truck and handled the delivery of all other work without a hitch.
The fall out
Oracle lost Mr Jones’ business. He cancelled all further work with the company. This means Oracle will have some slack time in its production schedule in the next few months. It is even possible a couple of the production crew may get laid off.
Karen has taken a week’s leave and is exhausted. Her team is trying to cope, but are limited by the fact that most of the information seems to be only in Karen’s head.
Ginger has resigned. He is staying home to look after his family and is currently waiting to receive a benefit to help with expenses. He is living off the money he received when he withdrew from the Oracle superannuation scheme.
Pippa is looking for a job that recognises her abilities. She feels it’s time to develop more management skills and it isn’t happening for her at Oracle.
Bob is really happy. The job is done, it went well as far as he is concerned and he is looking forward to the next big challenge.
He has placed an advertisement in the paper for a new production manager and believes that fresh ideas will make the factory work better.
In a mellow mood, Bob goes onto the factory floor and calls the crew together.
‘Well done lads. I really appreciate your efforts. It’s reward time now. I’ll see you all down the pub after work and the drinks are on me!’
As Bob turns away and walks back to his office he doesn’t see the angry looks from the crew as they go back to work.
The owner wants answers
Bill, the owner of Oracle Office Furniture Company, hears about Mr Jones’ decision and staff resignations in his monthly meeting with Bob. He is getting worried and decides to get professional help to identify the problems in his company.
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