Question

Case Study 1 Results Count! What if all organizations focused their performance approaches to results? Would that work in all cases? It does work at Mabel’s Labels, an Ontario company that designs, manufactures and sells waterproof labels for identifying personal belongings. In its brief 13 years in business, it has expanded into Walmart in both Canada and the United States. Recognizing that people have many priorities in their lives—personal and work—the company has ensured that its business success is measured by results. This means that individual performance is also measured by results. In this way, Mabel’s people can work at almost any location. To quote one of them, “Work is what you do, not where you go.” Every week, staff determine where they will work. In making the decision, consideration is given to whether the team’s needs are being met, and whether the person’s own goals and deliverables can be met. One individual indicates that their best design work is done when alone; however, this same person expressed the value of office collaboration in coming up with design ideas. Does such a focus create a culture of results only? Not according to the employees. People get together outside of work for socializing as well as volunteering for such things as food drives and helping at a local charity for seniors. The company’s approach to performance and employee engagement earned it an award in Canada’s Top 100 Small & Medium Employers for 2015. Sources: Adapted from “2015 Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers,” The Globe and Mail, March 2015;

Question 1: Would a results focus work in a financial services institution? Why or why not?

Question 2: If Mabel’s Labels decided to use a different approach to performance, what approach would you suggest? Why?

Answer 1

Answer to question 1.

Results focus work might be good for some organization or industries but not for all. In the given case Mabel’s Labels are using results focus work and measuring the business success as well as individual performance on the basis of results. A results focus work is provided best results to the organization but quality may be deteriorated due to focus on quantity of results. It can be good for retails like business but for financial services institution the quality is more important than quantity of results. In a financial services institution results focus will not work as well as worked in Mabel’s Labels.

Answer to question 2.

A different approach to measures the performance for Mabel’s Labels would be customer satisfaction which will come by improving quality of product and services. When customers are satisfied the best result will automatically generated as demand of product and services will increase and the employees and managers accordingly improve their performance which get improved results.