Millennium Media Case

Date: 9/10/15

To: His Most Royal Omnipotence, Dr. Michael Collins

From: Beyonce Knowles, lowly sycophant

Subject: Millennium Media Case Submission

Problem Statement

John Voorenburg is the CEO of Millennium Media, an internationally emerging company undergoing significant growing pains as company market share and diversity issues parallel expansion. The culture of this creative business is evolving, and it seems clear there are significant problems with the old methods and personnel who advocate a ‘sink or swim’ mentality for new hires. Newer, diverse talent could help expand market share and bring in fresh ideas, but they require significant mentoring and inclusion. The exodus of this new talent seems to indicate a change of culture is required.

Purpose/Objective

Short term goal – determine if the opinion of the Human Resources Director has merit, i.e., are cultural roadblocks preventing the company from retaining talent and short-circuiting recruiting efforts to reflect the company’s need for broader cultural inclusion?

Long term goal – Continued prosperity and expansion of the company. This can be done by ensuring successful efforts at culturally diverse recruitment, maintaining a fresh, creative edge in production and increasing sales into areas where Millennium has room to expand.

Alternative Solutions

Solution #1: Perform a cultural audit of senior managers and the company to see where along the spectrum Millennium is situated.

Pros: Identifying the problems would be the first step to understanding how to repair the damage (if any).

Cons: Many, particularly the currently under-represented cultural groups may view this with skepticism (a band aid on arterial wound) and see the efforts as reinforcement of their perception of a diversity problem within the company.

Solution #2: Interview each unit president, retain and fire based on perceptions of their ability to adapt to a changing business climate.

Pros: Immediate changes will allow rapid cultural transformation within the company.

Cons: This solution could prove costly and risky.  Firing seasoned employees could create vacuums of leadership that could hurt the company and erase any benefits that have accrued because of their efforts.

Recommended Solution

Solution # 1 is the recommended solution. Although it is tempting to purge the old leadership, the cultural audit is the first step toward that end. If an independent assessor determines the old leadership is in the way, this gives Voorenberg time to recruit and change leadership to meet the goals of the company.

Action Steps

1. Hire a consulting firm to assess Millennium’s cultural climate.
2. Hire a head-hunting agency to recruit diverse talent to meet Millennium’s needs
3. Take a more active role in ensuring diversity and inclusion are observed by asking for self-audit reports from unit presidents.