Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau-Tak (A)

¶ … Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau-TAK (a) by Jon N. Gabarro the dilemmas are presented of having a subordinate, Dmitri Brodsky entirely unsuited for the role of running sales at global brewery leader Konigsbrau's Ukrainian subsidiary, Konigsbrau-TAK a.E. Konigsbrau's senior management team, the Vorstand however sees having him on staff as a benefit given his knowledge of the Ukrainian market, depth of experience relative to the younger staff members, and industry reputation as an expert in sales and distribution. These are all reasonable expectations for Konigsbrau's Vorstand to have, yet in reality Mr. Brodsky is failing. The many conflicts he has with Wolfgang (Wolf) Keller, his lack of social interaction with customers, distributors, his own sales force and others is troubling. The industry is one that is fueled on trust, the most critical asset any commercial director has in their career and professional arsenal. Mr. Brodsky fails to realize that his lack of social interaction and cold, aloof manner are making him less and less trusted by his boss, his sales team reporting to him, distributors and the entire organization. In short, he is creating the ideal set of circumstances to get himself fired. If all this wasn't enough, he also vigorously defends his performance when there are example after example of it being less than optimum, showing a lack of self-awareness as well.

Part I: Mastery of the Facts of the Case

Wolfgang Keller quickly realizes that distribution channel dynamics and the ability of a brewer to create long-lasting, high-trust relationships is absolutely essential for creating a successful business. His career is rising quickly in the case because he can quickly determine which areas of channel management and distribution support other brewers are not offering and rapidly size the opportunities these weaknesses present. Wolfgang Keller is, in the nomenclature of American high technology industries, a true "gunslinger" who is quick to shoot and make things happen, risking failure to create stronger alliances based on trust with distributors. No doubt the Konigsbrau distributors applaud is 34-year-olds' courage and focus on results, in addition to his ability to meld successfully into the Ukrainian society so quickly. He doesn't have the German stiltedness and need for precision so engrained into his personality so as to make him rigid and difficult to deal with. He gets the fact that building distribution channels for a premium brand requires a very high level of personal transparency and a complete commitment to the success of distributors. Nothing less will make a brewer successful in such competitive markets. His move from the Ukraine to Brazil and back to the Ukraine, the rumor he will be promoted to the Vorstand, and impressive track record of turning around the food manufacturer's earnings to €7 million per year on revenues of €145 million. Keller also instituted a very aggressive distributor support and service program to the retail level, which includes all the elements any channel partner would love: high margins, excellent quality service, heavy advertising, strong promotional strategies and extensive information technologies (it) support. Keller also unified all of these diverse initiatives into a very focused and aggressive service-oriented commercial strategy to win over Ukrainian distributors. Keller also realized that distributors ruled his market and industry and if his company was ever going to be successful they would need to serve the distribution sales forces daily. In addition to all of these factors about Keller, he clearly understands he is in a battle for mindshare and only by continually adding more value to distributors will he win.

Amidst all of his accomplishments and excellent insight into how to make Konigsbrau's business succeed, he is also challenged with managing Dmitri Brodsky. Dmitri is leading the sales team at Konigsbrau, chosen due to his experience and maturity, which the Vorstand would bring balance to the younger groups of managers that Keller had attracted. Given the fact that Brodsky is intellectual and cultivated, no doubt he comes across arrogant at times, even condescending to the younger managers. This can be inferred from the portrayal of Brodsky in the case study. He is politically savvy as well, as he keeps a distant but cordial relationship with Chairman Antonov. Brodsky also has significant international experience, another asset that Chairman Antonov sees as a reason to hold onto him despite the many problems with his performance. He has worked in the U.S., Ukraine, and France and has excellent analytical skills. His background also shows an exceptional level of task orientation and focus on results.