Leadership Essay - Shifting Locations

Relocating a major part of an organization to the other side of the world is a challenging mission on the management of this organization due to many factors that we will discuss in this case study, which needs to be studied and understood before making the decision.

As a CEO of the pharmaceutical company, to be called Bahrain Pharma or the Company hereafter, the first question that I will ask myself and my colleagues is whether this plan is in the ultimate benefit of the company and its shareholders or not. Also, what is the effect of the relocation plan on the stakeholders? Like many other companies, a pharmaceutical company will have stakeholders like suppliers, distributors, customers, creditors, shareholders and most importantly the employees and their families.

Shifting 50% of the operations abroad will definitely have an impact on each and every aforementioned stakeholder. An example of such an impact will be the effect of the relocation on the employees and their families, the focus of my study; will it be affordable to them to live in Chicago? Are they willing to move or do we have to employ and train new employees? Assuming that it is affordable and they’re willing to move, is it their preference? Or do they prefer to live and work in Bahrain? I believe the employees of Bahrain Pharma will be more productive if the working environment suits their lifestyle better.

Such situations require a transformational leader, a person capable of generating an organizational and personal change, a strategist leader who’s capable of transforming the organization and its community. As a CEO, I must collaborate with my stakeholders, especially the employees, to provide what is best for the company, even if it was not my preferred choice. An effective leader will always prioritize the benefit of the organization, as the focus is on the opportunities that will be generated from such relocation and solutions to any potential problem that might arise.

Needless to say that I, as the CEO/leader, need to be convinced that the relocation plan will be beneficial to the company and its stakeholders. Only then, I will present the board of director vision to the stakeholders to effectively communicate to them the reasons of such a huge initiative, clarify the opportunities that will be created, discuss the issues and problems that some stakeholders will voice and address them immediately.

In my opinion, an effective leader will also focus on the effect of the relocation plan on the motivation level of the employees. The compensation plan must be structured with a focus to boost the morale and motivation of the employees. After all, we are planning to shift more than a 1000 employee out of the country.