Garth Peters was alarmed. He managed the production line for Inland Widgets, a m
ID: 393487 • Letter: G
Question
Garth Peters was alarmed. He managed the production line for Inland Widgets, a manufacturing company specializing in making small electronic parts used in flat panel televisions. Because of one very small typing error, he now had one very large problem. Instead of the 10,000 widgets that should have been produced for one of his customers this month, his crew had produced 100,000!! Now he had to come up with an immediate plan to market the remaining 90,000 widgets. His job was on the line, and he knew it.
As Garth sat thinking in his office late one night, he turned the situation over and over in his mind. “We could try to sell them to our customer’s competitors, even though we agree not to do that. We could hold them in storage and hope another order comes through. We could lay off all 51 employees in the plant until this thing blows over…or we could…I don’t know!!!”
Just then, Garth’s assistant manager, Lynn Sen, walked in. “Lynn,” Garth said hopefully, “I need some new ideas. This company needs as many new ideas as possible for getting these extra widgets off the plant floor if we’re going to survive. I sure hope you’re feeling creative.”
“That’s ironic.” Countered Sen, “I just came in here to see if you were ready to join me and a few others for a brainstorming session in the conference room.”
Imagine you are Garth or Lynn, and come up with 5 new possible uses for these widgets.
2.) How should Garth and Lynn use the talents of their 51 employees in solving this problem?
3.) Explain how Garth and Lynn could use first nominal group method, and then brainstorming, to come up with ideas for marketing the widgets. Which would work better in the case and why?
Explanation / Answer
Ans 2.
Inland Widget is a manufacturer of small electronic part used inside a flat television. It is known as a widget. Due a typographical error, Garth has 90,000 excess widgets on his hand. It is due to a typographical error where instead of 10,000 widgets a lot size of 100,000 widgets have been manufactured. He has to find a way to come out of the difficult situation:
The option available are as follows:
The talents of employees can be used as follows:
The skill set of all 51 employees can be channelized to come up with various options. Their strengths can be used and the managers should head the team supported by few junior supervisors to help them in getting more details on the matter. Finally liquidate the inventory of widgets. Further the contacts and inputs of all employees could be used constructively.
Ans 3. The two methods to solve this problem is brain storming and first nominal group method. The steps involved in the methods are as follows:
The steps involve are as follows:
The steps involved are as follows:
The advantage is all members are allowed to share their opinion but the disadvantage is it is very time-consuming.
Since Garth is running short of time he needs all 51 employees to be involved in brainstorming to quickly find options. The outcome of brainstorming could be analyzed for pros and cons to arrive at options.
The reasons for brainstorming are as follows:
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