SUBJECT: Organization Behavior

Case-1- A WINDOW ON LIFE
For Gilbert La Crosse, there is nothing quite as beautiful as a handcrafted wood-framed window. La
Crosse’s passion for windows goes back to his youth in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he learned from an elderly carpenter how to make residential windows. He learned about the characteristics of good wood, the best tools to use, and how to choose the best glass from local suppliers. La Crosse apprenticed with the carpenter in his small workshop, and when the carpenter retired, he was given the opportunity to operate the business himself. La Crosse hired his own apprentice as he built up business in the local area.
His small operation soon expanded as the quality of windows built by La …show more content…

However, they heard almost no news about the seriousness of the problem until Vlodoski sent a memo to all production staff saying that quality must be maintained. During the latter part of the first year under Vlodoski, a few employees had the opportunity to personally ask La Crosse about the changes and express their concerns. La Crosse apologized, saying due to his travels to new regions, he had not heard about the problems, and he would look into the matter.
Exactly 18 months after Build-All had become majority shareholder of La Crosse Industries, La Crosse called together five of the original staff in the plant. The company founder looked pale and shaken as he said that Build-All’s actions were inconsistent with his vision of the company, and for the first time in his career, he did not know what to do. Build-All was not pleased with the arrangement either. Although La
Crosse windows still enjoyed a healthy market share and were competitive for the value, the company did not quite provide the minimum 18 percent return on equity that the conglomerate expected. La Crosse asked his longtime companions for advice.
Questions:-
1. Identify the symptoms indicating that problems exist at La Crosse Industries Inc.
2. Use one or more leadership theories to analyze the underlying causes of the current problems at La Crosse Industries. What other organizational behavior theories might also help to explain some of the problems?