Case
Studies
In the corporate
sector where human resource is becoming like oxygen to companies
it is important to take care of them in every way you can. This
section will treat you with articles about time tested companies
and what they do to keep their employees happy. May be you can
benchmark with them...?
Xerox
- A Case Study
The
90's were a high-profit period for Xerox with their revenues
hitting a high of $220 million, however this year their stocks
came tumbling down from $62 per share to $8 per share. The world's
largest players in the copier business incurred a loss of $86
million dollar as on 31st March.
According
to its president and chief operating officer, Anne .M. Mulcahy,
her role as a leader has never been so challenging. Added to
this the weakening American economy made the business climate
even more unpredictable.
Mulcahy
has spent 25 years of her life at Xerox. After graduating from
Marymount College she joined the company as a sales representative.
However, she has spent much of her career in the HR. Her biggest
success is leading the company into the small-office and home-office
businesses in the late 1990s and for masterminding Xerox's $925
million acquisition of Textronix Inc.'s colour printing and
imaging division early in 2000. In May 2000 she was appointed
president and COO.
Over
the years Mulcahy has grown to believe a few qualities are a
must for a leader to make a difference in his environment. Here
are some fundamental guidelines for all to incorporate in their
lives:
• A continuous
desire to learn at all times, from your own and others work
• Practice
what you preach; you must follow your own values and principles
before you make others follow you.
• Give others
the power to make decisions
Since
Mulcahy has taken over, her list of top priorities include
• Aggressive
move into the colour copier and printing business
• Integrate
its equipment into the Internet
• Making weakness
strength, its marketing department needs to be worked on
• Putting
its resources to best use, especially money which has not been
put to optimal use so far
• Moving from
a "sales driven, results oriented" company to a customer
driven one
• Development
of new management skills
• Training
employees in areas that needs improvement
• Managers
are encouraged assess their own performance and receive feedback
from associates, both above them and below.
• Twice a
year "chairman's forums" is conducted for promising
people with whom she otherwise would have little contact
• Occasions
designed to build personal relationships
• Different
employees receive different training depending on 360 degree
feedback
The
company is in a problematic stage now, but under Mulcahy it
is expected to make a turnaround, the results of which should
be reflected in the second half of the year.
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