Introduction
To apply the described concepts to practice, one should initially analyze the principles that make up the basis of Unilever’s leading strategy. If I were an upper executive within this company, I would primarily define the key targets and the potential difficulties. Thus, I believe, Unilever’s leader is to focus on the following areas: extension of the targeted market, encouragement of innovative ideas and approaches, an increase of corporate motivation, and strong leadership within every department.
Among the potential challenges, I would point out the enormous size of the workforce and the diversity of geographical locations of the company’s offices. It means that, on the one hand, one will have to work out a powerful motivating appeal so that all the staff shares the common idea and works hard to reach the common aim. On the other hand, the leader will need to perform careful monitoring of the local environment so that the performed activity takes into account the regional economic and political peculiarities.
Main body
To begin with, I would return to the report of 2009 and its key ideas. I believe that the preservation of the mentioned “strong base of values and principles” is only possible on the condition that the company has skillful local leaders that share the corporate principles and can inspire their teams to share them as well. To supply the presence of such leaders, one should encourage the development of leadership from within rather than employ the specialists from without. It can be achieved by providing a clear and precise system of career advancement. In other words, every employee should have an opportunity to get promoted in a relatively short period of time in case he or she has outstanding performance and special achievements.
In order to increase “consumer and customer focus”, which was one of the principal ideas of the report, I would launch a mass monitoring program that would help to collect the current data on the clients’ needs and their general satisfaction level. This measure would enable one both to define the existing drawbacks in the corporate performance and to target the market for a potential extension.
Moreover, basing on Fergie Balfour’s statement that a good leader is to inspire the staff to “do, and be, their best”, I would think of an efficient motivation strategy. Apart from the already mentioned attractive prospects for advancement, which would be likely to serve as a powerful motivation, I would also introduce a promising, rewarding policy. The following system would imply regular and occasional financial bonuses assigned for the most effective performance. In order to inspire the employees’ innovative and creative activity, this system would suggest rewards not only for the practical results of one’s work but the potentially beneficial ideas as well.
Conclusion
Finally, I would try to turn the existing difficulties into advantages. Thus, the geographic diversity of the departments’ locations will be regarded as an opportunity to try some new approaches applying them to a particular department as an experiment.
Following Michael Brunner’s appeal to “seek new approaches to old problems”, one can try the introduction of truly innovative practice. For example, in one of the departments, one can apply the holacracy concept that is believed to improve corporate performance by the elimination of the organizational hierarchy. Although there is a risk of misfortune, on the other side, there is an equal chance for success that will open new opportunities for the company’s progress.