Nokia was once the leader in the mobile industry, but that did not continue. In 2013 Nokia’s CEO Stephen Elop made a memorandum named on media with the “Burning Platform.” In this essay, we are going to identify which elements relate to operation management definition. Then, what step of the five steps within Hill’s framework do we recognize? Also, what internal and external factors do we observe. Finally, our comments on the use of violent imagery and language.
Which elements related to James’ Operations Management definition do you identify within the “Burning Platform” memorandum?
Transformation. The CEO is trying to convince the employees of transforming Nokia by joining Microsoft. It is a transformation of information kind and the type of facilities transformation.
The third step of assessing how different product win orders against competitors is the formulation the CEO is focusing on. He spends considerable time mentioning how Apple and others have succeeded while Nokia failed. He assessed thoroughly the reasons that Apple won orders.
External factors
Social. Such as attitudes since the values and beliefs regarding what a mobile phone should do has changed.
Technological. Such as the superior technology introduced by Apple and then by Google which makes it a barrier to entry for Nokia.
Internal factors
Leadership. Leaders did not master the skills of taking responsibility and continuing with that old mindset do not serve the company, and the need to shift paradigms is needed to keep the company’s performance on the track.
Collaborating. The policy of closed door is dying, and the innovation process is the way for leaders to listen to their customers and employees.
Delivering innovation. Innovation can be encouraged by listening to employees.
Nokia failure has to do with all of the above factors both internal and external. It is a common trait in mature, successful companies as “Success breeds conservatism and hubris (Doz, 2018). Nokia did not continue to innovate and fell into corrupt bureaucracy accompanied by poor leadership. Rivals seized this situation to their advantage and penetrated the market with new innovative technology that meets customer attitudes and what they value in a mobile phone.
This kind of talk captivate the listener and transforms the mood of the speaker into the listener. But studies show that bosses should think twice before making a speech using violent words because this often backfires on leaders (Wood as cited in Brooks, 2014). Because employees then tend to bend the rules and do the unethical behavior for the company to win. The pros of this can be that employees do understand the intense situation they are in. The CEO here made it clear that the company has a small opportunity to survive if they jumped out the platform into Microsoft’s platform, or the company can stay on its own and face death. For me, it is an eye-opening speech rather than a motivational one because as an employee I can not do anything to force events but jumpy and hope for the better to come.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the memorandum emphasizes the element of transformation from the definition of operation management. It recognizes the assessment of how different product win orders against competitors as part of the operation strategy formulation as the CEO’s message. Internal and external factors are well pinpointed. In contrast, the use of violent imagery is considered an eye-opener instead of a motivational tool since the employees can not force events by hard work whatsoever.
References
Brooks, C. (2014, July 23). Violent Rallying Cries Often Backfire on Leaders. Retrieved November 18, 2018, from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6843-violent-language.html
Doz, Y. (2018, June 1). The Strategic Decisions That Caused Nokia’s Failure. Retrieved November 18, 2018, from https://knowledge.insead.edu/strategy/the-strategic-decisions-that-caused-nokias-failure-7766
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