A.
Compare the cultures of the two companies using the relevant values in the attached “Competing Values Framework.”

The Competing Values Framework model was developed for cultural assessments of organizations that shows the effectiveness in a two dimensional layout. In the Competing Values Framework model, there are four culture representations, Adhocracy, Clan, Market and Hierarchy. The Symphony and the Opera fit into one of the categories as individual organizations. More will be discussed on which category each belongs in, plus a comparison with each of the other three cultures.

Included in the Competing Values map is two other cultural dimensions. The Horizontal dimension is located on the left of the model and maps out the inward or internal focus and integration. The primary attention focuses inward within the company or organization. When environments are less competitive and focused on the customer, internal focus is the most important dimension element. The outward or external focus and differentiation is located to the right of the model. The focus is primarily outwards, to the external environment, customers and suppliers.

The Vertical dimension is located at the top and bottom of the model. This lower axis has more to do with who makes the decisions. At the bottom of the model, is Stability and Control which is geared more to management control. While at the top is Flexibility and Discretion which empowers employees to make decisions for themselves. There is Stability when there is a stable business with efficiency leading the way. However, when the environment creates a need for change, the Flexibility and Discretion become more important.

Slide A: CVF Cultures
Adhocracy describe and discuss the adhocracy culture and discuss commonalities (if any) that it shares with the symphony or the opera.

Market describe and discuss the market culture and discuss commonalities (if any) that it shares with the symphony or the opera.

Hierarchy describe and discuss the hierarchy culture and discuss commonalities (if any) that it shares with the symphony or the opera.

Clan describe and discuss the clan culture and discuss commonalities (if any) that it shares with the symphony or the opera.

Next, the Four Hierarchies will be explained with brief descriptions to gain an understanding of the key elements of each one:

Hierarchy: For years this business structure has been the most traditional method involving structure and control. It utilizes a strict chain of command structure that is common in government operations. This value organization has a respect that comes with position and power within the organization. Most organizations have leaders who closely monitor all activities that are happening within the organization. They often have well defined protocols, policy and procedures, and processes within all levels of the operation.
Market: This structure seeks control by looking outward and taking note of how and what all the transactional costs are. These internal and external costs are viewed as market transactions that may be transactions that are value of exchanges. This culture looks outward and is results driven; and very competitive to deliver whatever goods are involved. Leaders are focused and driven to be very successful.

Clan: This structure is more concerned with flexibility and less focus on structure and overall control. Its people in the culture are vision driven, share common goals, outcomes, and overall outputs. There is no hierarchy as the teams work and act more autonomously. There is more of an inward focus with strongly driven people who work together with loyalty to one another and to the cause. The rules are in place in a non-written manner but more often communicated socially. Clan leaders are more supportive and act as facilitators.

Adhocracy: This structure is even more flexible than the clan characteristics by way of greater independence and flexibility in a rapid changing environment in the business world. New challenges are met by rapidly forming teams using prototyping and experimental projects and developments. Leaders are very visionary in nature, very innovative entrepreneurs that will take calculated risks for significant gains.

Utah Symphony culture fits within the Adhocracy Values: Based on the information found within the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera Case Study

There are two components that should be included in your response to this subtask.
First you should categorize the symphony and the opera into one of the four culture represented in the competing values framework (i.e. adhocracy, clan, market, hierarchy)and you should provide support from the case study for why each belongs in the category in which you’ve placed it. Second, you should compare the symphony and the opera with each of the other three cultures.

Your submission might take the following format:

Slide B: Symphony Culture
Identify the culture to which it most closely aligns. Identify key attributes that the symphony has that support your alignment (provide examples from the case study)

Slide C: Opera Culture
Identify the culture to which it most closely aligns. Identify key attributes that the symphony has that support your alignment (provide examples from the case study) For the symphony culture¿ slide and the ¿opera culture slide it’s helpful to refer to the graph located on the bottom of the document entitled ¿JFT2 Tasks Guidelines that I’ve attached to this email and to use it to properly categorize each company.

The second document attached to this email contains guidance that may be helpful to you in determining the correct category for each organization. At the bottom of the document you will find a four quadrant graph representing each culture based on its attributes of external versus internal focus as well as its flexibility versus control. Using the information provided in the case study you can identify where each of the organizations stand with regard to these attributes.

You will want to use supporting detail to show why each organization belongs in the category in which you’ve placed it. So, once you’ve categorized the companies using this graph you can review the cultures to which you’ve assigned the two companies and search the case study for support for any claims you make about the companies. 1. Compare how the organizational structure of each company differs in terms of distribution of authority and decision making.

Company Structure
The key to this section of the task is to not only describe the structure as shown in the formal organizational chart, but also to show your insights about what is happening in real life at the companies. I’ve placed some general guidance below. In addition, I would like to emphasize the importance of discussing the effect that the union has on the distribution of power and authority in the symphony.
There are a couple separate components that should be discussed. The first is the formal organizational structure as represented on the organizational charts found within the case study. You should discuss the structure as well as the distribution of decision-making and of authority as communicated via the formal organizational chart.
The second component that should be discussed is the distribution of authority and decision-making as it actually occurs, rather than how it is shown on the chart. For example, though the chart may indicate that Anne is at the top of the organizational structure that she has subordinates to deal with the less lofty decisions, information provided in the case study indicates that her reach extends all the way to decisions that might be thought to be made by subordinates by anyone relying upon the organizational chart to discuss the distribution of authority and of decision-making.

