Compare to other companies Gore applied lattice management system.

WL Gore applies an organic

model organization structure which has team or matric structure that use innovation strategy. The
company organization structure influence their span of control, chain of command, innovation strategy,
decentralization of decision-making and processes.

The company has done significant role in creating innovative, profitable business. As a flat business they
play great role applying an organic model with cross-functional teams with a very wide spans of control.
This matrix model includes decentralization, low formalization and free-flow of information that
increase the speed of decision making process from cross-hierarchal teams. The matrix/team structure
links product resource and functionality. Unlike other WL Gore lack a confide set of positions and ranks.
The associates of Gore require adapting responsibilities that march their aptitude and positions. The
organizational units are self-managing, small team.

W.L. Gore management style promotes team/matrix structure with no titles, conventional, or a
hierarchy structure. The company has few titles as required by the law of incorporation (Sawyer, 2006).
The matrix structure applies direct communication lines with employees. The structures has does have
an intermediaries hence provide the associate with an opportunity to work out without their personal
problems. The organizational structure has no assigned or fixed authority since there is chance for
every person utilizing their ability without any hindrance.

All individuals in Gore organization are treated as associate. Those in higher position take the role of
leaders rather than that of managers. Leadership is widespread throughout the lattice structure which is
dynamic in nature. The role of the leaders is not to supervise or manage by to give advises to the
associate on the consequences of decisions. The compensation of the associates depend on this
leadership style hence help people to work hard as the pay check is determined by their paycheck
(Drucker, 2012). The organization structure helps in the growth of the associates by developing
discipline, leadership, interpersonal relationships, and responsibilities and gives self-commitment.

The matrix/ team structure within organic model helps to creates job satisfaction, product innovation,
across the board lower costs and high profits. This type of organizational model is influenced by
innovation strategy and hence promotes creativity and productivity. The organizational structure
develops generalists instead of specialists to share product resources and helps in timely delivery of
services. There is less duplication of activities and responsibilities. Decentralization develops a chain of
command with a lower span of control. Gore innovational strategy enhance meaningful, unique
innovation that help associates introduce new products to their team.

The lattice organization promotes peer to peer communication instead of superior to subordinate
communication. The organization uses informal strategy to promote formal organization. The
performance of associates is measured against the overall contribution of the organization. The
company promotes focus and self-motivation. If person feel ownership and pride he will make an impact
in his area of specialization. The recruitment criterion is based on personate of working for
organization. The organization structure promotes cooperation and communication rather than
hierarchical authority. All person people in the organization play role in decision making hence
encourage commitment in the organization. Only those decisions that may course damage to the
business require consultancy.

To what extent do they represent a consistent management approach based upon identifiable
principles?

The organization and management characteristic of the company provide a consistent management
approach base on the following identifiable principles:

W.L. Gore applies lattice structure. This is where every person participates in decision making process.
There is decentralization in the control of the organization and hence the level of democracy is very
high. The approach promotes participation of the employees in the organization.

One the principle of management is esprit de Corps which state company should promote unity and
team work. Management should inspire good feelings and harmony among the employees. Gore use
bottom up approach. Gore is not an organization of manager by its family which works as team. The
company has been able to generate $2.5 billion annually without use of hierarchal leadership style in the
past 50 years.

Those in management are supposed work hard so as to reduce employee’s turnover. The company
should therefore have strategy ensure that employees long in the organization hence reducing the costs
associated with recruitment and selection of new employees. The lack of close monitoring and
supervision encourage employees to stay in the organization long. The productivity of the employees is
also enhanced as those employees that are not fit for the organization eliminate themselves.

Employees have the freedom of changing or implementing different project which they believe they are
of benefit to the organization. This create environment for creativity and innovation which result to new
products and ideas.

The management approach also promotes divisional structure by service or product. The organization
has four division which include; electronic, industrial, medical and fabrics each with its own leader. This
is consistent with consistent with the principle of division of labor which state that manager should
divide responsibilities among groups and individuals. This help in ensuring that attention and effort will
be given to specific portion of work. When employees are specialized productivity increase because they
become more effective and efficient in their field of specialization. There are specific units within these
division, each unit depend on group of products. In organizational where products and services differ
substantially this type of structure is widely applied. Like in Gore this structure require reduced top
management and skilled work force.

