Maple Lodge Farms

Studying the Relevance of Larry Greiners Developmental Phases to the Future constancy of Maple hold Farms Maple Lodge Farms, a family- ingested by institute awarded the prestige of being nonpareil of Canadas 50 best man geezerhoodd companies, has attained success by employing a number of strategic formational practices. Since the inception of Maple Lodge Farms, the founders commitment to providing discordant Canadian households with the highest reference chicken products has allowed it to become one of Canadas atomic number 82 poultry companies.Initially, the business deliverers main priority was to launch Maple Lodge Farms as a extremely recogniz subject brand capable of sustaining a liege node base. This goal was largely achieved through and through a variety of measures the founders implemented throughout the organizations existence. Recently, a few of the modes used to pass on Maple Lodge Farms consist of using an integrated organizational structure, ensuring the sa fety of the products through technological innovations and limiting the keep companys environmental imprint on society.In this research paper, I intend to analyze the occurrent transitional salute of Maple Lodge Farms in Larry Greiners terms, evaluate the success of the organizations tender-hearted resources schema relating it to Larry Greiners developmental phases and offer potential suggestions to make head expressive sort its future out gainth. For the purpose of this analysis, a discussion of Larry Greiners article, Evolution and conversion as Organizations Grow A companys past has clues for oversight, is undeniable to provide insight into the growth phase Maple Lodge Farms is now in.Larry Greiner, a professor at the Harvard agate line School, believes the natural construction of a company from its initial introduces to a more(prenominal) sophisticated business model is a consequence of its organizational structure. In otherwise words, an organizations current managerial framework influences its upcoming perplexity decisions hence the title of Greiners paper. He states that the future health of a business is dependent upon the way it is managed i. e. its solicitude style in addition to how it reacts to challenges registered to the naturalized managerial setup. Companies demote to see that many clues to their future success lie within their own organizations and their evolving states of development. Moreover, the inability of centering to understand its organization development problems can number in a company becoming frozen in its present floor of evolution or, ultimately, in failure, regardless of commercialise opportunities (Greiner, 1998). Moreover, Greiner contends that a business undergoes five known developmental phases each characterized by both an evolutionary and varietyary stage. 1.The term evolution is used to describe prolonged menstruations of growth where no major upheaval occurs in organization practices. 2 . The term revolution is used to describe those periods of substantial turmoil in organization life. As a company progresses through developmental phases, each evolutionary period creates its own revolution (Greiner, 1998). Therefore, a specific growth period is defined by a particular management style and a management crisis which results directly from it i. e. the evolutionary and radical flavors of each transitional phase respectively.Furthermore, the age and size of the organization, in addition to the growth rate of the industry, all play roles in the construction of a progression model that accurately describes a business. Greiners assumptions are relevant to Maple Lodge Farms because non only do they enable an understanding of the organizations present state of development, exactly they overly offer implications for the future stability of the business essentially by indicating which management style a company should adopt as it grows and changes.Before I investigate the tellingness of Maple Lodge Farms business plan specifically its valet de chambre resources approach and forecast its growth capabilities, I must first trace the organizations present developmental state. According to Greiners descriptions of the various stages a company undergoes, the history of Maple Lodge Farms shows that it is currently in the third base phase of growth specifically, the evolutionary part known as the direction stage. The next era of growth evolves from the winning application of a alter organization structure. It exhibits these primary characteristics 1. Much greater responsibility is given to the managers of plants and market territories. 2. Management often concentrates on making new acquisitions which can be lined up beside other decentralized units. 