MANAGER HIRING CASE STUDY

MANAGER HIRING CASE STUDY.

Introduction.

As a manager aspiring to be hired in a particular company, it is essential to prepare adequately before a job interview. Regardless of having the necessary academic qualifications, failure to make sufficiently may cause the hiring firm to consider other candidates. An interview can be viewed as an entry exam into a firm that one must pass successfully to get a job. The main determining factor in an interview is to be the best among the candidates. However, to stand out among the candidates, there are several factors you must consider. For instance, one must conduct in-depth research about the hiring firm and personally evaluate themselves whether they are fit for the position. In this paper, we shall focus on factors that one should consider in a company before interviewing as a manager. We shall also demonstrate how both the candidate and the company shall benefit from one another, mutually.

A brief history of the company

The company selected for the study was Owen-Illinois which was founded in 1903 as a bottling company that has 26,500 employees as of 2019. The company is the leading glass container manufacturer with leading market positions in various parts of the continent. Last year the company made sales worth $6.86 billion. The company merged with the Illinois glass company in 1929. When the company began, there was no much departmentalization among customers or even products.

However, due to competition and innovation, the company began departmentalization in the 30’s and forties where each division had its sales, production, marketing, accounting, and human resources department. The company went global in 2005, where its efforts were mostly concentrated on its core business. 90% of the company revenue comes from the glass operations, with the remaining being stemmed from the plastics and packaging operations. The motto of the company from the founder Michael Owens was “it can be done,” which is still being carried on a century later.

The organization’s culture

Cultural fit refers to the employee’s ability to work comfortably in an environment that is in line with his values, needs, and beliefs. Company culture refers to the behavior which emerges when a group of people comes to a working consensus or rules which are unwritten. Owen-Illinois is a company that encourages employee empowerment and personal accountability. The implication is that the employee is not always told what to do. Personally I am a person with self-drive and capable of judging a situation and make a decision that is well suited for the company.

Also, am a flexible person capable of adapting to the set working hours. The job I will be performing in Owen-Illinois is a full-time job, which implies that I will be available whenever I am called upon as a manager. With this type of dedication, I believe I will be an employee who can be relied upon by the Owen-Illinois company. Apart from that, as a manager, I usually encourage teamwork and appreciate interacting with a variety of people (Porter & Lawler, 1965). I am an individual who discourages working alone amongst the employees as everyone is up to helping the company achieve a common goal. Owen-Illinois stresses teamwork as the teams in this company are integral to the daily operation, which makes me quite suitable for the job.

Furthermore, since the theoretical perception of company culture may differ from the practical approach, I am a person who encourages new ideas. I owe the idea to the fact that learning is learned through interaction; for instance, a simple thank you for a work well-performed from an executive goes a long way in molding the culture. The implication is that I will be able to adapt to the working environment comfortably as I have always made learning a routine practice as a manager. I firmly believe that I will be an excellent fit for the culture of the Owen-Illinois company.

Owen-Illinois company management style

Management includes organizing work, planning, and prioritizing efforts towards achieving the set company goals. The management style refers to specific ways that managers use to accomplish the company’s set goals effectively. In Owen-Illinois, the type management style employed is the authority delegation. There are several advantages of this style that the employees can build trust with their managers because they are usually more informed on the projects to be carried out. Besides, this kind of management takes advantage of the employees’ specialized skills, which, as a result, encourages creativity and innovation because the employees are much willing to display their talents (Sonnenfeld, 1982).

In authority delegation, the manager’s workload is also minimized; for instance, duty attendance is not always necessary for minor issues. Additionally, authority delegation improves and motivates the morale of the workers. Besides, workers become more dedicated due to the sense of initiative amongst themselves. The outcome is that the company is spearheaded in the right direction, and the set goals are easily achieved. Another observation I made in the organization of the Owen-Illinois company is that the company uses a decentralization type of authority. It is an added advantage as to me as a manager in the firm as I always advocate for this type of power as consolidation, on the other hand, feels quite bureaucratic to the subordinates more often.

At Owen-Illinois, there is also job designation, which immensely affects the motivation positively due to the diversity of individuals in the company. Extended interaction enables managers to observe the beliefs and personalities of the employees, which clearly defines deep-level diversity. On the other hand, surface-level diversity is found through the observable differences, for instance, sex, race, and age. These diversities will aid me as a manager to ensure that there is no discrimination among my subordinates, which will, in turn, motivate them.

Owen-Illinois innovations

When the company was started, it only dealt with glass bottles and containers. However, as time went, the company began research on the corning glass, which brought by fiberglass. Lately, the glass-making company announced in its earmarking Germany plant, the new glass-making furnace technology on September 10, 2019. Basing on the company MAGMA technology together with its flexible line of production. The company has plans to situate it at lower Saxony, which is Owen-Illinois’s existing company.

The second latest innovation on September 07, 2018, by the company offers an exceptional way in the implementation of designs on food and beverage packaging from their glass company. The change uses organic inks in the creation of personalized and customized glass packaging with the highest degree. The change is in line with the customers’ consensus who always opt for eco-friendly goods, especially when purchasing foods and beverages.  These three innovations are among the numerous changes Owen-Illinois has had. The implication is that the company is innovating at, a very high rate which ensures relevance in the market and hence a guaranteed job safety among employees.

As a person, I believe that this company has quite a bright future and will continue being the leading glass manufacturer world-wide. Another observation is that the company collaborates very much with customers, which helps the company discover its capabilities. As a result, astounding products emerge, which ensures the growth of the company.

Contributions to the company as a manager

Firstly, I will bring with me my organizational skills, which are outstanding, owing to the record to my past. For instance, in my previous job, I came up with some criteria for client appointment schedule which led to a decrease in scheduling errors by 85%. Additionally, the vision I have as a person to grow exponentially, making the company being hired in the best goes hand in hand with the Owen-Illinois company. I will bring this unique vision to the company, together with my experience in many areas related to the glass-making companies.

Also, my previous job mostly included innovation in various departments, which included strategies to create effective teamwork. The strategy included also enhancing communication between members of multiple teams. When I am hired at in the company, I will bring a general innovation passion as the a person, subordinates, and my colleagues. The reason why chose the Owen-Illinois glass company is because it’s the leading glass manufacturer that has shown quite a tremendous effort in remaining at the top. As a person, I always aspire to be in a company that is growing, which will ensure my growth career-wise.

Conclusion.

After seeing the advertisement for the manager position at Owen-Illinois, an in-depth research was conducted. The study entailed history , culture, innovations since inception, and management styles in the company. Conclusively it is quite evident the company’s goals tally’s with my experience and vision. Therefore, the company will keep me in line with my goals as a manager as I also aid in achieving its set goals.

Reference.

The Leading Glass Bottle Manufacturer Owens-Illinois | O-I. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.o-i.com

Porter, L. W., & Lawler, E. E. (1965). Properties of organization structure concerning job attitudes and job behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 64(1), 23-51. doi:10.1037/h0022166

Sonnenfeld, J. (1982). Measuring Corporate Social Performance. Academy of Management Proceedings, 1982(1), 371-375. doi:10.5465/ambpp.1982.4976827