Week 7 - Leadership Skills Application

Top-Flight and AmtechTop-Flight Electronics and Amtech Electronics both manufacture integrated circuits and other electronic parts as subcontractors for large manufacturers. Both Top-Flight and Amtech are located in Ohio and often bid on contracts as competitors. As subcontractors, both firms benefited from the electronics boom of the 1990s, and both looked forward to growth and expansion. Top-Flight has annual sales of about $100 million and employs 950 people. Amtech has annual sales of $80 million and employs about 800 people. Top-Flight typically reports greater net profits than Amtech.The president of Top-Flight, John Tyler, believed that Top-Flight was the far superior company. Tyler credited his firm’s greater effectiveness to his managers’ ability to run a “tight ship.” Top-Flight had detailed organization charts and job descriptions. Tyler believed that everyone should have clear responsibilities and narrowly defined jobs, which generates efficient performance and high company profits. Employees were generally satisfied with their jobs at Top-Flight, although some managers wished for more empowerment opportunities.Amtech’s president, Jim Rawls, did not believe in organization charts. He believed organization charts just put artificial barriers between specialists who should be working together. He encouraged people to communicate face to face rather than with written memos. The head of mechanical engineering said, “Jim spends too much time making sure everyone understands what we’re doing and listening to suggestions.” Rawls was concerned with employee satisfaction and wanted everyone to feel part of the organization. Employees were often rotated among departments so they would be familiar with activities throughout the company. Although Amtech wasn’t as profitable as Top-Flight, they were able to bring new products on line more quickly, work bugs out of new designs more accurately, and achieve higher quality because of superb employee commitment and collaboration.It is the end of May, and John Tyler, president of Top-Flight, has just announced the acquisition of Amtech Electronics. Both management teams are proud of their cultures and have unflattering opinions of the other’s. Each company’s customers are rather loyal, and their technologies are compatible, so Tyler believes a combined company will be even more effective, particularly in a time of rapid change in both technology and products.The Amtech managers resisted the idea of an acquisition, but the Top-Flight president is determined to unify the two companies quickly, increase the new firm’s marketing position, and revitalize product lines—all by year end.Questions Using the competing values model in Exhibit 14.3, what type of culture (adaptability, achievement, involvement, consistency) would you say is dominant at Top-Flight? At Amtech? What is your evidence? Which type of culture do you think is most appropriate for the newly merged company? Why? If you were John Tyler, would you leave Amtech as an independent division or apply Top-Flight’s culture to it? What techniques would you use to shape the culture of the entire company? Requirements: There is no minimum or maximum required number of pages. Your analysis will be considered complete, if it addresses each of the 3 components outlined above. Use of proper APA formatting and citations. If supporting evidence from outside resources is used those must be properly cited. A minimum of 3 - 5 sources (excluding the course textbook) from scholarly articles or business periodicals is required. Include your best critical thinking and analysis to arrive at your justification. Approach the assignment from the perspective of the senior executive leadership of the company. Submission: Upload/attach your completed paper to this assignment by the due date. Please see the Course Syllabus for the actual due date.