Written Analysis

LEAD 305: Adaptive Decision Making

Please answer below the Path Forward to Implementing Decision(s) .

Don't generalize the answer plsss.

Executive Summary

Team 2 consists of the following team members: --------------- as a team, we decided to do our final project on Option 1: "Your company needs to reduce costs and decided to move operations to lower cost location and facility. How do you go about choosing the functions and location? What do you do with the resources performing the tasks today?"

In this paper, we will talk about our "pretend" technology company called XXXX and how we need to reduce costs and relocate our operations. We will provide insights on the background of our business environment, the business decisions we need to make, the frameworks/models we will utilize to help aid our decision-making process, identify any ethical or biases these decisions could be faced with and how best to overcome, our team recommendations and how to best implement. In addition, we will provide a path forward to implementing our decisions.

Background on Business Environment

Background:

Our technology company, XXXX, currently runs operations primarily in the United States with approximately 5,000 employees. Our headquarters is in the United States, and we also have our billing department located in the Philippines. Our leadership team wants to expand, but the cost of operations has become too expensive in the United States.With XXXX's future at stake, our leadership was dealing with the increased cost of operations, high labor rates, competitors, and the need to grow the company. With this scenario (Option 1) in consideration, our primary focus will be moving our company, XXXX, to a more cost-effective location.

When relocating our company to a new location, it was evident that several factors needed to be considered to ensure a smooth transition. It was important to our leadership team that this transition is fully thought out as it will impact the lives of several people - our employees, customers, leadership, investors, etc. A lot of prep work and time needs to go into this initiative, and one our first priorities was to conduct assessments. This included:

1. Assessing current operations, legality, ecological impact, and economic viability of the potential move.
2. After analyzing the costs and benefits, selecting a new location with adequate resources.
3. Employee relocation needs to be addressed - considering tasks, relocation packages, legal contracts, and professional progress opportunities. Economic and financial analysis methods will determine what should be relocated, with assistance from industry experts. Assessing costs and benefits of each prospective site using various data sources is important. Relocation assistance, existing rules, and funds will also be evaluated, and expertise from relocation specialists will be sought.

Business Decisions:

The decisions that need to be made in this scenario include:

1. Evaluate our companies' current functions, locations, and operations to assess which parts should be moved to the new site.
2. Selecting a relocation location based on the economic, labor, and infrastructure costs.
3. The potential for government support.
4. We are assessing the potential relocation risks.
5. Determining how personnel affected by the move will be handled.

Frameworks and/or Models

Cynefin Framework

As we at Company XXX seek to streamline operations and reduce expenses, moving some functions to a lower-cost location has emerged as a potential strategy. Applying the Cynefin Framework provides a structured approach to guide us through this complex decision-making process. Our first step is identifying where this scenario fits within the Cynefin Framework. Given the many interdependencies and uncertainties involved in relocating operations, it clearly falls into the Complex domain. For complex decisions like this, the Cynefin Framework recommends taking a probe-sense-respond approach to gather insights:

Probe: We ask questions to understand our current state and constraints. Which functions rely on fixed assets versus movable capabilities? What skills exist among our workforce and what talent is available in potential locations? What cultural factors need consideration?

Sense:We analyze the information gathered during probing to spot patterns and relationships. We look for options that address multiple factors simultaneously.

Respond: Rather than detailed plans, we develop hypotheses to test potential approaches. We run small, safe experiments to validate ideas through action rather than theory alone. We gather feedback frequently to adapt as we learn.

As we implement this transition, managing our resources remains a priority. We assess existing skills and retrain or redeploy employees where possible. We communicate transparently throughout, providing support and transition assistance. The Cynefin Framework is a useful tool for navigating complex decisions like relocating operations. By probing, sensing, and responding, we can iterate rapidly to determine an efficient path forward. With compassionate resource management, we aim to create positive outcomes for both the company and our valued employees.

FAST ACT model

To meet our goal of reducing operating costs, we will use the FAST ACT model to determine which operations should be moved to lower cost facilities and locations. First, we frame the decision - select operations will be relocated to reduce expenses. Our approach will be cost-benefit analysis of location alternatives. Key stakeholders to engage include executive leadership, operations managers, HR, legal, finance, and impacted employees. We must consider their input when evaluating options. Our targets are to achieve the 30% reduction while retaining key talent and skills critical for performance. Nice-to-haves are maintaining or improving operational metrics through this transition. Next, we generate alternatives by analyzing all functions to identify ones more suitable for relocation based on the skill sets required, reliance on proprietary systems or knowledge, and other factors. Research identifies potential lower cost locations based on cost structure, infrastructure, availability of qualified talent. The options are evaluated against our criteria. We carefully consider potential consequences including higher than expected costs, loss of talent or skills, and delays or issues during the transition. We evaluate the likelihood and impact of these risks. Once we decide which operations will move and the destination sites, we build a detailed transition plan incorporating timelines, budget, incentives to retain key staff, and strategies to mitigate identified risks. The decision and plan are communicated across the organization and with key stakeholders to gain alignment. We provide transition support programs to help employees through changes. During implementation, we monitor for any problems and have contingencies to address issues promptly. Progress is tracked against targets to ensure the cost reduction goal is achieved while minimizing talent loss.

The FASTACT model enables a structured approach to guide this complex, high-impact decision. By framing the issue, assessing alternatives, weighing risks, and planning the transition, we can thoughtfully determine how to relocate select operations for substantial cost reduction in a responsible manner. This process helps convert a challenging scenario into an organized, strategic

Path Forward to Implementing Decision(s) -You