3. Communication from the top is infrequent, usually by correspondence, telephone, or brief visits to field locations (Greiner, 1998).The owners dedication to providing superior guest service has guided every facet of the way their business has been managed. In pursuit of this goal, the company has successfully implemented a decentralized management structure. We are there every step of the way we have run agrounded a unique integrated development squad that includes senior commission from Sales, Marketing, Research and Development, Quality Assurance, and Supply Chain to ensure superior quality and node- counselinged service (Maple lodge farms, 2011).This structural framework reflects Greiners organizational aspect of the delegation stage, as it offers managers greater responsibility in supervising the operations of their plants fundamentally affording them the freedom to manage these plants as they see fit, with limited collective intervention. The other traits Greiner prescribes to the delegation stage besides the organizational arrangement , con trustys the public opinion that Maple Lodge Farms is in fact in this transitional phase. The delegation stage proves multipurpose for gaining expansion through heightened motivation at lower levels. modify managers with greater authority and incentive are able to penetrate large markets, respond faster to guests, and develop new products (Greiner, 1998). The organizations foray into proper poultry especially with the prosperous Zabiha Halal line non only demonstrates the effectiveness of the companys branding system, but also that Maple Lodge Farms wants to breach the substantial Islamic market and thus cajole a more ethnically divers(a) consumer base.Moreover, the organizations successful promotions of its newer items such as the pre-cooked refrigerated foods, the chicken bacon and other innovative fabricate products , suggests that Maple Lodge Farms is attempting to cater to different preferences the blind drunk does this to capture a larger market segment, beyond what they have attained so far. Furthermore, the companys latest acquisition of plants in New Brunswick and Nova Scoti a, in addition to Ontario, is testament to their desire to infiltrate a broader market across provincial lines.This serve implies that Maple Lodge Farms is non only expanding its product lines to suit differentiated customer tastes, but also enlarging the organization nationwide a claim back up by its recent obtainment of plants in New Brunswick, as advantageously as Ontario, and its intention of partnering with Nova Scotia and P. E. I. growers to build primary operations in Berwick, Nova Scotia ( epic river foods, 2011). Since the characteristics that Maple Lodge Farms possesses are outlined in Greiners delegation stage, it thereby affirms that the organization is currently in this part of its evolution.Although Maple Lodge Farms appears to be doing hale in the delegation stage of Greiners model, I believe that the organization may be on the verge of entering the revolutionary parcel of the third growth phase referred to as the conceal crisis. Essentially, this situation arises as a product of the management style introduced in the delegation stage involving market expansion, decentralized organizational structure, delegative managerial style and so on.Moreover, the control crisis occurs when top executives sense that they are losing control over a highly diversified field operation. Autonomous field managers prefer to run their own shows without coordinating plans, money, technology, and manpower with the rest of the organization (Greiner, 1998). Though this scenario may not be representative of the company quite yet, Greiner insinuates that at the end of an evolutionary period, all companies must enter a revolutionary period it is provided the path that all organizations must follow in their progression models.Therefore, it is more than likely that Maple Lodge Farms may soon be in a crisis control situation, as its lengthy evolutionary stage is poised to end. The firm should understand the pending reality of a control crisis and be uncoerced to make changes regarding the managerial framework, so as to preserve the health of the company. In 2010, Maple Lodge Farms was given the honor of being named one of fifty organizations in Canada that earned the Best Managed Company award. The CEO of Maple Lodge Farms, Michael Burrows, attributes this success to the customer-oriented method the company whole-heartedly embraces. At Maple Lodge Farms, we speak with our customers on an ongoing land to gain their insights and to identify the most significant opportunities that trigger us close set(predicate) to realizing their successOur sales team is actively engaged with our customers and in the food market as often as possible in order to cover abreast of new opportunities and challenges(Maple lodge farms, 2011). Maple Lodge Farms has nurtured this customer service focus through the use of effective human resources management, which prioritizes the recruitment and procreation of individuals able to meet inflexible customer deman ds.Consider the organizations venture into the untapped Halal foods market. The companys interest in realizing potential gains from Muslim buyers compelled Maple Lodge Farms to first launch its Halal product line in the 1990s which has since been perfected over the organizations existence. In bond certificate with strict Islamic procedures, the company employs several Muslim individuals to handle the shambles of its chickens. We