Case Study on Xerox

By:

About Clendenins & MDCs success

Success
Clendenin rewarded with 4 promotions since 1984 Annual budget of MDC grown from $400,000 to $ 4 million Staff increased from 4 to 42

Other facts
MDC, the division of Xerox achieved these success while every other staff group reduced its funding and staff Created resentment among those who had not been successful in getting resources for their organization

Inference
He needs to emphasize that
Since the organization/sub organization grows it is necessary to get more resources The resources where the same initially

Clendenins background
Worked as a major in Marine Corps previously
Inference
Even though work nature can be different, methods of achieving a task are almost same in every organization

Joined Xerox even though more beneficial offers were there in investment banking
Corporate culture of Xerox same as Marine
Inference
Even though there can be more beneficial offers, people can still choose that workplace where they are happy working though compensation is not high

Like Dell, he proved that using direct marketing, i.e. forward integration brings more profit
Inference
Forward integration obviously brings more savings in profit

Bonding with Gunning Even though Tom Gunning the new employee did not have any experience, he treated him as his friend and went to lunch together and even attended his wedding
Inference
Personal relationships are also required to motivate people and make workplace worth working Qualification should be preferred more than experience

MSDC
Clendenin suggested teamwork
When one unit has excess inventory it should share it with other unit who needs it
It saved costs for company as a whole

CISB Corporate Information Systems Board

Met four times in a year to review the corporate systems development For USMG (US Division), it is a long process
Each continental division should have its own division and a central information department should be there for everyone This is because information is vital for taking any decision

New proposal
3 Multinational groups were formed including MDC MDC
Clendenin had no authority
The department went into losses and also faced lot of employee turnover

Inference
The company needs to be reasonable and give proper authority if it wants to achieve the targets

Clendenins new idea

Activities
Increase staff Receive funds Coordinate meetings and organize activities by traveling to Europe

Features of each working group

Was given its primal responsibility With implementing few tasks

Results
Members found it easier to fund projects than to find manpower or to do it on their own Discovered 42 new opportunities

Staffing and managing

Members protest of expense Clendenins strategy
Clendenin said that he always spoke about teamwork and that must be thought by keeping ego aside Tried to maintain delicate balance to grow Reason
No member should be felt dissatisfied that he was being treated unjustly when we explain with details

Staff culture
Democratic and rumor based setup
If anyone badmouths anyone, all of them go against Results
Negative evaluations like staffing by random people was baseless

Clendenin focused on
More emphasis on intelligence and knowledge than on formal qualifications Reasonable treatment
E.g. If an employee wanted to leave early he could so long he compensated for that some other day or time

Results of such staffing

All members and customers appreciated Clendenins approach Others who were skeptical did not see any concrete results
The skepticism needs to be broad minded and needs to be looked at long-term basis as they did not see below what customers and managers said about this (merely thinking and saying that it was skepticism does not mean that it really is)

Managers
As they department was not bureaucratic

Customers
Because the staff could attend meetings to see their problems as they were not overstressed

Clendenin as a manager
Motivating, developing and goal setting
Motivation because he rarely gives a negative feedback unless absolutely necessary Again because of personal relations

Building trust and managing conflict

As he builds personal relations with people

Organizing changes affecting the MDC & Clendenins future

After every retirement
Drastic changes took place in MDC Clendenin could again handle any changes as he had good communication skills to convince people as to what they should change or not

Future of Clendenin
Was offered multiple job offers including in Information Management, asset management This may be because of his good communication skills, better understanding of human nature as how information and assets would be useful for them and others etc.