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  • May 2014
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WeaveTech: High Performance Change

By: Michael Beer and Paul Swiercz
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
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Abstract

WeaveTech, formerly Johnson-Ware, is a clothing company that produces jackets, coats, overalls, coveralls, and fire-resistant clothing for the military. A private equity firm renamed the company after it acquired Johnson-Ware several years ago. WeaveTech now faces a changing market, and its new CEO is planning to change its strategy. As part of this strategy, the CEO wants to cut the number of WeaveTech managers by 20%. He asks Frank Jennings, WeaveTeach's VP for Human Resources, to recommend how to do so. Jennings has done his best to balance these changes with the company's long history, its small-town culture, and its high-performance culture. The case presents information on the implicit lifetime employment contract, a significant change in strategic direction, and a problematic performance appraisal system. Jennings finds the decision to reduce headcount to be challenging. Is it ethical to discharge high-performing managers? Is the new strategy sound? How should Jennings respond to the managerial reduction mandate, and what should he recommend to the board?

Citation

Beer, Michael, and Paul Swiercz. "WeaveTech: High Performance Change." Harvard Business School Brief Case 914-553, May 2014.
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About The Author

Michael Beer

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Related Work

    • May 2014
    • Faculty Research

    WeaveTech: High Performance Change (Brief Case)

    By: Michael Beer and Paul Swiercz
    • May 2014
    • Faculty Research

    WeaveTech: High Performance Change

    By: Michael Beer and Paul Swiercz
Related Work
  • WeaveTech: High Performance Change (Brief Case) By: Michael Beer and Paul Swiercz
  • WeaveTech: High Performance Change By: Michael Beer and Paul Swiercz
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