SÄBU Holzbau GmbH: From a Leadership Crisis to Qualitative Growth (A)

Description

Case A describes a leadership crisis affecting the managing director of the German construction company SÄBU Holzbau GmbH. In 2013, severe organizational problems, such as deficiencies in internal communication, indecisiveness, and a lack of clarity in the distribution of tasks and responsibilities, led to frustrations for both customers and employees. The crisis culminated with three key employees leaving the company because they were no longer willing to cope with what they described as “chaos.”

Learning Objective

Case A and B can be used in an undergraduate- or graduate-level course on management, leadership, organizational behaviour, or change management. Ideally, students have already had an introduction to different leadership styles and the fundamentals of organizing and organizational design before discussing the cases. The cases can then be used to illustrate how leadership and organizational design interact to determine the quality of the overall management and leadership system and, in turn, the outcomes of the organization. After working through the cases and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following: ·Examine how product and service quality are linked to the quality of leadership and the development of well-aligned structures, processes, and organizational culture. ·Understand the links between leadership and organizational design. ·Describe the main characteristics of quality-oriented leadership. ·Identify the preconditions for successful implementation of an organizational change process. ·Develop strategies for enhancing the quality of leadership in an organization.

Keywords

Leadership Organizational culture Organizational design qualitative growth