Introduction
Robin Hood has started what he perceives as a noble cause to redistribute wealth in society albeit in a bizarre manner. He seeks to steal from the rich and help the poor come out of their wretchedness. However, his organisational strategy is falling apart and what started as a noble cause is turning into a nightmare and perhaps the greatest organisational failure of all times. This paper outlines the issues affecting Robin Hood and his organisation coupled with the appropriate recommendations.
Issues
Lack of funds and provisions
The organisation is running out of funds because the clients, viz. the wealthy travellers, have started avoiding the Sherwood Forest after learning of the existence of Merrie Men. Unfortunately, organisations cannot run without a stable customer base (Laloux 2014). Therefore, Robin has to think of other strategies of getting revenue in a bid to remain in business. On the other side, the limited resources available are exhausted due to the ever-increasing number of Merrie Men.
Employees should add value to an organisation by executing certain duties that contribute to revenue generation to the company. If employees are not productive, then they become liabilities as opposed to being assets. In this case, the majority of Merrie Men are liabilities because they add no value to the organisation. Therefore, they consume the limited resources without bringing in commensurate returns in the form of revenue. Therefore, the organisation will ultimately collapse if the appropriate steps are not taken to correct the situation.
Threats from sheriff with his growing organisation
The Sheriff is a shrewd manager and he knows what to do at the right time. He has enlisted professionals to collect taxes from all people under the Shire of Nottingham jurisdiction. Therefore, as part of the government, the first mandate would be to protect the citizens from criminal activities (Verkuil 2007). Therefore, Robin faces the threat of the Sheriff sending his troops to eliminate the Merrie Men, thus crushing the organisation. With a functional organisation with a constant flow of revenue and proper structures in place, Robin and his Merrie Men can repulse any threat from the Sheriff.
Unfortunately, the organisation is already torn apart by the lack of funds and organisational structures. In addition, as an astute manager, the Sheriff has constituted a team to study and collect information about Robin’s strategies. Therefore, with this kind of insight, the Sheriff will be in a position to thwart any attempt from Merrie Men to rob the rich of their valuables. Consequently, Robin’s organisation will be grounded due to lack of resources courtesy of the Sheriff’s scheming approach to management.
Too many people, accepting anyone who shows interest
For any organisation to function competitively, employees should be hired based on merit, which underscores experience, qualification, and other personal attributes that can propel an organisation forward (Nepomuceno 2007). Unfortunately, Robin has defied all these requirements. His hiring policy is archaic, and thus the organisation stands no chance of prosperity in the competitive environment. The increasing number of people joining the Merrie Men is occasioned by Robin’s lack of strategic skills.
Instead of strategizing on how to repulse the Sheriff tactfully, he thinks that mere numbers will counter any threat. Therefore, anyone willing to join the organisation is accepted without carrying out due diligence. The numbers are swelling, but the results are diminishing. The commitment and value that every employee brings to the table cannot be evaluated due to the lack of proper systems. In addition, Robin hires people based on personal relationships. Therefore, it becomes hard for him to sack them even if they are not delivering simply because they are friends.
Spies in the organisation
In the business world, organisation endeavour to get ahead by gaining competitive advantage (Porter 2004). In essence, companies seek to stand out from the rest by offering unique products. Different aspects can be used in gaining competitive advantage like setting a lower price as compared to the competitors, using different ingredients, or offering quality services among others (Rumelt 2012). At times, one of the ways to gain information on how to become competitive is by having insiders who can provide the relevant data.
In this case, the Sheriff has capitalised on Robin’s poor human resources management skills to enlist spies amongst the Merrie Men. With these individuals, the Sheriff is updated on the organisation’s strategies, and thus he can launch counter attacks in time. This aspect is pushing Robin and his organisation out of business. For instance, the Sheriff can gain information of an impending attack from Merrie Men. Therefore, he sends warning to all travellers planning to use the Sherwood Forest that day. This way, the Merrie Men will not have any revenue because they will not rob anyone.
Lack of structure and hierarchy
Organisational structures and hierarchy are some of the critical aspects that contribute to the success of a company (Ashkenas et al. 2002). Without the proper structures, employees will end up doing as they please, thus reducing productivity. Robin failed to envision and anticipate the growth of his organisation. He starts with few men and women and the numbers are small and manageable. He is the CEO, and thus he does not see the need to have structures in a bid to have a functional organisation.
The human resources department does not exist. People are hired simply because they have shown interest. Even after hiring, there are no clear systems on how to take care of the employees. The individuals at the helm of the human resources are confused probably because they are inexperienced. The chain of command is blurred and employees do not know what is expected of them. The channels of communication are blocked and indiscipline thrives. In essence, the organisation is falling apart due to lack of the proper structures.
Conclusion/recommendations
Robin Hood is undergoing an organisational crisis, which is threatening to tear apart his organisation. The organisation is in disarray due to declining revenue generation options. The wealthy merchants, who are the primary clients of the organisation, are avoiding the Sherwood Forest. In addition, the Sheriff is strengthening his team and with the constant flow of revenue from taxes across the region, he is waging a strong war against Robin and his organisation. Moreover, the number of people joining the Merrie Men is growing exponentially and some of the recruits are spies from the Sheriff. Ultimately, the organisation lacks proper structures for survival. Therefore, in a bid to regain his footing, Robin should consider the following recommendations
First, Robin should set up a qualified HR team to vet and audit all the employees. Individuals that add no value to the company, or whose motives are unclear, should be sacked immediately. The number of employees should be reduced to a manageable size. Meritocracy should define the hiring process.
- Second, Robin should think of new avenues of revenue generation. Some options include diversifying operations outside the Sherwood Forest. His men should start stealing from people in towns and posh residences.
- Third, Robin should set up proper organisational structures and hierarchy for posterity purposes.
- Lastly, the organisation needs to train and arm the Merrie Men in a bid to ward off the Sheriff’s attacks
Reference List
Ashkenas, R, Ulrich, D, Jick, T & Kerr, S 2002, The Boundaryless Organisation: Breaking the Chains of Organisation Structure, Revised and Updated, Josey-Bass, San Francisco.
Laloux, F 2014, Reinventing Organisations, Nelson Parker, Brussels.
Nepomuceno, O 2007, Hitchhiker in the Corner Office: Avoiding the Top-10 Hiring Potholes So Your Employees Don’t Hit the Road, iUniverse, Inc., New York.
Porter, M 2004, Competitive Advantage, Free Press, New York.
Rumelt, R 2012, Good Strategy/Bad Strategy: The difference and why it matters, Profile Books, London.
Verkuil, P 2007, Outsourcing Sovereignty: Why Privatisation of Government Functions Threatens Democracy and What We Can Do about It, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.