The Sundale Club Case Analysis
The problems that are festering at the Sundale Club seem to be deriving from a lax in organizational accountability. From an organizational point of view, accountability is one of the mainstays of organizational health. Roger Connors, CEO and New York Times bestselling author of “The Oz Principle” states;
Accountability is the guiding principle that defines how we make commitments to one another, how we measure and report our progress; how we interact when things go wrong, and how much ownership we take to get things done... If accountability is not working in your organization, then every effort toward performance improvement will be inefficient and ineffective (Connors).
This lax in accountability begins at the top with Bob Watts, the Director of The Sundale Club. Bob Watts is due to retire next year. It is this impending departure from the company that encourages his unwillingness to engage the issue at hand. The issue in question is Ted Ellis’s unwillingness to address an issue causing disruption within the organization. Ted is the Athletic Director, and answers directly to Bob Watts. Bobs accountability detachment gives Ted Ellis the green light to ride roughshod over the subordinate managers.
Below then, is an assessment of the existing problems at Sundale.
Overall Problems:
1. Lax in organizational accountability
a. Due to impending retirement, top management has become a lame duck leader.
2. Fragmented vision
a. Sundale has become fragmented in its objectives. Individual department concerns are outweighing the overall vision of the organization.
3. Maverick Management
a. Personal agendas are beginning to trump organizational goals.
Macro Problems:
1. Membership decline
a. The unaddressed issue is causing discomfort with members and staff, causing some members to quit.
2. Revenue loss
a. Membership decline translates into revenue loss.
3. Impact on other departments
a. Lack of sufficient oversight is causing tension and low morale among department heads. Leaderships focus has shifted from corporate to individual.
Micro:
1. Favoritism
a. Favoritism over fairness is causing unrest among the managing staff.
2. Communication process
a. A communication breakdown is strongly impeding the addressing of crippling issues. Confrontational fear and blatant disregard is stifling any beneficial conversation.
3. Employee dissatisfaction
a. Current atmosphere is ripe for turnover issues.
Causes: (Surmised with the summary of problems)
Alternatives:
1. Eliminate “lame duck leadership”
2. Rehearse the vision
3. Promote organizational unity
4. Demand accountability
5. Establish company policy
Recommendations:
The alternatives above address each area currently causing the present dysfunction within the Sundale Club. As stated in the outset, the outstanding issue at the Sundale Club seems to be accountability; or the lack thereof. Because an organization is the assembling of company departments or “parts”, accountability becomes an integral factor in the stability and unification of these parts. The examination of any type of machinery portrays for us how “parts” are dependent upon one another. If one part malfunctions, it affects the workability of another part. If we view accountability in this light, we can better grasp the positive effects of it.
Accountability is often described as something that happens when things go wrong. “By introducing a new view of accountability, a positive and principled view, accountability for results becomes something that everyone embraces as a helpful step in making things happen” (Connors).
In view of this precept, and the alternatives outlined above, we submit the following recommendations;
1. Eliminate lame duck leadership by shifting any manager facing a pending promotion or retirement situation from full function of said position, to that of trainer of his replacement. The weight of the decisions made during this time will be shared by both the outgoing and incoming personal. In this way, accurate and responsible decisions will be sought, as the responsibility of any decisions made will still matter to the incoming personal. By this method, the integrity of the office will remain intact, outweighing the nonchalant attitude of any outgoing personal.
2. Quarterly department management meetings to discuss and address any issues that either have, or have a potential to materialize and threaten the company vision. These meetings should be as relaxed and causal as possible, to also promote a sense of camaraderie as well. These meetings should be finalized with a fresh injection of the company’s visions and goals.
3. Planned outings and events should be scheduled for the sole purpose of promoting companywide camaraderie.
4. Policy should be put in place that governs the inner workings of the organization. These policies should be the rule of law and final. Policy should be introduced at the beginning of everyone’s employ, and should hold every employee accountable. Policy handbooks should be made available to every employee, and should thoroughly cover company procedures such as promotions, discipline, leave times, etc., and policies, such as harassment, discrimination, nepotism, etc. These established policies and procedures should be the final word of any discrepancies that arise governing all personal inclusive.
It is our belief that these recommendations thoroughly address, and if implemented will correct the issues at hand.

Reference:
Connors, R. (n.d.). Why Accountability. Retrieved Oct. 13, 2014, from Partners in Leadership: http://www.ozprinciple.com/self/why-accountability/