Electrolux Essay

709 Words3 Pages
1. How Electrolux Chief Executive Straberg broke down barriers between departments. Straberg broke down barriers and increased communications between departments by creating a task group of designers, engineers, and marketers to work together to design a product suitable for a Type A career woman. Her attributes are “driven, busy, and a bit overwhelmed (Case 10.1, p. 307).” This type behavior “struggles to get as many things done as possible in the shortest time period and considers waiting a waste of precious time (p. 257).” Competition was ferocious and Electrolux needed insight on a hot product to maintain its competitive edge. The company lacked synergy among departments which often resulted in technical glitches that cost time and money during the design moves. Straberg recruited other company executives with strong track records in innovation to speed the transition. These members were from a heterogeneous group with a “variety of knowledge, information, and experience to draw upon (Ivancevich, p. 284).” The idea was to incorporate a member from every group to accomplish a common organizational goal. The proximity of these members increased interactions. “Highly cohesive groups are important forces in influencing organizational behavior (p. 291).” This approach created groupthink among the members because not everyone had previously participated in product creations. The task group was designed to brainstorm ideas for a product based on a survey conducted of 160,000 consumers from around the globe. The group was formed to satisfy an economic benefit for the company. Diversified groups promote creativity. The common interest that drove the group affiliation was Catherine and three other consumer composites. In brainstorming the product and with the help of these characters, the group was to “think of themselves as Catherine (p. 307).” 2. Advantages for

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