Good Sport - Leading Change

Running Head: Leading Change

Leading Change

Kristin Conlin

University of Phoenix

Good Sport is manufacturing company based in Coral Springs, FL. Good Sport specializes in fitness equipment and provides organizations such as hospitals, clubs and homes with options such as steppers, treadmills, bikes and rowers to enhance a healthy lifestyle. Good Sport operates in a hierarchical based structure with Founder and CEO Jason Poole overseeing the operations. Jason started the company 15 years ago and because of his popularity as a former NBA basketball player, grew his organization to new heights. Under Jason, Good Sports operates with 4 Vice Presidents in the areas of Production, Research and Development, Sales and Finance. Four Senior Managers lead four Team Managers in the same areas. Even tough Good Sport has a clear hierarchical structure, the culture is split. In the sales department, the employees have an informal attitude and frequently meet outside the office. When is comes down to the company and the customer, the employees know when to stand out because their philosophy is the “Customer is always king”. In the Production Department, there is more of a professional atmosphere, socializing outside the office is not apparent. Here boundaries are set and it is clear to maintain respect to the superiors. In both departments, team members prefer to work independently and dislike distraction from other departments. Based on how the departments need to interact, they are not compatible. The Production Department manufactures the product while the Sales Department takes it out into the market. The two should work together and balance each other instead of working independently of each other.

Leadership is essential to running a profitable organization. Commonly there are four different styles of leadership: autocratic, bureaucratic, laissze-fair and democratic(“Page Wise, Inc”, 2004). With changes in management at Good Sport, also came changes in leadership styles. The organization was first run under a democratic leadership style where employees were involved in the day to day decisions and operations of the business. According to Mind Tools, “Although a democratic leader will make the final decision, he or she invites other members of the team to contribute to the decision-making process. This not only increases job satisfaction by involving employees or team members in what’s going on, but it also helps to develop people’s skills. Employees and team members feel in control of their own destiny, such as the promotion they desire, and so are