HomeResearch & Knowledgeback to HomeStrategyback to Research & KnowledgeRecommitment at Trenton Foods: Nestlé USA (A)back to Strategy

Case Study

Recommitment at Trenton Foods: Nestlé USA (A)

By Christopher Parker and Morgan Gould

16 pages

February 1993

Order this case study

Reference: IMD-3-0540

A culture change initiative was begun four years ago at Trenton Foods, a manufacturing facility of Nestle, USA, as part of a strategy to assure long-term competitive advantage. Plant manager, John Brocke, reviews his efforts over the past four years in anticipation of an internal consulting team arriving to address productivity improvements and cost reductions. Brocke grows increasingly uneasy as the consulting team’s recommendations concerning labor reductions and consolidations are presented. Company and employee history in this small, mid-western town figure largely in his concern that four years of trust and credibility may be threatened, if not reversed. How does John Brocke communicate the concern for cost and efficiency – possible job reductions – without jeopardizing the embryonic culture he has worked so hard to achieve?

Keywords

Culinary Food, Culture, Operations Management

Settings

United States of America
1992

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

Related material

Teaching note

IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

The Case Centre

Cranfield University

Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]

Harvard Business School Publishing

60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]

Asia Pacific Case Center

NUCB Business School

1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]

IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

This case study is part of a series

Recommitment at Trenton Foods: Nestlé USA (A)
Recommitment at Trenton Foods: Nestlé USA (B): Implementing change with Nestec's production improvement teams

This case study is part of a series

Recommitment at Trenton Foods: Nestlé USA (A)
Recommitment at Trenton Foods: Nestlé USA (B): Implementing change with Nestec's production improvement teams

Recommitment at Trenton Foods: Nestlé USA (B): Implementing change with Nestec's production improvement teams

By Christopher Parker and Morgan Gould
Case reference: IMD-3-0541 ©1993

Summary

The case traces John Brocke's decision to bring in Nestec's Production Improvement Team, an internal consulting team from Nestle's worldwide headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland. Plant manager of Trenton Foods, Nestle, USA, Brocke had initiated a long-term culture change program four years earlier, and the team's recommended labor reductions seem now to jeopardize his efforts. Andrade, the team leader, enjoys a faultless entry and beginning, but as the "operation phase" is introduced, conflict begins to emerge over suggested improvements, and implementation becomes increasingly troublesome. At the project end, Brocke and the team are in fundamental disagreement whether the project had been a success. Brocke believed that the team was more committed to headquarter's concern about savings than in consulting to his plant, and disagreed with the process employed by the team. He questioned whether his longer-term objectives for gaining competitive advantage had been compromised. How is Brocke to accelerate his efforts at employee empowerment? And, what has he learned regarding processes for implementing change following the Production Improvement Team's departure?

Reference IMD-3-0541

Available Languages English

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Strategy

Browse all topics

Related content

Case Study

Recommitment at Trenton Foods: Nestlé USA (A)

A culture change initiative was begun four years ago at Trenton Foods, a manufacturing facility of Nestle, USA, as part of a strategy to assure lon...

Strategy

By Christopher Parker and Morgan Gould

Keep reading

Article

Taking political risk out of the equation - David Bach

With half the world going to the polls this year, how do businesses manage political risk? IMD’s David Bach suggests businesses must look beyond th...

Where Mario Draghi’s €800bn industrial strategy for Europe falls short

The former Italian premier and ECB president’s call for massive EU investment is a wake-up call to Europe’s economic stagnation. But can the contin...

Embedding responsible innovation in corporate strategy

Innovation is a core element in the business toolbox. A new framework is helping corporate leaders integrate social sustainability in their innovat...

Innovation Sustainability Strategy

By Bala Mulloth, Jill Kickul and Tatiana Iakovleva

in I by IMD

9 September 2024

Article

Generational wealth: Embracing "Lotus" model for family business succession

There is a Chinese saying that wealth does not last beyond three generations, and the reality is that sustaining family businesses is a significant...

Family Business Strategy Organizational Design

By Marleen Dieleman

in The Edge Malaysia

5 September 2024

Video

Embracing circularity - Long-term profitability

Julia Binder and Manuel Braun delve into why a circular approach to business can help build more resilience and boost profitability.

Strategy

By Julia Binder and Manuel Braun

in I by IMD

Article

Abstract thinking: how artworks can sharpen decision-making

Peter Lorange explains how artworks support his decision-making process and can also help new businesses thrive.

Decision Making Strategy

By Peter Lorange

in I by IMD

Article

How a new approach to demand planning can redefine success

Demand Planning Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are frequently criticized for being too complex or irrelevant. However, an emerging approach is g...

Strategy Supply Chain

By Ralf W. Seifert, Richard Markoff and Matthew Spooner

in I by IMD

5 August 2024

Article

Navigating global and local strategies: FUCHS’ journey in China and what other businesses can learn about their approach

FUCHS SE's journey in China shows how its FUCHS2025 strategy balances global ambitions with local agility, leveraging local expertise for global in...

Strategy Agility Digital

By Rouven Acquaviva

in I by IMD

2 August 2024

Article

Long-term orientation, family-intensive governance arrangements, and firm performance: An institutional economics perspective

In this study, we examine the effect of cultural long-term orientation on the likelihood of adopting more family-intensive governance arrangements ...

Family Business Performance Management Strategy

By Michele Pinelli, Francesco Debellis and Alfredo De Massis

in Small Business Economics

August 2024, vol. 63, pp. 731-754, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-024-00877-4

Article

NIO Customer Experience - Resetting the standard

Never heard of NIO? Those who haven't are set to become few and far between, as the electric vehicle (EV) maker continues its fast and furious rise...

Innovation Leadership Strategy

By Stéphane J. G. Girod, Rui Meng and Hui Zhang

in I by IMD

26 July 2024

Embedding responsible innovation in corporate strategy

By Bala Mulloth Jill Kickul and Tatiana Iakovleva
in I by IMD 9 September 2024

Summary

Innovation is a core element in the business toolbox. A new framework is helping corporate leaders integrate social sustainability in their innovat...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Innovation

Sustainability

Strategy

Browse all topics

Generational wealth: Embracing "Lotus" model for family business succession

By Marleen Dieleman
in The Edge Malaysia 5 September 2024

Summary

There is a Chinese saying that wealth does not last beyond three generations, and the reality is that sustaining family businesses is a significant...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Family Business

Strategy

Organizational Design

Browse all topics

Navigating global and local strategies: FUCHS’ journey in China and what other businesses can learn about their approach

By Rouven Acquaviva
in I by IMD 2 August 2024

Summary

FUCHS SE's journey in China shows how its FUCHS2025 strategy balances global ambitions with local agility, leveraging local expertise for global in...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Strategy

Agility

Digital

Browse all topics

Long-term orientation, family-intensive governance arrangements, and firm performance: An institutional economics perspective

By Michele Pinelli Francesco Debellis and Alfredo De Massis
in Small Business Economics August 2024, vol. 63, pp. 731-754, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-024-00877-4

Summary

In this study, we examine the effect of cultural long-term orientation on the likelihood of adopting more family-intensive governance arrangements ...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Family Business

Performance Management

Strategy

Browse all topics

NIO Customer Experience - Resetting the standard

By Stéphane J. G. Girod Rui Meng and Hui Zhang
in I by IMD 26 July 2024

Summary

Never heard of NIO? Those who haven't are set to become few and far between, as the electric vehicle (EV) maker continues its fast and furious rise...

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

Related topics

Innovation

Leadership

Strategy

Browse all topics