Donna Dubinsky
I. Why was Donna so successful during her first 4 years at Apple before the JIT dispute?
Dubinsky’s advanced because: (1) her division delivers results, (2) her individual performance is strong, (3) Apple’s environment permits rapid advancement, and (4) her boss helps her.
1. Sales delivered strong results, and Dubinsky was a recognized positive contributor to it. Dubinsky’s group performed well on key metrics including dealer satisfaction,supporting new product launches without delay, and scaling up operations as the Company grew. Her group had no complaints from other Apple divisions about costs, or from dealer customers about inventory availability,demonstrating strong logistics performance. She was playing for a winning team.
2. Dubinsky performed well; her superiors describe her in positive terms focusing on her ability to deliver results. Campbell states that she is gifted with a practical intelligence that can translate vague directives from products and marketing into executable distribution strategies. Everyone in the case compliments her commanding presence, which she uses to convince others she has the authority to act despite lack of formal authority, to get the job done. She maintains good relationships with the dealers and understands their needs - a core part of her job that also matches Apple’s first value of Customer Empathy.She was an individual star on a winning team.
3. Apple’s environment enabled her to shine. It was a young company light on formality that underwent frequent reorganizations. Apple could not execute just by pushing “go” on set processes; instead, it relied on talented professionals like Dubinsky to use initiative to make things work on the fly. Apple’s fast growth, loose organization, and corporate cultureallowed Dubinsky to make decisions “above her pay grade” and thus demonstrate ability to perform at ever higher levels of responsibility.Apple’s massive growth from 1981 to 1985 (operating revenue increased
Dubinsky’s advanced because: (1) her division delivers results, (2) her individual performance is strong, (3) Apple’s environment permits rapid advancement, and (4) her boss helps her.
1. Sales delivered strong results, and Dubinsky was a recognized positive contributor to it. Dubinsky’s group performed well on key metrics including dealer satisfaction,supporting new product launches without delay, and scaling up operations as the Company grew. Her group had no complaints from other Apple divisions about costs, or from dealer customers about inventory availability,demonstrating strong logistics performance. She was playing for a winning team.
2. Dubinsky performed well; her superiors describe her in positive terms focusing on her ability to deliver results. Campbell states that she is gifted with a practical intelligence that can translate vague directives from products and marketing into executable distribution strategies. Everyone in the case compliments her commanding presence, which she uses to convince others she has the authority to act despite lack of formal authority, to get the job done. She maintains good relationships with the dealers and understands their needs - a core part of her job that also matches Apple’s first value of Customer Empathy.She was an individual star on a winning team.
3. Apple’s environment enabled her to shine. It was a young company light on formality that underwent frequent reorganizations. Apple could not execute just by pushing “go” on set processes; instead, it relied on talented professionals like Dubinsky to use initiative to make things work on the fly. Apple’s fast growth, loose organization, and corporate cultureallowed Dubinsky to make decisions “above her pay grade” and thus demonstrate ability to perform at ever higher levels of responsibility.Apple’s massive growth from 1981 to 1985 (operating revenue increased