Leadership Development Plan for Craiglock Garden Centre

Introduction

The reorganization of a business can take many forms. One of the most crucial areas for reorganization — whether expanding a business, acquiring a new one, or restructuring due to bankruptcy — is focusing the new management team and incorporating viable solutions for leadership learning and development. This report aims to draw up a management development program, devise a plan that ensures the learning needs of the organization are met through a sound and reliable strategic framework, and illustrate how a well-formatted strategic plan can tie in the objectives associated with learning and development planning.

In addition, the report justifies the management development program by examining the strengths and weaknesses of this type of program. By explaining the importance of learning and development in the strategic direction of an organization, the management team is more likely to successfully evaluate what is and is not necessary. Strategic human resource management provides a strong rationale for drawing up plans based on realistic activities that clearly meet the development needs of the directors.

History and Business Background

The Craiglock Nursery, established in 1974, was originally a consortium of local businessmen from Edinburgh who provided individual gardening and nursery services. The business thrived during the 1980s and 1990s and expanded to six dispersed units across the city and in some surrounding towns. These individual units were largely self-sufficient in terms of management structure and systems, each serving its own local market area. As the industry evolved, larger garden centers — combined with the growing popularity of gardening programs on television — reduced the nurseries' market share. A further concern arose in 2008 when the original owners retired and left the organization to their children.

One of the new directors has worked with the company since the age of 18 and has a good grasp of the business, including its strengths and weaknesses, as well as a strong rapport with the staff. Another director also worked with the company during summers and weekends throughout his school years; he currently works in London as a financial manager and will therefore serve as a part-time financial advisor. The third director has managerial experience from a large hotel chain and holds postgraduate management qualifications, and has been working hard to gain insight into the business to ensure future success. The three new directors get along well and share a common vision: to expand Craiglock Nurseries into a strong company with local, national, and international market presence.

New Organizational Structure

Brian Tracy, one of the best-known motivational speakers and business leaders of our time, draws on more than thirty years of experience in his book The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success. He presents a set of principles — or "unbreakable universal laws" — that he argues lie at the root of every person's business success or failure: "These are natural laws that work everywhere for everyone, virtually without exception. Every year, thousands of companies underperform or even fail, and millions of individuals underachieve, frustrated by thwarted ambition and dreams — all because they either attempt to violate or did not know these universal laws." (Tracy, 2000, p. 13)

The current situation is that the company employs 50 staff members scattered across six sites, with directors based in a main city office separate from the primary nursery. Seventy-five percent of the staff have been with the organization for over ten years, and some are nearing retirement age. There has always been an ingrained culture among the long-serving staff, and at all six sites this has reinforced Craiglock's identity as a local supplier for each surrounding community.

The new organizational structure moves the company in a new strategic direction. The directors plan to combine the six smaller units into a single centralized facility located just outside Edinburgh city in a well-established shopping complex. The company's new name will be Craiglock Garden Centre, and the new facility has already been completed, with the business expected to be fully operational within the next 18 months.

Combining the six units will enable the company to take advantage of economies of scale, and there will also be a 25% reduction in human resources, saving additional costs. Any gaps in the labor pool will be filled with temporary and agency staff. Human resource policies and procedures will be examined and reshaped to ensure effective performance management output, and Craiglock aims to become a learning-based organization and achieve Investors in People status. One challenge is that the move to a central location may affect some staff negatively, potentially causing inner conflict, even though others may welcome the new setting.