1. Read the Question 1

2. Read Student response.

3. Respond to this question after reading the students response:Do not merely agree or disagree, repeating what a classmate stated or what you have already stated. Explain the 'why or how' with supporting evidence and concepts from the course material. Include in-text citations and associated references within a reference list. BE SPECIFIC

QUESTION 1:

It is now 2015, and Smithfield's Custom Furniture has continued to grow. Its new product line of lower-priced furniture was an immediate sensation in the marketplace. The company now has 344 stores and 21,000 employees. The company now has a total of 12 international retail stores evenly divided among Spain (3), France (3), Germany (3), and England (3).

Margot Smithfield, Jonas Smithfield III's only heir, is now running the company. She has a master's degree in design and an MBA degree. She has been running the company for 3 years.

Margot Smithfield and the 12-member board of directors have been assessing an opportunity to acquire You Figure it Out, a moderately profitable 51 store chain of ultra-modern furniture. You Figure it Out's furniture and furniture-related accessories are all made in China and sold only in the United States. Their retail stores are located in Texas (6), California (13), New York (15), Nevada (4), Florida (9), and North Carolina (4).

Margot and her board have reasoned that the company has excess capacity at their 5 manufacturing plants. They know that producing a new line of furniture would mean retraining several hundred of their workers in the new production process. However, if this change is successfully executed, it would significantly increase the profitability of the You Figure It Out brand. The company also sees a market for the ultra-modern style of furniture in Smithfield's existing foreign markets and believe the current Smithfield stores in Spain, France, Germany, and England could display some of the new furniture along with their traditional lines of furniture and take orders that would be produced in the US plants. Other than that, the Smithfield Custom Furniture product line and the You Figure It Out brand would operate as they currently do.

They have decided to conclude the purchase with You Figure It Out executives and want to announce the decision to their workforce as soon as possible.

The Management Issue:Margot Smithfield is concerned she will overlook something important in her communications to employees and the board's decision-making.

Your Task for Your Initial Post

Margot Smithfield is asking for your input to help her understand and ensure she does not overlook anything important to introducing a new furniture product line to the current Smithfield product line. She has requested that you send her a single-spaced summary,using only course readings and proper citations, that addresses (in the order they are listed) the issues she believes she needs to be aware of related to communications and decision making.

1. Explaining to her, why employees need to understand the need for Smithfield to continue to be innovative.
2. Selecting the 3 "noise" factors that are most likely to interfere with the successful launch of the new product line. you will explain to Margot why you selected each of the 3 noise factors you selected, including their potential negative impact on a new product launch if it is not eliminated or reduced.
3. Identifying for Margot Smithfield the 3 most significant obstacles to change that you believe will make the acceptance of the new product line difficult for employees to support. for each obstacle to change you identified, you will explain to Margot why you selected each of the 3 obstacles to change, including each obstacle's potential negative impact on a new product launch if it is not eliminated or reduced.
4. Selecting for her and explaining, the one specific change management technique or tool you think is most likely to pave the way for a successful launch of the new product line.
5. Explaining to her, using course readings on decision making and the most likely decision-making oversight the board could make in the launch of a new product line.

You must use the following numbers and corresponding headings for each part of your response to a particular issue.

1. Understanding the Need for Innovation.

2. Significant "Noise" Factors

3. Obstacles to the Acceptance of Change

4. An Effective Change Management Technique

5. Possible Decision-Making Oversight

STUDENT RESPONSE:

1. Understanding the Need for Innovation

Smithfield's employees should understand the acquisition allows the company to continually innovate and create customer value by introducing a new approach (Lumen, n.d., "Organizational Culture and Innovation," para. 1). Innovation allows businesses to keep up with competitors and not fall behind (Lumen, n.d., "Organizational Culture and Innovation," para 16). Smithfield's acquisition of You Figure It Out will increase profit and provide new learning and growth opportunities for our company. The acquisition will also allow the company to expand its customer reach increasing its competitive advantage.

2. Significant "Noise" Factors

• Filtering

People often see things through different filters which influences the way they view the world and communicate (Lumen, n.d., "Module 14: Communication," para. 5). Filtering is a "noise" factor that can interfere with the launch of You Figure it Out brand by distorting the information in the message. The message to the Smithfield employees must come directly from Margot Smithfield so it can be received exactly as intended (Lumen, n.d., "Module 14: Communication, para. 5).

• Information Overload

Providing too much information at one time can result in information overload. The message communicated to the Smithfield employees should be clear and concise and only include the must pertinent details for the moment. Breaking messages up into smaller communications over time will prevent information overload and increase the likelihood that the message is understood (Lumen, n.d., "Module 14: Communication," para. 7).

• Credibility

Lastly, credibility is crucial when communicating with Smithfield employees and customers. A leader's credibility is based on their experience, knowledge and, interpersonal skills (Lumen, n.d., "Module 14: Communication," para. 14). If employees or customers lose credibility in the company, all communication will be viewed with skepticism (Lumen, n.d., "Module 14: Communication," para. 14).

3. Obstacles to the Acceptance of Change

• Change is inevitable for any company that continually innovates and evolves but it is often met with resistance from employees. Employees may experience concern or discomfort because they don't know how the change will affect them. Having open lines of communication and explaining why the change is necessary will help ease employee concerns (Lumen, n.d. "Organizational Culture and Innovation," para 8).
• Employees may also feel they don't have enough training to effectively carry out the change. Implementing a training plan will alleviate those concerns and ensure employees learn what is needed to carry out the change (Lumen, n.d. "Organizational Culture and Innovation," para 10).

• Employees may also feel they lack support. Implementing a support program through human resources will provide encouragement and build confidence so the change can be accepted much faster and easier (Lumen, n.d. "Organizational Culture and Innovation," para 11).

4. An Effective Change Management Technique

Since communication and management are closely linked, one of the most important techniques for a successful launch is keeping everyone informed (Lumen, n.d., "Module 14: Communication," para. 4). Good communication also helps build an inclusive culture where everyone feels they belong and in are willing to support the organization (Lumen, n.d., "Module 14: Communication," para. 5). Effective communication will help employees gain clarity to reduce misunderstandings, work better as a team, be engaged and motivated, and aware of what is expected of them (Lumen, n.d., "Module 14: Communication," para. 6).

5. Possible Decision-Making Oversight

A possible oversight in the decision-making process may be anchoring. Anchoring is relying too much on an initial piece of information and not changing your opinion once updated information is presented (Lumen, n.d., "Module 5: Decision Making," para.17).