Kodak Case Study

Kodak Case Study

History

With the growing popularity of internet and computer use in the early 1990's, Kodak was forced to make changes to keep up. Changing technologies, international competition, and inconsistent consumer behavior motivated Kodak to hire a new CEO, George Fisher, to lead the company and uphold the number one spot in consumer photography.

The Event

With the 1993 hire of the new CEO, George Fisher, came a new campaign. Fisher, and his management team, wanted to make Kodak more competitive and performance driven. The basis of their new campaign was to have one-on-one communication with their 10,000 employees designed to increase moral and productivity. After fixing some minor glitches in the campaign, it was decided to start having managers and supervisors meet quarterly with their work groups for face-to-face briefings. The main idea of the campaign was if all the employees pulled together in the same direction, then they would have an idea of where Kodak stood, and understand how their unit's goals tied in with the entire company's goals. This program is now called Snapshots.

Results

Evaluation was a major part of the original process. Findings from report showed that attendance in voluntary briefings went from 57 percent to 81 percent in just one year. After five years of running Snapshots 88 percent of employees attended a session regularly or occasionally.

Communication surveys results were strongly positive. In 1999, 80 percent of employees stated the meetings provided useful information about Kodak's performance. When asked if the program help them understand the company better, 81 percent said yes.

Opinion surveys tracked gains in employee's confidence with Kodak management. Employees who agreed that