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A MEMO TO HELP OUR COMPANY LEARN FROM RECENT EVENTS
Name
College
MEMO
TO: Jane Smith, manager
FROM: (your name and job title)
DATE: March 2, 2013
SUBJECT: Current events and company successes (and failure)
By working with you, I have learned much about that building on established successes can prevent us from looking to solve problems that arise with new plans each time. With this in mind, I would like to present some methods in which we may learn from the successes of previous companies, as well as avoid making similar mistakes as other firms have done.
Recently, you have surely heard about the doomed cruise ship that was stranded in Mexico after suffering a number of disasters on board. A fire on the 900-foot, 14-story boat that knocked out the ship's propulsion system Sunday has turned what was supposed to be four-day dream cruise to the Caribbean into an eight-day health and public relations nightmare. The fire not only knocked out the ship's propulsion, but its power, air conditioning, and septic systems as well (Cline, 2013). Clearly, we don't wish to replicate the same circumstances that may have led to the failure of what was supposed to be a luxury vacation for the more than 3000 passengers and greater than 100 crew members who have been aboard the ship for the whole catastrophe. But how can we prevent adversity such as has been detailed in this harrowing story?
I would like to suggest that we take our cues from the theory of X and Y as created and developed by Douglas McGregor at the MIT Sloan School of Management in the 1960s. The concepts therein can help us to always be prepared before a failure even occurs, and even if it does, allow us to be able to navigate the problem with aplomb and dignity.
Now, while the company that operated the doomed cruise cannot be held entirely responsible for the fire that happened on board, the passengers as well as the crew that was caring for their needs should have been better prepared for harrowing complications at sea. Unfortunately, the problems encountered by these passengers were extraordinary, and the crew was unprepared to help them manage them effectively. This is definitely not an example we wish to emulate.
Now, in contrast, I believe the actions of New Jersey governor Chris Christie are absolutely worth reviewing and even following, especially given his fantastic response in the days following the disaster that was Hurricane Sandy in his state. Mr. Christie has proven time and again that he is in his position to support the people of New Jersey, and not to gain political power. Although he is a member of the GOP, he has been lauded by our very democrat President, and had negative words for members of his own party regarding the disaster relief the Garden State has received thus far (Delli Santi, 2013).
The lessons for us to learn from this extraordinary story have been in reference to working as a team rather than working solely along party lines. Important theories by Meredith Belbin, Charles J. Margerison and Dick McCann, presented in the 1980s, propose ways to examine assigned team-member roles and compare these with the roles developed as a result of the individual team member's personality (Grayson, 2013). Mr. Christie has certainly been able to maximize his unique brand of leadership, with a certain amount of bluster mixed in, all to arrive at amazing results. I feel that these traits are areas we should definitely focus on as we look to develop our own employees within this company.
In summary, I would advise that we integrate team building, as Christie has done with great success, and limit events that may lead us to appear unprepared; as the marooned cruise ship has shown us.
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