Question

Case study 2.1 : W.L GORE AND ASSOCIATES  

1. How did Bill Gore structure management within his company and why is this relevant to personality and individual differences?

2. Explain why the diversity leadership program developed by W. L. Gore and Associates is a positive way to better understand and foster individual differences.

3. Describe how the sponsor program developed higher levels of employee satisfaction as well as maintained the “unmanagement” culture

Answer 1

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1. How did Bill Gore structure management within his company and why is this relevant topersonality and individual differences?

The organizational structure of WL Gore is an organic model with the matrix/team structure thatfollows their innovations strategy. This structure influences their innovation strategy, chain ofcommand, span of control and decentralization of processes and decision-making.WL Gore has done a great job of creating a profitable, innovative company. As a flatorganization they have higher participation using an organic model with cross-functional teamsthat have wide spans of control. This includes the free-flow of information, low formalization,and decentralization that provides for faster decisions from cross-hierarchal teams. Theteam/matrix structure combines functionality and product resources. This also creates generalistsrather than specialists to share product resources and allows for timely completion of productscloser to budget with less duplication of activities. Decentralization creates a chain of commandfrom the team directly to the final decision maker with a lower span of control. In addition, theirinnovation strategy promotes unique, meaningful innovations that empower employees tointroduce new products to their teams for possible manufacturing.The team or matrix structure within this organic model clearly creates product innovation, jobsatisfaction, across the board high profits and lower costs. This is a result of the organic modelwith a team/matrix structure influenced by their innovation strategy.

2. Explain why the diversity leadership program developed by W. L. Gore and Associates isa positive way to better understand and foster individual differences.

The lack of hierarchy in the Gore organization would best suit employees with a high core self-evaluation. In addition, employees would possess most if not all of the Big Five factors. The combination of these personality traits in employees will help reduce conflict and create greatsuccess for the company.The choice Gore has made to eliminate hierarchy in this organization creates interesting employeedynamics. These dynamics call for employees who have high core self-evaluation; including highself-esteem and high locus of control. These employee dynamics along with the Big Five factors provide good communication and work environment among employees. Extroverted employeeswill be more likely to socialize and communicate with others. When working in a company likeGore, the freedom employees have demands that each person possess emotional stability and jobconscientiousness. Their emotional stability will provide them with the ability to express theirideas. Their job conscientiousness assures that Gore will have good, quality workmanship,leadership, and idea sharing. These traits also lend themselves to the openness of employees toexperience new ideas and opportunities.Employees who lack the aforementioned traits would respond unfavorably to the lack of hierarchyin the Gore organization. New hires should be screened to assure the company the hiring ofindividuals with these traits. This will keep conflict at a minimum and continue their companysuccess

3. Describe how the sponsor program developed higher levels of employee satisfaction as well as maintained the “unmanagement” culture.

The matrix or team structure of the Gore organization definitely has advantages and disadvantagesfor employees and the company. Major advantages for both are decentralized decision making,nonexistent departmental barriers, and team flexibility. Some disadvantages may be sharing ofresources across products, duplication of activities, and higher costs as well as the challenge of employees being generalists instead of specialists.The first advantage, decentralizing the decision making process leaves the field open for creative processes and products to be implemented and produced. Second, nonexistent departmental barriers enhance teamwork. Team flexibility gives employees the opportunity to work together indifferent groups as projects become available. All these advantages create greater profits for thecompany and greater job satisfaction for employees.Some disadvantages are sharing resources across products which can create conflicts and internalcompany struggles for resources needed for several different projects at the same time. Theconcern then comes in the form of the allocation of resources and company costs for thoseresources. In addition, the duplication of activities if may occur as a result of individual employeeideas being developed simultaneously. Another disadvantage is the removal of work or jobspecialization. When every employee becomes a generalist the cost of time and resources can bemuch higher because more employees must possess a greater range of knowledge.The advantages of the team or matrix structure for a company like Gore far outweigh thedisadvantages. Job satisfaction, faster decision making, a sense of community as well as higher profits make all the disadvantages inconsequential.The Gore organizational design may create various types of relationships with their externalcompanies that have a more hierarchal design. Personnel from the Gore Company and externalcompanies create their own perceptions based on their interactions with each other. Therefore, business environment, company size, work specialization, and technology are just a feworganizational design variables that influence relationships with other companies.The business environment at Gore is one of teamwork, job satisfaction, decentralization, and promotion of employee creativity. All of these combine to promote a variety of relationship typeswith their external companies. Since Gore is a relatively small company, one could assume that they would do more business with other small companies rather than deal with the bureaucracy oflarger organizations. The fact that most of Gore employees are generalists may prompt them tocreate relationships with consultants, contractors, or external companies with their own type ofwork specialization. These relationships may also be created, designed, or developed depending onthe level of technology needed by Gore as well.In conclusion, the Gore organization design may help create various types of relationships withexternal companies. Those relationships will vary greatly depending on the resources needed, workspecialties required, personalities of the personnel involved as well as the level of technologyneeded or used by Gore or their external companies.

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