Harrison-Keyes Problem Solution

Problem Solution: Harrison-Keyes Inc.

Harrison-Keyes (HK) Publishing, Incorporated has some decisions to make concerning the future of e-publishing that could affect the entire corporation’s future. The new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has given the e-publishing Project Manager 30 days to change his mind about the future of e-publishing at HK. The rest of this report details what the Project Manager needs to do to gain the CEO’s approval and complete backing for the project.

Describe the Situation

Issue and Opportunity Identification

Organizational mission, project management structure, and organizational culture are the major issues facing Harrison-Keyes. Organizational culture is a key building block towards an organization with the ability to build the proper structures to implement projects. Organizational culture refers to a system of shared norms, beliefs, values, and assumptions that binds people together, thereby creating shared meanings. This system maintains customs, norms, and habits that exemplify the values and beliefs of the organization (Gray & Larson, p. 73).

Mission statements identify the scope of the organization in terms of its product or service. A written mission statement provides focus for decision making when shared by organizational managers and employees (Gray & Larson, p. 24). No mission statement is available in the Harrison-Keyes scenario leading to the belief that a strong statement is not in place. Preparing a strong mission statement with a focus on people and culture is an opportunity for improvement.

The Project Management Structure of Harrison-Keyes is set along the lines of the Functional Organization approach where projects management is from within the existing functional hierarchy. Once a project is decided upon, the different functional units are delegated the various segments (Gray & Larson, p. 56). Disadvantages of projects organized along functional lines include lack of focus, poor integration, slowness, and lack of ownership (Gray & Larson, p. 58). These disadvantages are readily apparent in the Harrison-Keyes’ e-publishing project.

Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas

Among those with a major stake in the success of Harrison-Keyes e-publishing project are new the CEO, the Project Manager, and the employees. The new CEO is interested in making his mark on the company. He has an ethical dilemma in ensuring that he keeps an open mind toward the e-publishing venture, for which he openly states to have his doubts. Jan Peters is the Project Manager. She has interest in making the project succeed so she can get a promotion. An ethical concern for her is to avoid pushing the project so she can look like a success, but to do the right thing for the company as a whole. The employees are perhaps the most important stakeholder. They have a major interest in meeting their own needs by maintaining employment. Finally, another ethical dilemma is how to handle the situation with Asia Digital (ADP). This company experienced a disaster and an ethical decision within HK on responding is necessary. Does HK just pull all business from ADP, or is there another option to help them rebuild or at least maintain a business relationship?

Frame the “Right” Problem

Harrison-Keyes faces organizational commitment, corporate culture, and organizational structure issues that are denying them the ability to advance toward the desired e-book publishing goal and may have an overall effect on corporate health in general.

Describe the “End-State” Vision

Within three years, Harrison-Keyes will be a niche leader in the e-publishing business and will have maintained their status as a niche leader in the print-publishing business. In addition, Harrison-Keyes has grown a corporate culture focused on the employee, the author, and the consumer that makes it the envy of all other publishing companies.

Identify the Alternatives and Benchmarking Validation

Among the alternatives for Harrison-Keyes is the option of doing nothing as the new CEO can choose to allow the e-book project to continue in its current state and see what happens.

A more attractive option may be to start over from scratch. This would require dropping the entire e-book project, doing a complete feasibility study, and starting over with a well thought-out plan. A good example of a company starting a project over is PeopleFirst Finance’s scuttling of a project, learning from the errors, and finding a superior working relationship that is still going strong today with an outsourcing company