IntroductionFounded in 1985 by Dr. Robert Ford, the Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute (PCLI) specializes in medical and surgical treatments of the eye. PCLI’s headquarters was based in Chehalis, Washington and it operated in Western states such as Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska. PCLI mainly did corrective laser vision surgeries, but it still performed other types of surgeries such as cataracts, glaucoma, and eyelids. Ford was a devout Christian, and he founded this practice not just to apply science and research but to implement love and kindness, two elements that he thought was lacking in the health field as of late. The company came up with 8 core values that it uses in its mission statement. These values highlight things from customer care to transparency to positivity. Unlike other clinics, PCLI makes sure that the operating actions in each of its 11 clinics is very structured and rigid, kind of like a recipe that a chef must follow to the bone. It was also during this period where LASIK eye surgery began to take off and be very popular in the United States because of discounts. Dr. Ford was extremely experienced in laser eye surgery, and he even created a mechanism that tracked eye movements that allowed computers to save images of the eye. Although Dr. Ford was very accomplished, very few of his employees knew of his vast achievements that spanned across several decades. PCLI was seen as a specialist in eye surgeries and nothing more. Moving on, it seems as if LASIK will continue to dominate in terms of eye care and eye vision improvement. Key Issues
After reading the case study, the most dire issue that I picked up was that PCLI had a choice, profits or the message it had been preaching. Dr. Ford didn’t want to go against the message by just chasing profits, but that may have been the only way to survive. PCLI was stuck between a hard choice: stick to principles and hope you survive, or adapt and focus more on profits and have a much better chance of doing well in the market. In my opinion, PCLI should adapt; throughout all of history, the companies that are the most adaptive and innovative are the ones who survive while the companies that stick to their own principles when everything is changing tend to fall apart and eventually die out due to bad profits. For example, Facebook is now adopting other techniques and technologies such as AI and AR. Facebook is innovating and changing their mission statement in order to adapt with technology and the times. Because of this, Facebook remains very profitable andis ahead of the pack even though it started out as a tiny social media company.
Situation Analysis
The main reality is that the company headed by Dr. Ford is very successful, but it is opening itself up to more threats if it doesn’t adapt to technology. U.S. companies are already finding ways to compete, and their success is dependent on if they can stay ahead of the pack through offering more services than the U.S. companies. This means expanding their area(s) of operations making sure that they are doing it better than other companies. There are many lasik companies in the U.S., but this one should try to market its area of expertise and highlight the experience of Dr. Ford and all the other doctors who work there.
Organizational Strategy
The organization strategy is very rigid and structured according to the case study. It seems as if there is not much wriggle room for the lower workers to make decisions. This can be bad if they begin to get bored. This will lower production and cause, perhaps, a hiring shortage. The company needs to try and become more decentralized rather than centralized. That means that rather than a vertical approach, they should try to take a more horizontal and collaborative approach that allows employees to make more decisions and have a greater responsibility. Therefore, the company should have a more collaborative and integrative approach where several teams work together (a horizontal management structure).
Implementation Plan
The implementation plan seemed to be focused on one person, Dr. Ford. The company needs to be trying to plan things as if he will die soon. If Dr. Ford passes away, the company won’t really know what they’re doing from what the case says. Dr. Ford seems to understand the industry and be the company’s best organizer. Therefore, they should try hiring younger talent in order to try and transition the company in order to try create a line of succession that allows the people in it to make needed changes and adapt to a loss of key management people. The plan should be done through the HR department as well as through the upper management. Therefore a collaborative effort should be in place to push through needed changes in a timely manner.
Benchmarks to Measure Success
The company prides itself on its integrity and honor. Therefore, it of course needs to measure its customer satisfaction. This can be done through surveys and questionnaires where the customer is asked various questions regarding the company. The business should also try and increase profits through a six sigma position where it tries to get rid of waste (wasted time and resources). This will allow the company to adapt to the growing popularity of LASIK. Currently, it seems as if the company is competing with others for customers, and it needs to be able to try and understand how it can get better both internally and externally.
- Hallen, L., Johanson, J., & Seyed-Mohamed, N. (1991). Interfirm adaptation in business relationships. The Journal of Marketing, 29-37.
- Pande, P. S., Neuman, R. P., & Cavanagh, R. R. (2000). The six sigma way: How GE, Motorola, and other top companies are honing their performance. McGraw-Hill (New York).
- Vickery, S. K., Jayaram, J., Droge, C., & Calantone, R. (2003). The effects of an integrative supply chain strategy on customer service and financial performance: an analysis of direct versus indirect relationships. Journal of operations management, 21(5), 523-539.
