The management at Morningside Logistics & Fulfillment is in crisis mode. Their proprietary order fulfillment software has malfunctioned, and though their information technology (IT) department assures them that a solution is forthcoming, in the meantime they have a mounting backlog of unfulfilled orders. Adding to the difficulty of the situation is the fact that completion of these orders necessitates access to sensitive company information. Management's best option is to

Question

A) inform their customers that they have experienced an IT glitch, and offer them a 20 percent discount for the entire quarter to cover any losses they might incur.
B) recruit the help of talented employees within the organization, even though this will give them access to information that is normally the purview of top management alone.
C) outsource the problem to a competitor, with the understanding that doing so runs the risk of giving their rival an edge over Morningside Logistics.
D) bring in help from an overseas firm, despite the fact that doing so may involve a learning curve and language barrier, because this is the cheapest solution.
E) attempt to solve the problem entirely at the level of top management, with the knowledge that the task is monumental and will involve working around the clock for weeks.

Answer 1

B) recruit the help of talented employees within the organization, even though this will give them access to information that is normally the purview of top management alone.
The organization's leadership faces tough choices, but by far the best option is to adopt the approach known as open-book management. Open-book management is the practice of sharing with employees at all levels of the organization vital information previously meant for management's eyes only. This information includes financial goals, income statements, budgets, sales, forecasts, and other relevant data about company performance and prospects. Rob Tolleson at CPO Commerce credits open-book management with saving his company from collapse. Due to a major IT malfunction, the online vendor of power tools struggled to figure out how to fulfill customers' orders. Employees, who had full access to company information, were able to work together for weeks to develop creative solutions until the company could stabilize itself.