Introduction
The chosen article covers the events in Disney Company related to the decision by Robert Iger to hand over his chief executive position to Bob Chapek at the beginning of 2020. Although Iger and Chapek are the main figures in this discussion, such names as Susan Arnold, Disney board chairwoman, and Joseph Yaffe, the company’s legal advisor, are also mentioned. Besides, the authors admit the roles of the ex- and current presidents of the United States, Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Schwartzel et al. (2022) notice that, despite his intention to make managerial changes and power transitions, Iger has never actually left the company. The main idea is to explore the tensions between previous and current CEOs due to poorly recognized roles and responsibilities. On the one hand, there was an announcement from Iger to be replaced with Chapek on February 25, 2020. At the same time, the man did not stop his participation in the company’s decision-making and chose another executive position. On the other hand, the pandemic-related events provoked new concerns and requirements. Iger did not accept the changes offered by Chapek and used the support of his friends, making Chapek unable to escape his shadow (Schwartzel et al., 2022). Disney did not want to fire people, but COVID-19 required new staff cuts. Arnold first offered the job to Iger to manage human resources like Disney usually did. Still, the controversies about the distribution of power in the company continued to grow, and Arnold supported Chapek in the middle of 2022. Iger enhanced his legacy by comparing the laws signed by Trump (unplanned furloughs) and Biden (employee return). Thus, Chapek, as CEO, faced multiple challenges and low support, questioning the effectiveness of the organizational culture at Disney.
Connection to Course Material
The principles of management and organizational behavior have been thoroughly discussed during this course. It is not enough for a modern company to have a sufficient leader and a number of employees who are aware of their roles and responsibilities. There are many skills and knowledge to be implemented in every organizational step. The success of management depends on various factors, including communication, cooperation, mutual trust, and awareness of organizational goals and vision. People have to discuss each situation to ensure they solve problems and make decisions effectively. In Disney’s case, the lack of strategic planning and communication between Iger and Chapik is evident. Two CEOs are not able to understand and use the sources of power and influence properly. Iger relies on his experience and relationships with other employees to prove that Chapek is “killing the soul of the company” (as cited in Schwartzel et al., 2022, para. 20). Instead of being motivated to solve the pandemic-imposed problems, the leaders focus on their ambitions and the desire to gain recognition. No decision to identify a conflict has been made, but the approaches chosen by Chapek and Iger continue breaking the company apart. Some employees want to see if Chapek’s ideas could bring benefits, while Iger’s goal to correct the finances provokes additional discussions.
Conclusion
The article shows how the core principles of management, like mutual decision-making, strategic planning, and problem-solving, can be vaguely interrupted by one of the most powerful and globally recognizable organizations.
Reference
Schwartzel, E., Glazer, E., Whelan, R., & Toonkel, J. (2022). Disney’s Robert Iger loomed over Bob Chapek after ceding CEO role, creating tensions. The Wall Street Journal. Web.