The case provides pieces of information that provide substance for this type of discussion. A few examples include Anne’s autocratic style, the division of responsibilities of Keith Lockhart and his co-manager, the unionized employees and their potential for collective bargaining etc.

2. Discuss what key factors will be critical in the new company’s culture to best ensure it supports the first-year strategic goals.

Key Factors Review the Merged Company’s strategic goals (they are located in the general directions for the task in Task Stream). You are asked to determine what key factors will be critical in the new company’s culture to best insure those goals are met.

Let’s first think about what is meant by key factors. Look at Chapter 3 in your Kreitner and Kinicki text book. What are the four functions of organizational culture? What are the steps described? Now how should Anne think about using the culture to insure strategic goals would be met? Each suggestion that you have must relate back to a strategic goal.

For JFT2 task 3 A.2 you will want to note that both companies' cultures will have to change. You will want to discuss how each of them will have to change in order to make this merger successful. The key to this is understanding how each of these companies differ coming into the merger and which of their current ways of operating may produce conflict that will prohibit the attainment of their merged goals.

B.
Propose an audience strategy for Anne Ewers to use when preparing to speak with the opera contractors and orchestra employees.

Audience Strategy
When crafting Anne’s Audience Strategy you will want to be aware of each of the elements of an audience strategy that Mary Munter discusses in her book The Updated Guide to Managerial
Communications. These elements are identified and discussed in the first chapter, entitled Communication Strategy. I’ve attached this chapter for your convenience and have included a brief discussion about the elements of an audience strategy below.

The elements of an audience strategy include the communicator’s objective in addressing the audience and how she can go about achieving that objective (most probably utilizing one or more of the persuasion techniques discuss by Dr. Munter) as well as an understanding of whom the audience is comprised. This requires attention to questions such as: who are the key influencers and how might they be utilized? Who should be in the audience? And, what does one need to know about those who will be in the audience? (Dr. Munter provides several insights in actions that one could take as part of developing an audience strategy.)

Once the communicator clearly establishes who will be in the audience she will need to consider what they audience feels, what their interest level is in that which is being communicated, whether that which will be asked of them is difficult for them or not etc. and finally, how one can persuade them to support that which will be asked. Dr. Munter discusses several possible techniques for persuading an audience. You will want to understand each and suggest the one(s) that you believe will help Anne to be successful in addressing her audience. When suggesting various persuasion techniques from the chapter that you believe will help Anne your response will be particularly strong if you support each method that you suggest with a brief explanation of why the approach you are suggesting is required by the circumstance of the case. For example, when discussing whether or not Anne should use a one-sided or two-sided structure you might identify the structure that you believe would be most effective for Anne to utilize and you might support your point by identifying that this structure is most effective when addressing controversial issues. Because the circumstances of the case align so perfectly with the use of a key influencer I highly recommend that you incorporate the use of a key influencer in the audience strategy.

B.1.
Prepare a message strategy for Anne to use to best ensure key members of the opera contractors and the orchestra employees are retained.

Message Strategy
You will want to refer to the attached Managerial Communication chapter for this section of the task as well. In addition to discussing audience strategy, it also discusses the different components of a message strategy. You will want to identify the components of a message strategy and then discuss how Anne could apply each of the components of message strategy within the context of this case scenario.

Be aware of the different audiences e.g., those with whom Anne has worked before, those with whom she has not worked before and managers over whom she will work etc. each group may require a different message strategy.

You should discuss how Anne might organize the message so that her audience will remembers it. You should also discuss what type of approach she should use indirect versus direct and make a case for why the method that you selected is most appropriate for the given situation.

C.
Recommend two technology tools that can be used after the merger to help the companies merge their administrative technology applications.

Technology Tools Technology tools is a very broad term that can include everything from project management tools, website and web applications, software applications, ERP systems, HR systems, Financial systems etc. There isn¿t a specific list of tools. However, a simply Google search about any of the functions of a business will bring up several options or of course you may suggest tools with which you are already familiar.
Administrative technology applications: Just think, each of these companies, individually, had to utilize technological applications to complete such process as payroll, accounting, benefits administration, operations, marketing etc.

This technology applications. For example, I might suggest the use of a customer relationship manager software and to import the customer bases from both organizations so that my new marketing department could market all productions to both customer bases.

There are a few components that you will want to include in your response to the technology tools question. You will want to identify the tool and describe, its features and what it can do. Very important: you will need to discuss specifically how each of the two tools will help the merge process via merging their administrative technology application. This last part is really the heart of the question.

C.1.
Map the implementation of these tools to the company’s strategic goals.

Tool Implementation
For this section you will want to identify one (or more) of the five first-year goals of the newly merged company that each tool will help to attain and to provide a brief discussion of how each tool will help to achieve the goal(s).

The strategic goals for the first year include the following:
Integrate the business process of the two companies
Reduce overall expenses as a percentage of profit
Retain key employees
Maintain audience base for both the opera and the symphony
Identify and pursue synergistic opportunities between the two companies