DB FPX 8710 Assessment 3 Aligning Frameworks

Name

Capella university

DB-FPX 8710 Strategy and Innovation: Theorizing, Crafting, Executing

Prof. Name

Date

Introduction

Kensington Auto Parts has been experiencing declining financial trends over the last year, resulting in identifying the business problem of leadership breakdowns. This paper will outline frameworks and align them with the business problem.

Specific Business Problem and Gap in Process

Kensington Auto experienced a loss over the past year. Many factors contributed to this loss, which is why it is important to identify the specific problem to change the trend of losing market shares. Upon reviewing the business case, the underlying business problem is the breakdown in leadership. Kensington Perry, CEO, realized that the leadership lacked the necessary strategies to be successful.

Once the specific business problem has been identified, the next step is to dive deeper to find the gap in practice that led to the problem. For Kensington Auto Parts, the CEO recognized that his team did not have the necessary tools to implement the strategies needed to be successful. The true gap in practice is leadership. Leadership starts from the top down, meaning Mr. Perry lacked the leadership skills to provide his team with the tools and strategies necessary for the company’s success. This eventually led to the decrease in market shares.

Frameworks

Frameworks are utilized in the business world to outline and organize a company’s goals and procedures (Magloff, 2021). Often these frameworks are reevaluated as a company faces adversity. The adversity Kensington Auto Parts is facing is an example of frameworks needing reevaluation. Finding frameworks that identify evidence of leadership breakdowns within Kensington Auto is an important step to resolve the business problem. Frameworks are only beneficial when the analysis is thoroughly complete. The frameworks listed below will outline the analysis and benefits of each.

Scholarly Framework

Fishbone diagrams or Ishikawa diagrams are commonly used in business among leadership teams to analyze possible causes of a business problem and address what to do with them (Sharmila Reddy, 2019). Creating a diagram such as this will illustrate the cause and effect of a business problem, allowing management to propose resolutions. The Fishbone Analysis framework is the scholarly framework best fit for Kensington Auto Parts. This framework is useful for Kensington Auto Parts as it gets to the root cause of the problem, providing evidence to the executive leadership team that there are leadership and development breakdowns within the organization causing the decline in market shares over the past year. Creating a fishbone diagram to illustrate cause and effect is the foundation of the Fishbone Analysis framework.

Practitioner Framework

The best practitioner framework to utilize in this business problem is the Congruence Framework. The Congruence Framework was developed by organizational theorists David A. Nadler and Michael L. Tushman (Sridharan, 2022). This framework assists in identifying root causes of organizational performance issues. The Congruence Framework gives a holistic outlook on the change needed. In the example of Kensington Auto, this framework would be best as it would allow the executive leadership team to review the inputs and outputs of the organization. This provides a better perspective on what change is needed for the company to regain profitability. This framework involves the analysis of inputs and outputs, which creates a longer but more thorough process.

Framework Justification

Congruence Framework

The Congruence Framework creates an opportunity for Mr. Kensington to outline the inputs and outputs of the organization to determine the weak areas. Utilizing this framework provides a great diagnostic of the issues at hand. The only negative of this framework is that there is often a need for additional tools to support the full change. Kensington Auto Parts would need another framework structure to complete the total analysis to create the positive changes needed to return to profitability.

Fishbone Analysis Framework

The Fishbone Analysis framework is a complementary tool to the Congruence Framework as it will illustrate the cause and effect of the organization. By outlining the cause and effect of the business problem, it allows Mr. Kensington to evaluate where his leadership broke down and how that affected the rest of the leadership team and ultimately the company. Creating a visual of the pain points will provide a clear picture of what changes need to be made and who will need to be involved in the changes. It is vital that the changes implemented be thoroughly analyzed to ensure they lead to regaining profitability for Kensington Auto Parts. Returning market shares to profit is crucial to the company’s sustainability.

Framework and Current Trends in Strategy and Innovation

Reviewing previous or current business models and using them as a tool for creating newer, more innovative business models to create success within a company is a current trend (Lüttgens & Diener, 2016). Different business models are rated according to impact. The framework used for this is Porter’s forces, evaluating multiple business models to rate them appropriately. Utilizing the framework of Porter’s forces, businesses are analyzing other business models and strategies to create more innovative strategies for their success. The ability to compare good and bad business practices and models creates an opportunity to create an innovative strategy combining all successful areas to create a unique model.

Related Business Problem

Many businesses are attempting to restructure their business model to adjust to the changes created by the pandemic. This has been a common business problem since 2019 when COVID-19 shut down many operations. Societal changes, such as shopping trends, have changed the dynamic of each company. Most Americans have turned to online shopping, creating areas of new strategy and innovation for companies. This business problem would benefit from the Fishbone Analysis framework as well as the Congruence Framework. Companies could analyze which areas of the organization were the weakest during the pandemic. From there, the weaknesses could be outlined, resulting in solutions to strengthen the organization for any other unexpected occurrences.

Reflection

In writing this analysis, I have learned how to identify not only a business problem but also get to the root cause. Utilizing different frameworks is beneficial in identifying the changes needed to resolve the business problem and bridge the gap in the process. The strategies for change must be evaluated to determine their effectiveness so the changes can produce positive results. This assessment and course have created a foundation for me in my DBA journey as well as in my professional journey. I have gained knowledge and skills to utilize in my current job. I evaluate systems and workflows each day and create better strategies and designs to make a more seamless user experience. The research in this analysis can be applied to my daily work, leading to more innovative ideas which create easier use for our users.

References

Cavaleri, S., & Shabana, K. (2018). Rethinking sustainability strategies. Journal of Strategy and Management, 11(1), 2–17. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsma-08-2016-0050

Filipović, S., Vasić, M., Tica, S., Veg, E., & Šiniković, G. (2020). Using Modified Nadler-Tushman Model in GAP Analysis of Educational Process of EFMNS Certified Engineer. Tehnički Vjesnik, 27(4), 1213–1220. https://doaj.org/article/8b65888812dc458e8bc4ec43c0c832a0

Lüttgens, D., & Diener, K. (2016). Business model patterns used as a tool for creating (new) innovative business models. Journal of Business Models, 4(3), 19-36.

DB FPX 8710 Assessment 3 Aligning Frameworks

Magloff, L. (2021, December 7). What is an operational framework in business? Chron.com. https://smallbusiness.chron.com/operational-framework-business-25852.html

Sharmila Reddy. (2019, August 21). Fishbone diagram (Meaning, Examples) | How to draw Ishikawa diagram? Wallstreetmojo.com. https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/fishbone-diagram/

Sridharan, M. (2022, February 8). Nadler-Tushman Congruence Framework. Thinkinsights.net. https://thinkinsights.net/strategy/nadler-tushman-congruence-framework/