Lattice structure promotes accountability in the organization. The accountability structure approach
applied by the company depends on the relationship among employees and is free from supervision and
monitoring. This type of leadership is based on ability to attract followers and gain respect of their
peers.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of WL Gore’s approach to organization and
management?

In lattice organization structure there no hierarchical structure where majority employees, managers
and executive are accustomed. The structure avoids bureaucracy found in the business environment.
Lattice organizational structure involves natural leadership, self-commitment, direct transactions and
lack assumed or assigned authority (Harder & Townsend, 2017).

Absence of hierarchy in the W.L. Gore and associate would best suit staffs with a high core self-
evaluation. The application of this structure will help in creating huge success for the business
and reduction of conflict. The choice to eliminate hierarchy in organization by Gore helps to
create interesting employees dynamics. The employee dynamic in structure call high self-
evaluation, including high locus of control and high self-esteem. The employees dynamic in this
organization provide good work environment and communication among staffs. Extroverted
staffs will be more likely to communicate and socialize with others. Lattice organizational
structure in company helps in promoting job conscientiousness and emotional stability.
Employee emotional stability provides them with the ability to express their opinions. On the
other hand job conscientiousness assures that W.L. Gore will possess good, leadership, idea
sharing and quality workmanship. These features help to the openness of personnel’s to
experience new opportunities and ideas.

The organizational structure gives classes for associate that enable them establish cooperative program
and leadership development. Lattice structure provide W.L. Gore associates with nature feeling of
leadership hence helping the to be good followers as they transform to become leaders. The
organizational structure applied by Gore provides freedom to the employees and thence they become
free to work with the company process. This makes employees to become more motivated and hence
promote productivity.

The organization does not only recruit people to fill vacant positions in the organization but the main
focus is the unique and flexibility of work conditions that will ensure that new workers have the
strength. Employees/ associates are given the opportunity to become their own bosses as it provide
them with entrepreneurship responsibly and if a person cannot handle such role the Gore is not the
best option for him or her.

In lattice organization structure every person can contribute in decision making irrespective of the
position he holds in the company. The organization is there able to promote creativity and innovation in
the business. In hierarchical organizational structure the ideas of the junior staff may never be hard
every through they can benefit the organization.

In this organizational structure there is greater freedom and hence employees are able to learn from
different aspects. The employees are therefore able to expand their expertise, skills and knowledge by
not being limited to a specific functional area.

This is one of the organization structures that employees feel that they are recognized and valued.
Through this employee retention is very high as they feel to be part of the organization. With loyal
employees service delivery is promoted and hence company is able to have a good reputation. The cost
associated by frequent recruitment is reduced. The is organization structure also help in raising the
confidence of employees as they is no cross supervision and monitoring. The management believe on
the ability of their junior and hence this make their self-esteem to go high.

By power distribution employees or decentralizing decision making process, Gore is providing the
associates the discretion to fasten the process of decision making to provide more input and solve
problem regarding relevant situations. The employees feel less oriented with the organization, and
make them participate within working environment.

It is easy for new employees and associates to adopt to decentralized management style compared to
the traditional management approach. Today people and especially youth recognize that they can
choose where they want work. If they are not comfortable with the company management style they
can move to another one with the best working environment. Therefore the Gore approach pray
important role in retaining the best talents.

The challenges of lattice structure include rewards and compensation structures, talent management,
employee’s motivation and appraisal and policy enforcement.

Recruitment and training of competent personnel’s is important in the process of talent management
with the human resource management. Lattice organization structure eliminates traditional selection
and recruitment element and approach training and recruitment in unconventional manner. This
structure can be challenging if the organizational goals and purpose shift.

The lattice organization structure does no promote compensation based on level of expertise and
qualification. The structure lack standardization to ensure benefit and salaries are competitive,
externally and internally. The lattice structure does not promote compensation and productivity
bonuses. Gore admits is not easy to establish measure for setting compensation. It is realistic for
employees to set their compensation.

