Managing Leadership and Cultural Change at Beak and Johnston: A Work in Progress

Harvey, W.S., Parry, S. and Vorbach, P. (2014). Beak and Johnston: Managing Leadership and Cultural Change in the Meat Industry. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, Forthcoming

16 Pages Posted: 23 May 2014 Last revised: 4 Jun 2014

See all articles by William S. Harvey

William S. Harvey

University of Exeter Business School

Stuart Parry

The University of Sydney

Paul Vorbach

Academy Global

Date Written: 2014

Abstract

As it strives to attain its goal of becoming an AUD$1 billion company by 2020, Beak and Johnston (B&J), a family-owned food processing business based in Sydney, Australia, has embarked on a transformative leadership and cultural enhancement process. The company’s founder and CEO, David Beak, is trying to improve the capabilities of his senior strategy team while stepping back from the business. To that end, the company has adopted a leadership development approach with an eye on succession planning in which workers at all levels are encouraged to speak openly. It also is fostering cultural change with a less hierarchical organizational structure in which factory managers are empowered with greater levels of responsibility and accountability. The insights revealed in this candid snapshot of an organization in transition offer valuable lessons on the essential elements of an effective change effort.

Suggested Citation

Harvey, William S. and Parry, Stuart and Vorbach, Paul, Managing Leadership and Cultural Change at Beak and Johnston: A Work in Progress (2014). Harvey, W.S., Parry, S. and Vorbach, P. (2014). Beak and Johnston: Managing Leadership and Cultural Change in the Meat Industry. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2439312

William S. Harvey (Contact Author)

University of Exeter Business School ( email )

Rennes Drive
Exeter, EX4 4PU
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://business-school.exeter.ac.uk/about/people/profile/index.php?web_id=Will_Harvey

Stuart Parry

The University of Sydney ( email )

University of Sydney
Sydney, NSW 2006
Australia

Paul Vorbach

Academy Global ( email )

Sydney
Australia

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
258
Abstract Views
1,940
Rank
203,952
PlumX Metrics