Leadership Crisis: How Can Circle 6 Survive?

Abstract

Laird Jennings, a long time senior software engineer at Circle 6 Corporation became increasingly concerned about his future employment due to a series of events that threatened the survival of the company. Circle 6 was a pioneer in the computer telephony integration area that did not adjust to disruptive technological changes. Meanwhile, factors internal to the company led to a crisis fueled by a series of strategic management failures that resulted in a struggling company dependent on old technology, a seriously eroded customer base, a small group of unmotivated employees that had survived numerous layoffs, and a disillusioned management team. The crisis escalated when the entire board of directors and management team suddenly announced they were resigning, and Jennings gradually emerged as the de-facto leader because no one else remaining at Circle 6 wanted to assume a leadership role. The case closes five months later when Jennings, an inexperienced manager, is elected chairman of the new board with the responsibility to lead Circle 6 from crisis to prosperity.