have a team of several Muslim Blessers and a devote Muslim Product Managerunder oath to perform the duties depute to them with honesty and integrity.ISNAs Halal auditor visits our plant on effortless basis to ensure the Halal process is followed with consistency (Maple lodge farms). Consequently, in order to meet the stringent requirements of the Muslim community, Maple Lodge Farms has recruited and/or adroit personnel in a highly specified manner, so as to satisfy their particular consumer needs. Additionally, the human resources department of Maple Lodge Farms encourages management leadership to continuously undergo fostering programs in order to keep abreast of new managerial techniques.This increases the efficiency of how all the plants of the firm are run. Moreover, the company has regular employee performance appraisals in order to ensure the quality of work offered to consumers. Therefore, the organizations emphasis on fostering an organizational burnish premised upon customer satisfaction achieved partly through human resources policies concerning recruitment and training has allowed the company to achieve recognition for its entrepreneurial strides.The workplace motley amongst employees of Maple Lodge Farms ensuing from the diversification of the firms product lines to accommodate Halal consumers necessitates a form of diversity management and the implementation of employee diversity programs by the human resources department. Diversity managements initiative is not barely to advocate tolerance more significa ntly, its purpose is to combine the different perspectives of a multicultural organizations staff and use them to improve the firms performance.My research indicates that while Maple Lodge Farms may have a rudimentary diversity management system in place, its human resources team should consider taking full advantage of the companys diverse employee population. This involves top management commitment, diversity training programs, inclusive/representative communications, activities celebrating diversity, nutrition groups/mentor programs, diversity audits and management accountability.I believe establishing a comprehensive diversity management system will allow Maple Lodge Farms to become not only an inclusive firm but one that is more effective from a business standpoint. My analysis of Maple Lodge Farms shows that it has tremendous potential to grow as an organization. Firstly, the managerial team should consider altering its delegative style of management to one that involves coor dination techniques. Since Maple Lodge Farms seems to be on the outset of a revolutionary period in Greiners growth model, a change in how the company manages itself is necessary. Those companies that move ahead find a new solving in the use of special coordination techniques (Greiner, 1998). Establishing these modifications in the organizational structure and in the general way the firm is managed, will enable Maple Lodge Farms to progress into the coordination stage the next phase of Greiners growth model and notice the companys steady evolution. All of these new coordination systems prove useful in achieving growth through more efficient allocation of a companys limited resources.They prompt field managers to look beyond the needs of their local unitsthey learn to justify their actions more carefully to a watchdog audience at headquarters (Greiner, 1998). Furthermore, the aforementioned diversity management system is another change Maple Lodge Farms should make, as it will mo ve the organization in a new direction wherein the marketing strategy will be more wide-ranging and cognizant of the immense diversity in customer tastes.From a human resources perspective, Maple Lodge Farms has succeeded in aspects other companies have failed in they have created an organizational culture that whole-heartedly advocates superior customer service policies. This is evidenced by the human resources policies emphasizing the recruitment and training of qualified individuals, who are able to meet the organizations standards of customer service. The distinction of being one of Canadas fifty best managed companies validates the human resources measures Maple Lodge Farms has undertaken to provide first-class products and the best customer service.If the firm were to establish a strategic plan to implement a coordination management style and a diversity management system, then Maple Lodge Farms would experience no difficulties in continuing its success as a company in the fu ture. Works Cited 1. Grand river foods fresh poultry processing division change to maple lodge farms. (2011, November 21). Canadian Poultry Magazine, Retrieved from http//www. canadianpoultrymag. com 2. Greiner, L.E. (1998). Evolution and revolution as organizations grow. Harvard Business Review, (Reprint 98308), 4-11. Retrieved from http//www. gertjanschop. com 3. Maple lodge farms amongst best managed companies. (2011, February 23). Brampton Guardian. Retrieved from http//www. bramptonguardian. com 4. Maple lodge farms ltd. Zabiha halal. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http//www. zabihahalal. com