Lattice structure requires staffs whose motivation and discipline are off the chart. The segment of the
workforce is small. In a traditional organizational structure like matrix, decentralized or centralized,
appointed leaders and managers create strategies for motivation such as performance bonus,
recognition and commendations. Leaders in the organization naturally emerge by exhibiting special
experience, skills or knowledge. Performance evaluation is a key in employee development in the
organizational structure hence lattice organization structure lacks the basic stage to develop performance
parameters.

Gore’s model replaces managers and leaders with mentors and sponsors. The informal nature of this
type of organization structure precludes policy enforcement. Lattice organizational structure requires
every person to accountable to him or herself only. The policies that does embrace traditional
organization structure are loosely established and hard to implement in a lattice structure hence
promoting a potentially chaotic working environment.
To what extent is the WL Gore approach to organization and management transferable to other
companies? And if it is, to what types of the companies?

The management styles of the organization are not what it used to be and a great transformation has
taken place hence people are not ready to work under tradition management styles. Technological,
demographic, and economic are the main contributors to this transformation hence making corporate
ladder. To be competitive advantage the organizations require management approach that promotes
innovation and creativity. Most of the traditional method of management limits the level of employee’s
creativity.

The corporate organizational model is different from the traditional hierarchical model as it is more
adaptive and hence best suited to match with the dynamic expectation, norms and needs of modern
workplace. Mathematically a lattice is defined as a three-dimensional structure that infinitely extends in
any direction. Like Gore introduced this new management approach to his organization it is very
possible to transfer this to other companies. The level of innovation today requires combination of
different leadership style. In this type of leadership the business is able to motivate employees based on
their productivity.

WL Gore approach is designed in such a way that it is able to suit the needs of the employees, it has a
flexible working schedule that permit employees balance the work and family time by taking less or
more duties and enhance participation. The workers are able to contribute in workplace through
suggestions and ideas. Many organizations that adopt this strategy believe that every worker has his or
her unique potential that can improve the productivity of the organization. Employees are able to
customize their ideas using lattice organization.

Many scholars believe that lattice management structure can be applied in every company although
there some who believe that it not practice to use the approach. A more plausible and moderate
position is that many businesses may benefit from a lattice organizational structure. Those people who
believe in their personal power have high dependency on traditional line of authority.

Companies like The Morning Star and W.L Gore have succeeded without use of hierarchy management.
Most of the organizations have changed their compensation policy and their employees are paid based
on their productivity. Companies that apply this approach include bank and insurance companies. Most
of the insurance agents are compensated commission base. Compensation is used a means of
enhancing accountability. The most of the marketing department in financial institution use this
approach. The level of supervision is law and hence employees feel motivated to work for the
organization. In addition the compensation for the employees is based on performance and
productivity.

The philosophy of management in Gore is that employees do not require close supervision; what is
required is support and mentoring. Every new associate is given a mentor to demystify the lattice,
decode the jargon, and introduce him or her to other teams who assist him or her discover a good fit
between his expertise and what the team require. A sponsor contributes to personal commitment to
development and success of an associate. This approach is also currently being embraced by company
which uses network market. The main objective of this approach is to develop leaders rather than
developing managers.

Innovation is the main driver of success in Gore. The company has been able to improve its existing
technology with wide variety of modern application. The innovation in the company has been enhancing
by freedom given to all individuals in the organization to share their ideas and creativity. Like Gore
majority of the company are using technology to remain competitive in the business world. Even at
national lever there is the need for the government to give room for dialogue so that they can here the
idea of those people who are not in readership. Organization should know that nobody has monopoly of
ideas and hence be will to listen to every individual

The success of a leader depends on how the leader is able to influence his or her followers. The
contribution of the leader can only be measured by the contribution of those people he follow. Those in
medical professional should be able to mentor their junior on how to provide better service as their
service reflects the type of management style in the organization. This type of distribute leadership
style is challenging to top management as it require fundamental change in reward, attitudes, and value
system which depend on organization management.