The Bodacious Success of Oprah
Case 1: The “Bodacious” Success of Oprah
1.
In what ways does Oprah Winfrey differ from managers in most other large organizations? Consider her personal characteristics and her behavior.
Winfrey is female, African-American, and younger than many corporate CEOs. She also had fewer advantages during her childhood. Winfrey’s behavior seems to be guided more by instinct or emotion than is typical, and she lacks business training and experience, compared to most corporate leaders. However, Winfrey does share some qualities of successful business leaders, including a near-obsession with quality, the willingness and ability to work hard, and a knack for working with and motivating people.
2.
In your opinion, will the differences you noted in your answer to Question 1 be an advantage for Winfrey’s organization? In what ways? In what ways will the differences be a disadvantage?
Although her “outsider” status may seem to be a disadvantage for Winfrey’s firm, she has used that status to appeal to women of childbearing age. This demographic group makes most household purchases and controls more expenditures than any other segment does, and thus provides Winfrey’s organization with a powerful advantage. If any of Winfrey’s differences seem to be disadvantages, it is her lack of business experience. Thus far, she has handled that potential weakness by relying on trusted employees to handle areas such as finances, operational control, and so on. However, her lack of experience makes her organization vulnerable to abuse or incompetence. In addition, her reliance on instinct as a decision-making tool has served her well up until now, but again, could make her firm vulnerable in the future.
3.
Which of the individual, group, and organizational processes are being handled effectively by Winfrey? Which of the processes seem to be receiving less of her attention? What are the likely outcomes, based on Winfrey’s pattern of strengths and weaknesses?
Winfrey excels at
1.
In what ways does Oprah Winfrey differ from managers in most other large organizations? Consider her personal characteristics and her behavior.
Winfrey is female, African-American, and younger than many corporate CEOs. She also had fewer advantages during her childhood. Winfrey’s behavior seems to be guided more by instinct or emotion than is typical, and she lacks business training and experience, compared to most corporate leaders. However, Winfrey does share some qualities of successful business leaders, including a near-obsession with quality, the willingness and ability to work hard, and a knack for working with and motivating people.
2.
In your opinion, will the differences you noted in your answer to Question 1 be an advantage for Winfrey’s organization? In what ways? In what ways will the differences be a disadvantage?
Although her “outsider” status may seem to be a disadvantage for Winfrey’s firm, she has used that status to appeal to women of childbearing age. This demographic group makes most household purchases and controls more expenditures than any other segment does, and thus provides Winfrey’s organization with a powerful advantage. If any of Winfrey’s differences seem to be disadvantages, it is her lack of business experience. Thus far, she has handled that potential weakness by relying on trusted employees to handle areas such as finances, operational control, and so on. However, her lack of experience makes her organization vulnerable to abuse or incompetence. In addition, her reliance on instinct as a decision-making tool has served her well up until now, but again, could make her firm vulnerable in the future.
3.
Which of the individual, group, and organizational processes are being handled effectively by Winfrey? Which of the processes seem to be receiving less of her attention? What are the likely outcomes, based on Winfrey’s pattern of strengths and weaknesses?
Winfrey excels at